CHAPTER ONE

BRIANNA'S POV

"Gross, she has feelings for her own brother? Someone actually wrote a fanfic about Kenneth?"

The voice cut through the cafeteria chatter like a serrated blade.

I froze mid-step, my plastic cafeteria tray trembling so violently that my carton of apple juice rattled against the tray.

It started as a low murmur, a collective shifting of chairs, but within seconds, the room had descended into a dissonance of pings.

Ping. Ping. Ping.

Every single student was staring at their phone, their eyes flickering from glowing screens to my face, then back to their screens again.

Giggles erupted from the table near the windows, followed by sharp, biting laughter.

Just then, a boy near the salad bar stood up, cleared his throat, and began reading a line aloud—a sentence I had labored over, in the dim light of my bedroom, at three in the morning.

"‘His scent is so intoxicating that I could drown in it,’" he read, his voice dripping with mock-romantic flair. "‘I want him so badly but the wall between us makes it forbidden and it hurts my heart.’"

The cafeteria exploded.

"Freak," someone hissed. "She’s actually a total creep."

My heart hammered against my ribs, a panicked bird trapped in a cage. I didn't need to look at the screen to know what was happening.

The secret notebook I’d documented all my yearning for my stepbrother had just been linked! And I didn't need to be told we did it.

I stumbled toward a corner table, my vision blurring, and pulled my phone from my pocket with shaking fingers. My lock screen was already flooded with notifications: tags, shares, and a screenshot of my handwriting, unmistakable and humiliatingly intimate, plastered all over the school’s anonymous gossip feed.

I looked up and I almost wished I didn't.

Across the room, Kenneth was sitting with his hockey teammates. His usual composed, athletic posture was gone; his jaw was clenched so tightly I could see the muscle throbbing. When our eyes finally locked, there was no confusion in his expression, or hurt instead It was pure, unfiltered disgust.

"Oh, it gets better!"

The voice belonged to Imogen— the bitch who undoubtedly linked all this. I still couldn't wrap my mind around how she found my notebook. I never took it home cause I didn't want Kenneth seeing it and just kept it in my locker. But my locker was always locked, so how did she get it?.

My focus shifted back to her, she had climbed onto the base of the salad bar, her cheerleading skirt flared, her phone held aloft like a trophy. She looked like she was crowning a queen, but I was the sacrificial lamb.

"Our resident wallflower, Brianna, has been writing a little bedtime story," she announced to the room, her voice saccharine and cruel. "And the star of her little fantasy? None other than her own stepbrother."

The cafeteria erupted in laughter.

I tried to stand, my voice dying in my throat as I whispered, "Stop it. Please, just stop."

Just then, Kenneth pushed through the crowd. I almost let out a sigh seeing him walking toward me. But all thought of him coming to save me out of this mess died, the moment I saw the burning disgust on his face again.

My chest tightened as he got closer.

"Brianna? Tell me this is fake. Tell me you didn't write this." His voice cracked.

That small, human sound hurt worse than the public shaming. I opened my mouth to lie, to save what little dignity I had left, but Imogen waved her phone again, waving the physical proof of my obsession in his face.

Yesterday after Kenneth asked her to be his girlfriend in the locker room, she had promised me she’d make my life miserable.

She had kissed Kenneth just to watch me crumble, and when I’d warned her to stay away from him, she had laughed. “He’ll forget you ever existed, Brianna. You’re just the girl who burdens him… his useless stepsister”

She had found out about my obsession with my Stepbrother a few days ago and ever since had set her eyes on my distraction. I never admitted and just played dumb with her, as long as she didn't have any proof I was saved. Or so I thought.

She had won.

The shame felt like a crushing weight, pinning me to the floor. I braced myself for the next wave of insults, my eyes squeezed shut.

"Actually, you’ve all got it wrong."

The deep, gravelly voice wasn't Kenneth’s. It was darker, lazier, and commanded instant silence.

I opened my eyes to see Mikel, the team captain and Kenneth’s fiercest rival, stepping into the circle. He was the school’s golden boy—arrogant, untouchable, and a known playboy.

"It’s not about Kenneth," Mikel said, his tone bored, as if he were correcting a minor math error.

The entire cafeteria went dead silent as if holding its breath.

"The story is about me," Mikel added, his gaze cutting through Imogen’s smirk.

He didn't wait for a response. He crossed the distance between us in three long strides, his presence overwhelming. Before I could even process the movement, his arm was around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. His warmth was startling, a contrast to the cold dread that had been consuming me.

Unconsciously, my gaze flashed to him. I doubt if we exchanged more than three words in the last three years I’d been stuck in this school and now he was saving me?

"She’s been keeping it a secret because I asked her to," he lied, his voice dropping to a smooth, convincing hum. "But since you’re all so invested in my Sunshine’s writing, I figured it was time to clear the air."

“Brianna is my girlfriend."

"We wanted to keep it a secret but since our dear Imogen won't let my Sunshine be and wants to poke her ugly bitchy nose in our business. Here you go!”

My breath hitched.

CHAPTER TWO

BRIANNA'S POV

My heart was pounding so hard against my ribs that I was certain he could feel it through the heavy fabric of his varsity jacket.

I was caught in a vice—trapped between the scorching shame of my truth and the terrifying safety of his lie.

“Did she lure you in to save her sorry ass too? What did she offer you? A one night stand?” Imogen snarled, that familiar smirk of her dangling on her lips.

Whispers exploded. I could feel that familiar lump forming at my throat already.

Mikel suddenly let out a snarl that wiped the smirk off her face the next second. He pulled me closer to him and the weight in my chest lessened seeing him standing up for me.

“If you're so interested in our private life as a couple, well I'll give you an inspo. She's more hot in bed than you ever can. And I don't need her to lure me, she's my damn obsession already."

I froze and for no reason my heart began beating fast and I felt my cheek blush red. Maybe it was just the sincerity in his words or it was just my fucking heart playing that dumb joke on me again.

I should be fucking angry. I was a damn virgin and hadn't even had my first kiss yet, and he just slandered me!

Mikel leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. His voice was a low, dangerous velvet that only I could hear.

"Say it, Brianna," he hissed. "Stop making me look like a fool and butt in here. Tell them you are indeed my girlfriend, or the whole school goes back to talking about how you want to sleep with your brother. Your choice."

A sob caught in my throat.

I looked at Kenneth. His expression had shifted from disgust to a bewildered, hurt confusion that sliced me open.

If I denied this, the notebook pages were still there. The stepbrother references were still there. This was the only exit, even if it felt like walking into a different kind of fire.

I had to take this chance. I had to do this for myself.

"It's true," I whispered, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat and forced the words out louder, though they tasted like ash. "We’re dating. I... I've liked Mikel for a long time. The story was about him."

The words felt like a betrayal to my own soul.

I had saved my reputation, but I had just looked the only person I ever truly loved in the eye and told him he meant nothing to me. That I had no affection toward him.

Imogen’s face turned a violent shade of purple. Why wouldn’t it? Her grand finale had been dismantled by the school’s most untouchable guy.

"You're lying," she spat, jumping down from the platform. "There is no way Mikel would touch a freak like her."

Mikel didn't even blink. "You want proof, Imogen?"

Before I could breathe, he shifted his hand from my shoulder to the nape of my neck. He tilted my head back and pressed his lips to mine.

My eyes widened involuntarily.

It was my first kiss.

It should have been soft, or sweet, or at least private. Instead, it was firm, unexpected, and broadcasted to three hundred people and yet I found myself leaning into his touch. But before I could savor, he pulled away.

I stayed frozen, my damn heart racing.

The cafeteria erupted into a fresh wave of chaos—this time, it was shock rather than mockery, but yet it felt like a background noise.

And somewhere between all those chaos, my senses suddenly responded and I was dragged toward the presence.

Without thinking, I shoved past him, ignoring the burning heat in my cheeks and the way Kenneth was staring at the floor and… I bolted.

I ran until the air turned cold and the smell of Zamboni exhaust filled my lungs.

I collapsed onto the bottom row of the bleachers near the hockey rink, clutching my bag to my chest.

Tears finally blurred my vision, fat drops splashing onto my jeans. I hated myself. I hated that I was invisible until I was a punchline. I hated that I was the weird stepsister who could never measure up to girls like Imogen.

"You're a fast runner for someone so small." His familiar voice echoed beside me.

I stiffened.

Mikel was leaning casually against the plexiglass, looking like he hadn't just blown up my entire life. In his hand, he was twirling a crumpled, torn page from my notebook—the original page, not a digital copy.

"Give that back," I snapped, standing up and wiping my face aggressively. "Did you do this? Did you help her spread it just so you could play the hero?"

It did feel like an accusation but I was trying to find my sanity. Why on earth will he help me? He was the notorious Playboy so he could have done it to humiliate me and just play the hero just for fun.

Mikel froze his hands lowering as I snatched the paper from him.

“Why would you think that?" He mouthed.

“Well your reputation doesn't quite paint you a saint," I rolled my eyes.

Mikel shrugged, his smirk infuriatingly smug.

"I found it in the hallway after your little run-in with the cheer captain yesterday. And for the record, I just saved your dignity. That kiss? That was a charity act, Brianna. You should be thanking me."

My mouth went dry. As much as I wanted to scream at him, the logic was undeniable. He had given me a cover story that people actually believed because of his status. He had saved me and stood up for me when everyone looked at me with disdain.

"What do you want, Mikel?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Guys like you don't do charity for free."

He stepped closer, the playboy persona dropping. His expression was suddenly gravely serious. "I’m failing British History and if I don't pull an A on the final, I’m benched for the playoffs. My scout reports go up in smoke."

He suddenly leaned closer, pouting his lips. "You’re the smartest girl in our year. You’re going to tutor me every night until I pass, won't you?"

"No," I whispered.

He drew backwards, his brows furrowing. “Really? I mean I just saved your ass and this is the least you can…”

"I’ll tell Kenneth…I’ll tell him you're blackmailing me." I cut him off, my voice stern

Mikel didn't flinch, instead the smirk returned to his face as he leaned in again, his shadow looming over me. "Go ahead, tell him and while you’re at it, tell him exactly what you wrote on page fourteen. The part about the shower? I think he’d find that reallll interesting."

Panic surged in my gut.

I'd called out Kenneth's name instinctively cause I normally used him and his name for protection but now he just got me connected. He had me. He had every single card in his hand.

I swallowed hard not showing him how much his words affected me.

I tried to turn away, but my bag slipped from my shoulder, hitting the concrete. The zipper gave way, and dozens of loose-leaf pages—my private stories—scattered across the floor.

Mikel reached down, snatching a few before I could.

He began to read aloud, his eyebrows shooting up. "‘The way the sweat curled his hair at the nape of his neck... the tension of the locker room...’" He stopped, looking at me with genuine disbelief.

"Wait. You’re the Ghost Writer? The one who posted those anonymous stories on the school forum last year?"

My stomach dropped into my shoes. I grabbed for the papers but he pulled back, a smile dangling on his lips.

“You really are! Oh damn this would be big news for the school." He beamed

"Don't you dare!” I stepped hard on his shoe and the satisfaction of watching him groan in pain was ecstatic.

I grabbed the papers from his grip before he could recover. “Loser!" I stuck my tongue out, feeling every bit of victory.

He stepped into my personal space, his fingers grazing my shoulder as he looked down at me. The smugness suddenly wiped off my face and suddenly I felt my heart racing.

"You’ve got a lot of making up to do, Brianna," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. "You’re going to fix my grades, you’re going to fix my reputation as a 'distracted' player” His pinky finger rubbed against my nose and finally he pulled back.

I swallowed hard. "I still won't tuto..”

"Choose your words carefully. The school bratty Playboy just saw your secret and you know I'm really bad at keeping secrets but maybe—just maybe—if you agree to it, I’ll forget I ever saw these."

All admiration was wiped off immediately.

Bastard! He was blackmailing me.

"You’re ruining my life," I whispered, the tears threatening to spill again.

Mikel didn't back away. He leaned down, his breath warm against my neck, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I didn't ruin it, sweetheart. I’m about to spice it up."

CHAPTER THREE.

BRIANNA'S POV

I spent seventeen years being the girl people walked into because they genuinely didn’t see me standing there.

I was the human equivalent of background noise. But stepping into the hallway this morning the silence didn't follow me, murmurs did.

"There she is. The stepbrother-lover turned captain’s girl."

"Did you see the video? She looked like a deer in headlights. Totally pathetic."

The whispers were like tiny papercuts. It all happened yesterday and they still wouldn't let it go.

I clutched my A-level textbooks to my chest so hard the edges dug into my palms and every time a phone camera flashed in my peripheral vision, I felt a fresh wave of nausea.

I ducked my head, my hair falling like a curtain to shield my face, and bolted for the one place where silence was mandatory: the library.

I found the furthest corner in the back, tucked between the dusty stacks of the Geography section where no one ever went.

I sank into a wooden chair, burying my face in my hands. I just wanted to wake up. I wanted to go back to Monday when my only problem was wondering if Kenneth liked the way I made his coffee.

"Hiding won't make the internet go away, Brianna."

I jumped, my chair screeching against the linoleum.

Mikel was leaning against a bookshelf, looking entirely too comfortable for someone in a library. He wasn't carrying a single book. He just stood there, thumbs hooked into his pockets, watching me with that maddeningly calm expression.

"Go away," I whispered, my voice thick. "You've done enough."

"Actually, I haven't done nearly enough," he said, pulling out the chair next to me and sitting down. He didn't care about boundaries; he sat so close our knees brushed.

"Do you have any idea what’s happening out there? That kiss is currently the most viewed video on the school’s 'Spotted' page."

"I don't want to know," I snapped, starting to feel irritated. He caused all this and ever since yesterday Kenneth hadn't said a thing to me.

"Too bad you don't have a choice." He flipped his phone around and slid it across the table.

My heart sank.

It was a thread with hundreds of comments.

Some were calling me a 'social climber,' others were making memes of my shocked face during the kiss with captions like 'When the fanfic becomes real.' But the worst were the ones dissecting the 'stepbrother' rumor, calling me a predator and a freak.

"This is all slander!," I breathed, the reality hitting me like a physical blow. "My dad... if he sees this... Kenneth will never speak to me again."

"Exactly," Mikel said, his voice dropping. He pulled his phone back. "Right now, the only thing keeping people from dragging you out into the courtyard and shaming you for real is me. As long as you're mine, you’re off-limits to the bullies. Imogen can't touch you without going through me."

I looked at him, hating the smug tilt of his lips, but hating the truth even more. He was my only lifeline in a sea of sharks.

"You're enjoying this— the control and the leverage aren't you?"

"You bet," He winked and I flashed him a dead glare. He let out an awkward chuckle waving me off.

"I'm a pragmatic guy, Brianna. I see a win-win situation here and I know you see that too."

No matter how much I wanted to shove the ‘No’ response in his face, I just nodded knowing he was right. The smug look on his face instantly made me regret my response.

"Here are the terms. You tutor me three days a week in the library, show up to the home games and wear my jersey and help me fix my reputation so the scouts think I’m settling down with a nice, studious girl instead of partying my way out of a scholarship. In exchange? I will be your human shield and make sure no one touches you, no one mentions the notebook and Imogen stays out of your hair."

"What are you trying to drive at?" I gave him a questioning look.

“Be my girlfriend. I mean we have no choice but to play out the part we already made known yesterday."

I bit my lip, the taste of copper filling my mouth. I was trapped. If I said no, I was the girl who loved her brother. If I said yes, I was the puppet of the school’s biggest ego.

"I'm only agreeing if the relationship is fake," I stated firmly, staring him in the eye. “And completely, no more kissing and no touching unless people are watching."

Mikel leaned in, his scent—that expensive, woody cologne—filling my senses. A dark flicker of something passed through his eyes, something that felt far more dangerous than a school rumor.

"Do you think I'd date you for real? Oh please dummy, this is fake as a three-pound note," he murmured, his voice sending a traitorous shiver down my spine. For some reason my heart clenched even though I wasn't expecting any good response.

"But you better make it look convincing, Brianna. I don't like losing." He added, his voice stern.

I looked at the empty seat across from me, imagining. "Fine," I whispered. "I’ll do it."

Mikel grinned, a sharp, predatory expression. "Good girl. Now, shouldn't we set some rules?" He asked.

“I…” Suddenly the bell rang signalling the end of break.

I let out a sigh getting on my feet and shoving my backpack on my back.

"Let's meet by 6pm today okay? We had start your tutoring then too." I said.

His brows furrowed. “You don't need to run off at every ringing bell, we could just sit here and talk this through."

I let out a snarl, a pathetic looking dumbass. I wasn't getting influenced by him.

I turned to leave but before I could, his hand suddenly shot up and before I could steady myself, I lost my balance, falling right into his arms.

I swallowed hard, staring at those green eyes and suddenly that racing effect of my heart came rushing back.