Mia’s bright eyes looked watery as she tilted her head and gazed up at Ethan.
Maybe it was all the milk she’d been chugging, but her face had broken out badly. Pimples covered her skin.
And to hide it, she’d caked on a thick layer of foundation. Every time she moved, powder kept flaking off.
Ethan looked genuinely disturbed and took a few steps back.
“Chloe… there’s a monster.”
“Why is the male lead so heartless? Poor girl, she’s about to get punished again.”
Mia’s expression stiffened for a second, but she quickly pulled herself together.
She pouted, her eyes glossing over with tears, fingers clutching the hem of her skirt.
Then, out of nowhere, she let out a soft burp.
“—ugh.”
“Did you just eat something rotten?”
A sour smell drifted over.
Ethan grabbed my hand and pulled me away, leaving Mia still kneeling on the ground behind us.
…
A few days later, Lily announced she had started dating someone and wanted to set Jenna up with another guy.
So naturally, we all decided to go on a fall outing together.
Mia eagerly took charge of everything. She booked a rental house and told everyone to bring their partners.
On the way there, I watched her “accidentally” trip at carefully chosen angles, lowering her head just enough to show off what little cleavage she had.
After helping her up three times and blocking her four times—
She finally huffed and snapped, “Just wait.”
That night, she made her move.
“This is what premium subscribers should be seeing.”
“She’s really going all in to trigger the female lead.”
“Oh my god, I can already tell this is going to be good. Bet the ‘evil side character’ is going to lose it tomorrow.”
…
My gut sank.
I quietly slipped out and saw Mia heading into the bathroom.
Watching her pose and preen, combined with the comments, I had a pretty good idea what she was planning.
I pushed open Ethan’s room door and walked in, then smacked him awake twice.
“Don’t talk. Not a word. Go sleep in my room.”
A moment later, Mia walked in.
“What the—how did the side character know?”
“I’m fine with girl-girl too, I’m not picky.”
…
Better me than him.
Honestly, I deserved an award for being such a great girlfriend.
As Mia got closer, I held my breath.
Sure enough, she climbed onto the bed.
The moment she wrapped her arms around me—
She screamed.
A shrill, piercing scream echoed through the house.
Everyone rushed in.
I pretended to just wake up, rubbing my eyes.
“Mia? Why are you in my room?”
“Chloe?! Why are you here?!”
Her eyes darted around, panic and disbelief flashing across her face.
“I—I went to the bathroom and walked into the wrong room.”
“Dressed like that? To use the bathroom?”
Everyone followed my gaze.
Mia was wearing barely-there lingerie that left almost nothing to the imagination.
Lily’s expression darkened instantly.
Given everything Mia had been saying lately, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what she’d been planning.
Lily grabbed her boyfriend’s arm.
“Come on. You’re sleeping in my room tonight. Just in case someone else ‘gets lost’ again.”
“Wait… did the system glitch?”
“Worth every penny. I love a good side character comeback.”
“Looks like the punishment this time is an electric shock…”
…
I glanced at the floating comments and couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.
---
“Chloe… don’t take it too hard. This has to be some kind of misunderstanding.”
I looked coldly at Lily and Jenna. They were watching me carefully.
On the laptop screen in front of us was a blown-up photo.
Mia and Ethan.
Locked in what looked like an intimate embrace.
The headline read:
“Campus Heartthrob Caught Two-Timing.”
