Years after graduation, the boy who sat behind me in homeroom became a bestselling author. During an interview about the inspiration for his heroine, Gabriel Thorne glanced discreetly in my direction. "I had a crush on a girl in high school. When I finally confessed, she rejected me. She said she didn't like guys who were too handsome; it made her feel insecure." Hearing this, I buried my head in my hands, praying for invisibility. "So, what do you think about Maya Brooks being cast as the lead, Serena, in the TV adaptation?" the interviewer asked. Gabriel let out a cold, short laugh. "It’s perfect. She’s practically playing herself." 1 Gabriel Thorne, the literary genius of our generation, just announced the screen adaptation of his latest novel. The news hit #1 on X (formerly Twitter) instantly. Meanwhile, I was getting chewed out by my agent, Sarah. I was trending too. But for all the wrong reasons. "I told you to stay away from Leo Knox! How did you still get paparazzi on you?" "Do you know how vile his stans are being in the comments?" Leo was my co-star in my last drama and currently the biggest heartthrob in Hollywood. I kept my head down, too scared to make eye contact. "I turned him down, Sarah. He was the one who kept coming over..." But the cameras only caught the moment we were together, and just like that, I was the villain. Sarah sighed, rubbing her temples. "You’re a D-list actress. He’s A-list. Even if he chased you, in his fans' eyes, you’re just a clout chaser." "Forget it. Bad publicity is still publicity. Don't respond. Let the news cycle kill it." I didn't argue. I just stared at the trending topics on my phone. #GabrielThorneNewSeries was trending with a "BREAKING" tag next to it. Way down the list, buried under ten other topics, was #MayaBrooksDesperate. We weren't even in the same league of internet fame. I sighed and, after a moment's hesitation, took a screenshot of the top trend. I tapped on the hashtag. It was a clip of Gabriel’s exclusive interview. Gabriel is only twenty-five, yet he already has three bestsellers turned into hit series. His newest book sold its rights before he even finished writing it. In the video, the host asked, "Rumor has it your heroine is based on a real person. Is that true, Gabriel?" The man on screen paused for two seconds before speaking softly. "Yes. She has a prototype." I stared at Gabriel’s face. Years had stripped away his boyish awkwardness. He was no longer the shy kid who sat behind me in AP English, whose ears turned red when he spoke to me. Now, he faced the camera with an icy, confident composure. His sharp jawline and brooding artist vibe had already garnered him a legion of thirsty fans. At the end of the clip, he suddenly looked up, staring dead into the camera lens. Even through the screen, my heart skipped a beat. Before I could process it, Sarah’s shriek pierced my eardrums. "Maya! Why the hell did you like that tweet from your main account?!" 2 I was trending again. And the hate comments were brutal. Because Gabriel’s previous adaptations were massive hits, his new book, The Silent Witness, was already hyped to the heavens. The internet was fighting over who should play the leads. And there I was, a fourth-tier actress fresh off a "clout-chasing" scandal, liking the casting announcement. I unliked it instantly, but screenshots live forever. [Here she goes again. She really loves the attention.] [Quote of the day: Not famous, but audacious.] [Oh god, please don't tell me she's gunning for the lead role.] [If she plays the lead, I’m boycotting. Book fans, rise up!] Bad news: I got roasted onto the trending page twice in one day. Good news: I actually got an audition invite out of it. I usually played the mean girl or the evil ex, so my public image was trash. I was used to it. I never got lead roles. So when the email came, Sarah was more shocked than I was. "Is this... failing upwards?" I quietly opened a text thread I hadn't touched in years. I hesitated, then typed. Maya: Hey, old classmate. Sorry about the mess. I felt bad that his prestige project was getting dragged because of me. I watched the "Typing..." bubble appear almost immediately. One second. Two seconds... Twenty minutes later, a reply finally popped up. Gabriel: Who is this? "..." Right. I played myself. Why did it take him twenty minutes? He probably spent that time trying to figure out who the hell I was. I bit my lip and put the phone away. No point in humiliating myself further. The audition was on the weekend. Because it was a major studio production, the waiting room was packed with talent. I had the lowest status, so naturally, I was the last one scheduled. It was my first time reading for a lead. I was shaking. But the moment I walked into the room, my heart stopped. Gabriel was there. It was the first time we’d seen each other since graduation. Hearing the door, Gabriel, who was talking to the director, turned his head. His gaze lingered on me for a beat, seemingly casual. Then he looked away. Like I was a stranger. Makes sense. I pulled myself together and introduced myself. I had memorized the sides perfectly. I knew I could act. When I finished, I saw approval in the director's and producer's eyes. But Gabriel just looked down at the script, his expression unreadable. The director, clearly close with him, nudged him. "Come on, Gabe. She’s reading for your heroine. Give us some notes." My stomach tightened. I pressed my lips together, standing stiffly in the center of the room. Gabriel looked up. Our eyes locked. Before I could decipher the emotion in them, he looked away. "I know her," he said, his voice low. "It wouldn't be fair for me to comment." I stood there, stunned. "We'll be in touch," the casting director said. Walking out of the studio, I realized it had started to rain. Sarah couldn't make it, so I texted my assistant to pick me up. Footsteps echoed behind me. I turned. It was Gabriel. I instinctively stepped aside to let him pass. But he stopped. "Hello, Mr. Thorne," I said quickly. "Do you really want this role?" We spoke at the exact same time. I looked at him in surprise. He repeated it, his voice colder this time. "Maya, do you really want this role?" Oh. So he wasn't pretending not to know me earlier. I smiled awkwardly. When I rejected him back then, I thought our paths would never cross again. I thought he had forgotten me. Turns out, he was holding a grudge. I couldn't blame him. He was the golden boy. He probably never saw rejection coming. When I didn't answer, Gabriel frowned slightly. "Maya," he said, his tone softening just a fraction. "Speak." I bit my lip and took a deep breath. I looked him in the eye. "Yes. I really want this role." Who wouldn't? 3 When The Silent Witness announced the cast, the internet wailed. [Are you kidding me? Maya Brooks?] [Book Twitter is rioting right now.] [Insider info: The author had veto power. If she's cast, he signed off on it.] [Look, if the author picked her, maybe we should trust him?] The male lead went to Leo Knox, who is signed to my agency. Leo is a rising star—great face, decent acting. The agency fought hard for this role to push him onto the A-list. After that encounter in the rain, I thought I was done for. Gabriel clearly held a grudge. But the director called me that night. He asked some standard questions, then awkwardly pivoted to my relationship with Leo. I frantically explained it was a misunderstanding, terrified the scandal would ruin my chances. He seemed relieved. The next day, Sarah told me I got the part. The novel is a crime thriller. The heroine is the detective's high school crush who gets kidnapped and murdered, motivating his quest for justice which uncovers a serial killer ring. In the script, the heroine mostly exists in flashbacks. On set, this was Gabriel’s first time serving as a screenwriter. A month later, I saw him again. This time, a girl was trailing behind him. She looked fresh out of college, wide-eyed and excited. When she saw Leo and me, she gasped. "Omg, real celebrities!" Gabriel rolled his eyes, but paused when he saw me. "My assistant," he muttered. Oh. I nodded. During the table read, I found myself zoning out. "Maya? Any thoughts on this scene?" I snapped back to reality, embarrassed. "No, uh, nothing. Just analyzing the subtext..." I felt Gabriel’s gaze burn into me. I looked down at the script. They were discussing the scene where the heroine rejects the hero's confession in high school. "..." Sure enough, Gabriel let out a scoff. "There is no subtext." He leaned back in his chair. "She was just heartless." Me: "..." Confirmed. He is definitely still bitter. His little assistant, Bella, glanced between us with curiosity. Leo, dense as a brick, nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, she was brutal. The hero is so tragic here." "Haha... yeah..." I laughed dryly. After the read-through, Leo offered me a ride since we were heading to the same agency meeting. "Hop in, Maya!" I scrambled into his car, desperate to escape the lasers shooting out of Gabriel’s eyes. 4 Filming started, and I saw Gabriel constantly. I learned the director, Mike, was Gabriel's college roommate. "You weren't on the original shortlist," Mike told me privately. "Gabriel saw you liked that tweet and told me to bring you in." "He had veto power. He abstained when your name came up." So, when he asked if I wanted the role... he was giving me a chance. He didn't fight for me, but he didn't block me. My mind was a mess. To make things worse, our high school connection leaked. Leo came to me for gossip. "I saw an interview where Gabriel said the heroine has a prototype. You guys went to high school together... do you know who it is?" "Huh?" My heart hammered. "No idea. Maybe someone from another class..." Gabriel happened to walk by right then. "Oh," he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So you don't know." Me: "..." Why is he acting like a vengeful ghost? That night, Mike told us the platform arranged a promotional livestream. Because of the buzz, the host came prepared. "Gabriel, everyone is dying to know. Who is the real-life inspiration for the heroine?" I sat there, sweating. Gabriel looked directly at me. I frantically signaled him with my eyes—Please, shut up. His eyes darkened for a split second, then he looked at the camera. "I had a crush on a girl in high school..." The host perked up. Even Leo leaned in. The comments section was flying. "When I confessed, she rejected me. She said she didn't like guys who were too handsome; it made her feel unsafe." Host: "..." Leo: "..." Viewers: "..." I buried my face in my hands. The screen behind us filled with comments. [Is she insane? What kind of rejection is that?!] [LMAO I'm dying.] [Does she regret it now? Look at him!] [How could anyone reject that face?] "Wow," the host stammered. "That's... unfortunate." Gabriel picked a comment off the screen. His peripheral vision locked onto me. "I want to ask her that too. Does she regret it?" Do I? I lowered my eyes, my throat tight. The host moved on to Leo and me. Because of the casting controversy, a lot of book fans were watching. "Gabriel, what do you think of Maya Brooks as your heroine?" I instinctively looked at him. "She's good." He smiled softly. This time, he looked right at me, openly. "She's playing herself." 5 [Anyone else sensing a vibe? Gabriel keeps looking at Maya.] [Wait, the genius author and the glam actress? I ship it.] [I accepted this ship in one second flat.] [Ugh, Maya is flirting again. That's how she got the role.] The comments were wild, but I checked out. After the stream, my high school best friend, Riley, called me screaming. "Are you dating Gabriel?! I knew he still liked you!" "We aren't dating," I whispered. "I'm just acting in his show." "He was practically undressing you with his eyes on that stream! Maya, why did you reject him back then?" "..." I didn't know how to answer. "What... what did he even like about me?" I stammered. Eighteen-year-old Maya was plain, chubby, wore thick glasses, and had terrible grades. What business did a god like Gabriel have liking me? "Who cares why? He just did!" Riley yelled. But I couldn't accept that. I didn't even like myself. How could he? "You liked him for years! Why didn't you confess?" "I never thought about it." My teenage crush was safe because it was secret. Do not disturb. Do not initiate. Do not expect. That was my rule. If he liked me back... he wouldn't be the Gabriel I idolized anymore. "Maya..." Riley’s voice changed. "Are you... do you have an avoidant attachment style?" Avoidant attachment. I’d thought about it. I lost weight in college, got Lasik, learned makeup. Guys asked me out. I never dated anyone. I pushed everyone away. I craved love, but the moment someone got too close, I ran. Acting was my escape. I could be someone else. But Gabriel... seeing him again triggered every flight reflex I had. I knew it was wrong. But I couldn't stop.
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