I was recently reading a high school romance novel, and the heroine was basically my dream girl—exactly my type. Just as I was screaming "Wifey!" at the pages in the middle of the night, I transmigrated. But I didn't wake up as the male lead. I woke up as the invisible side character the male lead doesn't even glance at. I grieved. I stomped my feet. I cried. I gave up. If I couldn't win the heroine's heart, I would win at the GPA game. So, I studied like my life depended on it. I read while eating. I read while walking between classes. I even studied on the toilet. By some twist of fate, my grades got me moved into the same Honors homeroom as the heroine. Just when I thought I could stay invisible and ride out the plot, the male lead cornered me. He accused me of stealing his woman. Chapter 1 The first day I woke up in this book, I fell for the heroine, Elena Vance. It wasn't love at first sight; I had been coveting her for a long time. Back when I was reading the book, I’d bury my face in my pillow and squeal. The cold, aloof, academic goddess—she checked every single one of my boxes. Seeing her in person? I could barely control myself. But the situation had changed. In this world, she couldn't be my fictional "waifu." She was a real person, destined to be a stranger to me. I could only watch from a distance as her sweet romance with the male lead, Julian Sterling, unfolded. A sense of loss sat heavy on my chest, suffocating me. At that point in the timeline, she and Julian weren't together yet. Plenty of brave guys confessed to Elena. Without exception, she rejected them all with an icy stare. I figured my crush would have to be buried six feet under. I was just a background character with zero presence. Broken family, average looks, zero confidence. I didn't even get the standard "Transmigrator System" or a cheat code. I couldn't just snap my fingers and get what I wanted. So, I turned my grief into motivation. I threw myself into my studies. Partly because it’s what a teenager is supposed to do. Partly out of selfishness. I wanted to be closer to Elena. I didn't ask for much. Just being in the same room as her would be enough. From then on, I became that kid—the first one at school, the one reading textbooks during lunch. After the placement exams, I jumped two hundred spots in the rankings and got placed into the Honors Block—the same homeroom as the main characters. On my first day in the new class, Julian ran up to me immediately. "Liam? Who are you looking for?" In the original text, "Liam" (me) was a total slacker. I was Julian’s "plastic bro"—fair-weather friends. By day, I’d gossip with him; by night, I’d bite my blanket in jealousy of his golden-boy aura. I used to be too busy being a bitter, shady loser to study. That’s why he assumed I was lost. "I tested into this class," I explained. "Huh?" He froze, then ran to the bulletin board to check the roster. He came back, looking me up and down. "Hell of an improvement, man." I gave an awkward smile and kept my head down as I took my seat. Elena was sitting on the other side of the room. I pretended to look out the window, but I was watching her from the corner of my eye. Julian seemed to be telling her about me testing in. She didn't look interested, but she did glance in my direction. I held my breath and smoothly shifted my gaze to my notebook. Close call. Almost made eye contact. Chapter 2 The atmosphere in the Honors Block was definitely different. Intense. At least here, I wasn't a freak. Everyone else was also solving equations during breaks and forming study groups in the hallways. I stabilized my rank near the top of the grade, attending the same elite prep school as Elena and Julian. Based on entrance scores, I barely scraped into their class. Elena was #1. I was third from the last. Julian, however, dropped to a regular class. Elena’s character setting was the "Genius Ice Queen." Julian’s setting was the "Charming Natural Talent"—the guy who never does homework but somehow pulls a B+ or A-. The author separated them to let the heroine meet the "Second Male Lead" in her class. The Second Lead falls for her, creating the necessary angst and drama. But none of that concerned me. I was just grinding XP in real life. For the first two years, aside from being classmates, Elena and I had zero interaction. Occasionally, Julian would come to find me, and I’d inevitably be in the same frame as them. It was a relationship where we’d pass each other outside school and not even wave. She truly didn't care. I, on the other hand, was faking it. My heart would pound every time I saw her, but I kept my face as stiff as a board. Flawless poker face. Good job, me. Because I was addicted to studying, my fake friendship with Julian faded to almost nothing. By the time we hit junior year, he had almost forgotten I existed. But once high school started, he suddenly got enthusiastic again. He said I was studying myself to death and needed to relax. One time, he invited Elena and dragged me along to hang out. If you asked if I wanted to go, the answer was hell no. I could have finished three practice exams in that time. But he wouldn't take no for an answer. I figured I’d just watch them play while mentally reviewing my error log. When we got to the location, my brain short-circuited. It was the amusement park. Six Flags. According to the plot, this is where they share their first kiss. This is where they break the tension and officially start dating. My mind was a mess. I don’t remember what I ate or what rides we went on. Night fell, and the park lit up with neon lights. Julian pulled Elena away to watch the fireworks. I trailed fifty feet behind them, getting jostled by the crowd. Under the exploding fireworks, they confessed their feelings. Julian lowered his head and shyly kissed Elena. The scene was too beautiful. I couldn't watch. I lowered my head in panic. Tears fell, one by one, soaking the pages of the notebook I was clutching. I fled. I texted Julian, lying that I had a strict curfew and had to bounce. Naturally, no reply. They had already forgotten me. While they held hands, young and certain, I—the third wheel—ran home wiping my eyes. Then, in my empty house, I broke down and sobbed. I’m sorry. I really couldn't pretend anymore. But even as I cried until I couldn't breathe, I gritted my teeth, pulled out a workbook, and forced myself to solve problems. Unrequited love is torture, especially when you have nothing else. My only "cheat code" was that I had been an adult once. I knew the importance of education. I knew not to destroy myself over a love that had no future. Chapter 3 Elena and Julian were officially a couple. They were about to start their decade-long romantic marathon. Sure, they would fight, they would break up. But the text said: Elena never stopped loving Julian, and Julian’s heart always belonged to Elena. Such a beautiful sentence. Such a cruel sentence for me. I wasn't the only one suffering. There was Chloe. Chloe (the female antagonist/villainess) was a rich girl who loved Julian. In the book, she’d do crazy things out of jealousy. Originally, I was supposed to be her henchman, fanning the flames. But honestly, I was more worried about my AP Calculus midterm. When the teacher beamed and told me I ranked second in the class, I finally felt a little better. I entered as the bottom of the class. By midterms, I was flying. I didn't let my efforts down. In this class, seats were assigned by GPA. Elena was the immovable #1. I was assigned the desk right next to her. Desk mates! According to romance tropes, this is where the sparks fly, right? Nope. We sat inches apart, but we didn't speak for days. She was naturally cold. I was guilty of loving her. I didn't dare speak. The only thing she said to me was a reminder. "Caleb, your water bottle is leaking." I wiped up the spill and couldn't help but correct her. "My name is Liam..." Haha. She didn't even know my name. We existed in this indifferent bubble for a while. Then, suddenly, Julian stormed in and started an argument with Elena right in front of me. He demanded to know why she hadn't told him she was sitting next to me. Elena frowned, genuinely confused. "Does it matter?" Since the semester started, we’d been through diagnostic tests, monthly exams, and midterms. She had cycled through several desk mates. But Julian only seemed to care about me. He looked at me, then at her, and finally stormed off without saying another word. I figured it was because I was technically someone Julian "knew." Put yourself in his shoes: his girlfriend is sitting next to his (former) friend and didn't mention it. He probably felt ignored. After lunch, I wanted to apologize to Julian. "Julian..." I called his name, but he acted like I was invisible, laughing and joking with his crew. "Bro, that movie you mentioned yesterday? I watched it, almost died laughing..." I stood there awkwardly for two seconds and decided not to press my luck. I barely talked to Julian anymore anyway. Bringing up a seating chart change would just make it weird. As for Elena, we really weren't close. She’d explain it to him eventually. Thinking about this burned too many brain cells, so I dropped it. But two days later, someone ambushed me on my walk home. "Liam, right?" It was Chloe. The villainess. I had my AirPods in, listening to a Spanish listening practice, so I didn't hear her call me. I just walked past her. Furious, she hopped in front of me and yanked an AirPod out of my ear. "..." I frowned. "Can I help you?" I’m sure I looked annoyed. Chloe looked guilty for a split second before recovering her "mean girl" face. "Listen to me!" She said viciously, "I may not like Elena, that ice block, but I will not allow you to hurt Julian or ruin their relationship." What a niche accusation. I processed this for a moment. "How am I ruining their relationship?" "Stop pretending. You're shameless," Chloe crossed her arms. "You're the one seducing Elena, aren't you? Hmph. You have some nerve. I thought you’d be some hot guy, but you don't even compare to a single hair on Julian's head." Me? Seducing Elena? How did I miss such a major life event? "Do you have evidence?" I asked. "Of course!" She said self-righteous. "The evidence is that you're sitting next to her!" "...You do realize seats are assigned by GPA?" I thought about it. "Oh, you mean I should have tanked my exam on purpose to avoid sitting there?" "That would have been best." Chloe smiled, satisfied. She didn't hear the sarcasm. Usually, I ignore people like this. But she was rude, speaking nonsense, and stepping on my last nerve. "Unfortunately." I sneered, "I’m not like you. I didn't get in here on a donor's check. I can't afford to treat my grades like a joke." Chloe was a rich kid, forced into this school by her parents. Her parents were self-made; they preferred the elite public magnet school environment over a soft private school. But the concept that "money rules everything" was deeply ingrained in her. She had the capital to treat life like a game. I didn't. Sitting next to Elena was great. But even if she wasn't there, I deserved that seat. I deserved her seat. Chloe was enraged and threatened to make me pay. In the book, this was her character. Impulsive, but not inherently evil. Otherwise, she wouldn't be threatening me to protect the male lead while simultaneously crying about him dating the heroine. I didn't take her words to heart. Until the next monthly exam. I was caught cheating. Chapter 4 Halfway through the exam, I was dragged out. The proctor said a student reported me for bringing notes into the testing hall. Then, like a magician, he pulled a semi-transparent slip of paper from my hoodie pocket. It was covered in microscopic text—all the key formulas for this test. "Liam! Liam, I always thought you were an honest, hardworking kid. How could you do this?!" "You're not just disrespecting yourself! You're shaming your family and this class!" "You came in with average grades and improved so fast... was it all just tricks like this?" I stood in the administrative office. Teachers took turns scolding me, heartbroken. They denied my character. They questioned my past achievements. I said the cheat sheet wasn't mine. That just earned me another round of yelling for "lying." I thought back. Before the test, I left my hoodie on my chair to go to the bathroom. That must be when someone slipped the note in and reported me. Obviously, it was Chloe, or someone she hired. It was a low-blow tactic, but impossible to defend against. I mean, who frames someone like this in high school? I had no proof of innocence. I told them it was likely related to the person who reported me. They said they had to protect the whistleblower’s identity. So, I took the fall. Public humiliation. The Dean of Students was strict. He didn't keep it anonymous. He wanted to make an example of me. [Liam (ID #xxxx) caught cheating during monthly exams. Grade invalidated.] The text scrolled across the digital announcement boards in the hallway. Everyone who walked in saw it. Naturally, I was ostracized. No one wanted to be in my group for projects. No one picked me for PE. During cleanup duty, I was assigned to sweep the outside perimeter alone. "Don't let the cheater touch it," they’d whisper, making exaggerated disgusted faces. Luckily. I wasn't actually sixteen mentally. This frame-up couldn't break me. When the results came out, my score was voided, and I was moved to the "shame corner" at the back of the room. A new guy took the seat next to Elena. He was a top student, openly crushing on her. He’d bring her water during volleyball, fake being tired during study hall just to lean on her shoulder. Julian didn't care. Sometimes he’d even link arms with Elena just to make the new guy’s eyes turn red with jealousy. Chloe didn't bother the new guy either. She just leaned against the back door, watching me with glee. She mouthed a word at me. Deserved. Reading the book, I hadn't realized Chloe was this childish. I was isolated, and she got a kick out of it. But did it actually affect me? I studied. I ate. During PE, when no one would partner with me, I snuck back to the empty classroom to solve calculus problems. I finished the last question and realized someone was standing next to me. It was Elena. I didn't know how long she had been watching. Not watching me. Watching my exam paper. She was holding a volleyball loosely; she must have come back to grab it. She stood close. For me, it was close enough. I could smell the clean scent of her laundry detergent. For some reason, neither of us spoke. The classroom was silent. I could hear my own heartbeat. A wave of indescribable melancholy washed over me. I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to move. I wished time would stop right here. But I didn't dare be greedy. I was afraid that if I let it go on for a few more seconds, the atmosphere would become ambiguous. Eventually, I broke the silence. "What's up?" "Mmm..." She hummed, thinking. "You missed a step in the calculation." —Which step? Can you teach me? That’s what I should have said. There was an empty seat right next to me—the seat no one wanted. If I asked, maybe she would sit down and explain the complex derivation. Instead, I calmly picked up my phone and opened a scanning app. "Oh. I'll just look it up on Chegg." "Okay." Elena turned and walked away. I uploaded the photo, crying internally. Stupid mouth. Hopeless.
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