I was the campus golden boy’s biggest simp. I would practically grovel at his feet, sending desperate late-night texts just to get his attention. [Hey, you still awake?] On the other end: [Yeah.] Even that single, freezing reply was enough to make my heart skip a beat. But a second later, a bizarre status notification popped up at the top of the chat window: The user mocked you and shared your pathetic chat history with the entire dorm. I froze. Dumbfounded, I tapped on the profile of his roommate, the terrifying campus bad boy who supposedly despised me and was notoriously homophobic. The user’s mouth curved up by exactly three pixels. Baby texted me. Smells so good. The user is re-reading your message and unzipping his pants. I went completely numb. What on earth was going on? 01 The chat window was acting incredibly weird. If I didn’t figure out the truth tonight, there was no way I would sleep. When I walked into Asher’s dorm room, he was holding his phone out, showing it to the guys. The second his eyes landed on me, his expression turned stiff. My chest tightened. Could those status prompts actually be real? I took a step closer, trying to sneak a peek at his screen. “Hey, Asher. What are you guys looking at?” Asher’s thumb quickly swiped, and he held up a gaming screenshot. His roommate chimed in. “Man, you should have seen it. Asher just pulled off a twelve-kill streak. Absolutely insane!” I let out a quiet breath. Of course. How could I even believe those weird pop-ups? I placed the carton of milk I had bought for him on his desk. “Remember to drink this, Asher. I will save you a seat for lectures tomorrow morning.” Asher gave a careless shrug of agreement. Just as I turned to leave, the bathroom door swung open. Ryder stepped out in a hurry, completely shirtless. I nearly crashed straight into his chest. He leaned against the doorframe, looking down at me. Droplets of water glistened on his pale, defined abs, slowly tracing the lines down. Thinking back to the filthy prompts on his chat status, my ears began to burn. “Ryder,” I mumbled. “What?” he asked. As he spoke, his gaze flicked to the desk. Everyone in the room had a carton of milk on their desk. But Asher had two, while everyone else only had one. I could not exactly ask Ryder about the crude messages on my phone screen. Losing his patience, Ryder brushed past me, his shoulder hitting mine. “If you don’t have anything else, get out.” So hostile. On my walk back to my dorm, I kept my eyes glued to the screen, where the status updates were still rolling. Asher: The user is enjoying a massive ego boost. Ryder: Smells so sweet. What laundry detergent does baby use? So frustrating. I am going to lose my mind. What was this absolute nonsense? Annoyed, I reported the app for a system glitch. 02 I woke up early just to secure a prime spot for Asher in the lecture hall. I waited and waited until he finally walked through the door. He looked tired from pulling an all-nighter, his hair slightly messy, but he still looked effortlessly handsome. Excited, I waved my hand. “Asher! Over here!” Immediately, heads turned. People started whispering. I tried to ignore them, but Asher instantly looked uncomfortable. “Hey, Asher! Sit over here!” a girl called out from a few rows down. Asher hesitated for a fraction of a second before walking past me to sit right next to her. My face burned with embarrassment. I should not have yelled his name in front of everyone. The whole campus knew I was gay. But Asher had not accepted me yet. He hated being associated with me too closely in public. As I sat there wallowing in regret, someone suddenly loomed over my desk. “Is this seat taken?” Ryder had walked in right behind Asher, witnessing the entire painful scene. I shook my head, and Ryder slid into the seat next to me. He was wearing a black hoodie, his hands pale and clean. He reached into the desk compartment and pulled out the breakfast sandwich I had bought for Asher. “Can I eat this?” Well, Asher was not going to eat it anyway. I nodded quietly. Without another word, Ryder tore open the wrapper. I was still sulking, staring blankly at the blackboard. Beneath the desk, Ryder gave my sleeve a gentle tug. “Still upset?” “No.” Ryder let out a low chuckle. “I am not eating your food for free. I will Venmo you.” I wanted to refuse. We were not close enough for me to buy him breakfast, and I had only added his number to keep tabs on Asher’s whereabouts. But I did not stop him. The moment class ended, Ryder’s long legs carried him out of the room ahead of me. My phone buzzed. Ryder sent you $52.00. I hated rich people. A pastry and a carton of milk were nowhere near worth fifty-two bucks. Annoyed but unable to resist free money, I accepted the transfer and glanced at his status. The user’s mood is skyrocketing. 03 Asher rarely initiated conversations. So when he texted me asking if I wanted to play basketball with him, I practically flew to the courts. But when I arrived, my heart sank. It was not just Asher. He had only invited me because they were short a player to make even numbers. Still, when they split into teams, I immediately joined Asher’s side. Ryder was there too, playing for the opposing team. He seemed to be in a terrible mood today. Every time I brushed past him during a play, his brow was furrowed in a tight, dark line. 04 During halftime, I volunteered to grab drinks. I set a heavy plastic bag of cold bottles on the grass, opened one, and handed it directly to Asher. The other guys on the court, who had warmed up to me after a game, started teasing. “Damn, Toby, you really know how to take care of a guy. Asher, man, just give in and date him already.” “Yeah! Thanks for the drinks, sweet cheeks!” I smiled at Asher, and he smiled back as he took the bottle. Everyone scrambled to grab a drink, leaving Ryder standing at the very back. I picked up the last bottle and held it out to him. “Here.” Ryder glared at the bottle, scowling, then turned on his heel to buy his own from the vending machine. I had heard he had a nasty temper. Brushing it off, I unscrewed my own drink and took a sip. When I unlocked my phone to check my messages, I saw the chat status had updated again. Asher: Ego fully stroked. Feeling a massive rush of secret satisfaction. Meanwhile, Ryder’s chat was loading frantically, scrolling with endless updates: Why did he open the bottle for him? He’s smiling again. He smiles so sweetly. Stop smiling at him. So jealous. I want to lock him away so no one else can look at him. I felt a burning gaze on me. I looked up and locked eyes with Ryder. His stare was raw, intense, and predatory. The chat status could not possibly be real. But then why was Ryder looking at me like that? Did I do something to piss him off? 05 When the second half started, Ryder played with a terrifying intensity. Single-handedly, he completely dominated the scoreboard, crushing our team. Someone on our side groaned in frustration. “Is Ryder trying to get scouted for the NBA or what?” “Seriously. It’s not like there are girls watching. Who is he playing so hard for?” Asher’s face grew incredibly tense. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep up. Gradually, my stamina gave out, and my movements slowed. Drenched in sweat, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up to wipe my face. My pale, slender waist was fully exposed in the bright sunlight. Just as Ryder dribbled past me, he suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand down. The referee instantly blew the whistle, calling a foul on him. I pulled my shirt down, staring at him in utter confusion. But Ryder just stood there, a faint, unbothered smirk playing on his lips. 06 Accidents are bound to happen on the court. As I was trying to block a player, someone slid into me, sending me crashing hard onto the concrete. “Ah!” I gasped, struggling to get back up. My knee was badly scraped and already starting to swell. Even with someone supporting me, I could not put any weight on it. “Damn, Mason, you hit him like a truck! Look what you did to his leg!” “Get him to the clinic. That’s going to get infected if we don’t clean it.” I tried to limp, but a sharp, blinding pain shot up my leg. “Don’t move, Toby. Someone needs to carry you.” Everyone turned their eyes to Asher. They all assumed Asher was the closest to me and would be the one to take me. But right then, the campus bell rang, and crowds of students began flooding onto the pathways nearby. Asher hesitated. The silence grew heavy and incredibly awkward. I was about to tell them it was fine, that I could hop there myself. But suddenly, a firm hand gripped my arm, and a broad back blocked my view. “Get on.” Short and commanding. It was Ryder. 07 He was tall, and his shoulders were incredibly broad. The campus paths were lined with blooming jacaranda trees, their purple petals drifting down around us. I looked up at the sky. Ryder carried me in silence before suddenly speaking up, his voice low. “What do you guys talk about?” “Huh?” Ryder’s voice softened even more. “I am not good at talking. You always have so much to say to him. Can you talk to me like that too?” I was trying to pursue Asher. The sweet, heart-fluttering things I wrote to my crush were not exactly things I could share with a guy I barely knew. So, I stayed silent. As we walked, Ryder suddenly gave me a slight jolt, tossing me higher on his back. Startled, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. “What are you doing?!” Ryder let out a soft laugh, his large hands securing his grip under my thighs. “Nothing. My hands just slipped.” He gently set me down on the examination table in the clinic, standing by as the nurse began disinfecting my scraped knee. I winced, hissing through my teeth. Maybe trying to distract me from the pain, Ryder suddenly asked, “What do you even like about Asher?” I looked down. During our freshman year, someone had found out about my sexuality and posted about it on the anonymous school forum. The thread stayed pinned at the top for three agonizing days. I was dissected, judged, and ridiculed by the entire campus. I felt like my world was ending. I had crawled into a dark corner behind the old bleachers to cry by myself. Then, Asher had appeared. He walked up to me, handed me a bottle of peach milk, and told me to stop crying. That same night, the forum thread was hacked and permanently deleted. Someone told me they saw Asher leaving the computer lab. From that moment on, I decided Asher was my hero. Gradually, I began following him around like a shadow. Even though he never gave me a straight answer, the rare smiles he threw my way were enough to keep me going for months. The sharp sting of the alcohol prep pad made me flinch, tears welling up in my eyes. When I looked up at Ryder, my nose pink and eyes watery, I must have looked incredibly pathetic. “Ryder, I won’t be able to get around much for a while. Can you do me a favor?” Ryder knelt down in front of me, his gaze surprisingly gentle. “What do you need?” “Help me win Asher over.” I heard his knuckles pop as his hands clenched into tight fists. I flinched. Ryder had a reputation as a ruthless bad boy. Was he going to hit me? “It’s fine if you don’t want to!” I stammered, my voice trembling. Ryder’s eyes looked slightly bloodshot. “I’ll do it. But you have to promise me one condition.” 08 Early the next morning, Ryder knocked on my dorm door. I handed him the breakfast bag I had packed for Asher. He didn’t take it. Instead, he stared down at me with a blank, unreadable face. “So, do we hug first?” He took a step closer, pulling me firmly against his chest. My face pressed directly into the warm, solid muscle of his torso. I went completely stiff. Before I could even process what was happening, Ryder snatched the breakfast bag from my hand. He turned and walked away. The door slammed shut behind him. How terrifying. The condition I had agreed to back in the clinic was simple: I had to teach Ryder how to date. He claimed he had been single his entire life, and though he had a crush on someone, he was too terrified to make a move. He wanted me to teach him the ropes. My heart was still hammering against my ribs from how natural his embrace had felt. Assuming the breakfast had been delivered to Asher by now, I pulled out my phone and texted him. [Did you like the breakfast?] [It was decent. The banana milk was really sweet.] Huh? I had packed peach milk. Did I grab the wrong carton? I opened my chat with Ryder to ask him about it. But the moment his chat window loaded, his status caught my eye: The user is so embarrassed they want to kick a wall. They want to grab you and kiss you senseless. How alarming. I decided it was safer not to poke the bear. 09 Ryder started coming to my room more and more. Sometimes we practiced holding hands; sometimes we practiced hugging. Even my roommate got used to his constant presence, teasing us one afternoon. “Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you two were dating. You’re practically glued to each other.” I watched as Ryder’s lips curved into a faint, satisfied smirk. The audacity! My roommate had no idea he was joking with the campus bad boy. Ryder was only getting dating experience from me to use on his actual crush. Did he want to get killed? I quickly glared at my roommate to shut him up. Then, I turned a flattering smile on Ryder. Ryder’s expression instantly turned icy. He snatched the box of chocolates I had bought for Asher and walked out. The door slammed so hard the walls vibrated. After I showered, I received a rare, unsolicited message from Asher: [That was really sweet of you. Those chocolates are expensive.] His status read: Touched. I was a bit surprised. They were only about twenty dollars. That wasn’t really expensive. [By the way, my birthday party is next Friday. You should come.] Asher was actually inviting me. Overjoyed, I exited the chat, my eyes naturally drifting to Ryder’s status. Because I had been asking him to deliver things to Asher for me, I ended up texting him far more than I ever texted Asher. His status at that moment read: A little overwhelmed by the sweetness, but loving every second of it. 10 On the day of Asher’s birthday party, the weather was miserable. The moment I stepped outside, the sky opened up. I had an umbrella, but to protect the carefully wrapped gift in my arms, I let myself get completely drenched. By the time I finally reached the lounge bar, I realized Asher hadn’t sent me the room number. I called and texted him, but got no reply. His status read: Drunk and having a blast. A cold gust of wind made me shiver. I stopped a server, gave them Asher’s name, and was guided down a dim hallway to a private VIP room. I smoothed down my wet clothes, trying to look presentable, and prepared to knock. But then, through the heavy door, I heard my own name. The atmosphere inside was nothing like I had imagined. The heavy, suffocating stench of alcohol and vape smoke leaked through the gap. The harsh, neon purple lights cast ugly shadows on everyone inside. “Yo, Asher lost the round! Truth or dare, man. What’s the deal with that gay kid who follows you around like a lost puppy? Are you actually going to date him?” Asher’s voice sounded slurred, distorted. “No way in hell. I like girls. I just think he’s hilarious. It’s fun to play along.” “Oh, damn!” The room erupted into loud, mocking laughter. My heart felt like it had been violently squeezed. “Keep going, keep going!” “Asher lost again! This time, it’s a dare! Call your little simp, put it on speaker, and tell him you love him! We want to hear his reaction!” Everyone in the room cheered, their faces twisted with cruel excitement. “Yeah! Let’s see how fast he loses his mind.” Asher looked a bit uncomfortable. But with his friends egging him on, he pulled out his phone. A second later, my screen lit up with Asher’s incoming call.
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