It had only been three days since the transfer student, Camille Porter, arrived at our school. Yet, here was Connor, my childhood friend, already demanding she take the seat next to me. Before I could even open my mouth to protest, a stream of glowing text floated right across my vision, scrolling like a live chat feed on an online web novel. [Connor is so deeply in love, it hurts. He knows her strength is STEM and she struggles with Humanities, so he’s literally matching her with a literature genius. Talk about a power couple!] [He’s so terrified she won’t make it into Stanford that he’s basically using the rich girl to carry her. The double standards are wild! He cannot hide his feelings!] [Connor does so much for her in secret, but he never says a word. She actually thinks he hates her! I swear, she needs to find out the truth!] Every single comment was deeply moved by Connor’s secret devotion. But inside, I felt absolutely nothing. Seeing my silence, Connor frowned. “Camille is already packing up her stuff to move over right now. Don’t look like you’re about to start a war.” I just looked at him, my voice completely flat. “I am starting a war. I’ve sat alone all year. I don’t want a partner.” 1 “Sat alone all year?” Connor looked at me like I had lost my mind. He slammed his AP calculus workbook onto my desk, his eyes flashing with sudden frustration. “Elaine, this isn’t the time to be stubborn.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Camille got a perfect score on her AP Lit diagnostic, but her STEM scores are a disaster. You’re the exact opposite. If you sit together and tutor each other, it’s the most efficient way to get your GPA up.” I looked up at him. He was wearing a crisp, white button-down, his hair perfectly styled, his jaw tight. Standing there in the morning sunlight streaming through the classroom window, he looked exactly like the flawless male lead from a high school romance novel. Meanwhile, the text kept scrolling across my eyes. [Oh my god, he’s actually speaking up! He cares so much about her grades!] [Can Elaine please stop throwing a tantrum? He is literally stressing himself out for her!] [Camille is a literal genius at literature. Elaine should be thanking her lucky stars that she’s willing to help.] [Camille is an heiress, and she has zero attitude. She’s actively trying to help, and Elaine is acting like this?] I stared at the words, feeling a cold, bitter amusement bubble up in my chest. Actively trying to help? Camille walked through the classroom door at that exact moment, catching the tail end of my rejection. She was beautiful. It was that soft, flawless beauty that only comes from a lifetime of wealth. Clean, delicate, with wide, innocent eyes. She lingered just behind Connor, her voice soft and hesitant. “Connor, it’s fine. Don’t push it. Elaine probably just doesn’t want to be disturbed.” She looked at me, offering a fragile, understanding smile. “It’s really okay. I can take one of the desks in the back.” The comments exploded. [Camille is literally an angel!] [She’s so graceful. No wonder Connor chose her to save Elaine’s GPA.] [Elaine doesn’t know how good she has it.] [I mean, Camille is a Porter. Her family literally owns Porter Enterprises. Even if she fails out, she can just study in Europe or inherit a company. She’s giving up her valuable time for Elaine, and Elaine is giving her attitude?] Connor’s expression hardened. “Elaine, did you hear that? Camille is being incredibly accommodating, and you’re still trying to humiliate her?” I slowly packed my workbook into my backpack, my voice calm and steady. “Humiliate her? The only one being humiliated here is you.” Connor blinked, caught off guard. “What is that supposed to mean?” I looked him dead in the eye. “It means I’m rejecting this because of your self-righteous meddling.” The classroom fell dead silent. Connor clearly hadn’t expected me to call him out so publicly. We had grown up together. His family was wealthy, his grades were always perfect, the teachers adored him, and our peers idolized him. I was always the quiet girl in his shadow—the STEM prodigy who couldn’t write an essay to save her life, always sitting just below him on the academic leaderboard. In the past, whatever Connor suggested, I did. I had truly believed he had my best interests at heart. But things were different now. Connor took a deep breath, visibly trying to control his temper. “Elaine, stop assuming everyone has malicious intent. You know your family’s situation.” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “You aren’t like Camille. Even if she struggles, she has a safety net. She can go abroad, or her father can hand her a division of his company. But you? If you don’t get into a top-tier college, your life is over before it even starts.” The comments lit up like fireworks. [Oh my god, he’s so incredibly realistic!] [That was a harsh truth bomb, but he’s so right. I feel so bad for him.] [Camille is already set for life. Connor isn’t doing this for Camille; he’s doing this to save Elaine.] [Elaine, stop being so difficult! You forced him to say it out loud. What more do you want?] Connor was right about one thing: I didn’t have room for error. I didn’t have a safety net. I looked at him, and a sudden, sharp smile touched my lips. “Exactly. And that is precisely why I can’t afford to sit next to Camille.” Connor froze. “What do you mean?” 2 Before I could say anything else, Mrs. Gavin walked in. Seeing the heavy tension in the room, she frowned. “Why hasn’t everyone found their seats yet?” Connor turned immediately. “Mrs. Gavin, Elaine is refusing to cooperate with the new seating chart.” Mrs. Gavin looked at me, her tone relatively gentle. “Elaine, this is senior year. Everyone needs to focus on their GPA. You and Camille helping each other is a win-win. Connor went out of his way to request this arrangement for you. Don’t waste your classmate’s good intentions.” I raised my chin. “Mrs. Gavin, I don’t need it.” Mrs. Gavin stared at me, bewildered. “Your Humanities grades are dragging you down. How can you say you don’t need it?” “I’ll study on my own,” I said. Connor let out a cold, cynical laugh. “If you could study on your own, your AP Lit scores wouldn’t have been in the gutter for the last two years.” The comments chimed in instantly. [He’s harsh, but he’s right.] [Elaine’s essay scores have been terrible forever, and she’s still acting tough.] [She’s just too proud to accept help.] I pulled my latest mid-term report card out of my desk and laid it flat on the surface. Calculus: 100%. AP Physics: 100%. Chemistry: 98%. Biology: 99%. AP Lit: 65%. AP US History: 70%. Mrs. Gavin sighed, looking at the numbers. “Elaine, this isn’t the time to let your pride get in the way. Look at this. You have no room left to grow in STEM. The only way to save your cumulative GPA is to pull up your Humanities. Camille just transferred, and she needs help with STEM. Isn’t mutual improvement the best path forward?” I offered a thin smile. “Mrs. Gavin, if it’s mutual help, it should be voluntary. Right now, I don’t volunteer. You can’t force me to sit with her, can you?” Mrs. Gavin’s face tightened. Camille stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly. “Mrs. Gavin, really, it’s fine. If Elaine doesn’t want to, we shouldn’t force her. Maybe I’m just… not good enough.” Her eyes welled with tears, turning red at the rims. In the back of the classroom, a boy muttered under his breath, “She’s trying so hard to be nice. Elaine is being such a brat.” “Seriously. Connor is just trying to help her, and she’s acting like she’s too good for it.” The comments were practically screaming. [Elaine is so toxic!] [Camille looks so hurt. A rich girl like her has probably never been treated like this.] [Connor, go protect Camille! Even if you love Elaine, Camille shouldn’t have to take this abuse!] Connor took a step toward me. “Elaine, apologize to Camille.” I almost laughed out loud. “Apologize for what?” “For humiliating her.” “She wanted to sit next to me. I said no. That’s humiliation?” I turned my gaze directly to Camille. “Camille, did I insult you?” Camille bit her lip, shaking her head. “Did I touch you?” She shook her head again. “Did I say you weren’t good enough?” Her face paled slightly. “No.” I looked back at Connor. “Then what am I apologizing for?” Connor choked on his words, unable to answer. The comments took a turn into pure resentment. [Elaine is so cold-blooded. So what if she’s technically right? She’s completely alienating everyone.] [Connor is definitely going to feel protective of Camille now. Elaine is sabotaging her own life. No one can save her.] [She can be as stubborn as she wants now. Let’s see how she feels when her college applications get rejected.] I couldn’t care less. Mrs. Gavin tapped her knuckles on the podium. “Alright, enough. Since Elaine doesn’t agree, we’ll leave the seating as it is for now.” Connor frowned. “Mrs. Gavin—” “Connor, you don’t dictate the seating chart,” Mrs. Gavin interrupted him, her tone sharp. “If Elaine wants to self-sabotage, that is her choice.” Connor’s face went rigid. A row of exclamation points flashed across my vision in the floating text. [Oh my god, Connor just got scolded by the teacher because of Elaine! My poor baby!] [Elaine just ruined the ultimate study duo. Connor’s sweet intentions completely wasted on a thankless brat…] I stared at the scrolling text, my heart turning icy cold. Everyone was sympathizing with Connor. But had a single one of them asked why I was refusing this “generosity”? Not one. All they wanted to see was the male and female leads falling into a neat, perfect romance. 3 I pushed the thoughts away. My primary goal was to raise my Humanities scores on my own. I opened my AP Lit textbook and began memorizing literary devices and essay structures. But a week later, the school announced they were implementing mandatory AP study groups for seniors. Unsurprisingly, Connor was appointed leader of Group One. When it came time to draft group members, the very first name he called was mine. Connor’s voice was entirely professional as he looked at me. “Elaine, don’t misunderstand. This study group is a school mandate, not my personal choice. You have no reason to refuse.” The comments flared up with excitement. [Connor is so smart! Since she refused private help, he went through official school channels!] [There’s no way she can say no to this, right?] [Connor is literally paving her entire path to success.] I hadn’t anticipated Connor using school policy to force Camille onto me. I froze for three seconds before raising my hand. “Mrs. Gavin, I’d like to request a group transfer.” Mrs. Gavin’s face immediately darkened. “Elaine, what is it this time?” Connor stared at me, a mixture of disappointment, confusion, and raw irritation in his eyes. “This isn’t a seating chart, Elaine. Are you seriously going to fight this, too?” “I’m not refusing the study group,” I said quietly. “I’m just refusing to be in a group with you and Camille.” The classroom erupted into whispers. Camille, standing beside Connor, looked like she had been slapped. “Elaine,” she whispered, her voice sounding like it was about to break. “What did I do to make you hate me this much? If it’s about the seating chart, I can apologize. But I genuinely just didn’t want to see you miss out on a good college because of your Humanities scores.” Several classmates couldn’t take it anymore. “Elaine is literally targeting her.” “Camille is just trying to help because Connor asked her to. Does Elaine have to be such a bitch?” “Connor is so unlucky. He tries to help her and gets treated like garbage.” The comments were flying across my eyes. [What is wrong with Elaine? This isn’t just stubbornness; it’s straight-up malice!] [Camille is so sweet. An heiress swallowing her pride like this, only to get targeted.] [Connor, please get angry! She deserves to be put in her place!] [When she realizes how much Connor did for her, she’s going to regret this for the rest of her life.] Connor spoke, his voice dangerously low. “Elaine, enough.” He stepped closer. “I understood when you didn’t want to sit next to her. I let it go when you refused her private tutoring. I assumed you were just proud. But this is a mandatory school group. How long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum?” I met his gaze. “I told you, I’m not refusing the study group.” “Then why are you trying so hard to avoid Camille?” Connor demanded. “Give me one good reason.” I kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t because I didn’t have a reason. It was because I couldn’t say it yet. If I spoke up now, they would just call me paranoid, jealous of Camille, or bitter because Connor was paying attention to someone else. Just like the comments said, everyone would think I had lost my mind. Camille let out a soft, tearful laugh. “It’s fine, Connor. Elaine doesn’t like me, and I won’t force myself on her. But… I really do want to help.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a thick stack of printed papers, placing them on Mrs. Gavin’s podium. “These are the AP Literature and US History study guides I put together last night,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “It has essay templates, thesis structures, and historical timelines. It doesn’t matter if Elaine isn’t in my group. She can have these. If they help her, that’s all I care about.” The room went quiet. Someone whispered, “That is incredibly nice…” “Seriously. After being treated like that, she still wants to help? Camille is an angel.” “If Elaine still doesn’t accept this, she’s actually psycho.” Connor’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me. “Elaine, Camille is giving you an out. Don’t make this uglier than it already is.” I looked at the stack of papers. A wave of intense nausea hit my stomach. And the comments were going wild. [The power couple strategy is finally working!] [Elaine is saved!] [Honestly, thank god Connor kept convincing Camille to help. Elaine is getting all the benefits! Connor’s planning is god-tier!] A cold shiver ran down my spine as I read those words. Seeing my silence, Connor walked over, grabbed the stack of papers from the podium, and slammed them onto my desk. “Use them. And stop being so ungrateful.” Instinct took over. I shoved the papers away. The stack slid off the desk, loose sheets scattering across the floor. The entire room fell into a stunned silence. Camille’s tears finally spilled over. “Elaine… why do you have to be like this?” Connor’s temper snapped completely. “Elaine!” he roared. “Why are you so determined to ruin your own grades rather than accept her help? Give me a reason!” Mrs. Gavin had reached her limit as well. “Elaine, you will explain yourself right now. If you don’t have a legitimate reason, you will apologize to Camille and join Connor’s group immediately.” Every eye in the room was on me. The contempt of my peers. The anger of my teacher. The profound disappointment in Connor’s eyes. The fleeting, smug triumph hidden in Camille’s tear-streaked face. And the overwhelming onslaught of comments floating in my vision. [Say something! What excuse could she possibly have?] [She’s just jealous of Camille. Plain and simple.] [Elaine is acting like absolute garbage, and Connor still cares. He is so in love.] I slowly bent down, picking up a few scattered pages from the floor. Then, I stood up and looked at Connor with a cold, mocking smile. “You want to know my reason?” “Yes,” Connor snarled. I turned to Camille. She was biting her lip, but there was a flicker of anxiety in her eyes. My lips curled. No more hiding. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll tell you.”
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