1 Two months into our relationship, we finally set a date. The plan was simple: the moment senior finals wrapped and the college admissions dust settled, we would meet face-to-face for a summer trip. Then the words appeared. They didn’t arrive as a text message or a ping on my screen. They drifted directly across my field of vision, hovering in translucent, electric white letters against the air like a live-stream chat feed: Wait, why did the side character only book a plane ticket for herself? What about our precious female lead’s ticket? Seriously! If the side character doesn’t bring her along, how is she supposed to meet the male lead? The female lead is literally the housekeeper’s daughter. She doesn’t have a dime. If the rich girl doesn’t pay for the flight, how is she supposed to go? Our male lead is Bennett Wright—heir to the Wright family fortune, the richest dynasty in the entire city. And this spoiled little side character thinks she can keep him to herself? I blinked. The luminous text flickered, then dimmed. Before my pulse could settle, my phone buzzed on the duvet beside me. It was a text from Gwen Miller. Audrey! I heard you’re planning your senior graduation trip. Can you take me with you? I stared at the glowing screen, my breath catching in my throat. So the “female lead” the glowing text was fawning over was Gwen? The girl whose mother scrubbed our floors and folded our laundry? Another message chimed in from Gwen, followed by a photo. She was standing in the luxury wing of the downtown galleria, posing beside a sleek, polished aluminum suitcase. Audrey, when are you getting here? Isn’t this luggage gorgeous? It’s only thirty-five hundred dollars. I had the sales associate hold one for you, too. Hurry up, when will you be here? She hadn’t even secured an invitation, and she was already picking out designer luggage for my trip on my family’s dime. When I didn’t immediately reply, a solitary question mark appeared. A few of our classmates and I are at the boutique café downstairs waiting for you, she texted. Hurry, okay? I looked at the entitlement radiating from the screen and felt a cold, dry amusement settle in my chest. I set the phone face down and pulled the duvet up, intending to take a nap. The glowing letters surged back across my vision, frantic and jagged: What the hell is the side character doing? Doesn’t she know our girl is sitting there with everyone waiting for her? Those lattes are twenty bucks each! If the side character doesn’t show up, who’s going to pick up the tab? The bitch is actually going to sleep? Is she trying to humiliate our girl on purpose? Right? Our girl picked out a limited-edition trunk for herself, but she set one aside for Audrey, too! It’s not like she was being selfish. Audrey is so petty. Absolutely vile. It’s pure jealousy. Everyone at school loves our girl—she’s sweet, she’s popular, everyone wants to sit with her. Audrey just thinks she’s hot shit because her parents have money. Just wait. Once Bennett meets them both, he’s going to put that brat in her place. Staring at the floating words, I let out a soft, sharp laugh. Jealous? I was Audrey Mercer. My father sat on corporate boards; my mother owned commercial real estate. Why on earth would I envy Gwen Miller? A piece of luggage from that boutique cost half a year of her mother’s wages. Her mother earned roughly four thousand a month keeping our house in order. Seven years ago, my mother had taken pity on Evelyn Miller—a woman fleeing an abusive marriage with a scrawny, terrified daughter in tow—and offered them the private guest suite above our garage. Over the years, my mother had treated Gwen with boundless generosity. Whenever she bought me a cashmere sweater or a new tablet for school, she bought a duplicate for Gwen so the girl wouldn’t feel out of place. Last winter, Gwen had begged to host her eighteenth birthday at our estate. Neither my mother nor I minded; we spent the weekend at our lake house, leaving the estate staff, the catering, and the imported sparkling cider entirely at her disposal. After that weekend, rumors spread through our private prep school that Gwen was the daughter of an intensely private, ultra-wealthy developer. To preserve her pride, I had never corrected anyone. I never imagined that my silence, combined with our charity, had curdled into this monstrous sense of entitlement. I picked up my phone and tapped out a brief reply. Still in an afternoon review session. I didn’t say I was coming. I didn’t say I wasn’t. If she wanted to play the generous heiress, buying twenty-dollar artisanal coffees for her entourage and browsing four-figure luggage, she could figure out how to settle the bill herself. 2 Just as I was drifting into a light sleep, my phone began to vibrate violently. Gwen’s name flashed across the display. I let it ring out. Instantly, the luminous text flooded the ceiling like a torrential downpour: She is downright evil. She knows our poor girl is trapped at the register, and she deliberately ghosted her. She just wants to watch her get humiliated. Our girl literally has less than thirty bucks in her debit account! She called the bitch and she won’t even pick up. God, this is breaking my heart… Wait, look—she’s quietly messaging Bennett on her burner to borrow money! If she does that, her whole independent, proud-girl persona is going to crack! It’s all Audrey’s fault. Why can’t that rich parasite just drop dead? Eat the rich. Seriously. They throw their money around just to crush normal girls. I’m so furious! The comments rolled by at dizzying speed, hundreds per minute, revealing secrets I never could have pieced together on my own. According to the feed, Gwen had noticed me texting my online boyfriend weeks ago. One evening, while bringing an evening glass of warm milk up to my room, she had caught a glimpse of Bennett’s username and profile handle. She went back to her room, created an alternate profile with a nearly identical handle, added him, and told him it was my private secondary account. They had been messaging behind my back for an entire month. Gwen’s grand scheme was to latch onto my graduation trip, use the face-to-face vacation to seduce Bennett, and then, before admissions locked, sneak into my college portal, sabotage my Ivy League acceptance, and redirect my enrollment to a third-rate community college while she followed Bennett to his elite university. Later, the feed boasted, Gwen would win his heart completely with her “resilient, self-made” backstory. Even when Bennett eventually discovered the deceit, he would dismiss it as the desperate, romantic actions of a girl who loved him too much to let him go. And to prevent my family from ever retaliating against Gwen, Bennett would use the Wright family’s financial stranglehold to orchestrate the bankruptcy of Mercer Enterprises, leaving my parents and me ruined on the street. 3 My phone buzzed again. This time, it was Bennett. His handle, DeepSea_Fin, flashed with a message: Hey, sweetheart. Did you make it home? Did you book your flight yet? Or send me your details and I’ll take care of the first-class seats. When I didn’t reply within two minutes, a notification pinged: a direct bank transfer of fifteen thousand dollars. My chest tightened. Remembering what the glowing words had just revealed, I realized Gwen had probably just asked him for money—though I had no idea how much she’d begged for under my name. Without hesitation, I tapped the screen and hit Decline Transfer. Almost immediately, soft footsteps sounded outside my room, followed by a tentative knock. Gwen stood in the doorway, her lower lip trembling, looking like a kicked puppy. “Audrey… why didn’t you show up today?” Her voice was laced with grievance. “I waited at the mall for hours.” I looked at her, fighting the urge to sneer. Did I ask her to go? Did I ask her to hold luggage? She was angry because she hadn’t managed to milk my credit card. Only now did I take a closer look at her. Her hair was cut into soft layers identical to mine. She wore a cream knit cardigan over a pleated skirt—a cut and color palette I favored—and even the tortoiseshell barrette pinning back her bangs was an exact match to the one sitting on my vanity. She wasn’t just copying my life; she was trying to wear my skin. “Sorry,” I said flatly. “I fell asleep.” Gwen’s mouth opened slightly, her eyes flickering with poorly concealed venom. Clearly, she blamed the humiliation of having to grovel to Bennett for cash entirely on me. She swallowed her frustration and forced a bright, fragile smile. “So, about our trip… have you sorted out the tickets yet?” She stepped closer, offering her phone. “I sent you my passport and ID info. Can you make sure our seats are together? I really want to sit next to you.” She was terrified I would leave her behind. “I’m not going,” I said coolly. “It’s too hot in July.” The color drained from her face. Above her head, the glowing text erupted again: Are you kidding me? The side character is backing out after promising? Is she playing our girl? She can rot in hell for all I care, but what about our girl? If she doesn’t go on this trip, how is she supposed to bond with Bennett? This bitch is actively trying to ruin their destiny! Among the furious barrage, a couple of lone lines flickered through: Wait… hasn’t Audrey done nothing wrong here? She never asked for luggage, never invited Gwen, and Gwen literally cornered her to pay for her life. Am I crazy, or is Gwen the one who’s totally unhinged? Those few rational voices were instantly swallowed by a wave of vicious insults from the rest of the feed. Gwen stood frozen, staring at me in disbelief. “B-but… I’ve already prepared everything.” “Then go by yourself,” I said with a faint smile. “Have a great time.” Before she could find her voice, I shut the bedroom door firmly in her face. Once alone, I sat at my desk and pulled up Bennett Wright on my browser. The Wright family was indeed the preeminent titan of the city’s financial district, though Bennett himself was kept largely out of the tabloids. My family was well-off, but compared to the Wrights, we were small fish. If the trajectory in the text held any truth, I needed to nip this in the bud. Whether Bennett and I had any real future or not, Gwen’s little masquerade had to end. I typed a message to his primary handle: Are you in town? Can we meet tomorrow? No response came. Ten minutes later, another knock rattled my door. I pulled it open to find Gwen grinning, her demeanor completely transformed. “Audrey, look!” She turned her phone toward me. On the screen were two confirmed business-class reservations to Paris for the following afternoon. My eyes narrowed. “You’ve always been so sweet to me,” Gwen chirped, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “I thought, this time, I should treat you to the flight. I know you really want to go. Let’s just go together, okay? Please?” When I said nothing, she pouted. “The tickets are non-refundable, Audrey. Don’t let them go to waste.” The floating text cheered overhead: Hahaha! Our girl is a genius! She took the fifteen grand from Bennett, booked the tickets, and now Audrey has no excuse! Once they land in Europe, Bennett is going to fall head over heels for our girl. She is so brilliant! Audrey, stop playing hard to get and just say yes, you pretentious snob! I looked at Gwen, whose eyes were shining with triumphal greed, and offered a noncommittal shrug. “We’ll see tomorrow.” I closed the door again, ignoring whatever she was babbling on the other side. Within two minutes, I opened my train app and booked an early morning ticket to my grandmother’s country house upstate. Gwen’s flight was scheduled for tomorrow evening. I would be hundreds of miles away before she even finished her morning coffee. 4 By the time Gwen texted me the next morning, I was already three hours north, watching rolling green hills blur past the train window. Audrey? Are you awake yet? We need to pack! I took a sip of iced tea and texted back: Oh, forgot to tell you—I went to visit my grandmother upstate. Train’s already halfway there. Won’t be back for a couple of weeks. The air above my lap exploded with digital fury: WHAT?! The bitch just vanished without saying a word?! I’m going to lose my mind! Gwen bought the damn tickets! How could she just ghost her like this? This is disgusting! What do we do now? This was our girl’s only chance to get close to Bennett before college! Is she going to give up? Why doesn’t she just come clean to Bennett? He’s destined to love her anyway. Are you stupid? They don’t have an emotional foundation yet! If she admits she lied now, Bennett will hate her. Plus, she still needs to sabotage Audrey’s admissions portal later. If this blows up, it ruins everything! Ugh, it’s all Audrey’s fault. She made our girl look so pathetic! My phone stayed silent for a long time. The typing… indicator appeared and disappeared three times before Gwen finally sent: B-but the tickets are already paid for! If you don’t come, the money is wasted! Audrey, please, just turn around and come back! I typed back with deliberate, icy precision: Gwen, I really don’t appreciate you making decisions on my behalf. You’re the daughter of our housekeeper. I suggest you remember your place and stop pretending we’re equals. I switched my phone to Do Not Disturb and slipped it into my bag. That afternoon, I arrived at my grandmother’s farmhouse. The air smelled of damp earth and sweet pine. My grandmother had spent all morning braising short ribs and baking berry cobbler. That evening, my cousins and I walked down to the melon patch under a violet twilight, picking cold watermelons and eating them straight from the rind, laughing until our stomachs hurt. The next morning, I remembered Bennett. I pulled out my phone, intending to lay out the truth once and for all. When I hit send on my text, a red exclamation point appeared: Message failed to send. You have been blocked by this user. Right on cue, the floating text drifted across my vision: Hahahahaha! Audrey thought she could control the situation! Too bad our girl just boarded the private jet with Bennett! She borrowed his phone while he was in the restroom and blocked Audrey’s number permanently! Bennett noticed she looked slightly different from her photos, but Gwen just laughed and said she used heavy filters because she was insecure. He totally bought it! Now their sweet romance begins! The only downside is that without Audrey around to act as an entitled brat, Gwen has to work twice as hard to maintain her innocent, humble persona. Bennett’s paying for five-star hotels and luxury shopping, but our girl has to pretend she feels guilty about every penny. Such a sacrifice! I locked my phone and set it on the porch railing. A lavish vacation built entirely on stolen identity and borrowed money. I truly hoped they enjoyed every single second of it. 5 Two weeks passed in quiet bliss before I returned to the city. Admissions confirmation deadlines were closing in, and social media informed me that Gwen had also just returned. She arrived back at the estate trailing five oversized designer suitcases—all filled with luxury garments, leather bags, and jewelry that Bennett had showered upon his supposed online sweetheart. That evening, a knock sounded at my door. Gwen entered carrying a mug of warm milk. “Audrey, have you finalized your college commitment portal yet?” Before I could answer, the glowing text shimmered into view: Here it comes! Our girl is finally making her move! That European trip was suffocating. Because Audrey wasn’t there to make Gwen look angelic by comparison, Gwen had to play the noble, pure-hearted girl the entire time. She couldn’t even let Bennett touch her! Exactly. Bennett paid for every single thing, and Gwen was terrified of slipping up. By the end of the trip, Bennett had grown noticeably cold toward her. There was zero romantic progress! That’s why she’s desperate now. She has to destroy Audrey’s future immediately. Once Audrey is relegated to a dead-end trade school, Gwen will have Bennett all to herself! I kept my expression smooth, glancing at the steaming mug in her hands. God only knew what she had dissolved into that liquid—a mild sedative, most likely. “I just submitted my final confirmation,” I said, offering a tired, innocent smile. I set the mug on the nightstand without touching it. “Why do you ask?” Gwen’s gaze darted toward my open laptop on the desk, a flicker of nervous hunger in her eyes. “Nothing, just checking on you. Finalizing your college matriculation is a life-changing decision, you know?” She stepped closer, her voice soft and conspiratorial. “You look exhausted, Audrey. Drink your milk and get some sleep.” “Oh, goodness—I almost forgot!” I slapped my forehead in mock exasperation and stood up. “My mother had a huge overseas delivery dropped off at the security locker by the estate gates. She said there are designer gifts in there for you, too. Do you want to walk down with me to grab it?” At the mention of designer gifts, Gwen’s eyes lit up with instinctive greed. But her gaze flicked back to my laptop screen, where the student portal was still visibly logged in. “No… you go ahead, Audrey,” she stammered, taking a subtle step back. “I’m still jet-lagged from the flight. I think I’ll just head to bed.” “Suit yourself,” I said with a breezy nod. I grabbed my keys and walked out, closing the front door behind me. The moment I reached the driveway, I pulled out my phone and tapped into an encrypted app. Days before leaving for my grandmother’s, I had installed a pinhole camera disguised as a smoke detector directly above my desk. On the screen, my bedroom door creaked open. Gwen crept inside, glancing around like a cornered rat before darting straight to my desk. The portal was wide open. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. With practiced malice, she declined my acceptance to the elite university I had worked four years to enter. In its place, she transferred my enrollment deposit to an unaccredited, obscure for-profit technical institute in the middle of nowhere. Then, to ensure I couldn’t be saved, she manually withdrew every single one of my backup applications. When she finished, she leaned back, exhaling a ragged, triumphant breath. A twisted, ugly grin stretched across her face. “Audrey Mercer,” she whispered into the empty room, her voice picked up clearly by the microphone. “Let’s see you look down on me from the gutter.” Watching the screen, I calmly tapped Save Video and backed the file up to the cloud. Gwen, you dug this grave yourself.
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