Chapter 1
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Senior year was brutal. So I picked up an online boyfriend to let off steam.
He was intense and tender in all the right ways, always ready to indulge every kink I had.
I was the eternal runner-up, and every time I failed to outscore my arch-rival, I'd run to him for comfort.
Stella: Babe, would you put on a butler's costume for me tonight?
Sweetie: Sure.
That night, we had a private video call.
He kept the camera on himself from the neck down, his voice low and rough. "Babe. Show me your legs."
I knew exactly what he wanted. I aimed the camera at my legs and listened to his breathing on the other end.
My stress, every last bit of it, finally let go.
Then my gaze snagged on something in the corner of the screen. A water bottle, half-hidden at the edge of the frame.
'Wait. Wasn't that the same water bottle the top student in our class used?'
I nearly threw my phone across the room.
'No. Way.'
'Was my online boyfriend actually Ethan Sherwood? My arch-rival?'
'Impossible.'
At school, Ethan was the picture of cold indifference. How could he possibly be the same guy on the other end of this call, the one who was so intense and called me "babe" every other sentence?
But listening to him now, his voice did sound a little like Ethan's. At school, Ethan's voice was always flat and even. This voice carried something else entirely.
I studied the water bottle more carefully. Even the chip on the rim was in exactly the same spot.
'Could this really just be a coincidence?'
A thought hit me and my eyes went wide.
'What if he already knows who I am?'
I quickly ran back through our conversation history. We'd kept almost everything to text, and on video calls, only he ever spoke. We'd also agreed not to reveal our real selves until we met in person. I'd typed every response and never once shown my face.
So he shouldn't know.
I let out a slow breath.
Stella: Where did you put the couple's bracelet I gave you?
His voice was still low. "In my drawer."
I texted back immediately.
Stella: I want you to wear it all day tomorrow.
He didn't suspect a thing. "Okay."
Near the end of the call, he let out a quiet laugh. "Good night, babe."
Stella: Good night.
After I hung up, I couldn't stop thinking.
I'd always been a bit of a show-off. Every time I landed the top spot and saw the admiration in people's eyes, the thrill of it sent a rush straight to my head. That had made me the kid every other parent would praise.
From my first day of school through middle school, I was always number one in my class.
Then I hit high school and met Ethan Sherwood, and just like that, I became a permanent runner-up.
No matter what I did, I couldn't outscore him.
The worst part was that every time Ethan claimed first place, his expression didn't change at all, like ranking at the top meant nothing to him.
He was even more of a show-off than I was.
Because of him, he'd become the new kid every other parent praise.
Every time test results came out, teachers and classmates would look over at me with those sympathetic faces.
"It's okay. You've worked so hard. Someone like Ethan is a once-in-a-generation genius. You don't have to compare yourself to him."
"A mind like his isn't something the rest of us can compete with. Don't be too hard on yourself."
The more they comforted me, the angrier I got.
'Those were the words people used to say about me!'
I threw myself into studying like mad.
I finally clawed my way up to the same score as him. We tied for first.
Then the teacher said he'd found a grading error on one of Ethan's questions and added ten points to his score.
I fell back to second.
After that, he became my arch-rival. Before every test, I prayed hard for the day he'd finally slip up.
It never worked. Not once.
But if my online boyfriend really was him, well.
Hmm.
I'd put that to very good use.
One day, I was going to take that number-one spot back from him.
- Writer
