Rewriting My Dark Fate With My Sworn Enemy

I was just about to slip a McDonald’s bag into the struggling main character’s desk. The barrage of scrolling comments, the comments, flashed across my vision: [The Drama Queen side character is using food she won’t eat to ‘feed’ the hero again. Seriously, does having a little money make her better than us?] [She’s pure evil. She saw the hero only had eyes for our sweet main girl, so she harassed and targeted her until the poor thing had to transfer schools.] [Keep bullying him, side girl! Once your family is broke, the hero will seize your assets, force you into marriage, lock you up, and torture you mentally and physically before you meet your miserable end! ~] I snatched my hand back as if burned. Then, I turned and tossed the McDonald’s right onto the desk of my sworn enemy. Oh, I’d feed the stray dog outside before I’d give anything to that guy!

1 Garrett Blackwood was lounging in his chair, one long leg propped casually over the other. He raised an eyebrow, glancing at the familiar yellow bag on his desk, and let out a chuckle that held no humor. “Princess Hart, are you sure this is for me? The sun must have risen in the west.” He picked up the bag delicately, as if it might be contaminated. “Don’t tell me you’re treating me like your personal trash can, disposing of things your precious Alex didn’t want. That’s just bad karma.” The comments stuttered. Then a wave of question marks filled my screen. [Why did the side character give the McDonald’s to someone else?] [What else? She knows her sad attempts won’t get the hero’s attention, so she’s trying a different angle.] [I’m so sick of this spoiled, drama-obsessed rich girl. She’s the literal opposite of our kind and resilient Finny. I can’t wait for Alex to be reunited with his elite family so this side character can get her comeuppance! Lock her up! Torture her!] The horrific stream of comments, wishing me dead, coupled with Garrett’s usual cryptic passive-aggression, left me feeling frayed. I glared at him, annoyed. “Garrett Blackwood, consider it a gift. If you don’t want it, just say so…” Just then, Alexander “Alex” Donovan walked in. He saw me standing next to his desk, talking to Garrett. His expression instantly froze over. “Stella Hart, what did you just put in my desk?” His voice was low and icy. “I’m going to tell you one more time: I don’t need your high-and-mighty, fake charity. I don’t like you, and please, respect yourself.” The cold misjudgment stung, leaving a hollow ache in my chest. But on the outside, I gave nothing away. I lifted my chin, projecting a false bravado. “Alex, I didn’t put anything in your desk, and I never will again. I don’t like you. Don’t… don’t flatter yourself.” Seraphina “Finny” Cole, who had walked in behind Alex, knitted her delicate brows. She looked at me, her tone soft but laced with disapproval. “Stella, you’re really going too far. You shouldn’t constantly use money to insult and trample on people’s dignity.” She sighed dramatically. “You already caused him a lot of trouble last time, and some truly awful rumors started…” I blinked at her, utterly bewildered, and remained silent. Why does everyone always twist my intentions? Is trying to discretely help someone with their tuition really ‘trampling on their dignity’? Garrett let out a dismissive scoff. He rapped his knuckles sharply on his desk. “Alex Donovan, do you suffer from delusions? And you, Finny, the one who always joins the witch-hunt the second it starts, would you both mind taking a look? Is there anything in Alex’s desk? Why are you creating drama?” 2 Right in front of Alex, Garrett reached into the bag. He pulled out a Mac Spicy. He ripped open the wrapper and took a huge, satisfying bite. He grinned at Alex, his eyes full of meaning. “Free breakfast tastes great. Not everyone is an ungrateful jerk, you know.” He then turned his head to me, drawing out his words. “Thanks, Princess Hart.” My heart hammered against my ribs. I shot Garrett a grateful look. “You’re welcome.” Alex scoffed, walking to his seat. He subtly glanced into his desk drawer. He immediately froze. Finny bit her lip, looking from Alex to me, appearing utterly heartbroken. I ignored both of them. I walked back to my own seat and sat down, feigning composure, though I was completely deflated inside. What a mess. The comments filled the screen with question marks. [Who is this loudmouth guy, and why is he talking to our hero and heroine like that?] [Ugh, our sweet Finny is so upset! Of course, every evil side character has a jerk of a side-guy who defends her unconditionally.] [This venomous witch! She definitely just used this method to get the hero’s attention. She’ll be disappointed, though.] The comments was getting increasingly aggressive, but I managed to piece together the entire backstory. This world was the setting for a decades-old, trope-filled romance novel. It featured the whole spectrum: high school romance, broken hearts, a ‘chase-the-heroine-and-burn-in-hell’ arc, and a lot of emotional abuse. The hero, Alex Donovan, was the long-lost son of an old-money New York elite family. He’d met the heroine, Finny Cole, in an orphanage. They reunited in high school and were deeply in love, secretly pining for each other. I, the villainous side character, wanted Alex because he was the campus hottie. I repeatedly used money to ‘humiliate’ him, trying to force him into a relationship with me. I also secretly targeted and framed Finny, forcing her to transfer schools in disgrace. Alex never forgave me for that. And so, after he was reunited with his elite family, the revenge began. He systematically destroyed my family’s business. But that wasn’t enough. He then forced me to marry him. I was locked in a dark room, abused, physically and mentally, until I became a shivering, broken mess, begging for his attention like a dog. It was at that point that Alex and Finny reunited. Their old flame reignited. But Alex didn’t want Finny to know about my existence, or his dark side. In the end, he burned me alive… I shivered, pulling my eyes away from the screen, a cold dread creeping up my spine. The way the comments described “me” and these events… it felt off. 3 Yes, I had a crush on Alex. I was particularly drawn to his cool, aloof, and ridiculously handsome face. Especially when he wore his wire-rimmed glasses. He looked exactly like a cold, genius scholar from one of my favorite animes. So I started observing him. I wondered why he was so tall yet so skinny. Why he always skipped the cafeteria, eating only a stale roll at his desk. Even though he clearly looked like he was struggling financially, why hadn’t he applied for the school’s financial aid program? I even had my dad’s assistant, Brandon Davies, check with the school to see if there was some administrative oversight. Brandon’s reply was shocking. “Alex Donovan doesn’t meet the school’s need-based requirements, and he hasn’t applied.” “However, his family’s finances aren’t bad, but his parents are inexplicably harsh on him. They make him sleep on the porch, even though they have an extra room, and he works every night at the street market just to earn his tuition.” “The counselors tried a home visit, worried about his stress affecting college applications, but it didn’t help…” I was horrified. Alex was having a genuinely awful life! After a week of surveillance, I dragged my best friend from the next class to the street market to support him. Alex was selling fancy, homemade layered puddings and mochi cakes. When I arrived, his booth was empty. He hadn’t sold a thing. I intended to buy everything he had. But I reached into my bag and realized my phone had been stolen. Just as I started to panic, I made eye contact with Alex. My nerves shot through the roof. I don’t know what came over me, but I whipped out my AmEx Black Card. The words flew out of my mouth: “How much—is the whole booth? I’ll buy you.” Crap. I was so nervous I completely misspoke. I bit my lip, scrambling to explain. “No! Alex, I meant, how much for all of this? I’ll take it all.” Alex’s face grew colder by the second. I felt desperate and my words tumbled out. “I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just, if you’re having financial trouble, I could cover your tuition. That way, you wouldn’t have to work so hard and you’d have more time to study… College applications are really important.” I was being as careful as I possibly could. I’d never been this tentative in my life. But Alex still erupted in anger. He looked at me with cold disgust. “Stella Hart, do you think this is a joke? What do your finances have to do with me?” “You pulled the same stunt with the student body president in ninth grade. Were you following me just for this moment? Did you think I’d be impressed and fall for you? No. You make me sick.” The rapid-fire accusations left me stunned. My friend, seeing the growing crowd, quickly pulled me away. Once we were safely in the car, she finally dared to speak loudly. “My Queen, you can’t offer to sponsor someone by just throwing an AmEx Black Card at them! His face was charcoal gray. Of course, he misunderstood.” I averted my gaze sheepishly. “It was my first time.” “And what was that about buying him? You’re still a student! You can’t just go around talking about—” I quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. “Shh! I told you, I misspoke!” Sigh. The misunderstanding was massive. My crush was officially over. My friend, seeing my glum face, offered a suggestion. Her eyes brightened. “Alex is just super sensitive about his pride, but he is cute. How about this? You help him secretly, but drop subtle clues. That way, you save his pride. That’s how it happens in all the books! The hero eventually falls for the heroine who quietly supports him.” I nodded thoughtfully. Hmm, that makes sense. And so, I started two operations: One: I had my father’s assistant arrange for a scholarship to Alex in the name of the Hart Family Foundation. Two: I started stuffing his desk drawer with expensive breakfasts: Black Truffle Eggs Benedict, Lobster Omelets, Foie Gras Crêpes, etc., inside a discreet, designer-branded lunch tote. Every day was different. I sometimes included a necessity, like a $1,000 Montblanc pen. But Alex remained stone-cold to me, only thawing when he looked at Finny. He threw everything I gave him to his desk-mate. The worst part? His desk-mate actually tried to hit on me yesterday. [Princess, I’ll be your little lapdog. I promise to be way more obedient than Alex, and I’ll do anything you want. I’m the starting player on the basketball team, and I have a six-pack, you can check them out…] The audacity scared me so much I immediately blocked his number. I sighed. Today, I intentionally swapped the gourmet breakfast for McDonald’s—I’d heard from a classmate that Alex secretly loved the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Good thing I didn’t give it to him. Since Alex hated me and my misguided attempts so much, I decided I was done with the crush. As for the comments calling me the villainess? They were wrong. I was going to be the lead of my own life. 4 After evening study hall, to reward Garrett for his performance earlier, I invited him to the nearby street market for dinner. Garrett was initially reluctant, letting out a soft “Tch.” “Princess, if you’re treating, I expect French or at least steakhouse fare. What’s the meaning of bringing me to the street market?” he challenged. Because the street market is my favorite, and it’s all you deserve. Since we were kids, Garrett had always been a copycat, wearing the same brands and doing the same things. When I tried to bribe the class treasurer to do my homework, he instantly ratted me out to my mom and blamed it on a ‘secret dating pact.’ I’d hold that against him forever! I rolled my eyes and gave a small, haughty snort. “Take it or leave it. Goodbye if you leave it.” Garrett strode ahead, his long legs covering the ground easily. “Who said I wouldn’t eat? I love street tacos. As long as you’re not treating certain people, I’ll eat anything… hurry up, short stuff.” Your entire family is short stuff. I narrowed my eyes, fuming, and lifted my foot to kick his calf. He dodged quickly, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. “What is it now, my Princess?” He turned, arching an eyebrow, his smile wide and provocative. I stared him down with a silent, intense menace. Once we got to the market, I bought him only a small bag of Deep-Fried Oreos. Then I happily bought myself a huge haul: street tacos, cheese fries, a corn dog, a funnel cake, a taro swirl pastry, a chocolate-matcha mochi… so much food I could barely hold it all. Garrett looked at his lone bag of Deep-Fried Oreos. Then he looked at the mountain of food in my hands. He laughed, exasperated. “Fine. Very fine.” “Thank you, Princess Hart. I love Deep-Fried Oreos. But you can’t possibly carry all that. Let me help you…” He reached out to grab some of the bags. “Absolutely not!” I glared at him and quickly side-stepped his attempt to snatch my food. Suddenly, someone blocked my path. Finny Cole stood in front of me, calling out towards the distance. “Alex, slow down! Stella’s been following us for a while now. Why don’t we all go together?” I froze. I pursed my lips. Awful luck. Why did I run into them here? The comments started rolling again. [The inescapable, gold-digging side character is here again to interrupt the hero and heroine’s alone time.] [She failed in the daytime, so she came at night to flash her AmEx Black Card at the hero’s booth? LOL, too bad the hero already has a nice sponsor now and doesn’t need to work for tuition, nor does he need this woman’s high-and-mighty ‘help’!] [Evil side character, get lost! Get lost! Get lost!] My intent was to turn and leave, but the comments stopped me. The comments reminded me: If he thinks I’m humiliating him, why am I still sponsoring him? 5 Finny glanced at the food in my hands, her smile gentle but her eyes devoid of warmth. “Stella.” “These are all Alex’s favorite things to eat. Did you come here to apologize for the scene this morning? That’s very thoughtful of you.” Garrett’s lips pressed into a thin, hard line. His knuckles were white as he gripped his bag of Oreos. Seeing my silence, he stepped in to run interference. “Apologize for what? Besides, this is all for me. It has nothing to do with anyone else.” Alex’s voice was hard and cold as he addressed me. “Stella Hart, how many times do I have to tell you? Can you just stay away from me?” He threw a contemptuous glance at Garrett, who was standing beside me. “Did you try a different trick today to get my attention? Girls need to value themselves more… When you act like this, I only feel disgusted.”