System Error: Not Your Main Character

Piper slammed her test paper onto my desk.

A perfect score.

Exactly one point higher than mine.

I'm going to take everything you have, Piper whispered, leaning in so close her breath ghosted against my ear. Her voice dripped with aggression. Starting with your rank, and ending with your man.

I didn't even bother to look up. I just uncapped my red pen and circled the single error on my own exam paper.

Out in the hallway, Wells was leaning against the doorframe.

He was the kind of rich, devastatingly handsome asshole that parents warned their daughters aboutthe school's most notorious nightmare.

Piper sauntered over to him, flipping her hair over one shoulder. "I'm the new Number One. Need a private tutor?"

Wells's gaze sliced through the air to find me. A predatory smirk played on his lips.

"Sure," he murmured.

A collective gasp rippled through the corridor. My "loyal" guardian had just publicly defected.

But they missed the way his knuckles turned bone-white as he gripped the doorframe.

They didn't know Wells's secret.

He only smiled that gently when he was preparing to drag someone down to hell.

Piper thought she was the main character.

Me? I was just waiting for her to self-destruct.

Chapter 1

Within her first week, Piper had become a celebrity.

Why? Because she did the impossible. She beat me. The untouchable academic god. By exactly one point.

I stared down at my papersa near-perfect aggregate scoreand took a sip of water, the cool liquid sliding down my dry throat. I meticulously logged every mistake into my notebook. Never again.

Mia, my desk mate, was practically drooling over her. "Piper is insane. I heard Stanford basically begged her to commit early. Why would she even deign to slum it here?"

God knows.

Piper seemed to have it out for me from day one. Even during the morning announcements, when the Principal broadcasted her achievements, her eyes were locked on mine. Smug. Cold.

She walked up to my desk, bending down until we were face-to-face. Her expression was pure mockery. "Before I came here, I heard the legend of Hadley was untouchable. Looks like the rumors were exaggerated. You can't compare a diamond to a rhinestone, Hadley."

A rhinestone?

I looked at my near-perfect score. I begged to differ.

Of course, Piper's little power trip didn't last long.

Because she saw him.

Her eyes lit up like shed just spotted a designer bag on sale. Wells was waiting by the classroom door.

He stood there, tall and effortlessly imposing, looking like a model off duty. He ignored her completely.

His dark eyes found me.

"Nerd," he said, his voice low. "Let's go home."

Chapter 2

Wells and I have history. The kind that goes back to shared playpens and diapers.

I was the academic weapon, perpetually ranked number one. Wells? He was the guy consistently fighting for dead last.

I was obsessed with excellence. Even when we hung out, ninety percent of my brain power was dedicated to deriving physics formulas.

So, he called me "Nerd."

But I knew better. I knew the way his tongue curled around that word, heavy and thick with a lingering, suffocating tenderness.

It reminded me of the time he lost control. The memory hit me like a physical blowWells shoving me against the wall, his body caging mine, his breath hot against my neck.

"Miss Perfect," he had rasped, his voice rough. "Do you have any idea? If you directed even a fraction of this fanaticism for school toward me Id lose my fucking mind."

Now, Piper stood there. Stronger. Better.

And from the jump, she was gunning for Wells.

She stepped into his personal space with terrifying confidence, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Wells. Let me tutor you. What do you say?"

Wells looked at her, blinking slowly. A look of feigned confusion.

Piper pointed a manicured finger at her own chest. "I'm the one they just announced on the loudspeaker. The new number one. Trust me, I have the skills."

Hearing that, Wells lifted his gaze. He locked eyes with me across the corridor.

Recognition flashed in his dark irises. Followed immediately by a sharp, teasing glint.

He was laughing at me.

Look at you, Hadley. Losing your touch?

My jaw tightened. I looked away, feigning indifference, but my peripheral vision betrayed me. I couldn't stop watching.

Wells lowered his lashes, looking down at Piper with a voice dipped in honey.

"Okay."

Piper beamed. She flashed a bright, toothy grinshowing off those cute little canine teethher eyes sparkling with victory.

Beside me, Mia inhaled sharply. "Wells just agreed? Wait, I thought you two were endgame? God, this Piper girl she really takes it all. Top grades and the hot guy."

Behind us, Justin chimed in, leaning back in his chair. "Gotta admit though, they look good together. Like a power couple. Born to be together."

So naive.

The corner of my lip quirked up. I rested my chin in my palm, a small laugh escaping my throat.

They didn't know Wells. Not really.

That gentleness? That calculated softness? That was the face he wore right before he slaughtered an obstacle in my path.

He looked pure. Harmless. Polite.

It was a fatal camouflage. His best trick.

Wells wasn't a prince. He was the maddest dog in the yard.

And his only command, his singular purpose in life, was to guard me.

Piper? I admit, you're good.

But if Wells is already obsessed with me, do you really think your little strategy guide stands a chance?

Chapter 3

Thats right. Piper is a "Player."

Not in the dating sense. In the literal, gamified sense.

Her objective? To "conquer" Wells. To max out his Love Meter. Once that bar hits 100%, she wins. Game over.

In the original script, Im the villain. The toxic childhood friend. The "Evil Ex" before we even dated. The narrative dictates that once Piper arrives, Im supposed to spiral into a jealous rage and commit unspeakable acts of sabotage.

But that was the original outline.

The author stopped writing the moment Piper appeared. The story stalled.

And in that silence, I woke up.

The trajectory of this world shifted the second I opened my eyes.

Honestly? Its laughable.

Before Piper showed up, I didn't even love Wells. Not really.

My vision was tunneled on one thing: The Ivy League. Wells and I never happened because I wouldn't let it happen.

I used to feed him that classic line, feigning innocence: "High school is for building a resume, Wells. Let's get into Harvard first. Then we can talk about us."

The book describes me as a sharp-tongued elitist. The untouchable Valedictorian.

I looked down on himthe rich, aimless delinquent with questionable moralswhile simultaneously stringing him along because his familys name carried weight.

Thats how I became his "Moonlight." His obsession. The one thing money couldn't buy.

According to the plot, Pipers arrival triggers my insecurity. Im supposed to scramble for his attention, only to realize hes being "healed" by her bubbly, sunshine energy.

The book got one thing right.

I didn't like Wells enough to warrant that kind of madness.

So why would the plot demand I become a psycho over a guy I barely tolerated?

It didn't make sense.

Because the Wells I know wouldn't be seduced by a cheap trick like Piper.

Wells is unhinged.

And frankly? So am I.

Piper, I hope youre ready.

You aren't dealing with a high school romance anymore. Youre facing two psychopaths.

Chapter 4

The next day, Piper cornered me. She leaned in close, her expression dripping with fake sweetness and ambiguity.

"Wells told me something interesting yesterday," she whispered, a smug curve to her lips. "He said I'm like the sun. Said Im blinding. Hes already starting to fall for me. So, if you know whats good for you, Hadley, youll back off."

I looked at her, struggling to keep a straight face.

Piper was undeniably pretty. She was loud, bright, and aggressive. She certainly resembled a sun.

But there was one tiny detail she missed.

Wells hated the sun.

He had severe solar dermatitis.

Growing up, if anyone gifted him anything sun-themedpaintings, keychains, plushieshe incinerated them. He literally destroyed them.

Except for that one sun pendant I gave him years ago, but he didn't know that was from me.

I dipped my head, a short, sharp laugh escaping my throat.

He wasn't flirting with her. He was treating her like a pathogen. His subtext wasn't "You light up my world." It was "Stay ninety-three million miles away from me or I will break out in a rash."

Pipers brow furrowed. "What are you laughing at?"

I smoothed my expression into a mask of polite indifference. "Nothing. Different worlds, different languages. Good luck with that."

Piper bristled. She could feel my dismissal, and it pricked her ego. Her voice dropped, losing the sugary coating.

"Im going to step on you, Hadley. Im going to take everything you think you own. Start accepting your fate now." She paused for effect. "That includes your ranking. And that includes Wells."

She looked triumphant, eyes crinkling as if she could already see me crying in a gutter.

I didn't even bother lifting my eyes to meet hers again. I hugged my textbook to my chest and brushed past her shoulder.

"We'll see."

So what if she had a cheat code?

Academics was my turf. I didn't get here by luck; I got here by bleeding over textbooks at 3 A.M. while everyone else was sleeping. It would take more than a few threats to rattle me.

"Just you wait!" Piper hissed behind me.

Before the second round of midterms, the school hosted the annual Fall Gala.

At a prep school like this, the Gala was mandatory. It was a massive production, a night for the seniors to flex and the underclassmen to party.

Usually, this had nothing to do with me.

As Wells said, I was a nerd.

I didn't dance. I had zero interest in singing. I was invisible in these settings.

Wells was the opposite. Nights like this were his kingdom.

He was the finale. The main event.

When the atmosphere in the auditorium hit its peak, the lights cut out. A single, stark spotlight sliced through the darkness, landing on him.

Wells stood center stage, tall and devastating in a fitted tuxedo.

He sat at the grand piano. His fingers didn't just play; they danced across the keys, lively and graceful. He looked out at the audience with eyes like deep, dark pools, resembling a young god. The thunderous applause that followed was entirely for him.

I lowered my gaze. I finally stopped reviewing my AP English notes. I snapped the binder shut.

I was in the front row. I had the perfect view of him.

Chapter 5

Every year, from elementary school to now, this stage belonged to Wells.

And every year, right before he went on, hed pin me with that liquid, shimmering gaze. "When I'm done, Hadley, you give me flowers first. No one else."

Tonight was no different.

The final notes of the piano faded into the air. I let out a soft chuckle, grabbing the potted fern Id meticulously picked out. Not roses. Not lilies. A fern. Sharp. Resilient. Just like us.

I headed backstage.

But before I could step into the wings, I heard her.

"Wells! You were incredible out there!"

Piper. Her voice was bubbly, high-pitched, and intense.

I pulled back the heavy velvet curtain just an inch.

Wells was leaning against the brick wall, swallowed by the backstage shadows. Piper was practically climbing him. She had thrown her arms around him, burying her face into his chest with zero hesitation.

It was too dark to see his expression.

I stepped through the curtain, walking silently toward them.

As the lighting shifted, I saw what she was holding. A bouquet of sunflowers.

Pipers cheeks were flushed pink. She completely ignored my arrival, batting her eyelashes at him as she unleashed the full force of her charm. "Sunflowers follow the sun, Wells. Remember? You said I was like the sun."

The sun again.

I saw the shift instantly. Wellss patience snapped.

His brow furrowed. His jaw tightened. His fingers started cracking against his palm. Pop. Pop.

He looked ready to murder someone.

Wells was a menace to everyone but me. Ive seen him make girls cry in class just because they disagreed with him. Ive watched him rip up love letters right in front of the people who wrote them. He knew exactly how to break a girls heart.

I didn't care if he bullied Piper. She asked for it.

But we were backstage. If they caused a scene here, rumors would fly. Wells didn't need that kind of heat.

I stepped in.

I grabbed Wellss hand, lacing my fingers through his, and shoved the potted fern into his other arm.

The contact worked instantly. The tension drained out of his shoulders. He was tamed.

Piper, however, detonated.

Her eyes widened, her voice screeching up an octave. "Hadley! I was here first! Do you have any manners?"

I smirked. "But, Wells asked me to be the first."

I leaned in close, dropping my voice to a lethal whisper so only she could hear. "Hes obsessed with me. You can see that, right? Are you trying to be the other woman?"

Piper gritted her teeth. She lunged forward, grabbing Wellss wrist in a death grip.

"Wells, tell me! What is it? What do you like about her?" Her voice trembled with desperation. "I can learn it. I can change. Just pick me, okay?"

I paused. I didn't expect her to be that direct