Chapter 3Rejecting The Heroine Loyalty Test

Brittany stood pinned beneath the laughter, her skin turning an ashen, humiliated gray.

Half a step behind her, a flicker of petty, undeniable satisfaction crossed Emma’s face. She subtly pulled her shoulders back, accentuating her waist, repeatedly flicking her gaze toward me to make sure I noticed the contrast.

I didn't care about their pathetic passive-aggressive hierarchy. All I wanted was to breathe clean air, far away from this toxic circus.

I hoisted my bag, but before I could take two steps toward the exit, the cafe door chimed open.

Dennis, my newly assigned dorm roommate, strolled in.

The second he spotted me, an oily, performative grin split his face, and his voice boomed across the cafe like a bad infomercial.

"Travis! Bro! Weren't you supposed to be on an epic coffee date with your dream girl? Why are you packing up already?"

"You're unbelievable, man! You lock down a girlfriend before syllabus week and you don't even introduce her to the guys in the suite?"

My eyebrows snapped together.

When I left the dorm an hour ago, I had specifically told him I was grabbing a casual coffee with an online mutual. Where the hell had 'girlfriend' come from?

Dennis didn't care about the warning in my eyes. He sauntered over, and the moment his eyes landed on Brittany, a sleazy, conspiratorial chuckle slipped out.

"Well, well! You must be the lucky lady Travis wouldn't shut up about!"

"Listen, don't let his cold face scare you—he’s just emotionally reserved, you know? High-maintenance trust-fund boy. But deep down, he's totally obsessed with you!"

"You take good care of our boy, okay? Don't break his heart!"

Those three sentences hit Brittany like pure oxygen on a dying fire.

The shame on her face vanished, replaced by an explosive, desperate mania. She lunged toward me again, practically trembling with greed.

"Travis! I knew it! I knew that's how you really felt!"

"If you're that crazy about me, it's settled—we're exclusive now! You don't have to put on a tough front anymore!"

I ignored her completely, narrowing my eyes at Dennis.

Emma and Brittany were standing right next to each other, yet Dennis had bypassed the conventionally gorgeous girl and walked directly up to Brittany with pinpoint, premeditated precision.

"Dennis," I said, my voice dropping into that quiet, dangerous register my family's attorneys used before filing a motion. "Who told you she was my girlfriend?"

"I never said anything remotely like that in the room. Today is the first time I've ever laid eyes on either of them."

"Are you intentionally manufacturing rumors about me?"

Dennis ducked his head with a performative display of frat-boy innocence, putting his hands up.

"Hey, my bad, bro! You were checking your reflection so many times before leaving, I just figured you were head over heels!"

Then, catching Brittany’s face again, he let out an exaggerated gasp of faux-revelation, turning to scold me.

"Oh, come on, Travis! Don't tell me you're bailing just because she doesn't look like a TikTok filter!"

"Bro, take it from me—you can't be that shallow. Character is what lasts! A good heart is what matters!"

"If your ego ruins things with a devoted girl like this, you're gonna spend your whole life regretting it!"

Watching him aggressively push this repulsive pairing onto me, the pieces clicked into place. The guy was acting like a paid operative.

Right on cue, the floating text flickered back into view.

Only this time, the invisible audience wasn't dragging me—they were tearing into Dennis.

Ugh, this predatory side-character is so transparent! He’s trying to saddle the male lead with the ugly sidekick so he can clear the runway to hit on Emma!

Remember when he slid into Emma's friend's DMs last week pretending to be an ally? He told the group chat he was 'rooting for Emma and Travis,' and I thought he was being a cute wingman! Turns out he was plotting to steal her all along!

Well, every good slow-burn romance needs an obstacle! If Dennis doesn't stir the pot, how will Travis realize his true feelings? After they fight over this, Emma and Travis are gonna be inseparable!

Emma gave Dennis an approving nod, chiming in on cue, her tone sanctimonious and sharp.

"I think your roommate is completely right. How can you judge a person strictly by their shell? The most important thing about anyone is their character!"

Hearing Emma’s validation, Dennis practically glowed, a smug flush creeping up his neck.

I looked at both of them and let out a cold, sharp breath.

"Since your souls are so deeply aligned, why don't you two date each other?"