Off Script: How I Stole the Spotlight / Chapter 3: Rivalries and Resilience
Off Script: How I Stole the Spotlight

Off Script: How I Stole the Spotlight

Author: Patrick Morrison

Chapter 3: Rivalries and Resilience

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In that instant, my brain filled in every campus romance cliché: the male lead pins the girl to the wall, eyes red, voice hoarse—

"Be with me, I’ll give you my whole life."

...

No, I’m about to write fanfic in my head. My cheeks heated up, and I shook my head to clear the embarrassing thought.

"Sorry, sorry, don’t mind me, you two go on."

"Even if you give her your life, I won’t mind!"

I quickly closed the door, my face burning.

Why are they having a romance in the office? And why does everyone love to watch?

But as the macroeconomics professor said, the market is an invisible hand, quietly regulating things. Where there are viewers, there will be content creators.

The more people watch, the more stories there are...

Thinking it through, my annoyance faded.

I couldn’t help but smirk. If only I could charge admission for every time I walked in on their drama, I’d be able to pay off my student loans. Drama germs really are contagious around here—maybe the campus should post a warning sign.

Click—

Just as I relaxed, the office door opened from inside.

Carter strode out, Savannah trailing softly behind.

I looked up and met a pair of angry eyes.

Carter’s lips curled in a mocking smile. He bent down to my level, looked at the papers in my arms, and said, word by word:

"Autumn Blake, I have zero interest in you. Don’t let me catch you interfering again."

"Otherwise, I won’t mind teaching you a lesson."

Me: "..."

Help, he’s so cringey. I instinctively fidgeted with the edge of my sleeve, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

Also, please don’t pass your pinkeye to me, thanks.

I made a mental note to carry hand sanitizer. You never know what kind of drama germs you’ll pick up in these halls.

I nodded, then quietly handed in the papers, trying to be invisible.

After that, I avoided Carter whenever I could, and played dead when I couldn’t.

Everyone in class knew I used to like Carter, but the dramatic showdown between two girls over a guy never happened.

Even though I kept my distance, news about them still spread like wildfire—

A playboy and a gentle girl, a perfect match.

As I grabbed my backpack, Mariah passed by:

"State basketball semifinals are at our school today. You going to join the crowd?"

I shook my head. "No, with everyone at the game, the library will have seats."

Mariah: "..."

Another roommate was surprised: "What’s up with you lately? You don’t even react to Carter’s name."

I paused, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Nonsense, I react plenty."

He’s doing the group design competition, and I’m planning to join too.

But I heard lately the campus bad boy’s been obsessed with romance, leaving the work to everyone else.

His teammates, out of respect and fear, don’t dare complain.

Another roommate eyed me thoughtfully:

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