The Side Character's Study Guide to Love
Its a classic high school romance novel. The male and female leads are destined for a sugary-sweet love story, and I? Im just a background extra.
I didn't try to change the plot. I just studied. Like my life depended on it.
I studied until my eyes bled just to get into the same AP classes as him.
I studied until I clawed my way up the rankings to sit next to him.
I studied until we both got into the same Ivy League university...
In the end, the female lead showed up at my dorm, absolutely wasted, screaming at me for stealing her man.
I scratched my head, genuinely confused. "What did I even do?"
She was silent for a long time before she started sobbing and shrieking.
"You studied like a psychopath!!"
Me: "..."
1.
On my first day in this world, I fell for Ethan Hayes.
It wasnt love at first sight; it was a long-term obsession. back when I was reading the book in the real world, Id curl up under my blankets and scream about how perfect he was.
The cold, aloof academic god. He hit every single one of my checkboxes. Seeing him in person? I didn't stand a chance.
But the situation was different now.
I wasnt a reader anymore. I was a stranger in his world.
I could only watch from a distance as he and the female lead, Chloe, acted out their perfect romance.
The sense of loss sat heavy in my chest, suffocating me.
Back then, they weren't together yet. Plenty of brave girls confessed to Ethan.
Without exception, he rejected them all with an icy politeness.
I realized my crush had to be buried deep.
I was just a nobody. Broken family, average looks, zero confidence.
I didnt even get the standard "Transmigrator System" or cheat codes. I had nothing.
So, I turned my frustration into motivation. I studied. Hard.
Partly because its what youre supposed to do in high school.
Mostly because of my own selfish desire.
I wanted to be closer to Ethan.
I didn't ask for much. Just being able to see him was enough.
I became the girl who arrived at school first and left last, the one reading flashcards in the cafeteria line.
During the sophomore year placement exams, I jumped two hundred spots in the ranking and finally made it into the Honors Classthe same class as Ethan and Chloe.
The first day I walked in, Chloe ran over immediately.
"Maya? Who are you looking for?"
In the original book, I was a slacker. I was Chloes "plastic" friendgossiping with her by day, jealous of her shine by night.
I was too busy being a hater to study. Thats why she assumed I was lost.
"I tested into this class," I explained.
"Huh?" She froze, then ran to the podium to check the roster.
She came back, looking me up and down. "Wow. Thats a huge improvement."
I smiled shyly and took my seat.
Ethan sat on the other side of the room.
I pretended to look out the window, stealing a glance at him from the corner of my eye.
Chloe seemed to be telling him about me. He didn't look interested, but he did glance my way.
I held my breath, forcibly shifting my gaze to my notebook.
Close one.
Almost made eye contact.
2.
The atmosphere in the Honors Class was different.
Here, I wasn't a freak. Everyone studied during breaks; everyone formed groups to discuss calculus problems.
I stabilized my grades, ranking near the top. I followed Ethan and Chloe to the same prestigious high school.
Based on entrance exam scores, I barely scraped into the same homeroom as Ethan. He was number one. I was third from the bottom.
Chloe, however, fell into a regular class.
The author separated them to create drama. Chloe would meet the Second Male Lead, Jax, in her new class, sparking jealousy and angst.
None of that concerned me. I just studied.
For two years, Ethan and I had zero interaction, aside from being classmates.
We were the kind of people who passed each other in the hall without even nodding.
He genuinely didn't care.
I was faking it. My heart would hammer against my ribs every time I saw him, but I kept my face paralyzed.
Good job, Maya, I told myself.
Since I was buried in books, my fake friendship with Chloe faded. By the time middle school ended, shed basically forgotten me.
But in high school, she suddenly became friendly again.
She said I was studying myself into an early grave and needed to relax.
Once, she invited me to hang out with her and Ethan.
Did I want to go? No. Id rather do practice sets.
But she insisted. I figured I could just watch them and review my wrong answers in my head.
When we got to the location, my brain short-circuited.
It was the theme park.
According to the plot, this was where they would have their first kiss.
It was the start of their official relationship.
My mind was a mess. I don't remember what I ate or did.
When night fell, the park lit up with dreamlike lights. Chloe dragged Ethan to watch the fireworks. I trailed twenty paces behind, getting jostled by the crowd.
Under the exploding fireworks, they confessed.
Chloe stood on her tiptoes and shyly kissed Ethan.
It was too beautiful. I couldn't watch.
I looked down in panic, tears falling onto my vocabulary cards.
I fled.
I texted Chloe a lie about my curfew and ran.
She didn't reply. They had already forgotten me.
While they held hands, young and resolute, I, the third wheel, ran home wiping my eyes.
In my empty house, I broke down and sobbed.
Im sorry.
I really couldn't pretend anymore.
But even while gasping for air, I pulled out a workbook and forced myself to solve equations.
Unrequited love is torture, especially when you have nothing else.
My only advantage was that I had lived a life before.
I knew education was power.
And I knew not to destroy myself over a love that had no future.
3.
Ethan and Chloe were officially a couple.
They were starting their decade-long romance saga.
Sure, they would fight, break up, and make up. But the book said: Ethan never stopped loving Chloe, and Chloes heart always belonged to Ethan.
A beautiful sentence for them. A sentence of execution for me.
I wasn't the only one suffering. Jax, the bad boy Second Lead, was losing his mind.
After the leads got together, Jax would cause all sorts of trouble because he couldn't have Chloe.
Originally, I was supposed to be his henchman in causing drama. But honestly, I was more worried about my midterm grades.
When the teacher beamed and told me I ranked second in the grade, I finally felt a little better.
From bottom of the class to second place.
My effort wasn't wasted.
Seating was assigned by rank.
Ethan was immovable at number one. I was assigned the seat right next to him.
Desk mates!
In any other romance novel, this is where the magic happens.
In reality? Nothing happened.
We sat inches apart, but we didn't speak for days.
He was naturally cold. I was terrified of exposing my feelings.
The only sentence he spoke to me was:
"Mara, your water bottle is leaking."
I wiped up the water and couldn't help correcting him. "My name is Maya..."
Ha.
He didn't even know my name.
We coexisted in silence until Chloe stormed in and started an argument with Ethan right in front of me.
She asked why he didn't tell her he was sitting next to me.
Ethan frowned, genuinely confused.
"Is that important?"
Since the start of the semester, hed had several desk mates.
But Chloe seemed specifically threatened by me.
She looked at me, then at him, and ran off crying without saying another word.
Maybe it was because I was someone she knew. Imagine your boyfriend sitting next to your ex-friend and not mentioning it. It probably felt like a betrayal.
After lunch, I went to find Chloe to apologize.
"Chloe..."
I called her name, but she acted like I was invisible, laughing with her new friends.
"Omg, I watched that movie you mentioned, I almost died laughing..."
I stood there awkwardly for two seconds and decided not to push my luck.
I barely knew Chloe anymore. Bringing up the seating chart would just make it weird.
As for Ethan, he and I were truly strangers.
He would explain it to her.
Thinking about drama was exhausting. I stopped caring.
Two days later, someone blocked my path on the way home.
"You're Maya, right?"
It was Jax.
I had my headphones in, listening to an English lecture, so I didn't hear him at first.
I walked right past him.
He jumped in front of me, furious, and yanked my headphones off.
"..."
I frowned. "Can I help you?"
My face probably looked like stone.
Jax faltered for a second before finding his "tough guy" expression.
"Listen to me!"
He snarled, "I don't like Ethan, but I will not allow you to hurt Chloe or ruin their relationship."
What a weird thing to say.
I processed it for a moment. "How am I ruining their relationship?"
"Stop acting. You're shameless," Jax crossed his arms. "You're the one seducing Ethan, aren't you? Hmph. Youve got guts, but you can't compare to a single hair on Chloe's head."
Me? Seducing Ethan?
How did I miss such a major life event?
"Do you have evidence?" I asked.
"Of course!" He said self-righteously. "The evidence is that you're sitting next to him!"
"...Do you not know seats are assigned by GPA?" I thought for a second. "Oh, you mean I should fail my exams on purpose so I don't have to sit next to him?"
"Exactly."
Jax smiled, satisfied that I understood.
Usually, I ignore people like him.
But he was rude, speaking nonsense, and insulting my academic integrity. Thats my red line.
"Unfortunately," I sneered, "I'm not like you. I didn't buy my way into this school. I don't treat my education like a joke."
Jax was a rich kid, forced in by his parents. He believed money could solve everything.
He had the capital to play games with life. I didn't.
Sitting next to Ethan was nice.
But even if he wasn't there, I deserved that seat.
I deserved to sit in his seat.
Jax was enraged and threatened to make me pay.
In the book, that was his character. Impulsive, but not evil. He was lashing out because he couldn't have the girl he loved.
I didn't take him seriously.
Until the next monthly exam.
I was caught cheating.
4.
Midway through the math exam, I was dragged out.
The proctor said they received an anonymous tip that I had brought notes in.
Like a magician, he pulled a slip of translucent paper from my hoodie pocket.
It was covered in microscopic textformulas and key concepts for the test.
"Maya! I thought you were an honest, hardworking student! How could you do this?"
"This isn't just irresponsible to yourself; it brings shame to your family and this class!"
"You came in with average grades and shot up to the top. Did you use these tricks back then, too?"
I stood in the faculty office.
Teachers took turns lecturing me, heartbroken and angry.
They questioned my character. They questioned my past achievements.
I denied it, which only made them angrier.
Denial meant no remorse. Punishment doubled.
I replayed the morning.
Before the exam, I left my hoodie on my chair to go to the bathroom. Thats when someone must have slipped the note in and reported me.
It had to be Jax, or someone he hired.
It was a low tactic, but effective.
Who cheats on a high school monthly exam with a physical note in 2024?
I had no proof. I told them it was likely related to the person who reported me.
They said they had to protect the whistleblower's identity.
So, I took the fall. A school-wide citation.
[Honors Class Student Maya (ID xxxx) caught cheating during monthly exams.]
The bold text scrolled across the LED board in the main lobby.
Every student who walked in saw it.
Naturally, I was ostracized. No one wanted to be in my group for projects. No one partnered with me in PE.
During cleaning duty, I was assigned to sweep the outdoor grounds alone.
"Cheat Sheet Maya, stay away from us." They made exaggerated faces of disgust.
Luckily.
I wasn't really sixteen.
This framed me, but it couldn't break me.
I endured it.
When the results came out, my score was voided. I was moved to the corner of the classroom, the "shame seat."
A different girl took the seat next to Ethan.
She was smart and openly liked him. She brought him water after basketball. She pretended to fall asleep on his shoulder during study hall.
Chloe didn't care. She would just link arms with Ethan later, making the new girl cry.
Jax didn't bully the new girl.
He just leaned against the back door, watching me with glee.
He mouthed a single word at me:
Deserved.
...
Reading the book, I never realized Jax was this childish.
I was being isolated, and he was getting off on it.
Did it actually affect me? No. I studied. I ate.
In PE, when no one would partner with me, I snuck back to the classroom to finish a practice test.
I finished the last calculus problem and realized someone was standing next to me.
It was Ethan.
I didn't know how long hed been there.
He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at my paper.
He was holding a basketball under one arm. He must have come back to grab it.
He stood so close. For me, it was close enough.
I could smell the faint, clean scent of soap on him.
For some reason, neither of us spoke.
The classroom was silent. I could hear my own heartbeat.
A wave of indescribable sadness washed over me.
I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to move.
I wanted time to freeze.
But I was scared.
I was scared that if this silence lasted another second, the atmosphere would become ambiguous.
I broke the silence.
"What's wrong?"
"Um..." He paused. "You missed a step in the derivation."
Which step? Can you teach me?
Thats what I should have said.
There was an empty chair right next to me. If I asked, maybe he would sit down. Maybe he would explain the complex equation to me.
Instead, I calmly picked up my phone and opened an app to scan the question.
"Oh. I'll just check Chegg."
"Okay."
Ethan turned and left.
I posted the question on the app, crying internally.
My stupid mouth.
I'm hopeless.
First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "321352" to read the entire book.
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