Stuck At Seventeen With An Idiot

The golden boy failed his college placement exams again, and I got dragged right back into the loop.

As a mere background extra in this universe, this was my third time sitting through senior year. And yet, he still couldn't score high enough to get into the same elite university as the female lead.

The moment I blinked open my eyes back in the homeroom, I marched straight over to his desk and smacked him across the face.

"Its C! The answer to number fourteen is C! How do you miss a correct option that's staring you right in the face?"

01

The entire classroom went dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

I shoved the practice sheet in front of his face, practically vibrating with rage.

"Weve done this exact same paper. Even Pavlov's dog would have learned to salivate by the fourth run. Why are you still bubbling in B? You look like a B. Youre a walking, talking, capital B!"

The brave kids kept staring; the smart ones looked away. After all, everyone at our high school knew my reputation: Naomi Westquick-tempered, sharp-tongued, and more than willing to take a guy down if he pushed me.

But no one expected the resident bad boy, Wyatt, to react the way he did.

Normally, hed scowl and kick a desk. Instead, his eyes welled up.

"Wait... you too?"

He reached out, grabbing my hand like a lifeline.

"It's too hard. High school is too hard. I can't do this anymore!"

02

From the first moment I saw Wyatt, I knew he was special. Mostly because I have zero tolerance for stupidity, and he was a very special breed of stupid.

He still got the same math formulas wrong after the teacher explained them three times. He couldn't memorize a simple stanza of poetry to save his life. He even managed to leave his English listening comprehension sheet completely blank.

He was lazy.

He was useless.

And yet, half the girls in school had an absolute crisis over him. The school's anonymous confession page was basically a daily shrine to his name, and theyd even voted him Homecoming King.

Im a sapiosexual. I have zero interest in anyone with an IQ lower than mine, so for three years, I never spoke a single word to him.

When graduation finally came the first time, I got a perfect score on my exams. I was the state's top scholar. But before my acceptance letter to Yale could even get warm in my hands, I blinked and woke up back in this classroom.

It took me a while to figure out what was happening.

Eventually, I realized I was trapped in a young adult romance novel. The male lead was Wyattthe wealthy, failing rebel. The female lead was Becca Collinsthe pristine, straight-A transfer student.

According to the original plot, Wyatt was supposed to fall in love with her at first sight after she transferred, pursue her relentlessly, and after enough dramatic angst, they would end up together.

But because high school romances face strict censorship regulations nowadays, the author had hastily changed the setting to a college campus right before publishing. That meant they couldn't meet until university.

The adjustment made sense on paper. The only problem? Wyatt was an academic disaster. He couldn't get into college, which meant he could never meet her.

03

Behind the school, in the courtyard garden.

Wyatt sat on a stone bench, crying so hard he was practically hyperventilating.

"We just finished. And now we're back. Four times. Four goddamn times." He looked on the verge of a total breakdown. "I'm a trust-fund kid! I was supposed to barely graduate, take over my dads packaging plant, and sit in my custom gaming chair all day. My dad even put the chair in my new office, and I haven't even gotten to sit in the damn thing yet!"

I stared at him, exhausted. "Did you even try to find a solution?"

Like hiring a tutor, perhaps.

Mentioning this only made Wyatt angrier. "Of course I tried! I memorized last year's exam answers, but the state changed the entire test curriculum the next year! I tried to get my dad to send me to a boarding school in Switzerland, but the moment I stepped onto the plane, I woke up right back in homeroom. Nobody stays seventeen forever, Naomi. I've been seventeen for three years. Is that fair?!"

I suspected the universe was forcing the plot because he was the protagonist. Before I could ask anything else, a flashlight beam cut through the darkness.

"Who's out there?"

It was the campus security guard. The administration had been cracking down on public displays of affection lately, threatening to suspend anyone caught.

Before I could even process the light, Wyatt bolted like a rabbit.

"I'm the dumb one, I'm out!"

He kicked up gravel, leaving nothing but a blur in the night.

Seriously. How did this guy get cast as a male lead?

That evening, right after my study session, I received a friend request on social media.

Avatar: A golden retriever.

Username: An Old Dog.

Message: It's Wyatt accept me now.

He was loud even in text. The moment I accepted, his messages started flooding in.

Hey, genius. What are you doing?

Honestly, if I weren't desperate to escape this endless loop of senior year, I wouldn't have bothered.

Reading.

An Old Dog: (Surprised cat meme)

An Old Dog: You've been the state's top student three times and you're still reading?

I didn't want to reply to something so obvious.

He kept typing: Did the guard catch you tonight?

No.

Good thing I run fast. Otherwise, we'd have been caught together and everyone would think we're dating.

He seemed incredibly proud of himself. I didn't bother reminding him that even if the dean caught us together, they would assume Wyatt was extorting my lunch money. No one would ever suspect us of dating. I was the school's star pupil, heavily protected by the faculty.

Apparently tired of typing, he initiated a video call.

I hesitated for a second before tapping the green button. Instantly, his ridiculously handsome face filled my screen. I spared him a flat look before returning my eyes to my AP calculus sheet.

"What do you want, Wyatt?"

"I've been analyzing the situation, and I have a major breakthrough." I raised an eyebrow, letting him continue. "Is there a chance this loop is actually your fault?"

He sounded entirely convinced of his own theory. "In these kinds of books, the female lead is always the brilliant valedictorian. But you keep taking that spot. Maybe her character arc is broken because you keep winning. What if you bomb the next exam on purpose?"

"Absolutely not."

I would rather rot in this loop than let anyone else take my spot.

"Why don't you try failing your way into community college with her?" I countered dryly. "You can date there. Why does it have to be an Ivy League?"

"That actually makes sense!" He started contemplating the idea seriously.

I rolled my eyes and hung up on him.

I had to admit, when I first realized I was just a nameless extra in someone else's story, I went through a bit of a dark phase. I couldn't accept that someone like methe hardest worker, the smartest girlwas just background noise.

Eventually, I made peace with it by looking at Wyatt. He wasn't worthy of me anyway. But my number-one spot? No one was taking that from me.

04

I had my suspicions about who the real female lead was.

Wyatt was too busy failing to notice the class rankings, but I monitored them obsessively. I always tracked the margin between myself and second place.

During the first loop, I beat the runner-up by thirty points.

The second loop, the gap closed to twenty.

The third loop was terrifying; the margin shrank to a mere thirteen points.

That was when I memorized her name: Becca Collins, from Oakridge High.

Could she really be the one?

05

On Monday, the results of our first mock exam were posted.

Unsurprisingly, I was first.

Our homeroom teachers voice practically trembled with excitement as she stood at the podium.

"This was a statewide assessment, and our Naomi West didn't just place first in our schoolshe placed first in the entire state, ten points ahead of second place!"

The classroom erupted into scattered applause, but I couldn't bring myself to smile.

Ten points. The gap was shrinking again. The female lead was a fast learner; I had to give her credit.

After the results came our seat reassignment. Students got to choose their desks and partners based on their rank.

As I prepared to take my usual spot in the center of the front row, my phone buzzed. It was Wyatt, standing at the very back of the line.

When it's your turn, choose me as your partner.

Why would I do that?

Seeing my lack of response, he typed furiously.

We are the only two self-aware characters in this paper world. Are you really going to ignore your only ally?

Shouldn't we work together to figure out how to break the curse and get out of here?

I had briefly considered tutoring him to get him into college just to end the loop, but the thought evaporated quickly. I hated wasting time on losing battles. Helping Wyatt would only slow down my own studies. And if I lost my top ranking because I was busy hand-holding him, it would be a disaster.

His next message popped up immediately.

I have a premium university library card. You can borrow whatever you want, and use their online databases.

My dad's empty office at the plant? You can use it as your private study lounge. All year. No distractions.

That actually got my attention.

My mother had remarried after her divorce and had a three-year-old son. He was at the age where he was constantly screaming and throwing toys. I could only study in peace after he went to sleep, and weekends were a nightmare.

My stepfather was a long-haul truck driver, and our finances were tight. Beyond basic school supplies, I rarely asked my parents for extra test prep materials.

I typed back: Deal.

The second I sent it, I heard a loud whistle from the back of the room.

The teacher snapped instantly. "Wyatt! Do you find placing dead last amusing? Come up here to the front so everyone can see you."

Wyatt, completely shameless, strolled to the front of the room and stood right next to me.

His friends started snickering from the back. "First and last make a perfect pair, Mrs. Gilbert. Why don't you just let them sit together?"

Mrs. Gilberts face flushed with anger, but before she could yell, Wyatt grinned. "Honestly, I'm down."

I gave it a brief thought and nodded. "I don't mind."

The entire room stared at us in shock.

06

Within days, two major rumors took over the senior class.

First, the school rebel had been slapped by the star student.

Second, they were now desk partners.

The school's online forum went wild.

Who even is Naomi West? Why is she getting close to Wyatt? I didn't even know she existed before this.

That slap was definitely a cry for attention. She knew she was plain, so she used a cheap trick to get him to sit with her.

I looked up Naomi's record. She's actually insane. She was the top student in the district in middle school, and she's literally never lost her first-place rank.

Its weird. I never really noticed her before, but honestly, Wyatt might be the one punching above his weight here.

I stared at the phone screen Wyatt kept shoving in front of my face, completely unfazed. Of course they hadn't noticed me before; this world wasn't written for me. The main characters drew everyones attention simply by existing. The only reason people were looking at me now was because I was standing next to Wyatt.

Wyatt grinned, scrolling through the thread. "I leaked your academic record to the board. Who do these people think they are, saying a state scholar isn't good enough for me? Idiots."

As he spoke, a new comment appeared on the thread.

I refreshed the page. It was a brand-new account.

Just an NPC trying to act like a main character. Do you honestly think cheap effort can beat natural talent? A side character will never compare to the real female lead.

07

"Who is this? Theyre trash-talking on my turf," Wyatt muttered, cracking his knuckles. "I'm a moderator on this forum. I'm banning them right now."

He paused, staring at the screen. "Wait. They said 'NPC' and 'female lead'... Could it be...?"

I had already told him my theory about Becca Collins.

We looked at each other, the same realization dawning on us.