Chapter 2

-Get noticed by Owen-Kyle, by any means necessary.

-Get him to sleep with me.

-Use that to control him, and finally humble him.

We’re all sitting in my room, and my friends are staring at me like I’ve completely lost it. I just shared my plan with them.

“Chloe, are you okay? Is everything okay?” Milla is the first to break the silence, and she looks concerned.

I don’t answer right away. Now that I’ve said the plan out loud, even to myself, it sounds unhinged.

“Please tell me this is a joke, because I’m actually losing my mind right now,” Pri says, eyes wide.

“You want to sleep with a guy just to make a point?” Star adds, leaning forward like she’s trying to read my expression.

They all look confused as fuck.

“Not to make a point,” I correct, annoyed they’re not getting it. “To humble him. On a normal day, he wouldn’t even look at someone like me unless it’s to bully me. But if I get him to sleep with me, I can use it against him. He’d never want anyone to know.”

The room goes quiet again, all their eyes on me, and for the first time since this idea formed in my head, I feel the weight of how wild it truly is.

“I’m going to bring him down,” I mutter.

“Owen-Kyle Knox,” Star says his name slowly, like she needs to hear it out loud to believe it.

“Yes. Him,” I confirm.

Milla shifts on the bed like her legs just gave out. “Oh no. Ohhh no. You’ve cracked.”

“I haven’t cracked,” I correct. “I’ve snapped. There’s a difference.”

Star leans in, eyebrows raised. “How exactly are you going to get Owen-Kyle to notice you enough to sleep with you?”

It stings more than I want to admit. I’m human, not some trash he wouldn’t dare touch.

I take a breath, trying to put my words together, but she must read my silence the wrong way, because she lifts her hands like she’s surrendering.

“Not that I’m saying anything bad,” she adds quickly, “but, as you said, we are not in the league of girls he usually… mingles with.”

“I know,” I say, “and that’s why I’m at an advantage.”

“I’m sorry,” Pri cuts in, “but I’m sitting here trying to figure out if you’ve actually lost your mind.”

“It’s not losing my mind,” I argue. “It’s strategy.”

Milla shoots up in pitch so fast I swear my ears ring. “STRATEGY?!”

“Keep it down,” I warn.

“Why are we keeping it down?!” Star whisper-yells. “The only reason to keep it down is because this is insane!”

“You all know how he operates,” I say. “He’s not going to stop being a jerk because a teacher tells him to. He’s not going to suddenly grow a conscience. But he will stop if someone has something over him.”

“And you think you’re the best man for that job?”

“Yes.”

Star covers her face. “You’re literally talking about blackmail.”

“No,” I say firmly. “Leverage.”

Milla throws her hands up. “Same thing!”

“But it’s him,” I say, voice dropping. “Girls, he deserves it.”

Star drops her hands and just stares at me, exhausted. “So again, how do you plan on getting this guy to notice you enough to sleep with you? What’s the plan?”

I lean forward, lowering my voice like I’m about to reveal state secrets. “Okay, so you know how boys with massive egos absolutely lose their minds when someone stands up to them? Like, when you challenge their little ‘I’m in charge’ fantasy?”

Star, Pri, and Milla all look at me, matching confused expressions. “Yes?” they say at the same time.

“Good,” I say, sitting back with a tiny, satisfied grin. “Because that’s exactly what I’m about to do. I’m going to stand up to him. Make him feel small. Bruise his ego just enough to catch his attention. He’ll either want revenge or he’ll get curious about the girl who dared to challenge him. Either way, he’ll notice me. And once he notices me…” I shrug. “He’ll probably try to figure me out so that he can deal with me. That’s when my plan will proceed. He won’t have any other choice.”

Star’s eyes widen immediately. “What if he takes the highway and does something crazy? Love, this boy can do literally anything to protect his ego, and I don’t mean like… yelling. I mean worse.”

Pri nods so hard her braids bounce. “He could straight-up twist the whole story. He could tell everyone you forced yourself on him.”

“And babe,” Milla cuts in, pressing her palm to her forehead, “this could go south so fast you’ll be packing your bags by the weekend. Like, changing towns level south.”

“He won’t do any of that,” I say, and honestly, I surprise myself with how steady I sound. “He might act all high and mighty every single day like he’s the second coming of Zeus, but he’s not bold enough or strong enough to pull something like that.” I cross my arms, leaning back as if this is something I’ve deeply researched, like I’ve written a thesis titled The Psychological Limitations of Owen Kyle.

“With the right motivation, he could,” Star mutters, not even blinking, like she’s seen that alternate universe already.

“Nope. He won’t.” I shake my head slowly, decisively, staring straight ahead like I’ve already lived through this plan and everything worked perfectly. “Imagine what he’d do to keep the fact that he slept with me quiet,” I say, lowering my voice even though no one around is listening. “He’d behave. He’d listen. He’d stop tormenting everyone on my command.”

Milla presses her palm to her forehead and sighs so dramatically she might as well flop onto the floor. “Okay, but… why are you THIS invested? You’ve hated Owen since…”

“Because I’ve had enough,” I snap before she can finish. My voice comes out sharper than I meant, but it’s too late to pull it back. “I’ve literally been saying this ever since.” I don’t even clarify ever since what, because the girls know. Everyone knows. Owen’s ego has been a plague since freshman year.

The room goes quiet. The girls stare at me, and suddenly I feel like they’re seeing through every wall I’ve built up around this. They’re looking past my bravado, past the fake confidence, past the sarcasm. It’s uncomfortable. I shift, pretending I’m just adjusting my seat, but my pulse is doing a whole marathon in my chest.

Then Pri asks, so gently it almost breaks me: “Is there more to this? You seem way too angry for someone he’s never done anything to.”

My throat tightens. I swallow. I wish he would. I wish he’d done something, anything, that could justify the storm inside me. Owen Kyle is the one thing I can control. Or at least… that’s what I’ve convinced myself of.

Milla groans quietly. “That’s not a plan, Chloe. That’s a death wish. And as your friend, I am officially, loudly, dramatically against it.”

“I just need you all to trust me,” I say softly. “And have my back. That’s all. I’ll do everything else on my own.”

“No,” Star says instantly, not even giving me a second to breathe after my sentence. “If you're jumping off a cliff, we’re jumping too.”

“Ride or die,” Milla and Pri echo, though theirs comes out weak, like they’re questioning all their life choices that led them to being friends with me.

My chest loosens. “Thank you,” I whisper, and for a moment I feel like I can actually breathe again.

“What if he doesn’t want you?” Pri asks. “Or notice you?”

I smile. It’s small, sharp, and determined. “I’ll make him.”

There’s a beat of silence as that sinks in. Then all three girls grab cushions, press them to their faces, and scream. I scream too. It’s chaotic, high-pitched, ridiculous, and very, very real.

I’m going to sleep with Owen Kyle.

I’m going to humble the golden boy of Briarwood High.

I don’t admit it out loud, not even to myself, but the truth sparks inside my chest, small but impossible to ignore:

It’s not just revenge.

It’s desire.

Dangerous, humiliating desire.

And it’s already too late to back out.