1. The Countdown Begins

ELLIE "I'm so sorry, Miss Carter. But I'm afraid your cancer is back. And from the looks of it, I would say you only have about six months left." That's what all Dr Brandon said, like he was telling me the wifi was down or the vending machine was out of my favorite chips. He acted like this wasn't the end of my life as I knew it, and I just sat there in silence, blinking at him and wondering why the hell the walls weren't shaking, or an asteroid wasn't falling out of the sky to wipe us all off the face of the earth. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was going to die. I think I laughed. Not because it was funny, but because I didn't know what else to do. Dr Brandon looked at me like he'd seen this kind of reaction before, like people in shock were just part of the job. I wanted to scream until my throat felt raw and shattered beyond repair. I wanted to ask him to take it all back, since the months of chemo had apparently done fuck all to actually help me. I wanted

Last Updated : 2025-05-25

2. The Planning Phase

ELLIENow, before you say anything, hear me out. I knew how crazy it sounds to even consider something like this. I mean who in their right mind would want to lose their virginity to the biggest asshole on campus? No matter how you look at it, it was bound to be a terrible situation. But here's the thing:BECK IS SO FUCKING HOT!I knew I hate him with every piece of hair that still remained on my head, but I can't turn a blind eye to the stories I'd heard. I couldn't deny the fact that everyone knew he was amazing on bed. I'd heard it enough times that I could pretty much paint a perfect picture of what he was capable of in the bedroom. Everyone knew the 'Beck glow', which every girl seemed to have after sleeping with him. Maybe that was the reason Salma was considered the hottest girl on campus, because she was always in an on-again-off-again relationship with him. Even though they weren't exclusive, she'd made it very obvious that Beck was hers, and no one could have him for longe

Last Updated : 2025-05-30

3. A Shocking Twist

ELLIEThe thing is, getting information on Beck Ryder shouldn't be the hardest thing on earth. He's the most popular guy on campus, and he's the star quarterback of a very famous college. Everything should be right at your disposal. But by the time I settle down at my laptop the next morning and started to dig through his socials, it took only five minutes to realize that I've never met a more private person in my life. Every single social media account of his was private, which didn't make any sense of me because I assumed that he was a social butterfly who would want everyone watching him. I check his IG, his Twitter, Facebook, and every other social media platform I could think of. I even checked Pinterest, but there was nothing I could work with. What in God's name was he hiding? I sank into my seat, realizing that this was going to be more difficult than I initially thought. It shouldn't be this hard though. He's the most popular guy on campus. And yet there's no trace of him

Last Updated : 2025-05-30

4. My New Neighbor

ELLIEThis had to be a dream, right? Somebody up there was fucking with me. Because how on earth could Beck be checking out the house next door? Hopefully there was another explanation for all this, because I wouldn't know how to react if he moved in next door. I should have run back inside and pretended I never saw him. But something about him made me just stand there, frozen like a deer in headlights and watching him as he smiled at something the realtor said. Even in a plain white t-shirt and some grey sweatpants, he looked so perfect. His hair was slightly wet, and I just wanted to run my fingers through it all day long. 'Jesus, Ellie, get a fucking grip.'What were the odds that right after I decided to make it my mission for him to take my virginity, he would suddenly move in next door? Definitely astronomical, and I got a feeling that the universe was doing this to taunt me. Dangling him right in front of me was a way of reminding me what was at stake, and I had to figure out

Last Updated : 2025-06-22

5. Awkward First Interaction

ELLIESo there I was, standing at the door and trying not to make eye contact with the hottest boy I’d ever seen in my entire life. It was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do, knowing how insanely hot Beck was up close. And now he was here, and I could hardly breathe. I had no idea what to say. Literally zero. My entire brain had been replaced with a slideshow of inappropriate thoughts and emergency evacuation alarms. My heart thudded so loudly in my chest that I was certain he could hear it, just standing there all perfect and smug with his stupid crooked smile, like this was some cheesy rom-com moment and he was the hot neighbor with a secret past.The bastard was probably enjoying himself. "Hey," I said, but it came out like a squeak, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Hi."Smooth, Ellie. Real smooth. His eyes twinkled with amusement before he said, "You always look this freaked out when someone rings the doorbell?""I wasn't expecting...company,” I said awkwardly, still

Last Updated : 2025-07-08

6. Fake Cookies

ELLIEI've never tried to bake anything in my entire life.Not even those idiot-proof brownie mixes where you just add water and toss it in the oven. Every time I've stepped foot into a kitchen, it's been for cereal, toast, or to judge Aunt Carol's weird obsession with sugar-free everything. So naturally, now that I had decided to bake cookies (like some love-struck 1950s housewife), I should've known it was going to end in absolute, flaming failure.The plan was simple: bake cookies, put them in a cute container, and casually walk over to Beck Ryder's house like I just happened to have some extra lying around. When he asked about them (because he definitely would), I'd smile and say, "Oh, my aunt made them." That way, I didn't look desperate, and I got brownie points (or rather cookie points) for being neighborly.Except, apparently, baking was not one of my latent talents.The first batch came out looking like burnt pancakes. The second batch never really turned into anything solid.