Chapter 1
During lunch break, a girl I had a bit of a crush on, though she'd always been a little distant, called me outside. She said she had something to tell me.
As soon as I arrived at the designated spot, she handed me a drink.
Then she asked, "Hey, do you know Harrison Wright?"
"Huh?"
The question caught me off guard. My confusion was impossible to hide. I had even gotten my hopes up, thinking she had called me out to confess to me. I must have looked like a total idiot.
Her eyes were cold. There were no signs of romantic interest in them at all. Instead, she looked like she was interrogating me.
But why Harrison? Sure, the guy was handsome, a campus heartthrob, and a well-known figure, but he and I had zero connections. We'd never even exchanged a word.
"I know him, but... why?"
It took me a moment to get back to my senses.
She didn't answer. She shoved her phone in my face.
"Look at this. Though his face is blurred, this is you, right? Uriah, I need an explanation," she said.
On the screen was a photo, with Harrison posing closely with a guy whose face was covered by a sticker.
The guy's clothes and hairstyle looked pretty similar to mine.
But I had never taken a photo like that.
"Uh? It does look like me, but it's definitely not. I've never taken a photo like that. I've never even spoken to Harrison."
The girl's expression immediately twisted into one of disbelief, like I was insulting her intelligence.
"What? Stop pretending. You're dating Harrison, aren't you?"
Her words hit me hard, and the explanation I was about to give got stuck in my throat.
"What?"
What the hell was going on?
Forget about dating, I had never even spoken to him, let alone been confessed to. This was pure gossip.
It was so outrageous that I almost wanted to laugh. I thought she was joking, but when I saw her completely serious face, I realized she wasn't.
The smile slowly faded.
Under the intense, almost accusatory gaze she gave me, I suddenly had the weird feeling that I should at least explain myself.
"No, seriously, we're not dating. I told you, I don't know him well enough. We've never even talked!"
"He admitted it himself... And even if that's a lie, what would Harrison gain from making up rumors like this? Spreading gossip with someone like you? What's in it for him, huh?"
"Whoa, what?!" I blurted out.
*****
Man, that was harsh. So in her eyes, I was just some background character...
Having a girl I liked diss me to my face like this... Yeah, I was not bouncing back from that anytime soon.
"Just dump him already. I seriously don't get it," she said.
"Well..."
Break up? With who? I kept saying we were not even a thing.
No matter how I tried to explain, she was just not going to believe me.
I bet all the Harrison Wright stans think the same way. No wonder I've been getting weird looks everywhere lately, so this is what everyone was gossiping about.
"Fine, I'll go talk to him and clear things up. But seriously, I didn't..." I said.
"Then I'm counting on you," she said.
My explanations were totally useless. She just shut me down and walked off, leaving me standing there, feeling like a mess.
"Oh, right, I don't even have Harrison Wright's contact info... What am I supposed to do now?" I called after her.
I chased after her to ask for his contact info, but all she gave me was his Instagram handle. She said she didn't have his WhatsApp either. Guess Harrison really is cold and distant. He doesn't let just anyone into his circle.
When I checked out his Instagram, it was packed with those high-end, Instagram-style photos. No wonder he was so popular. His follower count was off the charts.
As I scrolled through his feed, I actually started to feel a bit sick... Just imagining all those people watching me from behind their screens made me frown.
Sure enough, as I kept scrolling, I found that bizarre photo she showed me earlier.
"Holy crap," I said.
It wasn't just one. There were a whole bunch of them.
Was this edited? It looked way too natural! The figure, the aura. It was basically me.
Wait, is that really me?
Was there some kind of supernatural force at work here?
Since I had zero memory of those photos, I actually started wondering if there was some kind of paranormal force messing with me.
Guess I would just hit follow and see what happens.
After following him, I put my phone away. Now I just had to wait and see if he'd follow back or DM me. Maybe I was just being paranoid.
"So, you just followed me, huh?"