Chapter 1

I was Jessica King, an average college student.

So average, my only goals were acing group projects and snagging that scholarship.

But in my group, there was this special person, Chloe White.

Her life philosophy was playing the fragile card, and the world should clear the path for her dreams.

Right before the project deadline, she suddenly faked falling ill.

When scholarship evaluations rolled around, she claimed that I lacked team spirit.

Even in the cafeteria line, she hit, saying, "Jessica, how can you bear to see me go hungry?"

Too bad for her, she picked the wrong target.

I was a logic-bound creature who followed rules, not tears.

I was a pro at taking someone's weak-ass guilt trip and shoving it right back down their throat with interest.

This story isn't about romance or some "will-they-won't-they" drama.

It's all about battle-tested tactics for shutting down guilt-trippers.

It's the ultimate playbook for taking down fake sweethearts, self-righteous saints, and those pretend-innocent types.

It's petty, it's satisfying, and you're going to learn exactly how it's done.

*****

"Jessica, does the logic here seem off to you?" Eric asked, turning his laptop toward me with a sincere look.

I glanced at the screen. It looked like a rainbow exploded on the template, with all sorts of wild fonts; this was supposed to be about solutions to urban flooding.

"The logic's fine," I said, "but the design is a mess. Honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd think this was something a five-year-old put together for show-and-tell."

Eric's expression froze for a second.

Chloe, sitting right next to me, instantly said with her softest voice, "Jessica, you never sugarcoat anything. Eric just wanted it to look pretty, that's all."

As she said that, she even gave Eric a comforting little pat on the arm, like she was the peacemaker here.

I ignored her and pointed at the screen, saying, "Get rid of all these fancy decorations. Just use a white background and black text. Keep the charts simple, bar graphs only, and mark the important numbers in red. We're engineers, not artists."

"But won't that be a bit too plain?" Sophia, another group member, asked quietly.

"Plain, but clear," I said, glancing away from the laptop to look at all three of them. "The professor cares about the data and the solutions, not a talent show. Who did this section?"

Eric and Sophia both shot a look at Chloe.

Chloe's eyes welled up, her voice wobbly and on the verge of tears. She said, "I'm sorry. I did it. I just thought that if it looked nicer, the professor would like it more. Am I holding the group back?"

As soon as she started, that same old vibe hit me, as I wanted to bang my head against the wall.

Eric tried to smooth things over. He said, "No, no, Chloe, don't overthink it. You were just trying to help the group. Jessica, can't you be a little more tactful?"

I leaned back in my chair, watching Chloe. She kept her head down, shoulders shaking, looked so pitiful that one would almost feel sorry for her, if one didn't know better.

She was so good at playing innocent.

Too bad I was allergic to fake innocence.

"Enough with the waterworks. It's three o'clock, and we've got seventy-two hours until the deadline," I said, tapping the table. "Chloe, send me the PPT; I'll handle the edits. Your job is to double-check your data and get it to me before midnight."

I wasn't about to waste a single second on this pointless emotional circus. Efficiency was all I cared about.

Chloe looked up at me, her eyes big and watery. She said, "Jessica, you're so nice. I just knew you were the best."

I didn't say a word.

I knew whatever she said next was never good news.

Sure enough, Chloe sniffled and said, "But, I've been feeling kind of dizzy these past couple of days, and I just can't seem to get any energy. All that data-checking makes my eyes hurt; I don't know if I can handle it."

Here we went again. I could recite this intro in my sleep.

Eric, ever the knight in shining armor, jumped in right away. He said, "Chloe, are you not feeling well? Did you catch a cold or something? Do you want to go see a doctor?"

Sophia quickly said, "Yeah, sorry, we didn't know. We shouldn't have asked you to handle the PPT."

Chloe gave a weak little shake of her head and replied, "It's okay, I can manage. I won't let the group down."

She made it sound like she was about to storm a bunker or something.

Watching this whole soap opera play out, my head was killing me.

I stood up, grabbed my backpack, and said, "If you're not feeling well, go to the hospital. Eric, you go with her. Sophia, finish organizing the rest of the materials. Chloe, get your data together and send it to me, along with a doctor's note."

All three of them just stared at me, totally stunned.

Chloe's tears were still clinging to her lashes, frozen in place. She asked, "A doctor's note?"

"Yes," I said, meeting her gaze clearly. "If you're truly ill, we can notify the professor. For serious cases, extensions are possible; that's policy, and the administration is understanding. But you need a doctor's note. Otherwise, it just looks like an excuse."

I left zero room for loopholes.

Chloe's face went from pale to ashen in an instant, as she had just been caught red-handed.

Her lips trembled, but for a long moment, she couldn't get a single word out.

Eric tried to play peacemaker. He said, "Jessica, do you really have to be so hardcore about this? Chloe's just feeling a little off; she just needs a break, that's all."

"I'm just looking out for her," I replied flatly. "What if it's serious and she worsens? Data-checking is her duty. If she can't do it, we need backup. Someone else won't just appear. We need a solid reason for the professor, right?"

I stared right at Chloe, really emphasizing the words valid reason.

The room went dead silent for a few seconds.

Chloe forced a smile that was even uglier than tears. She said, "Jessica, you're right. I guess I'm just tired. I'll go lie down for a bit and send you the data tonight, I promise."

"Alright," I nodded and replied. "Don't forget. By midnight."

With that, I turned and walked out of the classroom.

I didn't look back, but I could already picture the mixed looks those three were giving me.

I couldn't care less.

Wasting time with people who would rather act out their feelings than actually get things done was just plain stupid.

And me, Jessica; I couldn't stand doing anything stupid.