Chapter 1I was scrolling Reddit for dating advice when I saw this post with 10K upvotes:
"Girls, stop chasing. Just call him 'babe' for three months. He'll get used to it."
So that's what I did.
Every day I'd message my cold-as-ice League crush:
"Morning babe."
"Night babe."
"Babe, you up?"
Then, at my brother's birthday party, he started gossiping about his roommate.
"Dude, you know? Parker's got a psycho stalking him.
"She keeps sending him creepy texts and calling him babe!"
"He's collecting evidence to report her. She's gonna end up in jail!"
My stomach dropped.
Why does that sound exactly like me?
Then I saw Parker's League username.
It was the exact same account as my online crush.
So... I'm the psycho?
...
At the dinner table, my brother James was really getting into his story.
"My roommate Parker has a stalker problem."
"You have no idea how crazy this person is. She keeps sending stuff to our dorm and calls him all the time calling him babe. It's so creepy!"
I kept my face calm, but inside I was freaking out.
Constantly buying my crush stuff. Calling my crush. Calling him babe.
Why does this sound so familiar?
I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and checked my latest message to my crush.
[Babe, I've got plans tonight. I'll be home late.]
Parker hadn't replied.
But James kept going.
"And this psycho loves giving Parker updates about her day, like she's actually his girlfriend. Isn't that insane?"
I asked carefully, "So what does Parker think about all this?"
"What do you think? Did you forget we're all law students?"
My brother grinned.
"Parker's already collecting evidence. Better lawyer up, criminal!"
My heart sank, but I held onto a thin thread of hope.
"Can you give me Parker's contact info?"
Maybe it's not him. Maybe he's not my gaming crush.
My brother raised an eyebrow.
He was about to respond when the door opened and someone walked in.
The guy wore a simple black hoodie.
His expression was cold and his face showed no emotion, but somehow you couldn't look away.
"Parker!"
James waved him over. "Perfect timing. My sister wants your number."
Parker didn't even look up. "No."
James shrugged at me. See?
"He got burned once and now he's paranoid," another roommate whispered to me. "What if he runs into another psycho? Not saying you're one or anything."
No. I might actually BE that psycho.
I was about to accept my fate when I decided I couldn't give up.
I looked at Parker with my phone in hand.
"Parker."
I said carefully, "James told me you're really good at League. Could you carry me through a ranked game? It's my promos."
My brother looked confused. "I never... OW."
I stepped hard on his foot. "Yes, you did."
Parker actually agreed this time. "Give me a second."
He opened League and logged in, but before he could start a game, a low battery warning popped up.
"Sorry." He frowned slightly. "Only five percent left. Can't play right now. Need to charge first."
"It's fine."
I was in a daze. "Let's not play."
Because I had already seen Parker's League username.
It was identical to my online crush's account.
I'm the criminal.
I was distracted all evening.
I was terrified of slipping up and revealing my criminal identity.
By the time dinner ended, it was late.
I pulled out my phone to call a ride when I saw Parker had replied half an hour ago.
[Send me your location. I'll pick you up.]
My heart stopped.
Was he planning to drive me straight to the police station?
Up ahead, James was asking, "Parker, how are you getting back?"
Parker said, "Driving. Picking someone up on the way."
"Who? Can you drop my sister off too?" James came closer. "Her school's close, just a few miles away."
"Not sure yet."
Parker frowned slightly. "Let me call and ask where she is."
He dialed.
The next second, my phone rang.
Chapter 2
As my phone rang, everyone's eyes landed on me.
I calmly swiped the screen. "That's my Duolingo reminder."
Parker stared at me for a few seconds before looking away. He didn't seem suspicious.
I let out a breath and hid in a corner to message him.
[I'm already back at the dorm. About to shower.]
Parker pressed his lips together and replied with a simple "okay."
Then he looked at me. "Want a ride?"
"No, no need."
I waved my hands frantically. "My Uber's here. Gotta go."
Once I was back in my familiar dorm room, I finally let myself freak out.
I grabbed my roommate and sobbed.
"It's all Reddit's fault! That advice RUINED me!"
That's when Parker's call came through.
My hand moved faster than my brain. I answered without thinking. "Hello..."
He paused. His voice carried concern. "Were you crying?"
I wanted to say no, but my voice was too stuffy to hide it.
"What happened?"
Parker's voice lowered. "Did something upset you?"
He's about to report me to the cops and he's STILL being nice?!
I complained internally but didn't dare show it. I made up an excuse.
"Nah, just watched some sad TikToks. I'm in my feelings."
Parker sounded relieved. "Want to play League to distract yourself?"
I had no interest. "No."
Parker went quiet.
He really wasn't good at comforting people.
He didn't talk much normally. I was usually the one doing all the talking.
But tonight I had no energy and didn't dare say much.
I was afraid of making things worse.
"I'm tired, I'm gonna—"
"Want to see a photo?"
On the other end, Parker suddenly said, "I worked chest today. Should be pretty good."
It's a trap! Definitely a trap!
I sat up straight. My tone turned serious. "Dude! Don't send me that stuff!"
Parker choked. "It's just a gym pic..."
"No need. I'm tired. Going to bed. Goodnight!"
I hung up and exhaled deeply.
He was trying to lure me into making a mistake. Not happening!
Turns out I was too naive.
The next morning, Parker called. "I ordered you breakfast. Eat before class."
When I got it, I was shocked.
This fancy brunch had to cost at least thirty bucks!
"I get it now."
My roommate analyzed the situation.
"If he spends enough on you, he can claim you're scamming him. He wants you locked up for the LONG haul."
My eye twitched. I immediately sent the money back.
[Thank you! But please don't do this again. I can buy my own food!]
Parker: [?]
[Is this really you?]
I gritted my teeth. [YES! If I want food, I can get it myself. Stop buying things for me.]
I won't fall for it!
Parker was silent for a while. [...Okay.]
The next few days, Parker didn't buy me anything. I felt relieved.
But then I remembered he'd bought me food and small gifts before.
Probably around two hundred dollars total. My anxiety returned.
Parker was playing the long game!
He'd been planning this from the start!
But if I suddenly returned the money, he'd get suspicious.
After thinking it over, I bought him a pair of two-hundred-dollar basketball shoes for his upcoming birthday.
Except before the shoes even shipped, Parker messaged me.
[Package arrived. Go pick it up.]
A bad feeling crept over me. [What did you buy?]
Parker: [You'll see when you open it.]
The package was big and heavy.
I struggled to carry it back to my dorm.
The moment I opened it, I froze.
It was a figurine I'd been obsessed with lately.
The rare collectible version. Market price—one hundred dollars!
My vision went dark. Then Parker asked: [Do you like it?]
I exhaled heavily. [No! Can you return it? Or let me pay you back.]
Parker went silent for a long time before calling me directly.
His voice was almost grinding.
"Just tell me the truth. Did you get a new boyfriend?"
Chapter 3
I froze.
What?
Parker started listing my crimes.
"You barely chat with me. Won't let me buy you food. Won't accept gifts. And..."
He paused and didn't finish that thought. Then he said, "Did you meet someone else?"
I was torn.
Saying yes would be a lie.
Saying no... how would I explain all this?
In those two seconds of silence, Parker seemed to have his answer. He exhaled.
"Can you break it off?"
I blinked. "Between us?"
Parker's voice shot up. "Between YOU TWO! You and him! That new boyfriend!"
Uh... how do I break up with someone who doesn't exist?
Parker seemed to read something else into my silence.
His voice dropped and sounded hoarse. "Isn't moving on a bit fast?"
I felt wronged.
HE was the one trying to get me arrested, and now HE was turning it around on ME.
So I took the high ground.
"What about YOU? Haven't YOU done anything wrong?!"
Parker was caught off guard by my tone.
"What did I do? Since we got together, I haven't added a single girl."
I stared blankly. "We're together?"
The three-month babe plan... worked?
Parker went silent.
I realized too late how that sounded.
I tried to fix it, but then he suddenly laughed.
"So you've been messing with me this whole time?"
"No, wait—"
He hung up.
I quickly sent messages to explain, but they came back with red exclamation marks.
I had a headache.
Based on his tone, we were clearly NOT on the same page. We needed to talk.
After thinking, I ordered flowers and cake for delivery with a note briefly explaining everything.
I made sure the delivery guy had him sign for it himself.
Half an hour later, I got a call from the driver.
"Miss, is the recipient your boyfriend? He's not great, honestly."
"He didn't even look at what you sent. Threw it straight in the trash and called it disgusting."
My heart shattered a little.
Was it really that disgusting? Couldn't he at least hear me out?!
With no other choice, I casually asked my brother.
"How's Parker doing? Is that person still bothering him?"
James shrugged. "Not sure, but I heard Parker got dumped."
My heart skipped. "Dumped...?"
"Yeah, wild right? Parker getting dumped?"
James's voice was teasing.
"Apparently the girl he liked was seeing other guys. Parker got tossed aside. Haha."
Liked... me?
I'm the psycho stalker. Would Parker actually like a psycho stalker?
Something felt off.
I was about to ask more when James shifted gears.
"But Parker probably won't stay single long. He looks like THAT. He's got options. There's this theater student who's been getting close to him lately. Short hair, big eyes. Pretty cute."
SERIOUSLY? HE'S the one moving on fast!
I felt annoyed. My tone was sharp. "Cuter than me?"
James clicked his tongue. "Lexi, be honest. Do you like Parker?"
Like him? I've already fast-forwarded to getting dumped!
"I thought you were acting weird at dinner that day."
James knew me too well. He said directly, "If you really like him, I'll hook you up. Parker's birthday is this weekend. We're going out to eat. You coming?"
I hesitated for a few seconds, then bit down. "Yes!"
Parker wasn't going to compromise for me.
The restaurant he chose was far from my school. I barely made it on time.
"Sorry, traffic was bad."
I smiled and handed over a box. "Happy birthday, Parker. This is for you."
James had warned Parker I was coming, so he wasn't surprised to see me.
But when he saw the gift, he paused, then frowned.
