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Lia Rivera is tired of being tongue-tied, blushing, and falling over herself every time Ethan Park walks by. So, she comes up with a brilliant (read: terrible) idea: humiliate herself enough in front of him until she's cured of her feelings. But as she dives headfirst into Operation Uncrush, things spiral - instead of pushing Ethan away, she accidentally becomes the weirdly endearing girl he can't stop thinking about. Now she's stuck between actually getting over him... or falling harder than ever.
If there were an Olympic sport for embarrassing yourself in front of your crush, I would've taken gold three years in a row.
My name is Lia Rivera. Sixteen. Junior. Certified drama queen, occasionally allergic to common sense. And as of this morning? Public enemy number one of my dignity.
Let me explain.
It started like any other weekday at Jefferson High - a melting pot of pastel lockers, underfunded vending machines, and enough teenage hormones to power a soap opera.
I was running late, again. Mostly because my afro refused to cooperate and decided to revolt like it had its own freedom movement.
"Lia!" My mom's voice echoed from downstairs as I wrestled with a scrunchie. "You're gonna miss your bus!"
"Tell the bus to wait!" I yelled back, yanking my curls into what I hoped resembled a bun and not a wild nest of secrets. Spoiler alert: it was the nest.
My mom, Rochelle Rivera - aka Queen of Sarcasm and Mom Jeans - popped her head into my room with a raised brow. "Girl, that bus waits for no one. Especially not for you and your full-on Beyoncé hair moment."
"Love you, bye!" I sprinted past her, grabbed a half-eaten granola bar, and slammed the front door behind me.
---
Ten minutes later, I made it to school just as the warning bell rang - heart racing, curls bouncing, and sneakers untied like some kind of tragic metaphor.
Jefferson High was buzzing. Posters for "Fall Spirit Week" were everywhere, reminding us that pajama day was coming, and so was a quiz in trig, which was not nearly as exciting.
I dodged a freshman with a trombone, barely missed slipping on someone's spilled iced coffee, and finally approached my locker with the grace of a penguin on roller skates.
That's when it happened.
The Locker Incident™.
One second I was spinning my lock (left-right-left-curse), and the next-BOOM. I slammed into a wall.
Except it wasn't a wall.
It was Ethan Park.
Six feet tall, lean build, perfect posture like his spine was sponsored by a yoga studio. Hair black as midnight and annoyingly perfect, even though we all knew he didn't even use product. His jawline? Sharp enough to file government secrets. And don't even get me started on his smile. It was soft. Like he knew how to laugh but didn't do it often. Like when he did, it meant something.
And right now, all of that was about two inches from my face.
"Oh my God-Ethan-I-" I scrambled back, nearly tripping over my own backpack.
He blinked. "Are you okay?"
"I-yes-I'm just-my locker betrayed me."
"...Your locker?"
"It moved. I swear. It lunged."
He stared at me, lips twitching.
Please don't laugh. Please don't-
He smiled.
Not just any smile. That smile. The one he gave teachers when he answered questions like he didn't know he was a genius. The one that made girls in Honors Bio develop asthma.
"I didn't know lockers had legs," he said, voice light, amused.
"I didn't know hallway crushes were fatal, but here we are!" I blurted out before my brain could catch up to my mouth.
Silence.
My soul ascended.
Ethan tilted his head, lips parted. And then-
He laughed.
Not a polite chuckle. A real, caught-off-guard, nose-wrinkling laugh.
I wanted to crawl into my locker and live there forever.
---
"LIA!" Maya screeched, grabbing my arm and yanking me away like the building was on fire.
"Wait, my dignity-!"
"It's gone, girl. Gone. Come on."
Maya Caldwell was my best friend and part-time life coach. Half-Trinidadian, half-sass, and built like a track star with the voice of someone who didn't believe in indoor volumes.
She dragged me around the corner and planted me against the wall. "You ran into him. Again. How many times is that?"
"Four," I muttered.
"Four! Girl. This is officially a pattern. You need help."
"I think I need therapy."
"You need exorcism. Why are you like this?"
"Because he has a face that makes my heart malfunction!"
Maya sighed dramatically. "You know what? It's time."
"For... what?"
She crossed her arms. "We're gonna get you over Ethan Park."
"Wait-what-no, you can't just decide that."
"Yes I can. It's the Uncrush Plan."
"The what now?"
"Operation: Uncrush Your Crush. New life goal: humiliate yourself in front of him so badly, your heart will give up and move on."
"...That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard."
"I know. Which is why it's perfect."
Later, in the cafeteria - aka the Thunderdome of drama and expired chicken nuggets - I nursed my water bottle and stared at Ethan across the room.
He was sitting with his usual crew - Lucas, his best friend and meme dealer; Jenny, the class president; and Olivia, who might've been his ex-girlfriend or current something. Rumors were conflicting.
"So," Maya said, plopping next to me, "what do we embarrass you with first?"
"Can we not?"
"Nope. You already fell into him once this week. What's left? Crying in front of him while reciting Shakespeare?"
I groaned. "Why can't I just like a normal person?"
"You? Normal? Girl, the last time you tried flirting, you offered a boy half your lunch and asked if he liked cats."
"Cats are a valid topic!"
"You said, 'Wanna see my cat's Instagram.'"
"...Okay, I admit that was a low point."
Maya smirked. "So. Operation Uncrush. You in?"
I sipped my water dramatically. "Fine. But if I die, put 'She Tried Her Best' on my tombstone."
---
That night at dinner, my little brother Zion flicked a green bean at my face and said, "You gonna tell Mom you ran into your boyfriend again?"
"Ethan is not my boyfriend," I snapped, wiping my cheek. "He's just a guy who accidentally saw my soul leave my body."
My mom raised an eyebrow. "Are we talking about the tall boy again?"
"He's not tall, he's just... normal tall. And no. We're talking about... algebra."
Zion snorted. "Algebra doesn't make you blush, dummy."
"Okay, first of all, yes it does," I said. "Second of all, mind your business."
My mom grinned. "I'm just saying. Maybe if you stop crashing into him, he'll stop thinking you're a walking disaster."
"...Thanks, Mom. That's very helpful."
"You're welcome, baby."
---
At 1AM, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, questioning every life choice that led me here. Was this what teenhood was supposed to be? Hormones, heartbreak, and hallway collisions?
Probably.
I rolled over and checked my phone. Maya had texted me:
Maya: Step one tomorrow. Be ready. You're gonna trip in front of him. On purpose.
Me: YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!
Maya: Trust the plan.
Me: I trust literally nothing about this plan.
Maya: Then I guess you're still gonna be in love with him at graduation.
I groaned. Ethan Park, you better be worth the bruises.
Betrayed. Humiliated. Left with nothing but a shattered reputation. When Serena Lancaster, once the darling of high society, is publicly cast aside by her ex-fiancé, she swears never to let another man have power over her. Desperate to rebuild her life, she takes a job at Weston Sinclair's empire-the one man who has every reason to despise her ex. Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable. Weston built his billion-dollar legacy on control, and falling for his reckless nephew's ex is the last thing he should do. But from the moment Serena steps into his world, she becomes his obsession-one he refuses to deny. He should keep his distance. He should let her go. But when Serena's past threatens to destroy her, Weston makes a choice. She's his now. And he'll never let her go.
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
"Where am I?" She whispered desperately " If I am reborn...I won't have mercy on those evil scums" Then a flash of bright light......
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.