Destiny? No, Just My Straight A’s Chapter 1

I was obsessed with this sweet high school romance novel. The male lead was everything—my type, down to the last detail.

So, there I was, curled up in bed, squealing "husband" at my phone screen, and then…poof. I was in the book.

Not as the main character, of course. I was the side character he wouldn't spare a single glance for.

Heartbreak. Despair. Resignation. Fine.

If I couldn't win the heart of the male lead, I would win the heart of academia.

And so, my new life began. I studied with a feverish intensity, my nose buried in a book while I ate, while I walked. Even on the toilet.

By some strange twist of fate, I tested into the same advanced class as him.

Just when I thought I could fly under the radar, the female lead cornered me. She accused me of trying to steal her man.

What?

* * *

The day I transmigrated into this world, I fell for Liam Kendrick.

It wasn't love at first sight; it was a long-nurtured crush. Back when I was just a reader, I’d clutch my blankets and whisper his name like a prayer.

The cool, brilliant, untouchable academic star—he was my ultimate weakness. Seeing him in the flesh? It was almost too much to handle.

But reality was a cold shower. Here, in this world, he wasn't my fictional crush anymore. He was a complete stranger, and I was just a ghost in the halls. All I could do was watch from the sidelines as his epic love story with the female lead, Mia, unfolded.

A hollow ache settled in my chest, a constant, dull pressure.

Back then, he and Mia weren't together yet. A legion of girls had crushes on Liam, and a brave few even confessed. Every single one was met with his signature icy rejection. I knew my own quiet admiration was destined for the same fate, so I buried it deep.

I was a nobody. A girl with a fractured family, not pretty enough, not confident enough. I didn't even get the standard transmigrator's starter pack—no magical system, no cheat codes to grant my every wish.

All I had was a burning frustration, which I channeled into my studies. It was partly because it was what a girl my age was supposed to do, and partly because of a tiny, selfish hope.

I wanted to get closer to Liam. Just a little.

I wasn't asking for a miracle. Just being able to see him every day would be enough.

From that day on, I was the first one to arrive at school and the last to leave, a book always in my hand, even during lunch. After one placement exam, my rank shot up by over two hundred spots, landing me in the honors class—Liam and Mia’s class.

On my first day in the new classroom, Mia rushed over.

"Ava? Who are you looking for?"

In the original story, my character was a certified slacker. She and Mia were frenemies; she’d gossip about people with Mia by day and then lie in bed at night, seething with jealousy over Mia's effortless radiance. Studying was the last thing on her mind. So, Mia naturally assumed I was lost.

"I tested into this class," I explained quietly.

"What?" Her eyes widened. She spun around and ran to the front of the class to check the roster on the teacher's desk. When she came back, she gave me a slow, deliberate once-over. "Wow. Big improvement."

I managed a shy smile and slipped into my new seat, my head bowed.

Liam sat on the other side of the room.

Pretending to gaze out the window, I snuck a peek at him from the corner of my eye. Mia was already chattering at him, probably telling him about my surprising arrival. He looked utterly uninterested, but he did flick a brief, indifferent glance in my direction.

I held my breath, my gaze snapping back to the notebook on my desk so fast it was almost comical.

That was close. Too close. We almost made eye contact.