My Devotion Became Everyone's Party Joke

I post a short story about a girl with a hopeless crush. She keeps risking her life for him and humiliating herself, and the story blows up online. Some people call me out for abusing the heroine, and one says I must be the heroine herself. When I see this comment, I reply, "Yeah, I'm her." I put my phone down. I get a little tipsy at the party and fall asleep against the couch. When I wake up, I see Yvonne Scott holding my phone, laughing as she reads my story aloud. "Black stud earrings, always dressed in black. I knew it was Xavier as soon as I read that. I can't believe you're the author." She waves the phone around. "See? I knew she had a crush on you for five years, but she never admitted it. Xavier, aren't you going to respond to her?" Xavier Burnham taps her forehead and says fondly. "You know she and I aren't right for each other. Stop trying to play matchmaker." Everyone starts laughing. Yvonne gives him a playful smack. Then she looks at me. "Don't be sad. Most crushes don't work out anyway." I stumble over to Xavier and flick his earlobe. "Xavier, even with that on, I've always known you and him are worlds apart." Chapter 1 Xavier Burnham's expression darkened. He grabbed my wrist and demanded, "Who is he?" I narrowed my eyes at him and slowly leaned toward his ear, unaware of how intimate we looked. "Who is he? He's—" Yvonne Scott pulled me away before I could finish speaking. She glanced at Xavier's hand gripping my wrist. "Riley, Xavier just doesn't like you. You don't have to make up an excuse to insult him. That's a low blow." Everyone else snapped out of it and started mocking me too. "That story just cemented her place as the biggest simp in all of Jenton. No wonder she's so pissed." "Listen to this. This is epic. She stood outside Xavier's place all night in freezing temperatures just to see him. How come she didn't freeze to death there?" "Also, she knows Xavier likes skinny girls, so she got liposuction and even ended up in the hospital after taking too many diet pills." "He likes to drink, so she drank so much trying to build up her tolerance that she ended up with internal bleeding. Damn, she must really be in love." They took turns reading out every humiliating detail of my past, exposing how I'd thrown away my dignity. Yvonne looked at Xavier. "Xavier, she went so far for you. Are you really not moved at all? He let go of me, his voice hard. "She's just fooling herself. I'm not that easy to guilt trip." Then Xavier shot me a warning look. "Riley, I only see you as a younger sister. If you still want to stick around me, stop doing all this. If not, you're just making things hard for me." I stared at him, murmuring. "Am I really such a nuisance?" Was that why Zayn Manning left without saying a single word? Had I been such a bother to him? Tears rolled down my cheeks. Xavier looked at my tear-streaked face and sighed helplessly. "I'm only going to say this once. You know what I mean. Come on, I'll take you home." He was about to get up when Yvonne moved to stop him. "Xavier, don't leave me here alone. Riley can still walk. She's really not that drunk. Just let her go home by herself." Xavier looked at me, then turned to Yvonne. "Riley, I'll call you a cab. Go home on your own." I nodded and wiped my tears away. But I'd barely taken a step when I bumped into the coffee table. The pain brought tears to my eyes again. Xavier frowned and reached out to me. "Forget it. I…" "Riley, Xavier already said you can't guilt him into anything. Acting like you're hurt now won't work on him," Yvonne said. Xavier pulled his hand back, frowning. "She didn't listen to a single word I said." I could barely hear the mockery behind me anymore. I shook my head and stumbled toward the door, bumping into things along the way. I had just reached the door when someone grabbed my arm. But before I could see who it was, I caught sight of a figure down the hall. I immediately yanked my arm free and took off after him. Yvonne scoffed, "Xavier, see? I told you she wasn't really drunk. Don't fall for it." Xavier's hand froze mid-air as he stared at my back, irritated. "Then why is she running?" "Maybe she's playing hard to get." Xavier sneered before walking back inside. "She looks innocent enough, but she's quite manipulative." Chapter 2 That man was walking fast. He wore a black jacket and had a slim build. Even the way he turned his face slightly to look at his phone resembled Zayn. I caught up to him at the elevator and grabbed the hem of his jacket, but when he turned around, it was a stranger's face. "I think you've got the wrong person." I let go awkwardly and mumbled an apology. The elevator door closed, and I saw my own miserable face staring back at me. Zayn was the son of the driver who used to work for my family. When I was fifteen, he came to my house with his father, Mitch Manning, to borrow money for tuition after coming in first in the city academically. I hid behind the stairs and stared at him. Zayn wore black and had a small black stud in his ear. His handsome face was cold and distant, but for some reason, I felt drawn to him. He often came over to tutor me, and I'd deliberately get the last question wrong just to keep him around longer. But my mom, Anne Barnes, saw through me immediately. "Zayn's family is different from ours. Don't keep bothering him and putting him in a tough spot." After that, I didn't even dare to show him any fondness. When I turned eighteen, Zayn and his family suddenly disappeared. My dad, Shaun Lawson, said Mitch had resigned, then sternly refused to let me ask any more questions. Zayn's number was no longer in service, and I couldn't contact him again. I kept wondering if it was because I hadn't hidden my feelings for him well enough and had caused him trouble. Two years later, I met Xavier during a dinner. He walked in wearing black and a black stud, his face closely resembling Zayn. I stared so long that he laughed and asked, "Hey, what are you staring at?" After that, I started following him around. He complained that I was too much of a goody-two-shoes and didn't want me around, so I started taking part in all the extreme activities he loved, like car racing, bungee jumping, skiing, and parachuting. At first, I threw up five or six times riding in Xavier's car, and his friends made fun of me. But Xavier just wiped the vomit from the corner of my mouth and sighed. "You're such a pain. Just wait for me at the finish line next time." I kept telling myself to do better, to make myself more likable. That way, at least I could stay by his side and look at a face so similar to Zayn's. My phone rang, bringing me back to reality. It was Xavier. "The cab has arrived. Where are you?" I braced myself against the wall and said quietly, "Coming." He seemed to want to say more when Yvonne interrupted. "Xavier, it's your turn to drink. No backing out!" The call ended, and I went downstairs. The driver frowned when he saw me. "Miss, your leg is bleeding." I looked down and realized I'd hurt myself when I bumped into the coffee table. Blood was running down my calf. I'd been running so desperately after that man that I hadn't even noticed the pain. I pressed a tissue against the wound as my phone buzzed again. Yvonne had posted a photo in the group chat. She was sitting beside Xavier, the two of them holding up their glasses. Xavier's other hand rested protectively on the back of her chair. My knee hurt, and so did my stomach. The tissue was soaked, but I couldn't find another one. In the past, whenever something like this happened, I'd always tell Xavier. Even when he didn't reply, I'd keep my phone in my hand until I fell asleep. This time, I simply locked my screen. When I got home, Mom was still awake. She quickly fetched me the first-aid kit. "How did you hurt yourself again?" I just watched her clean the blood off my leg without saying anything. She spoke suddenly. "Oh, right. Zayn's back from overseas. He came by earlier to see your dad and even asked where you were. My head shot up, and Mom gave me a knowing smile and patted my shoulder. "Zayn's made quite a name for himself. He's the founder of Apex Capital in Pearlon. Back then, your dad…" Mom paused and handed me a note. "He left you his number." I took it from her in a daze, too distracted to ask what Mom had been about to say. With trembling hands, I took out my phone and keyed in the number. I sent him a message, and his reply came almost immediately. "Riley, I'm back." Chapter 3 I stared at Zayn's message, tears streaming down my face. Mom accidentally brushed against my wound and quickly softened her touch. "Does it hurt? I'll be gentler." I shook my head, but the tears wouldn't stop. Zayn texted, "Are you free tomorrow?" I replied, "Yes." Just then, Xavier's message popped up. "Meet me at the usual spot at 2:00 pm tomorrow. Don't be late." We'd planned to go rock climbing the day before yesterday. I was always the quickest to agree and the first to arrive. I'd buy Xavier his coffee, get his helmet ready, and wait around holding his jacket, sometimes for the whole afternoon. But this time, I replied, "I'm not going." He called me almost right away. "Are you still upset about what happened earlier?" "No, I've got something to do." He didn't ask what. He just said, "What about the stuff I left at your place? I need it tomorrow." I looked at the corner, where Xavier's climbing gear sat. After our last climbing session the week before, he'd left me at the club after Yvonne called, so I had no choice but to bring all his stuff home. After a few seconds, I agreed, "Alright. I'll drop it off." His tone softened a little. "There you go. Don't overthink it. Get some sleep." The next day, I went to the club. Xavier sat on a bench, looking up as Yvonne climbed the wall. When she reached the ground, he caught her with a smile and told her she did great. I looked up at the wall, my fingers curling without me realizing it. I'd secretly come here to practice before, hoping I could keep up with Xavier. The first time I was left hanging in midair, I cried the whole time. By the time I got down, both my hands were scraped raw, and I could barely hold my cutlery. When I finally made it to the top, I sent Xavier a video. He didn't reply until the next day. "That's it? Yvonne made it up on her first try." I never watched that video again, but I never deleted it either. At the end, the instructor told me I'd done great to make it to the top despite being so scared. I couldn't bring myself to delete those words. Yvonne spotted me and walked over. "Riley, do you want to give it a try?" "Nope, my leg hurts." I shook my head. "Did you hurt it when you fell yesterday? It's still not better?" Xavier glanced at my knee. "Why didn't you say anything yesterday?" I gave a bitter laugh. "Wouldn't that just make it look like I was trying to get sympathy?" Xavier furrowed his brows. "It was just drunk talk. You're the only one who took it seriously." He bent down and reached for my knee, but then Yvonne let out a sudden hiss. Xavier immediately straightened up and went to her. "What happened to your hands?" "I scraped my hand. It's nothing." There was a raw spot on her palm, and she'd hurt it again while twisting open a bottle. Xavier hurried to the front desk for some ointment, applied it to her wound, then opened the bottle for her. I shifted my leg and thought of Zayn as I watched Xavier take care of Yvonne. If he saw me hurt, would he take care of me like that too? Xavier noticed my gaze and looked at me. "What are you looking at? Your wound's already been treated. You don't need me to check it, right?" I laughed softly. "Yeah, no need." Yvonne slipped her arm around Xavier's. "Don't talk to her like that. You're only going to upset Riley again." He didn't pull away, and he said in a cold voice, "If I don't act like this, she'll read too much into it. I'm doing this for her own good." Then Xavier added, "Delete that story. If it gets around our circle, it'll be bad for both of us." His tone left no room for argument, but I shook my head. "No, I won't delete it. Don't worry. It has nothing to do with you." Yvonne tightened her hold on his arm and pretended to speak up for me. "Xavier, forget it. She's had a crush on you for so long. She put so much effort into writing it. Of course she doesn't want to delete it." Then she glanced at his ear stud. "It's just that your ear stud stands out too much. Anyone who knows you would figure out who it's about." Xavier removed his stud, looking irritated. "So it's because of this?" He looked me in the eyes and threw it into the trash can beside him. "What about now? Do you still like me?" I froze. That wasn't the stud I'd first seen him wear. He'd lost the original one long ago. I went to multiple stores before finally finding one that looked like the one Zayn used to wear. When I gave it to him, he put it on without a second thought and asked if it looked good. I said it did, and he chuckled. "This is all it takes to make you happy? You're so easy to please." I limped over to the trash can. There were half-finished drinks inside, and the stud had fallen all the way to the bottom. I bent down, sweat rolling down my back from the pain in my knee, but still picked it up. Someone snickered, "She even treats things that Xavier throws away like treasures." But Xavier didn't laugh along. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet, his voice sharp with anger. "Riley, aren't you disgusted with yourself?" I ignored him and carefully wiped the stud with a tissue. That only stoked his fury. He reached for it, but I dodged him. His hand stopped. After a moment, he said coldly, "Whatever." I spent a long time cleaning it in the restroom. When I came out, Xavier was on his phone with his back to me. "Mom, don't be ridiculous. We'd never work out. No, nothing is wrong with her. I just like someone who can have fun with me. Riley's scared of everything. Being around her is exhausting." I stood behind the door, lost in thought. I had rarely admitted to being scared in front of him over the past five years. Even when my heart raced so fast that I could barely breathe while in his car, I'd just grip my seat belt, then hide somewhere and throw up after getting out. I'd rinse my mouth, pull myself together, and go back to him as if nothing had happened. Apparently, it still wasn't enough. It wasn't enough for him to give me the love I'd always dreamed of, while wearing a face so similar to Zayn's. My phone buzzed. Zayn said, "I'm done here. Where are you? I'll come get you." I gave him the address, my voice catching. "I'll wait for you outside." "Riley, I'll be there soon." His voice held a hint of reassurance and urgency. I hung up and turned to leave. Xavier had finished his call too. He must have overheard mine, because he came over and grabbed my wrist. "Who's picking you up?" Chapter 4 Xavier gripped my wrist tightly, right over the spot he'd grabbed so hard last night that it had turned red. I flinched in pain. "Xavier, let go of me first." Yvonne came over. "Riley, Xavier's already giving you a way out. You called him a stand-in last night, and he didn't hold it against you. Now you're having another man pick you up. Is that really necessary?" I felt exhausted as I listened to her ramble. I said patiently, "Xavier, since you said we would never work out, let's stop wasting each other's time. Isn't that what you wanted too?" Xavier paused and averted his gaze. "I was just curious who was coming to pick you up." I pried his fingers off my wrist. He'd never stopped me from leaving before. After gatherings, whenever I asked for a ride, he'd hand his keys to someone else. "Who's going that way? Give her a ride home." I'd sit in a stranger's car, listening to the loud music, and watch Xavier speed past me with Yvonne in his car. He never stayed for me, either. Even though I was afraid of heights, I still went bungee jumping with him. I shook so badly that I couldn't fasten my safety harness while standing on the platform. And Xavier just looked at me with an amused smile. "Why did you even come if you're such a coward?" Hearing this, I gritted my teeth and jumped. I was so sick that I could barely stand when it ended, but Xavier had already taken Yvonne to the next attraction. Now, I finally didn't have to force myself to do things I was afraid of or say things I didn't want to say. From now on, I wouldn't have to keep holding on to a stand-in anymore. Noticing how unbothered I was, Xavier gripped me tighter. "Riley, what I did over the past two days was to keep you from getting the wrong idea. I never said I wanted to stop seeing you." I froze for a moment, then nodded. "I understand." He only grew more frustrated. "What do you understand? I've always treated you like a sister. I was harsh last night because I was afraid you'd get in too deep. Riley, don't use another man to get back at me. It's not good for your reputation." I looked at him and said softly, "I'm not using him to get back at you." Yvonne pressed, "Fine, then tell us. Who's so important that you'd rather go see him than spend time with Xavier?" I was about to say Zayn's name when a voice came from the doorway. "Riley." I turned toward the voice, and my eyes lit up. Xavier also turned to look at Zayn. The moment he got a good look at his face, his expression changed. He demanded, "Riley, who the hell is he?!"