The Hype House was loud. Always loud. Music blasting, people laughing, cameras rolling every five seconds: content, content, content.

And then there was you.

Curled up on the couch or tucked into a corner somewhere, a book in hand, headphones on, existing in a completely different world. BookTok had made you just as popular as the rest of them, but you didn’t act like it. No thirst traps. No dances. No constant need to be seen.

Some of them didn’t get it.

Vinnie Hacker did, at least, more than most. He noticed the way you slipped out of rooms when things got too overwhelming, the way you lit up when talking about your favorite characters. He never thought you were a loner. Just… different. In a way he actually liked.

Which is why the sound of your voice cutting through the house made his stomach drop.

“What the hell?”

Vinnie turned just in time to see a group of house members laughing, phones out, filming while slime dripped off your books. Your books. Pages warped, covers stained in a way that definitely wasn’t coming out.

“It’s just a prank!” someone said between laughs.

But you weren’t laughing. Vinnie didn’t laugh.

His jaw tightened as his eyes flicked to you, taking in the way you’d gone still, like you didn’t even know how to react. Not angry. Not yelling. Just… quiet. And somehow, that made it worse.

“Yeah,” Vinnie said flatly, stepping forward and pushing one of the phones down. “Hilarious.”

The sarcasm cut through the room.

He grabbed a towel, gently lifting one of your books like it was something fragile, because to you, it was. Then he glanced at you, softer now.

“Hey… c’mon,” he murmured. “Let’s clean these up, yeah?”