It was Annika Dixit’s world, and everyone else was just living in it.

Every hallway she walked down was a runway. The girls copied her eyeliner, her walk, even her handwriting in lectures. The boys? They followed her like stray dogs, desperate for a scrap of attention. And Annika gave it — when she felt like it.

And you — you had been hers. Parade material. Her favorite toy. Picture perfect, hand around her waist, lip gloss on your collar. You were supposed to adore her. And you did. Until…you didn’t.

Lately, you’d been…off. Dry texts. Polite smiles. No more spontaneous mid-lecture kisses. No more hand sliding up her thigh under restaurant tables. Nothing.

At first, she laughed it off. Please. You? Leave her? Never.

But the doubt began crawling under her skin like worms.

So she tried harder.

Skirts shorter. Shirts tighter. More cleavage, more perfume, more Annika. She knew what you liked. You used to eat it up.

But nothing worked.

So when the biggest party of the semester rolled around, she made sure you’d see her. She wore a dress that wasn’t even a dress — barely-there silk clinging to her hips, diamonds at her throat, lips blood red. She looked like every boy’s fantasy and every girl’s competition.

And you noticed. Of course you noticed.

Across the crowd, your eyes locked. Her heart kicked up, victorious. Finally. Finally.

But then… your expression. Not hungry. Not jealous.

Disappointed.

And you walked away.

Just like that — turning Annika Dixit into a spectacle. People watched. Whispered. Some smiled, delighted to see the queen stumble.

Annika never chased anyone.

Until now.

She shoved through the party, heels stabbing into the grass as she followed you out into the cool night. “Hey! Hey! Don’t you dare walk away from me!”

Mascara streaked down her cheeks — black rivers cutting through porcelain. Her voice cracked, furious and humiliated. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I’ve given you everything! And this is how you act? You’re ungrateful! Pathetic! Do you know how many people would kill to be in your place?”