2025-10-26 23:26:24The classroom buzzed with chatter as the morning sun cut sharp lines across the tiled floor.
Desks clattered, laughter bounced off the walls, and in the middle of it all sat a boy hunched so low it seemed like he wanted to vanish into the wooden seat.
Adrian Cole.
Thin shoulders, hollow cheeks, glasses slipping down his nose. His fingers clutched the edges of a tattered book as though it were a shield against the storm of ridicule that always came his way.
“Look, the worm brought another book!” Jason Reed’s mocking voice boomed across the classroom.
Captain of the basketball team, tall, broad-shouldered, and armed with a grin that could charm half the girls in school, Jason was Adrian’s worst nightmare.
Adrian flinched, shrinking further into his chair. “Hey, Worm,” Jason continued, snatching the book from Adrian’s hands before he could react. “What is this crap this time? Some fantasy trash? No wonder you don’t have friends, you live in fairy tales.”
The class erupted in laughter. “Give it back, Jason,” Adrian whispered, his voice so low it was almost drowned out.
Jason leaned down, smirking. “What was that? Did the worm squeak?”
“Give. It. Back.” Adrian’s fingers trembled.
Jason waved the book high over his head. “Or what? You're gonna cast a spell on me?”
“Careful, Jason,” Chloe Summers, the queen bee of the class, said from her seat by the window. She twirled a strand of golden hair and grinned cruelly. “If you make the worm cry again, he might actually drown in his own tears.”
More laughter. Adrian’s chest burned, shame clawing at him like knives. He could feel every eye in the room drilling into his back, their amusement feeding on his misery.
He wanted to disappear, to melt into the floor, but instead, Jason made it worse. He tore a page out of the book with a loud rip. “No!” Adrian shot up, voice breaking.
Jason smirked. “Oops. Didn’t mean to… hey guys, should I rip another one?”
“Do it!” Mark and Ryan, the two idiot sidekicks, cheered, banging on their desks.
Adrian lunged for the book. “Stop it! That’s mine!”
Jason shoved him back with a single hand, sending him sprawling across the desk. His glasses clattered to the floor, skidding under another desk.
The laughter doubled, filling Adrian’s ears like poison. Emma Lin, the quiet girl in the back row, flinched but didn’t move.
Nobody ever stood up for Adrian. Nobody wanted Jason’s wrath turned on them. Adrian scrambled to his knees, blinking through the blur. “Please… just give it back.”
Jason held the book out in front of him like bait, smirking, then he dropped it into the trash can.
Silence for a beat, then Chloe laughed first, and the class followed. Adrian’s throat tightened. He staggered forward, reaching into the trash, pulling the book out with trembling hands.
Apple cores, gum wrappers, and something sticky clung to the torn pages. His sanctuary. His only escape. Ruined.
Jason leaned down, his voice low but sharp enough for everyone to hear. “Face it, Worm. You’re nothing. You don’t belong here. You’ll never belong anywhere.”
Adrian froze. The words sank into his bones, each syllable a nail hammered into his pride.
The bell rang, mercifully ending the torture. The classroom emptied in a storm of chatter and laughter, leaving Adrian standing alone, clutching the ruined book against his chest.
He didn’t cry. He wanted to, but the tears wouldn’t come. His shame was too deep for tears.
Later that afternoon, the torment continued. Adrian walked through the cafeteria, tray in hand, keeping his head down.
Maybe, just maybe, if he stayed invisible, they’d leave him alone, but fate wasn’t that kind.
“Worm!” Jason’s voice cut across the cafeteria. Adrian’s heart sank.
The jock stood with his friends, girls flocked around him like moths to flame. Chloe sat at his side, sipping soda through a straw.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Jason said, stepping into Adrian’s path.
Adrian swallowed. “I… just want to eat.”
Jason smirked, looking at his friends. “Hear that? The worm wants something. Since when do worms get to want?”
Ryan shoved Adrian’s tray, spilling food all over his shirt. Laughter erupted.
Adrian froze, hands sticky with juice, shirt stained with sauce. He wanted to scream, to fight, to do something, but his voice caught in his throat.
“Hey, Worm,” Chloe said sweetly, venom dripping from every word. “Maybe if you stopped reading and started… I don’t know, being a real human, someone might actually sit with you.”
Her words burned worse than the food on his clothes. Jason leaned closer, his whisper cruel. “Go home, Worm. Do us all a favor. Nobody wants you here.”
Adrian’s chest heaved. His heart pounded. The cafeteria blurred around him, laughter echoing like knives scraping metal. He fled.
That night, Adrian sat in his small, dim bedroom, staring at the ruined book on his desk. His reflection in the cracked mirror mocked him, pale, weak, pathetic.
Jason’s words replayed in his head. “Nothing. Worm. Trash.”
He clenched his fists. “I… I can’t live like this anymore.”
His phone buzzed. A notification? But the screen was blank, then words appeared, glowing, impossible, right before his eyes. [System Initialization Complete]
Adrian froze. “What…?”
[Welcome, User: Adrian Cole]
[You have been chosen by the Likability System][Your life value is currently: 0][Your reputation: Trash]Adrian blinked, heart racing. “This… this is a dream.”
[This is no dream]
[The System offers you one path: Rise, or be forgotten]Adrian’s lips parted, breath shaking. “Rise?”
[Yes. Complete tasks. Earn rewards. Increase charm, strength, and respect. Fail… and fall deeper than you ever imagined]
A shiver crawled up Adrian’s spine.
[First Task Assigned: Tomorrow, look your bully Jason Reed in the eye for ten full seconds without looking away]
[Reward: +1 Confidence][Failure: Permanent deduction of -5 Reputation]Adrian’s hands trembled. Jason? Ten seconds? That was suicide, but the glowing words didn’t fade.
[The System does not take no for an answer]
The screen blinked out. Darkness filled the room again. Adrian sat frozen, the words echoing in his mind.
Tomorrow, he would either take the first step toward change… or sink into a pit from which he’d never escape.
For the first time, fear and hope mixed in his chest. Tomorrow, the worm would either break, or begin to crawl toward the sun.
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Chapter Nine: Target on the Heart
The bruises from the street fight hadn’t healed yet. Adrian sat at his desk the next morning, jaw stiff, ribs aching. But what weighed on him more wasn’t pain, it was the silence. Jason hadn’t shown up. The system pulsed faintly.[Threat Level: Elevated. Enemy plotting indirect retaliation]Emma slid into the seat beside him, her voice low. “You’re pushing too far, Adrian. He’s going to do something worse.”Adrian forced a smirk. “He already has. Lies. Fists. What’s left?”Emma’s eyes flickered with unease. “People like him… they always find something.”It happened during lunch. Adrian was halfway through his sandwich when a scream echoed from the courtyard. Students surged toward the windows. Emma. She was surrounded by Jason and two of his lackeys. One yanked her backpack away, spilling her books across the pavement. Jason leaned close, smirking cruelly, one hand gripping her arm. The crowd cheered and jeered, phones already out to record.Adrian’s chair screeched back as he stoo
Chapter Eight: The Expulsion Trap
The whispers didn’t stop after the cafeteria incident. If anything, they grew sharper, carrying venom in Jason’s absence. He hadn’t been seen all morning. Adrian sat in class with Emma two rows behind him, unease coiling in his gut. The system’s warning echoed in his mind:[Quest Alert: Jason Reed is preparing a major retaliation. Anticipate sabotage]When the lunch bell rang, Adrian felt the weight of eyes on him. Students parted as he walked into the hallway.That’s when Principal Hargrove appeared, face stern. “Adrian Cole,” the principal’s voice was like a gavel. “My office. Now.”Gasps followed him. Emma’s worried glance burned into his back. The principal’s office was silent except for the ticking clock. Jason was already there, standing tall with mock innocence plastered on his face.Principal Hargrove’s jaw tightened. “Adrian, do you deny placing this in my mailbox this morning?”He slammed a clear evidence bag onto the desk. Inside was a small plastic pouch filled with whit
Chapter Seven: The Public Trial
Morning sunlight streamed into the classroom, but the atmosphere was heavy. Adrian could feel it the moment he walked in, every pair of eyes was on him. Whispers bounced off the walls like bullets. “Jason’s got something planned today.” “He’s gonna bury the worm for good.”“I heard Adrian jumped him last night.”Adrian clenched his jaw. The system hummed quietly in the back of his mind.[Quest Active: Survive Jason’s retaliation. Stage Two begins]Jason arrived late, swaggering into the classroom with a bandage across his nose. He ignored the teacher’s scolding and walked straight past Adrian’s desk, slamming a folded piece of paper onto it.Adrian unfolded it slowly. “Auditorium. Lunch. Don’t chicken out.”Jason’s smirk said it all: it was a setup.By lunchtime, the auditorium was packed. Students filled the seats, buzzing with anticipation. Rumors had spread like wildfire: Jason was going to expose Adrian.Adrian stepped onto the stage cautiously, every step heavy. Jason stood at
Chapter Six: The Trap
The morning sunlight spilled through the classroom windows, but Adrian’s stomach twisted with unease. Every glance, every whisper felt heavier than usual. Jason hadn’t made a move yet, but Adrian could feel it, like thunder building behind the clouds. The system hummed in his mind.[Quest Active: Survive Jason’s revenge. Progress: 0%]Adrian tapped his pencil against his desk, eyes drifting toward the back of the room where Jason sat, staring at him. Not mocking. Not smirking. Just staring. That was worse.When the bell rang for lunch, Adrian braced himself. He carried his tray into the cafeteria, scanning the room. Jason wasn’t at his usual table. Neither were his lackeys.Emma waved him over from across the room, but Adrian hesitated. His instincts screamed. Something wasn’t right. He set his tray down anyway.Emma leaned closer, her brow furrowed. “You feel it too, don’t you?”Adrian nodded. “He’s planning something.”Emma’s lips pressed thin. “Then don’t eat that.”Adrian blinked
Chapter Five: Whispers of Revenge
The lunch bell rang, and the cafeteria erupted in its usual chaos. Students poured in, laughing, shouting, carrying trays of food that reeked of grease and salt. Adrian sat in the far corner, clutching his tray. His ribs still ached, his knuckles were raw, but beneath the pain was something new, a spark he hadn’t felt before. Victory.For once, he wasn’t invisible. Whispers rippled across the cafeteria as eyes turned toward him. He heard fragments of their murmurs. “Did you see him? He actually made Jason bleed.”“No way. Adrian? The worm?”“Lucky punch, maybe.”“Still… Jason’s nose was busted.”Adrian kept his eyes on his food, pretending not to hear, but inside his chest swelled. The humiliation of yesterday was still fresh, yet now people talked about him. Not as trash. Not as nothing. But as someone who fought back. The system hummed in his mind.[Update: Reputation increased to 50. New threshold unlocked: You are no longer entirely ignored. Peers will begin noticing you]Adria
Chapter Four: First Blood
The crowd tightened around the back of the gym, a circle of eager faces hungry for blood. Phones were already out, recording. Whispers and laughter filled the air, but Adrian barely heard them. His heart thudded in his ears like war drums.Jason cracked his knuckles, his grin sharp and cruel. “I’ve been waiting for this, Worm. Time to show you what happens when trash forgets its place.”Adrian clenched his fists, heat burning through his arms. The system’s voice hummed in his head.[Major Task Active: Defeat Jason Reed in combat. Reward: +3 Strength, +2 Confidence][Penalty for failure: -20 Reputation, public humiliation]His mouth was dry. His knees shook. “I can’t beat him… but I can’t run, either.”Jason stepped forward, towering over him. “Any last words?”Adrian swallowed. His voice trembled, but the words came. “Yeah… try not to cry when this ends.”Gasps erupted from the crowd. Jason’s grin faltered. “You’ve got guts, Worm. Too bad guts won’t save you.”He lunged. The first pu
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