My Online Puppy is the Campus King

"Sloane, are you going to actually tutor my brother or just stare at your phone?" The arrogant star quarterback glared at me.

I slid my phone facedown, only for it to instantly vibrate with a text from my secret online boyfriend. [Babe, my mom got my brother a damn tutor, this woman is a total control freak, it's so annoying.] My breath hitched.

Was this icy quarterback actually the needy puppy in my DMs? Chapter 1 I looked up and met his narrowed eyes. I slid the mute switch on my phone.

Thank God he did not notice anything off. I still could not wrap my head around it.

The guy I had been dating online for months was the undisputed star quarterback of our Ivy League prep school.

Arlo shoved his notebook toward me. "Did I do this one right?" I scanned the page. He had followed every step exactly as I had shown him. He was sharp.

I only had to walk him through an equation once, and he could crack every variation thrown at him. I nodded. "You pick this up fast, good job.

Anything else you are stuck on?" I glanced at the wall clock. We were already an hour over our session time.

Arlo had the brains, he just blew off his classes, leaving him scrambling to catch up now. "Nope. Thanks, Sloane.

You explain this stuff way better than my actual teachers." The door opened. Pierce's mother walked in, wearing a flawless smile. "Arlo, how did Sloane do?

Did you learn anything?" "Yeah! She is awesome. And she is so pretty and nice." Arlo nodded vigorously, practically tripping over his words to hype me up.

Across the table, Pierce's jaw tightened. A muscle feathered in his cheek, but he did not say a word. "Alright then. I have never seen you this thrilled about a tutor.

We will have Sloane keep working with you." Arlo pumped his fist in the air. His mother checked her phone. "Sloane, it is getting late.

Why don't you just stay in one of the guest rooms tonight?

You and Pierce go to the same prep school anyway, you can ride together tomorrow." "You don't have to be so formal with me, ma'am, just Sloane is fine." I caught the dark scowl on Pierce's face and instantly shut the offer down. "I am good, thank you.

I need to head to the hospital to check on my mom anyway." Her smile dropped into a sympathetic pout. "I see. The city hospital is quite a drive from here.

Pierce will drop you off." I started to wave the idea off, but she was already pulling Pierce out of his chair. "Did you hear me?

Take your classmate to the hospital right now!" Pierce cursed under his breath and snatched the car keys off the table.

It was a Ferrari SF90 car key with a custom carbon fiber texture. That Ferrari alone was enough to have half the girls on campus throwing themselves at him.

He pointed at the door, telling me to stay put while he pulled the car around. That finally gave me a second to pull up the message he had sent me.

Chapter 2 The message thread had paused a few minutes ago. His last text was a pleading puppydog emoji. I scrolled up through our chat history. [Babe, why are you ignoring me?

She wasn't even tutoring my brother properly, so I chewed her out…] What the hell? He actually whined about this to people online?

I used to think it was cute how he shared every little detail of his day with me, acting all needy.

But I could never connect the clingy guy in my DMs with the icecold, arrogant Pierce sitting across from me. [Babe, when can we finally meet up?

I promise I won't disappoint you…] Talk about a secret softie.

His relentless text messages starkly contrasted with the flawless facade that had half the girls on campus swooning. [No way. I am hideous.

Let's just forget about meeting.] [Babe, you finally texted back!

What were you doing?] He told me to wait here while he pulled the car around, and he was sitting out there texting me?

I rolled my eyes and typed back aggressively. [Got chewed out by some absolute tool.

Kind of pissed.] The moment I hit send, the typing bubble popped up on his end. [What kind of tool dares to yell at my baby?] A snort of laughter almost escaped my lips.

Did he seriously just insult himself? [My mom told me to drive that classmate home, but no way am I doing that.

I am just going to sleep in my car.] You ruthless bastard, Pierce. [Why do you hate this classmate so much?] I was totally fishing for answers.

Anyone with eyes could see Pierce despised me, and I already had a pretty solid guess as to why.

A few moments later, another text from Pierce flashed on the screen. [Because she talks trash about me behind my back.] Of course. He still held a grudge over that incident.

During the pandemic, our prep school went into lockdown for a while. We had to take all our classes through video conferences. That was my first time taking online classes on Zoom.

I just remembered seeing a microphone icon with a red slash through it and the word unmute underneath. I could not figure out if my mic was actually on or off.

Right then, my best friend from my dorm sent me a voice memo. [Sloane, look how hot Pierce is! Plus he drives a Ferrari.

I think I am in love with him… but some girl confessed to him the other day and got totally shut down.] I blurted out my response without thinking. "Look at Pierce's face!

You need a winter coat just to look at him. What is so great about him?

He isn't even that hot." The teacher lecturing on the screen cleared his throat loudly. "Sloane, please refrain from talking during the lecture and mute your microphone." My best friend's text popped up immediately. [Sloane, why didn't you mute your mic?

The entire class just heard that…] Crap. I was totally screwed. When lockdown finally lifted, that incident became the biggest gossip on campus.

Sometimes, random girls would actually show up at my classroom just to glare at me. "Which one is she?

The one with a death wish who dared to trashtalk Pierce?" But Pierce never came after me, nor did he make a scene. He just stared at me with absolute, chilling indifference.

Then again, he looked at everyone like that. It took until today for me to realize he had been holding a massive grudge this whole time.

I bet he never guessed his precious online girlfriend was his number one enemy. I fired back a text to Pierce while switching over to Uber to book a ride home.

Chapter 3 The door behind me swung open, and Pierce's mother stepped out. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she spotted me. "Sloane? Why are you still here?

Where is Pierce?" She scanned the empty hallway. "It is fine, I already ordered an Uber." "Cancel it!

I am making Pierce drop you off." She pressed her phone to her ear, flashing me a reassuring smile before stepping aside. "Pierce! Where the hell are you?

Are you completely ignoring your mother now?" A minute later, she shot me an okay sign.

Moments later, the low growl of an engine echoed through the driveway as a sleek red Ferrari pulled up.

Pierce shot me a gaze so cold it could freeze over hell. "Get in." Before I could move, his mother marched right past me.

She snatched the Ferrari keys from his hand with a cold face. "You treat Sloane with respect! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a decent tutor for your brother?

If you scare her off, you can tutor him yourself!" Pierce cursed under his breath in frustration and kicked the stone pillar next to him. "Damn it, I know!

Give me the car keys back!" Passing a latenight drivethru diner, I had Pierce pull the Ferrari into the pickup lane.

He glared at me, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, his rigid posture screaming about how high maintenance I was.

I pushed the car door open, and my phone immediately buzzed in my pocket. I did not even need to look to know it was him.

Yeah, right, sitting right next to me acting like a total jerk while desperately texting me on the sly? Not a chance I was replying.

Thinking back on it, we only met because of gaming. It was a Call of Duty global ranked match.

I pulled up the nearby players list, and he was the only one rocking a Top 50 Apex Predator badge. I threw him a random invite, never expecting him to instantly join my lobby.

It was wild to think about now. Pierce, the guy who ruthlessly rejected every single girl on campus, was secretly in a committed online relationship.

If my boycrazy best friend ever found out, she would probably drop dead from the shock.

I grabbed my latenight burger, slid back into the leather passenger seat, and finally checked my screen. [Babe, can we please meet up?

I still haven't even seen what you look like.] He had been pushing to meet up in person for weeks. Thank God I had shot him down every single time.

If he actually realized it was me sitting across from him, he would probably blow a gasket right on the spot. [If I looked exactly like that classmate you hate so much, would you still like me?

Babe.] Now that I knew the arrogant star quarterback was the guy on the other end of the screen, typing out that last word made my stomach do weird, uncomfortable flips.

The notification ping echoed loudly through the Ferrari's sleek cabin. He glanced down at the glowing screen on the center console but kept both hands on the wheel.

He was driving, after all. "We are here." His voice cut through the silence, sharp and dripping with ice.

Funny, you definitely don't act like this toward me online, pretty boy. "Thanks." I forced the word out after a long beat of awkward silence.

The exact second my sneakers hit the pavement and the door clicked shut, the Ferrari's engine roared. He tore away from the curb, leaving me in a cloud of exhaust. Bastard.

Absolutely ruthless. It took me forever to navigate the maze of hospital hallways to find my mom's room.

I had asked to visit her half a dozen times, and she had shut me down every single time.

She was staying in a massive VIP luxury suite, totally alone. "Mom, are you feeling any better?" The moment she saw me standing in the doorway, the color drained from her face.

She practically leaped out of the hospital bed, frantically waving me away. "What are you doing here?

Get out, hurry, go!" I leveled her with an exhausting, deadpan stare. "I know, I know. You literally checked yourself into the hospital just to hit on that hot doctor.

Relax, I saw him get on the elevator going down." She let out a massive sigh of relief, immediately slouching back against the pillows and playing the dying patient routine again. "Good, I cannot have anyone knowing I have a daughter as old as you.

Not until I lock him down." I shook my head, a helpless laugh escaping my lips. "Are you still going to eat this burger?" "Obviously!

Leave the food on the table and get out!" Chapter 4 I slumped into the chair beside her hospital bed. "Mom, can we just go home?

Staying in that massive mansion by myself is freaking me out. It feels like a tomb. Ugh, being home alone is driving me crazy.

That is literally the only reason I took that tutoring gig…" "Well, whose fault is that? You dress like a complete nerd.

I bought you a closet full of Prada and Chanel, and you refuse to wear any of it." She crossed her arms, her stubbornness radiating off her in waves. "I am not going back until I lock down that doctor!

Proximity is power, sweetheart." My phone buzzed against my leg.

It was a text from Pierce's mom. [Sloane, sweetie, from now on, please come tutor Arlo every day during lunch and after school. I will double your rate.

You and Pierce can just ride together…] I spent another hour begging my mom to leave, but talking to her was like talking to a brick wall.

I ended up calling a premium security firm to upgrade the mansion's defense grid to the absolute highest tier.

Listening to the faint hum of the alarm system at night was the only way I could get any peace of mind.

When I got back, the pitchblack estate loomed in the darkness like a monster with its jaws wide open.

I did not even bother flipping the light switches, just used my phone's flashlight to sprint straight to my bedroom. Living in a multimilliondollar mansion was a total nightmare.

I cranked up the AC, pulled the heavy duvet up to my chin, and opened my chat with Pierce.

Texting him was the one thing that actually grounded me. [If you looked anything like that classmate of mine, I would seriously have to rethink this whole thing…] He had sent that over ten minutes ago, right after I asked him that loaded question in his car. [????

I thought you said you would like me no matter what I looked like?] The typing bubble on his end hesitated for a beat. [Yeah, but there is a limit.

As long as you don't look like that wicked witch, we are good. Otherwise, I would be heartbroken.] The nerve of this guy! Okay, fine, I called him ugly once.

But literally every other girl on campus worshipped the ground he walked on.

Why was he holding onto this grudge like his life depended on it? [Wifey, why didn't you invite me to game today?] My scalp prickled at the pet name.

Trying to picture the icecold, arrogant Pierce typing out that word was enough to give me whiplash. [Excuse me?

Wifey… Stop calling me that…] He instantly hit me back with a sticker of a crying kitten. What the hell was wrong with him?

He was an absolute sociopath in real life, yet he was out here acting like a stagefive clinger on the internet.

I ignored the cringeworthy pet name and went straight for the excuse. [I am going to be swamped lately.

No gaming for me during lunch or after school.] [Fine, whatever…] By the time we finished texting, it was almost midnight. [Going to sleep.

Goodnight wifey!] [Goodnight…] I still could not bring myself to type the pet name back.

My mom's Porsche was parked in the driveway, but since I did not have my license yet, I still had to take an Uber to campus every morning.

The second I stepped out of the rideshare at the front gates, I spotted my bestie.

She waved frantically and sprinted over, her face glowing. "Sloane, you look gorgeous today!" A deafening roar tore through the air behind us.

That familiar red Ferrari pulled up to the school gates like a snarling beast. Typical Pierce. He had to make a massive spectacle every single time he arrived.

I glanced around, the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Something felt off. "What is going on? Why is half the school crowding the entrance?" "You didn't hear?

It is Pierce's birthday today. Lexi announced she is going to confess to him right here, in front of everyone.

We are all just waiting for the show." Chapter 5 Through the crowd, I immediately spotted Lexi leaning against a limitededition Porsche wrapped in a massive pink satin ribbon, dangling the car keys in the air.

Whispers rippled through the massive crowd of students. "No wonder you got here before me. You came for the confession?" My best friend rolled her eyes in disgust. "What confession?

Everyone is just here to watch her make a total fool of herself. Does anyone actually think she is going to pull this off?" Lexi had a massive reputation around campus.

I did not know much about her, only that her family had some decent new money and she was obnoxiously flashy about it. "What is the deal?

I mean, she is pretty hot…" Even from this distance, she stood out among the other girls.

Tall, flawless skin, striking features—she looked exactly like a spoiled little rich girl who had never been told 'no' in her life.

My bestie patted my shoulder, giving me a look like I was painfully naive. "Tons of gorgeous girls have thrown themselves at Pierce. Have you ever seen him say yes to a single one?

Besides, Lexi is notoriously toxic.

There is zero chance Pierce would ever agree to date her." I had no idea what Pierce was doing inside the Ferrari, but he was taking forever to get out.

My curiosity peaked. "What do you mean she is toxic?" "She literally corners girls in the bathroom and beats them up. You haven't seen it?

She thinks her daddy's money makes her untouchable, so she specifically targets scholarship kids. She is an absolute psycho." Wow.

Looks really were deceiving. "She even blasted a message in the school group chat about this confession. Does she seriously think she is going to succeed?

I literally ran over here just to watch her get humiliated." My phone buzzed against my thigh. The caller ID flashed my employer's name. Pierce's mom? "Hello?

Ma'am, is everything okay?" "Did Pierce find you on campus yet?" I glanced at the gleaming Ferrari a few yards away and shook my head. "No." "Okay, Sloane, just wait right there." A moment later, Pierce stepped out of the car.

The second those butterfly doors swung upward, he looked like a devastatingly handsome prince straight out of a dark fairytale.

Lexi stepped forward, flashing a coy smile as she held out the Porsche keys.

My best friend gripped my arm, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Happy birthday, Pierce!" She held the car keys out to him with both hands, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.

Pierce stopped in his tracks, sneering as he snatched the Porsche keys and tossed them into the nearby storm drain like a piece of trash, not even bothering to look at her. "Thanks." Pierce started walking again, leaving Lexi frozen in absolute shock.

The surrounding crowd immediately erupted into a mix of brutal snickers and pitying gasps.

My best friend was practically vibrating with joy, gripping my hand to hold back a loud cackle. "I knew it! I freakin' knew it!

She totally crashed and burned!" A split second later, my stomach dropped. Why the hell was he walking straight toward me?

Sure enough, Pierce's murderous, icecold glare was locked dead onto me. My best friend noticed the shift in energy. "Sloane, why is Pierce coming over here?" What the actual hell?

His mom told me to wait—was I waiting for him? My bestie yanked on my arm, suddenly terrified. "Damn it, let go of my arm!

You grab me when you are excited, and you grab me when you are freaking out!

You are going to rip my arm off!" As Pierce got closer, I noticed a furious tick in his jaw, his eyes burning with forced restraint.

A sudden memory of his mom's ruthless tactics from last night flashed through my mind. Did she actually cut off his black card this morning?

He glared at me, his eyes practically identical to the dead stare he just gave Lexi. "I am officially inviting you to come to my house for lunch today.

Got it?" Chapter 6 I froze for a second before giving a stiff nod.

Pierce's jaw tightened, a flash of something unreadable crossing his face before he slid back into the driver's seat.

The Ferrari's engine roared, tearing straight through the campus gates. My best friend stared at me, her jaw practically on the pavement. "What the hell? Going home together?

Did you actually bag him?" "What?

No, I am just tutoring his little brother, so dial back the gossip, okay?" She did not even blink, her face still locked in that obnoxious, boycrazy trance. "Ugh, that is still so ridiculously lucky.

Too bad my grades are actual garbage, I could never tutor a prep school kid…" Before she could finish drooling over my situation, my phone buzzed with another call from Pierce's mom. "Did Pierce come find you?" Unless my ears were playing tricks on me, the woman sounded absurdly proud of herself. "Yeah, he just left." Good lord, I knew it was a setup. "Pierce is a good boy, he is just a little too cold sometimes.

Since you are so quiet, Sloane, I figured you would be too intimidated to get in his car, so I ordered him to personally invite you.

Now you don't have to worry…" No wonder his invitation sounded like a freaking death threat. Ma'am, this makes me a million times more terrified.

I swallowed the panic and forced out a polite response. "Thank you, ma'am." I ended the call just as my bestie poked my arm. "Sloane, I think you are the main event now…" Sure enough, the massive crowd that had gathered for Lexi's humiliation was now staring dead at me.

Lexi herself was glaring at me with the kind of pure hatred usually reserved for a blood feud.

To anyone watching, it looked exactly like I had swooped in and hijacked her dramatic confession.

A sick, crawling sensation of being the other woman washed over my skin. "Walk, just walk, the show is over." I grabbed my best friend's wrist and dragged her toward the main building.

The second we hit the empty hallway, her gossip radar flared right back to life. "Wait, after what you said about Pierce during lockdown, how are you tutoring at his house without him making your life a living hell?" I let out a heavy, defeated breath. "Don't even start.

I have been his brother's tutor for exactly one session and he is already torturing me.

Why did you have to bring that up?" "Honestly, if you hadn't totally trashed him on Zoom, you would have a way better shot at dating him than Lexi ever did." I waved my hands frantically to shut that down. "Not a chance.

I am not delusional enough to play that game." She suddenly stopped walking, her expression dropping into dead seriousness. "How is that delusional?

Do you literally not own a mirror?

Plus, your family is loaded, you actually belong in his tax bracket." Her words echoed in my head as I pulled out my phone and scrolled back through last night's chat history with Pierce.

My eyes locked onto the specific pet name he used. "Wifey…" My chest hollowed out, a sudden weight anchoring my feet to the floor.

If he actually knew who was on the other side of this screen, would he ever type that word again?

Or would he just look at me exactly like he looked at Lexi, with absolute, chilling emptiness?

While I was staring blankly at the screen, a new message from Pierce suddenly popped up… Chapter 7 [Wifey, my mom cut off my Centurion Black Card this morning and grounded me.] A crying kitten sticker popped up immediately after. [There, there.

Are you okay? What happened?] Wow, I actually guessed right.

I should seriously look into a career as a psychic. [She went nuclear on me just because of my brother's tutor!] …How the hell is this my fault again?

Then, Pierce shifted gears and started whining about me. Seriously, has Pierce never dated anyone before? Who complains about another girl to their online girlfriend all day long?

If he wasn't literally talking about me, I would have dumped his ass on the spot. [Do you have any idea how stupid this girl is?] [What happened?

How stupid is she?] I rolled my eyes so hard I practically saw my own brain. Let's hear exactly how stupid I am. [My mom made me invite her over.

There was this girl trying to give me a cake at the gate, so I couldn't get out of the car.

That idiot tutor was just standing there staring at nothing instead of walking into school, and then she snitched to my mom.

I had no choice but to get out and go to her…] He literally just gave me a death glare in person, and now he was out here spilling his guts in the DMs.

Young Master Pierce really had two completely different faces. Besides, who the hell snitched to your mom? Suddenly, a brilliant idea to mess with him popped into my head. [Oh?

Someone gave you a cake?

You must be pretty popular.] Sure enough, for a guy with zero dating experience, the typing bubble on his end vanished for a long, panicked silence. [Yeah, it is my birthday today.

Wifey, don't you have a present for me?] You bastard. Look at how you treat me in real life. I really wanted to slap him across the face.

I quickly sent him $500 through Cash App. [Happy now? Give me a smile…] But Pierce didn't accept the money.

Instead, he sent a massive transfer right back to me. [Wifey, take this money, buy a cake, and have it delivered to Ivy League Prep… please?] A wicked smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.

I accepted his transfer and instantly muted my phone.

Heh, let's see how you like losing your money and your girl… For some reason, Lexi and Pierce walked into the classroom at almost exactly the same time.

Both of them looked absolutely miserable and completely drained. Thinking about how I was singlehandedly responsible for ruining both of their days instantly cheered me up.

Pierce didn't have that much hostility toward me right now—after all, he had no idea I was the one who just ghosted him online and took his cash. Lexi was a totally different story.

She glared at me like she wanted to eat me alive. We had a double block period, trapping us in there for almost two hours.

Every time I looked up, I caught Lexi in the front row twisting around to burn holes into me with those spiteful eyes. What the hell are you looking at? Acting like a bitter ex.

I really wanted to gouge her eyeballs out. Having her stare at me for an entire period was starting to seriously test my sanity.

When the bell finally rang, I fully expected her to march over and pick a fight. Surprisingly, two minutes into the break, she was still glued to her seat. Well, this is awkward.

Guess I was just being paranoid. Or not. The absolute second Pierce stepped out of the classroom, Lexi marched straight up to my desk.

Chapter 8 Heh, so she was just too scared to do it in front of him. "Sloane, I am warning you. You need to learn exactly what is out of your league." "Oh?

And what exactly is out of my league?" I tilted my head. "Please, enlighten me." Lexi's face contorted.

Clearly, she wasn't used to people actually standing their ground against her.

Her little minions noticed their queen bee was losing her temper and immediately swarmed around her desk. I scoffed, crossing my arms. "What is this?

You think having backup makes you scary? Are we seriously playing middle school mean girls right now?" My best friend stepped up beside me, but let's be real, it was useless.

Lexi was an absolute psycho. If this turned into a physical fight, the two of us were definitely going to get jumped. Her chest heaved up and down.

I had definitely hit a nerve. "You seriously don't know what is out of your league?" Her voice spiked, echoing off the classroom walls. "Because you are broke!

Don't even think about trying to golddig your way to Pierce! You are nothing!" I just smiled at her, not even bothering to argue back.

A girl who had been carrying the exact same entrylevel Chanel bag for three straight years was really trying to flex her wealth right now? Sure, mocking my bank account was fine.

She wasn't worth the energy to expose. Plus, getting into a screaming match in the middle of homeroom was way too trashy for me. I just wanted this to be over.

But my silence must have given her a delusional boost of confidence.

She opened her mouth again, and her next sentence completely nuked any chance of a peaceful exit. "Everyone knows it anyway!

Your mom is the only one who ever picks you up, because you don't even have a dad!" My chest hollowed out instantly. I shot out of my chair and slapped her hard across the face.

My nails directly scratched her delicate face. I grabbed her hair with expensive extensions and slammed her entire body hard against the desk.

The deafening crash echoed, making sure every single person in the room heard it perfectly. You can get used to the pain of losing someone after a while.

That is, as long as someone doesn't ruthlessly rip the scab right off, exposing the raw, bleeding nerve underneath. My dad was a firefighter. My mom? A highmaintenance heiress.

He was a strict, bythebook first responder who got completely steamrolled by my mom's relentless flirting. The day the factory went up in flames, my dad responded to the call.

We found out later that the factory owner never bothered to mention the illegal explosives stored inside… That day, no amount of expensive designer makeup could cover the tear tracks on my mom's face.

It was the first time I had ever seen her break down like that. "You actually hit me!" Lexi scrambled up, her face twisted in pure rage as she lunged at me.

I stood my ground, my fists clenched tight. Anyone who dragged my dad into this was going to bleed! A massive, warm hand clamped down over my wrist.

An irresistible force yanked me backward, pulling me straight into Pierce's hard chest. I looked up into his deep frown. "Getting into catfights?

Are you even capable of tutoring my brother?" I violently jerked my wrist out of his grip. "What is your problem?

Does me throwing a punch somehow ruin my ability to do algebra?" He glared at me, his eyes daring me to say another word