The Duck That Bit Back

The Duck That Bit Back

By:   Youth Lake  Completed
Language: English
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I was the broke scholarship kid, stuck sharing a room with Sherry, the spoiled heiress. From day one, she was all fake smiles and "let's be besties." She'd take me out for fancy meals. She even introduced me to Kenneth—her rich childhood buddy. It was fine—until Kenneth and I started dating. That's when the claws came out. One day, she "accidentally" dumped hot soup all over herself and claimed I'd done it on purpose. Then she demanded I pay her back. I gave her every cent I had, but it wasn't enough. Next, she accused me of stealing her wallet. The school bought it. I got written up, everyone turned on me, and Kenneth? He dumped me with, "You're just an ugly duckling trying to be a swan." I couldn't fight back. Humiliated, alone, and dragged through online hate, I dropped out. Then I let the river take me. And then—I woke up. Back to the moment Sherry introduced me to Kenneth.

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Chapter 1

"Kenneth, this is my best friend from school, Alyssa Arden. What do you think? Pretty, right?"Sherry Campbell's voice cut through the pounding music, dragging me straight back to the night I first met Kenneth Wadzinski.He didn't care about me then—same as now. Barely looked my way, too busy nursing his drink.Sherry draped a hand on my shoulder, flashing that fake smile. "Alyssa, what do you think of Kenneth? His family's in real estate. They're the richest in the city."I ducked my head, plastering on a shy smile. "He's great. Be right back—I need to hit the restroom."Classic Sherry. Crushing on Kenneth but shoving him at me anyway. And Kenneth? Total jerk. He didn't even like me—just kept me around to feed his ego. Their whole game was rigged, and I was the easy pawn.In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face, then slid off my thick black-framed glasses.Not this time. They weren't going to play me anymore. Who says the ugly duckling has to stay ugly?Grabbing my b...

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9 Chapters
Chapter 1
"Kenneth, this is my best friend from school, Alyssa Arden. What do you think? Pretty, right?"Sherry Campbell's voice cut through the pounding music, dragging me straight back to the night I first met Kenneth Wadzinski.He didn't care about me then—same as now. Barely looked my way, too busy nursing his drink.Sherry draped a hand on my shoulder, flashing that fake smile. "Alyssa, what do you think of Kenneth? His family's in real estate. They're the richest in the city."I ducked my head, plastering on a shy smile. "He's great. Be right back—I need to hit the restroom."Classic Sherry. Crushing on Kenneth but shoving him at me anyway. And Kenneth? Total jerk. He didn't even like me—just kept me around to feed his ego. Their whole game was rigged, and I was the easy pawn.In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face, then slid off my thick black-framed glasses.Not this time. They weren't going to play me anymore. Who says the ugly duckling has to stay ugly?Grabbing my b
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Chapter 2
Sherry smirked. "Kenneth is pretty great, isn't he? A lot of girls like him. Do you?"I shook my head quickly, playing the shy card. "How could I even compare? Besides, I think Kenneth only has eyes for you."Bullseye. Her smirk turned smug.Of course, she knew Kenneth liked her. She just wasn't ready to settle down.At the upcoming sports meet, she was supposed to carry the banner but "twisted" her ankle on her skirt. Some star sports guy carried her to the infirmary, and Kenneth, jealous out of his mind, ended up confessing to me that same day.Not this time.The morning of the event, I got ahead of her by spraining my own ankle first.Even with the pain, I limped over to deliver her makeup bag like a dutiful lackey.She didn't even blink at my foot, just snapped, "You're so slow! If your foot's hurt, suck it up. What if we're late for the procession?"I lowered my head, mumbling apologies like the perfect pushover.Then, right on cue, the same sports guy from before steppe
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Chapter 3
Kenneth started acting like he was totally into me. He'd show up every morning to walk me to class, sit with me at lunch, and drag me out for evening strolls.With my foot injured, running Sherry's errands was out. She couldn't stand the dorm turning into a ghost town around her, so she packed up and moved off campus.People started buying the whole "Alyssa and Kenneth" act.I'd blush every time he got close, hand him little DIY gifts, and share snacks I snagged from my part-time gigs.I'd text him 'good morning' and 'good night', dropping updates about my day—even when he ghosted me.I ditched the clunky glasses, let my hair grow out, and swapped my wardrobe for something simple but cute. By the time I caught my reflection, I didn't totally hate what I saw.And Kenneth? Yeah, something shifted.He'd lean in way too close just to see me turn red and steal kisses on rainy days, hiding under the umbrella.We looked like a real couple—almost.It all went down the night Sherry stu
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Chapter 4
Kenneth's expression darkened in a heartbeat.Sherry sneered. "Alyssa, do you seriously think you're all that? Kenneth's just playing with you. If anyone's getting dumped, it's you."But Kenneth stepped closer, his tone icy. "You want to break up with me? You don't have the right.""Whether I do or not isn't your call." Without another glance, I turned and walked out.Behind me, the room buzzed with forced laughter, someone trying to smooth things over. "Kenneth, seriously? She's just some girl from the sticks. Have your fun and let it go. Not worth the drama.""Yeah," another added with a snicker. "She'll come crawling back in, what, three days? Tops."Sherry, clearly enjoying herself, handed Kenneth a drink. "You're not actually upset, are you? Alyssa just doesn't know her place."But he slammed the glass down, the crack echoing so loud it shut the room up.After a beat, he muttered, "I'm fine. Keep drinking."But later that night, Kenneth kept checking his phone, waiting fo
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Chapter 5
The screen showed Sherry stuffing the wallet into my locker. Clear as day.Her face went ghost-white, then twisted in fury. "Alyssa! You knew? You set me up!" she shrieked, voice cracking as she lunged at me, hand raised.The room exploded. People scrambled, some trying to hold her back, others whispering loud enough to be heard."Wait, she's rich, right? And she framed someone? That's low.""Glad I didn't side with Sherry. The other girl's poor, sure, but Sherry? Straight-up disgusting."Sherry clawed at the air, but a few students blocked her. Before I could react, a hand grabbed mine, yanking me free from the chaos.Riley stood there, flashing that annoyingly perfect grin of his. "Made it just in time, huh? Saw the livestream—figured you'd need backup. You okay?"I blinked. "Livestream?"Oh, right. Sherry had gone live while accusing me of stealing her wallet. Too bad for her, my receipts were a little too solid. Now, she was the one in deep water.But I wasn't done yet. Th
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Chapter 6
Even though Sherry wasn't showing up at school, she kept blowing up my phone with text messages:[You really think your lame tricks can take me down? Please. Even if I drop out, I'll just study abroad. You're nothing.][Poor people like you can't even imagine what it's like to be rich. Spoiler: you'll never get close, no matter how hard you hustle.][Oh, and Kenneth? You think he actually likes you? He's been engaged to me this whole time. You're just a side chick. A toy.]Her arrogance was almost funny. So, I dropped the receipts.I leaked a chat log—Sherry bragging to her friend about her family's food company. In the messages, she flat-out told her not to eat their snacks because the preservatives were way over the legal limit.I'd taken those screenshots ages ago, back when I was stuck pretending to be her clueless lackey. All that fake smiling and yes-mamming finally paid off.The scandal hit like a bomb. Overnight, Sherry's family name was trash, and their business? Toast.
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Chapter 7
Kenneth walked in with a bag of fruit, casually settling into the chair by my bed. He started peeling an apple with a small knife."You don't need to worry. I won't let Sherry off that easily. And the medical bills? I've got it covered."I frowned. "What's your game? Don't tell me you're over Sherry now."He froze mid-peel, then slowly looked up, his dark eyes locking onto mine. His expression was impossible to read."I've only just realized what it means to like someone," he said softly. "I don't like Sherry. Alyssa, don't leave me."A chill crept up my spine as I noticed the knife in his hand lightly resting on my finger.Instinctively, I pulled back, but he caught my shoulder before I could move further. Leaning in, his forehead touched mine, his breath hot and way too close."Promise me you won't leave," he murmured.I pushed him away, keeping my voice calm. "Were you already engaged to Sherry when you were with me?"Kenneth's eyes flickered with panic, but instead of step
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Chapter 8
"Riley's nothing compared to me," Kenneth said. "I'll take you abroad, lock you away. Then you'll be mine. Completely."I forced myself to stay calm, trying to reason with him. "What you're doing? It's illegal detention. Let me go, and I won't press charges."He laughed, his fingers curling in my hair. "Do you think I'm that stupid? The second I let go, you're running to the cops."I decided to change tactics. "When did this even start for you?"He paused. "That time you gave me strawberry milk. Later, I found out it was something you couldn't bear to drink yourself."Kenneth's voice dropped, almost pleading. "You gave me something so precious. That means you liked me, right?"I opened my mouth, ready to snap him out of his delusion, but the warning bells in my head were too loud to ignore. Stay quiet. Stay safe.My silence must've been the answer he wanted. He pulled me into a suffocating hug, resting his head on my shoulder. "I knew it. Deep down, you care about me. Don't worr
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Chapter 9
"That's impossible!" Sherry blurted. "His family is the wealthiest around—there's no way he could be in jail!""Nothing is impossible. I might not get all the ins and outs of your world, but one thing's clear: once someone's no longer useful, they're disposable."Kenneth? He was exactly that—disposable.But instead of ending up in prison, he got shipped off to a psych ward.The doctors claimed he had severe schizophrenia. Whether it was real or just a convenient excuse, I couldn't tell.One day, though, I saw him again.The school had organized a volunteer program at hospitals and nursing homes, and I got assigned to clean rooms at a psychiatric hospital.That's where I ran into Kenneth.He was sitting quietly in a lounge chair, wearing a blue-and-white striped hospital gown, flipping through a book.Then he looked up and spotted me.To my surprise, he smiled. "Alyssa, you really came to see me."I was taken aback. I hadn't expected him to recognize me.Gone was the cold, c
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