The Sinister Screen Queen

Tanya sat at her desk, staring at the homework sheet in front of her.

Her pencil tapped rhythmically against the edge of the table as boredom settled in. The equations on the page felt more like hieroglyphics than something worth her time.

"Seriously." She muttered, "I know the material. I only need to pass the exams. Who cares about this busywork?"

Seriously? Casey's voice dripped with exasperation. You can't even pretend to try?

Tanya sighed dramatically, picked up the paper, and crumpled it into a tight ball. Without a second thought, she sent it sailing out of her open window.

"Why bother? I'll pass easily. School's you know... fluff."

Your stepmother might care. She seemed pretty chill about us being out late, though. Can't imagine she'd be thrilled with homework flying out the window.

"She has her moments."

Tanya had returned home not long ago, and the house was still pretty quiet. Keira was still out, her father wasn't back yet, and that left her stepmother Sonya at home.

Sonya appeared at Tanya's door, arms crossed, with a concerned poise.

 "Tanya." Sonya said in a tone indicating she had done something wrong.

"If you're going out like that again, I expect a call every thirty minutes. And if I don't hear from you, I will call the police."

Tanya considered the seriousness in her stepmother's voice. "Every thirty minutes? Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"I'm not joking Tanya." Sonya said unwavering.

"It's for your safety. You vanish without a word, and I'm left thinking you've been kidnapped or worse."

"Fine." Tanya reluctantly agreed to her demands. "I'll call. Happy?"

Sonya gave her a relieved nod. "Good. Thank you... don't make me worry like that again."

"Noted." Tanya replied, thinking the extra effort was a minor inconvenience but manageable.

Sonya took hold of Tanya's hand. "I know it's different here for you, but know."

"I love you." Sonya kissed her daughter's forehead.

Tanya smiled rolling onto her bed. "Sonya's cool, but she's also a bit of a mother hen. She threatened to call the cops if I didn't check in every half hour when I'm out. Overkill."

She was serious. That's what makes it amusing.

"Minor nuisance." Tanya said with a shrug, stretching her arms.

"Better than having someone who doesn't care at all."

She sat up and began exploring her room, opening the doors to her wardrobe.

The sight of pristine designer clothes greeted her, neatly arranged by color and style. Some pieces still had their tags.

"Beautiful." Tanya fingering a luxurious silk dress.

"These are... incredible. Past me really had some serious taste."

She moved on to her vanity, finding rows of perfume bottles, each an iconic brand. Jewelry boxes held sparkling treasures, necklaces, rings, earrings, and more. Tanya let out a low whistle.

"Didn't hold back, did I?" She mused, lifting a diamond bracelet to the light.

Eventually, she flopped back onto the bed, her legs dangling over the edge. "Alright, Casey. Show me the gains."

A holographic screen appeared in her mind, numbers and notifications flashing:

+3000 EP: A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

 +660 EP: Keira Knightley

+1000 EP: Sonya Pendragon

Congratulations! Emilia relationship reaches 2 stars.

+700: Emilia

Congratulations! Ming Xia relationship reaches 2 stars.

+250: Ming Xia

+100: Blonde bully girl 1

+100: Brunette bully girl 2

+300: Other

Total: +EP 6010

Tanya blinked at the total. "Six thousand and ten in one day? Not bad."

Half of that came from tormenting girls Casey commented dryly.

She groaned. "That's your fault. You made that mission."

Guilty as charged Casey said with mock cheerfulness.

Tanya rolled her eyes, but then something else caught her attention. "What's this about 2-star relationships?"

Everyone starts at one star unless they're close to you. At one star, you can only earn 100 EP from that person daily

"That's so unfair!" Tanya protested. "It'll take forever to get the diamond rewards if I'm stuck with that."

It's to prevent cheating the system Casey said sarcastically.

We wouldn't want you exploiting the loopholes now, would we?

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Fine. How much do I get with two stars?"

Two-star relationships grant 1000 EP daily. It means you're on decent terms with someone, but you're not particularly close.

Tanya glanced at the notification. "So that's why Emilia and Sonya are two stars. Makes sense. And what about three stars? Anybody at that level?"

Keira Knightley Casey replied smugly.

Three stars mean you're pretty close.

Tanya's jaw dropped.

"Keira? Close? Did we become BFFs in this timeline when I wasn't looking?"

Apparently, despite your rivalry Casey said, sounding amused.

Tanya can't believe it. "How much does 3 stars allow me to earn?"

10,000 EP every day

Tanya takes a moment to process that.

"When Keira gets home she won't be leaving ever again."

…

I think that'll be holding Keira against her will Casey seems slightly disturbed.

"Don't care, with that much potential points in Keira I'll be getting a bronze draw every day." Tanya begins to imagine all the ways she can administrate torture.

Hold on!!! Casey hurriedly tries to save Keira.

While you can gain stars you can also lose relationship stars by doing things that they don't like

A 3 star can fall to 1 star Casey hopes that dissuades this sociopath.

Tanya frowns and mentally shovels all her plans on tying Keira down.

Before Tanya could respond, her phone buzzed on her nightstand.

She picked it up and saw the caller ID.

Versace

A familiar number from one of her popular girl acquaintances.

A slow, sly grin spread across her face as she accepted the call.