Average

Cole is a man consumed by self-loathing, trapped in a relentless routine of skincare, diet, and exercise designed to make him something he believes he can never be: beautiful. His face is a constant reminder of his mother's disappointment and the father who abandoned him. He views himself as profoundly, painfully average, and the world as a place that rewards the genetically blessed while ignoring everyone else. His obsession finds a target in Heath, a stunningly attractive man he sees at a coffee shop. Heath seems to glide through life effortlessly, and Cole becomes fixated on discovering his secret. He engineers a meeting in a park, and the two begin a tentative friendship. Cole documents everything about Heath's life—his diet, his lack of routine, his genetic luck—convinced there must be a hidden discipline he can replicate. But as he gets closer, he finds no secret. Heath is simply, unfairly, effortlessly beautiful. Heath, lonely and starved for genuine connection, begins to fall for Cole, who he believes is the only person who truly sees him beyond his face. During a vulnerable moment, Heath confesses his feelings, but Cole, overwhelmed by jealousy and self-hatred, reacts with cruelty. He confesses his own manipulative motives and viciously rejects Heath, telling him he is pathetic for falling for someone so average. This rejection shatters Heath. The novel then descends into a dark psychological spiral, split between the two men's perspectives. Heath, feeling broken and unseen, begins a campaign of escalating, dangerous behavior. He vandalizes property, kills an animal, and frames Cole for drug possession, all while using his beauty and tearful remorse to gain sympathy and evade consequences. The world consistently believes Heath's "troubled" and "remorseful"…