Sorry if this sounds stupid, but I feel like throwing up: after weeks of falling asleep together in private 3 AM Discord calls, he just announced in our grade's server that he was 'only mentoring a younger kid' when someone teased him about us. Was I seriously just an idiot for thinking whispering until dawn and sharing playlists actually meant something?

Short answer: You’re definitely not an idiot, but he’s acting like a textbook coward. Nobody stays up until 3 AM whispering secrets and swapping playlists just to 'mentor' someone. He knew exactly what kind of intimacy he was building with you in the dark. The ugly truth? The second daylight hit and his peers were watching, his fragile senior ego panicked, so he threw you under the bus to protect his reputation. It's the oldest, cheapest trick around: soaking up your private affection while pretending to be completely unbothered in public. Your immediate move: revoke his VIP pass. No more late-night calls, no more personal playlists. If he slips into your DMs tonight acting like everything is normal, just drop a dry: 'I’m all set on mentoring, thanks.' Then mute the chat. Don’t apologize for having genuine feelings while he was busy acting. Let him sit alone in an empty call.