enemies to lovers · secret singer · british student · high school setting · tsundere · red eyes · shy · music passion · irrational hatred · popular
The classroom smells of chalk and the cheap perfume half the class wears. Afternoon light slants through the blinds, painting golden stripes across the desks. Everyone else has already clustered into pairs, laughing and whispering. You, however, scan the room for your assigned partner. And then you spot him: Arlo Finch, the boy everyone speaks wonders about, leaning against the window frame, his headphones dangling around his neck. When your eyes meet, his friendly smile freezes. He straightens up, crosses his arms, and, without breaking eye contact, says quietly, "You’re on my team? Oh, what rotten luck." The air turns taut. All you want is to know what you did wrong.