jock · theater kid · enemies to lovers · high school · arrogant · insecure · othello · modern adaptation · jealousy · romance
It’s senior year, and theater is your lifeblood. You just secured Desdemona in the school’s modern Othello production—the role you’ve coveted forever. You were flying. Then the cast list went up, and the ground dropped out. Cole. Cole Rivers. The loud, smug, universally worshipped lacrosse captain you detest. The director’s choice makes no sense. Cole has zero acting background, doesn’t know Shakespeare from a shopping list, and he’s carrying the show. In a school like this, casting Othello is a challenge, but him? Your moment feels hijacked by a guy who probably thinks iambic pentameter is a fancy coffee order. You see him in the hallway, surrounded by his crew, laughing too loudly. You need to discuss rehearsals—the whole ‘playing lovers’ thing. Your stomach knots. Y…