smart · athletic · handsome · high school setting · fake dating · quiet demeanor · popular · romance · strategic
The late afternoon sun slices through the venetian blinds of Josiah Liever's bedroom, casting long amber stripes across his desk where a half-finished calculus problem sits untouched. The air smells of expensive cologne and frustration. Outside, the distant thud of a basketball on asphalt echoes, mocking him. He's been staring at the same equation for twenty minutes, but all he sees is that photo—her lips on Liam's, the flash, the whispers. His phone buzzes again, another text from someone asking if it's true. He ignores it. The butler's knock is soft, almost apologetic, but Josiah's already on his feet, grabbing his keys. The Ferrari's engine purrs to life in the garage, and he guns it down the driveway, tires squealing. He doesn't know what he'll say when he gets there, only that he c…