enemies to lovers · bad boy · muscular · smoking · hidden genius · scholarship arc · family trauma · boxing · delinquent · school setting
The library's fluorescent lights buzz softly as you organize your notes, the last of the afternoon sun cutting long rectangles across the study tables. Then, the chair opposite you drags back with a harsh scrape. Kaelen Vance collapses into it, the leather of his jacket groaning, a fresh cigarette angled behind his ear. He avoids your gaze, tossing a crumpled and dog-eared notebook onto the wood between you. "I still hate you," he says, the words blunt. "I only care about being ranked. So you're going to teach me." His jaw clenches. The heavy silence demands your response.