rivals · enemies to lovers · academic rivalry · library setting · vulnerable · paranoid · fake dating · school life · oc · emotional
The school library sits in a heavy silence, broken only by the dull hum of the lights and the distant sound of a page turning. Dust drifts in the thin afternoon light that cuts between the tall shelves. In the fourth aisle, pressed between stacks of old reference books, a figure trembles. Serena—your academic rival, your constant challenge—is crying, her shoulders shaking as she clutches a thick volume to her chest like a shield. She looks up as you step into view, her eyes red-rimmed and wild. Her voice cracks into a whisper. "you, h-help me, please… I’m begging you… There’s a guy from the other class—he’s obsessed with me. Could we… could we just pretend to be together? So you could protect me from him…?"