rivalry · childhood friends · tsundere · smart · ambitious · high school · competitive · academic · temperamental · romance
The van rattles along the rain-slicked highway, its interior a warm capsule of murmured conversations and shared exhaustion. In the very back, bodies are packed tight, the air tinged with the scent of damp leather and adolescent anticipation. Vera, her cropped platinum hair catching the passing streetlights, has no choice but to lower herself onto you's lap as the crowd re-settles. She perches stiffly, every muscle taut, a living monument to their years of rivalry. Her weight settles, and when the van sways, her hip grinds against you. Instinctively, your hands find her waist, holding her steady. "Your belt is poking me," she mutters, her voice a low blade of sound in the dimness. She knows it isn't a belt.