Chapter 3 – The Challenge

The first day at my new school was… a disaster.

Not because I didn’t like it—actually, the classrooms were bright, the teachers seemed nice—but because I wasn’t prepared for Ethan.

Of course, he had to go to the same school. Of course.

I walked through the hallways, trying to keep a low profile, when I heard laughter. Not just any laughter—the kind that made your stomach twist.

“Look who it is!” a familiar voice called out.

I froze. And there he was, leaning casually against the lockers, that smug grin in place like he owned the hallway. He wasn’t alone—he had a group of friends around him, all looking entertained.

“Lila,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “you sure you’re going to survive here?”

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. I wanted to disappear into the floor.

“I’ll survive just fine,” I said, trying to sound confident, though my voice shook.

One of his friends snickered. “She’s cute when she’s flustered.”

I glared at him, wishing for the world to swallow me whole. Ethan just smirked, crossing his arms. That infuriating smirk that made me want to punch him—and hug him at the same time.

Classes were a blur of faces, books, and whispers. I felt eyes on me constantly. I knew why. It wasn’t just the “new girl” factor—it was him. Ethan. Somehow, his presence followed me everywhere, like gravity had nothing on him.

During lunch, I tried to sit alone outside in the courtyard, desperate for a moment of peace. But of course, he appeared, tossing a bottle of water onto the table near me.

“You’re sitting alone,” he said, casually flipping his hair back. “Thought you could escape me?”

“I… I just wanted a quiet lunch,” I said, exasperated.

He sat down across from me anyway, elbows on the table. “Quiet isn’t your style. Admit it.”

“I do like quiet,” I shot back.

He leaned forward, eyes glinting. “Then why is your heart racing every time I’m near?”

I choked on my drink. He smirked again, enjoying it far too much.

“Shut up,” I muttered, hiding my flushed face behind my hands.

Later that afternoon, there was a group project in history class. And of course, fate paired us together.

I groaned internally, but tried to stay professional. “So, uh… we should probably start planning,” I said.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, grinning. “Planning? Sounds boring. How about we make it… interesting?”

“Interesting how?” I asked warily.

“You’ll see,” he said, mysterious and infuriating.

Throughout the project, he teased me relentlessly. Dropping pens, making jokes, “accidentally” bumping into me. Every touch, every glance made me feel dizzy and frustrated all at once.

I wanted to push him away. I wanted to ignore him. And yet, I couldn’t. There was something about him that made it impossible to stay mad—or indifferent—for long.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted, my emotions all over the place. Ethan, of course, looked completely unbothered—smirking like he knew he’d won some invisible game.

That night, I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to process the day.

He was infuriating. Cocky. Rude. Arrogant. And yet… I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

The way he smirked when I was flustered. The way his eyes seemed to see straight through me. The way my stomach fluttered every time he brushed against me.

I hugged my pillow, pressing my face into it. This was going to be… complicated.

I didn’t know whether to hate him—or admit that I was already falling for him.

And that realization scared me more than any first day of school ever could.

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