Chapter 3: Detention

By Monday morning, I had convinced myself that Evan Carter was no longer worth my attention. The plan was simple: attend classes, maintain my grades, avoid unnecessary drama, and most importantly, stay as far away from him as possible.

Unfortunately, life at Westbrridge Academy seemed determined to destroy every plan I made.

The first two periods passed peacefully. For the first time since arriving at the school, I was beginning to relax. Maybe I had exaggerated things. Maybe Evan had already grown bored of teasing me.

Then history class happened.

Mr. Thompson walked into the room carrying a stack of papers and the smile teachers wore whenever they were about to ruin a student's day.

"I have exciting news," he announced.

The collective groan from the class suggested nobody agreed.

"We're starting a partner project."

Immediately, students began turning toward their friends. Chairs scraped against the floor. Excited whispers filled the room.

I turned toward Sophia with hope in my eyes.

"Please tell me we're partners."

She winced.

That was all the answer I needed.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach as Mr. Thompson began reading names. Each second felt longer than the last.

Then it happened.

"Lily Anderson and Evan Carter."

The room exploded.

Some students laughed. Others openly stared at us.

One girl actually whispered, "This is going to be a disaster."

She wasn't wrong.

Across the room, Evan looked up from his phone. His expression remained unreadable, though I thought I saw amusement flicker in his eyes.

I buried my face in my hands.

Of course.

Out of hundreds of students in this school, I had been paired with the one person I couldn't stand.

The bell rang forty minutes later, but my suffering wasn't over.

"As for Lily and Evan," Mr. Thompson continued while gathering his papers, "I'd like you both to stay after school and discuss your project."

I froze.

Evan sighed.

Neither of us looked happy.

An hour later, the classroom was nearly empty. Golden afternoon sunlight spilled across the desks, painting long shadows across the room. Outside, students laughed as they headed home, leaving the school strangely quiet.

For several minutes, neither of us spoke.

The silence stretched between us like a challenge neither wanted to lose.

Finally, Evan tossed his pen onto the desk.

"This is ridiculous."

I glanced up.

"What is?"

"The fact that we're both pretending we don't have to work together."

His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.

I crossed my arms. "I'm not pretending anything."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Right."

God, I hated that smirk.

Before I could respond, the classroom door suddenly opened.

A girl stepped inside.

And every thought in my head disappeared.

She was beautiful.

Not just pretty. Beautiful.

Long dark hair fell over her shoulders, and her confidence filled the room before she even spoke. She walked straight toward Evan as if she belonged there.

Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him.

"Evan," she said with a bright smile, "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Something twisted uncomfortably in my chest.

I didn't know why.

And I definitely didn't want to think about it.

What bothered me even more was Evan's reaction.

Because instead of pulling away, he looked directly at me.

A slow smile appeared on his face.

The kind of smile that meant trouble.

The kind of smile that warned me he was about to enjoy whatever happened next.

And suddenly, I had a feeling this project was going to be the least of my problems.

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