POV: Ava Carter
There are two things I believe with absolute certainty:
One, black coffee should be its own food group.
Two, Jace Collins was sent to earth solely to ruin my life.
I spotted him the moment I stepped into Westbridge High's main hallway—leaning against his locker like he didn't have a care in the world. His stupidly perfect jawline caught the light, making him look like he belonged on a magazine cover instead of in my nightmare.
Jace had that "effortless hot guy" look down to a science—messy dark brown hair that fell just right over his eyebrows, olive skin, and eyes so blue they looked fake. He was wearing a fitted black hoodie, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, showing off tan forearms he definitely knew would get attention. And of course, he had that half-smirk on his face. The one that said, Yeah, I know you hate me—and I love it.
Meanwhile, I was wearing my usual combat gear—jeans, a fitted navy tee, and my lucky black boots. My thick brown curls were tied in a loose ponytail, my eyeliner sharp enough to kill. I didn't do cute. I did focused. Determined. Untouchable.
So when he saw me and grinned like we were best friends, I knew something was up.
"Morning, Carter," he called, voice lazy like honey.
"Don't talk to me before 8:30," I muttered, walking straight past him toward my locker.
"Touchy," he said, falling into step beside me. "Did someone forget her second coffee?"
I turned slowly and gave him my best glare. "What do you want, Collins?"
"Just wanted to wish my favorite rival a good first day back. Senior year. Big deal."
His grin widened, and I fought the sudden urge to throw my textbook at his face.
Jace and I had been enemies since sixth grade, when he poured soda into my science project because I wouldn't let him copy my notes. Since then, we'd been in a permanent state of war. Every year, every class, every time one of us tried to get ahead, the other was right there to block it.
"You got taller," he said, squinting at me.
"You got cockier," I snapped.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
Before I could fire back, Principal Lee's voice crackled through the speakers. "Attention, seniors. Please report to the auditorium for orientation. You'll receive your class schedules and partner assignments for the year's main project."
I froze. Partner assignments?
No. No way. The universe wouldn't be that cruel.
"Partner assignments?" Jace repeated with an evil sparkle in his eye. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."
---
The auditorium buzzed with excitement and chaos. Students laughed, whispered, and traded summer gossip while I sat on the edge of the second row, hands clenched into fists in my lap. I scanned the list projected onto the big screen at the front, searching for my name.
Ava Carter – Jace Collins
My heart sank.
I blinked. Then blinked again. But it didn't change.
This had to be a joke. A glitch. Some cruel prank from the tech gods.
"Well, well," Jace said, flopping into the seat beside me like he belonged there. "Looks like the universe ships us."
"Looks like the universe needs to mind its own business," I muttered.
He leaned closer, whispering, "You know this means we're gonna have to spend time together. Like... real time. Not just me throwing paper balls at your head in math."
"Trust me, Collins. You'll regret this before the week is over."
"Not a chance," he said with that signature smirk.
God help me.
---
By lunch, the news had spread.
"Wait—you and Jace are partners?" my best friend Layla asked, her eyes wide with horror and amusement. "Like, for the whole year?"
"Yup." I stabbed my fork into my salad like it had personally offended me. "Some kind of 'social bonding' experiment for the leadership program. We're supposed to work on a community project and write a joint report."
Layla winced. "You're going to kill him."
"Not if he dies of his own ego first."
Jace walked past our table just then, tray in hand, and winked. WINKED. The girls at the table behind us giggled.
I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt.
"Honestly," Layla said, sipping her iced tea, "if he weren't so infuriating, I'd say he's kind of—"
"Don't finish that sentence," I warned.
She laughed. "Okay, okay. But maybe this is a good thing. You'll both learn to be civil."
"I don't want civil. I want him gone."
But deep down, part of me knew that was a lie. Because as much as I claimed to hate Jace Collins… he made everything more interesting.
---
After school, I found him waiting by the bike racks, tossing an apple in the air like he had all the time in the world.
"Stalking me now?" I asked, shifting my backpack.
"I figured we should talk about our project," he said. "You know, be responsible partners. You like being responsible, don't you?"
I crossed my arms. "Fine. What did you have in mind?"
"My place. Saturday. Noon."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"My place. Big table, quiet space. My mom's out of town, so no distractions."
I hesitated. Going to his house sounded like stepping into the enemy's fortress.
"Unless you're scared," he added, cocking an eyebrow.
I narrowed my eyes. "You wish."
"See you Saturday, Carter."
He walked off, apple still in hand, and for once, I was too stunned to reply.
I had no idea what I'd just agreed to. But one thing was clear:
Hating him was easy.
Not falling into his trap?
That was going to be the hard part.