Sparks & Spite

Chapter 3: The Rules

The first rule was simple.

Never come second.

Amara Daniels learned that rule when she was eight years old.

She remembered the day clearly.

She'd come home from a spelling competition carrying a silver medal and a proud smile.

She'd beaten dozens of students.

Her teacher had praised her.

Her classmates had cheered.

To eight-year-old Amara, it had felt like winning.

Her father had looked at the medal.

Then he'd asked one question.

"Who came first?"

The memory still stung.

Even now.

Years later.

Because the answer had never changed.

Second wasn't enough.

Not in the Daniels household.

Not ever.

The sound of her alarm dragged her back to reality.

6:00 a.m.

Amara groaned and sat up.

Her body ached from exhaustion.

The previous day's events replayed in her mind.

Physics project.

Ethan.

Library.

Four o'clock.

The thought alone was enough to ruin her morning.

A knock sounded at her bedroom door.

"Breakfast."

Her mother's voice.

Short.

Sharp.

No warmth.

Amara swallowed.

"I'm coming."

The house was already silent when she entered the dining room.

Her father sat at the head of the table reading emails on his tablet.

Her younger brother, Caleb, quietly ate cereal.

Her mother arranged plates with military precision.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody smiled.

Amara took her seat.

For a moment, she thought she might survive breakfast without hearing about the rankings.

Then her father looked up.

"Have you spoken to your teachers?"

Her stomach tightened.

"No."

"You should."

Amara stared at her plate.

"Okay."

"You need to understand where you lost marks."

The words sounded calm.

Reasonable.

But she knew what they really meant.

Do better.

Try harder.

Don't disappoint us again.

Her father returned to his tablet.

Conversation over.

Amara suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

School felt like freedom.

Which was ironic.

Most students hated being there.

Amara preferred it to home.

At least at school people liked her.

At least at school mistakes didn't follow her into every room.

She was halfway to her locker when Lily appeared.

"Good morning."

"You seem cheerful."

"I got eight hours of sleep."

Amara nearly cried from jealousy.

Lily studied her face.

"Bad breakfast?"

Amara sighed.

"How do you always know?"

"Because you've got your 'I want to disappear into another dimension' face."

"I have a face for that?"

"You absolutely do."

Despite herself, Amara laughed.

The tension in her chest eased slightly.

Just slightly.

"Come on," Lily said.

"We've got chemistry."

"And if we're lucky, the lab won't explode."

"With our class?"

"Good point."

By lunchtime, rumors about the Physics project had spread through the entire school.

Unfortunately.

Amara discovered this when three different students stopped her to ask whether she and Ethan had already started fighting.

By the third person, she was considering violence.

"Famous again?" Lily asked.

"I hate everyone."

"That's fair."

They found their usual table.

For five glorious minutes, nobody bothered them.

Then Ethan arrived.

Of course he did.

"Daniels."

"Cole."

"Still angry?"

"I wasn't aware I ever stopped."

A grin appeared on his face.

Amara hated that grin.

Mostly because it looked good on him.

Which was incredibly inconvenient.

Lily immediately noticed.

And immediately looked smug.

Traitor.

Ethan sat down.

Across from him, Noah appeared seconds later.

"Have you two named your future children yet?"

Amara nearly choked.

Ethan looked horrified.

Lily laughed so hard she almost dropped her drink.

Noah looked proud of himself.

Which was unfortunate.

Because he clearly intended to continue.

The rest of the day passed surprisingly quickly.

And before Amara knew it—

It was four o'clock.

Library time.

She arrived exactly on time.

Not a minute early.

Not a minute late.

Because punctuality mattered.

And because she refused to give Ethan the satisfaction of seeing her rush.

The library was quiet.

Rows of shelves stretched in every direction.

Students sat scattered around tables.

Some studied.

Others pretended to study.

Amara immediately spotted Ethan.

He was already there.

Of course he was.

A notebook lay open in front of him.

Several pages were filled with neat handwriting.

The sight irritated her.

Why was he always prepared?

"You're late."

Amara checked her watch.

"No, I'm not."

"Thirty seconds."

"You counted?"

"Maybe."

She rolled her eyes and sat down.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The silence felt strange.

Different.

Normally, when they were together, they argued.

Competed.

Provoked each other.

Now there was just...

Silence.

Finally Ethan pushed a notebook toward her.

"I made a list."

Amara blinked.

"A list?"

"Project ideas."

She looked down.

The list was surprisingly detailed.

She hated how impressed she felt.

"You did all this already?"

"I had free time."

"You're a nerd."

He looked offended.

"Coming from you?"

"Fair point."

To her horror, Ethan laughed.

A real laugh.

Not a smug one.

Not a teasing one.

A genuine laugh.

The sound caught her off guard.

For a second, she forgot to respond.

Then Ethan noticed.

And smirked.

There it was.

The annoying version.

Much safer.

An hour later, they had accomplished more than expected.

The project topic was chosen.

Tasks were divided.

Deadlines were set.

Everything was organized.

It should have been a disaster.

Instead—

It had actually gone well.

Which felt suspicious.

Amara packed her books.

"I guess we're done."

"For today."

She nodded.

Outside, the sky was beginning to darken.

Most students had already gone home.

The parking lot looked almost empty.

For a moment, neither moved.

Neither seemed eager to leave.

The realization made Amara nervous.

Because she was starting to enjoy spending time with Ethan.

Just a little.

And that was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Ethan stood first.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Probably."

"That's how school works."

She rolled her eyes.

He smiled.

Then he walked away.

Amara watched him disappear down the sidewalk.

Only after he was gone did she realize something.

For the first time in years—

She had spent an entire afternoon with Ethan Cole.

And they hadn't argued once.

That should have felt like a victory.

Instead, it felt like the beginning of something she didn't quite understand.

Something complicated.

Something dangerous.

And somehow—

She couldn't stop thinking about it.