Chapter 2: Public Rivalry
666 Words
Ethan Hayes
Ethan hated mornings.
He hated early practice.
He hated protein shakes.
And he especially hated mandatory school assemblies.
Unfortunately, Westbridge Academy loved all three.
He sat slouched in the back row of the auditorium while the principal gave another painfully long speech about “leadership” and “discipline.”
Beside him, his teammate Noah yawned dramatically.
“If I die here,” Noah whispered, “delete my search history.”
Ethan snorted quietly.
Then the auditorium doors opened.
And suddenly half the male population in the room sat up straighter.
Lena Carter walked in wearing her volleyball jacket over her uniform, dark hair tied neatly back as always.
Confident.
Focused.
Untouchable.
She didn’t even glance around the room.
Just walked straight to the front like she owned the entire school.
Noah leaned toward Ethan immediately.
“She’s terrifying.”
Ethan smirked slightly. “You’re just scared of girls who can beat you up.”
“She could definitely kill someone.”
Probably true.
Lena took her seat near the stage, flipping through notes for her upcoming speech.
Because of course she had prepared notes.
Ethan watched her for a second longer than he meant to.
There was something irritatingly fascinating about Lena Carter.
Maybe because she never cared whether people liked her.
Maybe because she challenged him every single time.
Or maybe because when she looked at him—
really looked at him—
it felt like she saw through every fake smile he gave everyone else.
And Ethan hated being understood.
The principal suddenly adjusted the microphone.
“This year’s Sports Leadership Program captains,” he announced proudly, “will be Lena Carter and Ethan Hayes.”
The auditorium exploded with noise.
Some students laughed immediately.
Others looked horrified.
Ethan leaned back in his chair with a grin.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
Lena, however, looked like she wanted to commit murder.
She stood slowly and walked toward the stage.
Ethan followed beside her.
The second they reached the microphone, she whispered sharply without looking at him—
“If you embarrass me, I’ll kill you.”
He smiled brightly at the crowd. “See? Great teamwork already.”
Students burst into laughter.
Lena elbowed him hard enough to make him wince.
Definitely terrifying.
The principal continued speaking about responsibility, teamwork, and representing the academy.
Ethan barely listened.
Because he could feel Lena’s irritation radiating beside him like heat.
And weirdly—
he liked it.
After the assembly ended, students crowded around them immediately.
“Are you guys actually working together?”
“Who thought that was a good idea?”
“Please tell me someone’s recording this.”
Lena pushed past everyone quickly.
Ethan followed lazily behind her.
“You know,” he called out, “you could try smiling once in a while.”
She stopped walking.
Turned slowly.
And looked directly at him.
Dangerous mistake.
Because every single time she looked at him like that—
cold eyes sharp with irritation—
his pulse reacted in a way he absolutely refused to think about.
“You enjoy annoying me way too much,” she said.
Ethan stepped closer slightly.
“Maybe because you’re fun to annoy.”
Her expression hardened.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“And yet,” he murmured, “you keep talking to me.”
For one brief second, neither of them moved.
The hallway around them blurred into noise.
Students.
Lockers.
Voices.
None of it mattered.
Because suddenly the space between them felt way too small.
Lena seemed to realize it too.
She stepped back first.
“Stay out of my way, Hayes.”
Ethan watched her walk away down the hallway, volleyball jacket swinging behind her.
Then Noah appeared beside him again.
“You are so screwed.”
Ethan frowned slightly. “What?”
Noah laughed. “You like her.”
Ethan immediately scoffed.
“Absolutely not.”
But even as he said it—
he kept watching Lena disappear around the corner.
- Writer
