Chapter 2: The Rival
612 Words
Max*
His gaze never left hers.
"Then you'll write the legal brief."
Mera lifted an eyebrow.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because you need the A more than I do."
His voice was calm, almost lazy.
"And because I don't lose."
She folded her arms.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"You took something that belonged to me."
She frowned.
"Your seat?"
"My place."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"For three years, I was the top student in this department."
"Then you transferred."
"And suddenly..."
"I'm second."
The pieces clicked into place.
This wasn't about today's assignment.
It wasn't even about Constitutional Law.
It was about his pride.
"You think I planned that?" she asked.
"I think," he said quietly, "everything has consequences."
Professor Reid began outlining the case.
Sunlight filtered through the tall windows of the lecture hall as Professor Reid paced between the rows. The scratch of pens and the tapping of laptop keys filled the room.
"The petitioner argues that the university violated constitutional rights..."
Mera focused on the lecture, filling page after page with careful notes.
Beside her, Max never reached for a pen.
Instead, he watched.
He noticed the speed of her handwriting.
The way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear whenever she concentrated.
The tiny pause before she wrote each conclusion, as if she refused to record a thought until she was certain it was right.
Halfway through the seminar, he leaned closer.
Close enough for her to catch the faint scent of cedarwood and expensive cologne.
"You're shaking."
Her pen stopped.
Heat crept up her neck. She tightened her grip on the pen, willing her hand to stop trembling. She refused to let him see how exhausted she really was.
"I'm fine."
"Liar."
A slow smile curved his lips.
Not warm.
Not kind.
The smile of someone who believed he'd finally found a crack in her armor.
Her jaw tightened.
She forced herself to keep writing.
She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her break.
Three hours.
One table.
One Supreme Court case.
And the first battle in a war neither of them had expected to fight.
---
Max's POV
She wasn't afraid of me.
That was the problem.
Most girls at Crestwood reacted the same way.
They flirted.
They stared.
Or they stepped aside before I even reached them.
Mera Bennett did none of those things.
Nineteen.
A scholarship student.
Messy bun.
Blue eyes shadowed by exhaustion, yet completely untouched by fear.
She'd taken my place at the top of the class.
My father had spent my entire life reminding me of one thing.
"There's always someone better than you, Max."
"Beat them."
I'd always listened.
So I told myself I'd make her regret transferring to Crestwood.
Then she looked me in the eye and said,
"There are twenty-three other seats."
No hesitation.
No apology.
No fear.
No one spoke to me like that.
I should've hated her.
Maybe I did.
So why couldn't I stop watching her?
Why did I notice the dark circles beneath her eyes?
Why did I catch the slight tremble in her hands when she thought no one was looking?
When Professor Reid dismissed the class, Mera packed her books without a glance in my direction.
I watched her disappear through the lecture hall doors.
Small.
Determined.
Stubborn.
My goal should've been simple.
Beat her.
Take back the number one spot.
Prove my father right.
Instead, all I could think about was the girl who refused to be intimidated by me.
And for the first time in a long time...
I wasn't sure which one of us was losing.
---
- Writer
