In Love With the Enemy’s Son

“Liora, are you okay?” Mrs. Smith’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, pulling the whole class’s attention with it. Every head lifted from their notebooks and turned toward me. I straightened in my chair. “I’m good,” I said quickly, forcing a small smile. She held my gaze for a moment, like she wasn’t entirely convinced, then nodded and went back to teaching. The attention faded with her. I wasn’t good. My stomach had been twisting all morning, that uneasy warning I knew too well. Except it couldn’t be, not today. Not the fourth. My period wasn’t due until the eighth. I never got it wrong. Except… maybe this time, I had. Panic crept in. I thought about the empty wrapper in my locker from the last pad I’d used. I hadn’t replaced it. Of all the careless mistakes to make, it had to be this one. When the recess bell finally rang, I didn’t waste a second. Before the sound of chairs scraping even died down, I was on my feet and out the door, hurrying into the bathroom before anyone noticed. One glance confirmed it. I was early, too early. And the faint stain on my skirt was proof I couldn’t pretend otherwise. My heart dropped. I pulled out my phone, hands trembling, and sent a quick message to Eddy: Come to the bathroom. It’s urgent. Then I stepped out into the tiled hallway and leaned against the wall, waiting. Voices and laughter drifted from down the hall, but I could barely hear them over the rush of my thoughts. Please let him come. Please don’t let anyone see. Footsteps echoed closer, and relief rushed through me until I looked up. It wasn’t Eddy. It was the last person I wanted to see me like this. Ryan Prescott. I froze, a nervous flutter rising in my stomach. Ryan Prescott wasn’t just the golden boy of Ridgefield High. He was the one everyone watched. He didn’t even have to try. Teachers loved him, coaches bragged about him, and somehow he made walking down a hallway look like something out of a movie. He had this calm, steady kind of confidence that made people straighten up when he passed. Girls whispered when he walked by. Boys pretended not to care, but they noticed too. And I noticed most of all. That was my first mistake, because Ryan wasn’t just anyone. He was a Prescott. The one rule my father drilled into us from the time we could walk was simple: never mix with a Prescott. It wasn’t just a warning; it was law in our house. The Arlingtons and the Prescotts had been enemies long before I was born. Two names that couldn’t exist in the same sentence without someone remembering a lawsuit, a scandal, or a betrayal. My father said their handshake was poison, their smiles rehearsed. To him, a Prescott wasn’t just competition. They were the reason you locked your doors, guarded your business, and raised your children to know who the enemy was. I grew up promising I’d obey that rule. But promises don’t always survive high school. Not when it came to Ryan. I liked him long before I should have. It started small. I noticed him in the hall, the way his hair always fell a little out of place, the curve of his smile when he laughed, and those eyes, gray with a hint of blue. Gosh, he had the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. I told myself it was harmless. Just a thing I’d outgrow. But crushes grow when you try to ignore them. And mine only got worse. Ryan should’ve just walked past. That’s what we always did, ignored each other. But instead, he stopped right in front of me. “Why are you standing here looking lost, Liora?” He said my name. For a heartbeat, I froze. Then it hit me all at once. Ryan Prescott just said my name. My name. I could’ve screamed. My stomach flipped, my brain short-circuited, and I was suddenly aware of how stupidly fast I was breathing. “I… I’m waiting for my brother.” “Eddy?” His brow lifted. “You might be waiting a while. I just saw him and Rossy in the cafeteria. It looked like he wasn’t planning to move anytime soon.” I groaned under my breath. Of course. When Eddy was with Rossy, the rest of the world could burn. Ryan studied me for a moment. “So, what’s the situation?” My face flushed. “It’s nothing.” He tilted his head, unconvinced. “You could keep waiting for your brother. Or you could let me help. Your choice.” He wasn’t wrong. I knew Eddy wasn’t coming. And Ryan’s steady gaze told me he wasn’t leaving until I said something. My voice came out small. “I’m… stained.” Ryan didn’t react. He just gave a small nod. “Wait here.” Before I could answer, he turned and walked off. Minutes dragged by. My stomach twisted tighter with each one. What was I doing, telling him of all people something so personal? Then he came back. He handed me a paper bag. Inside was a pad, a fresh uniform skirt in my size, and new underwear. I went red all over, mortified he’d even thought of this but grateful he had. “Thank you,” I said quickly before hurrying into the stall. When I stepped out, he was still there, waiting. I held the bag close to my chest. “Really… thank you. For everything.” He glanced at me, then at the clock. “Lunch is over. You missed it.” “It’s fine, I don’t feel like eating anyway.” He gave a short nod, shifting like he was about to leave. On impulse, the words left my mouth before I even thought them through. “Wait.” He turned back. My fingers tightened around my phone. “Can I… have your number?” He paused for a second, surprised, then held out his hand. “Phone.” I gave it to him without thinking. A few taps later, he handed it back. His name was there in my contacts: Ryan. He met my eyes. “Bye, Liora.” And just like that, he was gone. Almost instantly, Eddy rounded the corner, slightly out of breath. “Sorry. I just saw your text.” He stopped, scanning the hall. “I heard voices. Were you talking to Ryan?” I stumbled over my words. “What? No. Why would I?” Eddy gave me a look, then laughed it off. “Right. Like you ever would.” “I already got help,” I said, forcing a smile. “Let’s go.” Relief spread through me as we walked away. Not getting caught speaking with the enemy was victory enough. Ryan Prescott had spoken to me. He helped me, saved me from a disaster I’d never live down. And now his number was saved in my phone, proof it really happened. I pressed my lips together to hide my grin. Inside, I was doing cartwheels. My period might’ve come early, but maybe today was my lucky day after all. Underneath all the excitement, a quiet fear settled in. If my father ever discovered I’d spoken to a Prescott, the fallout would be ugly.