His Beautiful Rival

3.ASSIGNED TUTOR

The final bell of the day echoed through the halls of Westwood High, and I couldn't wait to get out. I slung my backpack over my shoulder, ready to head to the field for practice, but the memory of being summoned to Dean Patterson’s office earlier in the day lingered. Something about the way the message was delivered didn’t sit right with me. I wasn’t told why, just that I needed to come. That usually wasn’t a good sign.

I made my way through the crowded hallways, feeling a mix of frustration and dread. The office door stood ahead like a gate to bad news. I knocked once, my knuckles hitting the wood harder than I intended.

“Come in, Blaze,” Dean Patterson’s voice called from inside.

Taking a breath, I opened the door and stepped into the room. The dean’s office was as cluttered as ever—stacks of files, papers spread out like he was planning a war. I took a seat across from him, trying to appear calm, though my gut told me something was about to go down.

Dean Patterson adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp behind them. He leaned forward, hands clasped together on the desk. “Blaze, I called you here to discuss your academic performance.”

Of course, my grades. I clenched my jaw. I already knew they weren’t where they should be, but hearing it from the dean made it worse. Still, I wasn’t here to be lectured like a kid who didn’t know better.

“You have potential,” he continued, his voice firm but not unkind. “But your grades have been slipping. If you want to succeed this year, you need to take your studies more seriously. You know what's at stake right now.”

Yeah, I knew. The football team. My escape. I could feel my frustration bubbling under the surface, but I just nodded. No point in arguing.

“I’ve arranged for you to have a tutor,” Dean Patterson added, his eyes locked on me like he was waiting for my reaction.

My stomach twisted. A tutor? I didn’t need a babysitter to hold my hand through assignments. “Who is it?” I asked, barely keeping the irritation out of my voice.

“Seraphina Maverick,” he said, as if it was no big deal.

The name hit me like a punch to the gut. Seraphina? Are you kidding me? Of all people. My enemy, the girl who always managed to outshine me, who had this holier-than-thou attitude that drove me crazy. And the worst part? She had tried to comfort me earlier today, after the whole thing with my father. It made me feel weak, and now I was supposed to sit and study with her?

“There must be someone else,” I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady, but inside I was fuming. “Anyone else.”

Dean Patterson shook his head, his decision clearly final. “Seraphina is the best choice. She’s brilliant, and she genuinely wants to help. I suggest you put aside any personal differences and focus on improving your grades.”

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my temper in check. The last thing I needed was Seraphina looking down on me, seeing me as some project she needed to fix. But what could I do? Dean Patterson wasn’t giving me a choice.

“Fine,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “When do we start?”

“Tomorrow after school,” he said, his tone all business. “She’ll meet you in the library. Make sure you’re there on time.”

I didn’t even bother replying as I stood up and left the office. The door clicked shut behind me, but the noise didn’t drown out the anger buzzing in my head. Seraphina. Of all the people in this school, why did it have to be her?

As I walked through the hallways, memories of the day rushed back. Her soft voice earlier, her stupid attempt to comfort me after my father’s little scene in front of the principal's office. At the time, I’d been too pissed to appreciate it, but now it just made me feel worse. I didn’t want her pity. I didn’t want anything from her.

I pushed open the doors to the outside, the late afternoon sun hitting me like a slap in the face. Across the parking lot, I spotted Luca leaning against my car, waiting like he always did.

“How’d it go?” he asked, noticing the look on my face.

I shook my head, the frustration still boiling inside me. “They’ve assigned me a tutor.”

Luca raised an eyebrow. “A tutor? Who?” He looked genuinely curious, but I didn’t have the energy to sugarcoat it.

“Seraphina,” I said, the name bitter on my tongue.

Luca’s eyes widened. “Wait, Seraphina Maverick? That Seraphina? Man, that’s rough.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to shake off the tension, but it wasn’t working. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with this.”

Luca gave me a sympathetic look, patting my shoulder like he always did when things got rough. “Hey, maybe it won’t be that bad. I mean, she’s smart, right? You might actually learn something.”

I forced a laugh, though it felt hollow. “Yeah, maybe. Or maybe it’ll be a total disaster.”

Luca shrugged. “Either way, you’ve got this. You’re Blaze Hernandez. You can handle anything.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. As we walked to our cars, I couldn’t shake the knot of dread in my gut. Tomorrow, I’d have to face Seraphina in the library, and I had no idea how that was going to go. But I knew one thing for sure—this year was going to be full of surprises, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for any of them.

~☆~

Seraphina's POV

The school day had finally ended, and I stepped out into the early evening light, breathing in the fresh air. New Downtown pulsed with its usual energy—cars honking, people talking and laughing as they passed by, the city’s hum always in the background. Despite the noise, I found a strange sense of calm. I always did.

I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, letting the cool breeze ruffle my bobbed hair as I began my walk home. My mind kept circling back to the events of the day. I had agreed to tutor Blaze, which surprised me as much as it would anyone who knew us. Blaze Hernandez—the football star, the boy who barely looked at me unless it was to compete or glare. It seemed impossible that we'd be sitting across from each other, not fighting for once, but working together.

Still, I hoped this would be a chance for us to finally bury whatever animosity we’d held onto for so long. Maybe, if he let his guard down, he’d realize I wasn’t his enemy. I wanted to help him. That wasn’t such a bad thing, was it?

As I walked through New Downtown, the city lights began to flicker on, casting a soft, colorful glow over the pavement. The crowd thinned out the further I went, my steps growing quieter, more deliberate. I hadn’t planned on going to the cemetery, but my feet led me there, like they always did when I needed to clear my head. I couldn’t remember a time when this place didn’t feel like home and heartache all at once.

I entered through the old iron gate, the noise of the city fading behind me. The silence here was a stark contrast, almost comforting. The gravel crunched beneath my shoes as I made my way along the familiar path. When I reached Maeve’s grave, my chest tightened. Her name was carved into the marble, so permanent, so cold.

Kneeling down, I ran my fingers over the letters. Maeve. My twin. My best friend. My protector. I often wondered what she'd say if she were here now, if she’d laugh at the ridiculousness of my situation with Blaze or offer some wise advice that would make everything seem so much simpler.

“Hey, Maeve,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat. “I miss you.”

Sitting on the soft grass, I let the stillness surround me. This was my space, our space. A place where I could say the things I couldn’t say to anyone else. I told her everything—about the tutoring, about Blaze’s irritation when I tried to comfort him earlier. And of course, about the hole she left in my life.

“You know, Maeve, I’m tutoring Blaze now,” I said, half-laughing at the absurdity of it. “I’m sure he hates it already. I’m not sure what I expected—maybe that we’d work together without wanting to strangle each other. But we’ll see.”

The stars began to dot the sky, twinkling softly above me. “You always knew how to make things less complicated,” I murmured, looking up. “I could really use that right now.”

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves around me, and I liked to believe it was Maeve’s way of answering, her way of telling me she was still with me, guiding me in her quiet, subtle way. I closed my eyes and let the feeling wash over me, a moment of peace I rarely found elsewhere.

After a while, I stood up, brushing the grass off my skirt. My fingers lingered on her headstone one last time. “I’ll come back soon,” I promised softly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I love you.”

The walk back to the city felt different. The weight that had settled in my chest when I left school was lighter now. I wasn’t sure how things with Blaze would go, but I knew I had to face it head-on. Maeve would have. She would’ve wanted me to be strong, to face every challenge with the same grit she’d had.

As the city’s lights came back into view, the familiar buzz of life greeted me. New Downtown awaited, bustling and loud as ever. But this time, I felt ready. Because unlike before, I knew there wouldn’t be a twin sister to hide me from the world. This time, I had to stand on my own.