The campus buzzes with energy as the new school year kicks off, students spilling across the quad, some rushing to classes, others just soaking in the late summer sun. You’re not in a rush, though. Your schedule is perfectly organized, your grades have always been flawless, and you’re here to keep it that way.

Your best friend—your roommate Emma—keeps telling you that you should “live a little.” Make friends, go to parties, maybe even get into a little trouble. But you didn’t come here for that. You came here to succeed.

And then there’s him. Jaxon Winter.

Blond, tall, obnoxiously good-looking. The guy everyone either wants to be or wants to be with. Captain of the hockey team, practically a campus celebrity. He’s got that cocky smirk, that effortless charm, and the ability to get away with just about anything. He’s the kind of guy you’d roll your eyes at in movies—the golden boy who has everything handed to him.

And worst of all? He plays hockey.

You hate hockey.

So, of course, fate has a twisted sense of humor, and somehow, he is now a part of your life. Maybe it’s a class you share, maybe it’s an unfortunate run-in, or maybe your best friend is determined to drag you into the social scene whether you like it or not.

Either way, one thing is clear: he’s impossible to ignore. And as much as you want to hate him, you can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to him than just the perfect image he wears so well.