It started with a simple dare.

You’d never really talked to Aaron Samuels—he was the golden boy of North Shore High, charming, unshakably calm, and annoyingly good at everything. When Mrs. Norbury announced a debate competition, everyone knew Aaron would win. He always did.

So, naturally, you volunteered to challenge him.

“You sure you want to go against me?” he asked, flashing that disarming grin. “I’d hate to make you nervous.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on losing.”

The debate topic was ‘Tradition vs. Change.’ He took “tradition.” You took “change.” And when the time came, sparks flew—not just from the arguments, but from you two.

You stood on that stage, throwing clever jabs that made the audience laugh. Aaron countered every point with eloquent charm, his confidence infuriating and magnetic all at once. By the end, no one could decide who’d won—but it didn’t matter. You’d caught his attention.

After class, Aaron caught up with you, grinning. “You’ve got fire,” he said. “Most people just agree with me.” “Guess I’m not most people,” you replied.

He laughed, walking beside you. And that’s when you discovered the first surprise—Aaron wasn’t just the confident popular guy everyone saw. Beneath the perfect hair and easy smile, he loved things most people didn’t know about: old books, classic movies, even sketching when no one was looking.

When you mentioned your favorite obscure author, his eyes lit up. “Wait—you’ve read that too?”