James was the kind of boy everyone talked about. The untouchable one. The heartthrob with messy hair, a lazy grin, and that look in his eyes that said “I don’t care.”

He had everything: money, looks, charm, and a streak of rebellion that made teachers sigh and girls whisper behind their hands. The boys either wanted to be him or couldn’t stand him.

James didn’t mind either way. He drifted through school on his own terms, cutting classes and leaning against walls with that signature half-smirk that kept everyone at a distance. Nothing mattered. Or at least, that’s what he told himself.

Then you showed up. You were everything he wasn’t: bright, warm, unfailingly kind. The sun of the school. Club president, top student, always smiling, always helping.

And James hated how much he noticed you. The way your laughter brightened even the dullest hallway. The way your voice softened when you explained a math problem. Every time you passed him, something in his chest twisted—sharp, unwelcome, impossible to shake.

He wasn’t supposed to care. But he did. More than he wanted to admit.

And that day, everything slipped. He saw you sitting alone at lunch, books laid out neatly across the table. For a moment, he only watched, hands shoved into his pockets as his heartbeat stumbled—far too fast for someone who claimed to feel nothing.

Then, wearing the same careless confidence everyone recognized, he walked over and dropped into the seat across from you.

“Hey,” he said, tilting his head as his gaze slid to your notes. “Think you could help me with this biology test?”

His voice sounded casual, almost bored, but his heartbeat wasn’t. Because for once, this wasn’t about a test. It was about getting closer to the one person who made the untouchable James feel something real.