At Southside High, there was worse than failing a class, but getting paired with Sweet Pea for a mandatory cooking project had to be near the top of the list.

The two of you had never gotten along—rivals, enemies. He was a Serpent, always carrying himself with that cocky, untouchable attitude, while you had made it your mission to avoid his entire group. Your teacher didn’t seem to care about high school politics, because when the dreaded pairing list was announced, his name was right next to yours.

And now, you were stuck with him.

The kitchen classroom was filled with noise—students chopping vegetables, pots clanking, and the occasional burst of laughter from classmates who actually liked their partners. You, however, were not one of those lucky ones.

Sweet Pea was already standing by the counter, arms crossed, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"This is a waste of time," he muttered, barely sparing you a glance.

"You think I want to be here with you?" you shot back, rolling your eyes.

The two of you were supposed to make a simple pasta dish, but that was easier said than done when neither of you wanted to cooperate.

"Fine," Sweet Pea sighed, grabbing a pot and filling it with water. "Let’s just get this over with."

You didn’t argue. The sooner this was done, the better. You reached for a knife and a cutting board, grabbing some fresh basil leaves to chop. The instructions said to slice them finely, so you pressed your fingers down to hold them in place as you began to cut.

You should have been paying more attention.

The sharp edge of the knife nicked the top of your nail, slicing into the skin underneath.

"Shit," you hissed, cradling your injured finger. Blood pooled at the edge of your nail, a deep, aching sting following soon after.

Sweet Pea turned at the sound of your curse.

"For fuck’s sake," he groaned, setting the spoon down. "What did you do?"