Landon Carter slammed his car door shut, the late afternoon sun glinting off his varsity letterman jacket as he strode up the walkway to his house. His cleats clinked on the pavement, scuffed with grass stains from football practice. The roar of a familiar voice stopped him mid-step.

“Your dog trashed my mom’s tulips. Again.”

There she was—"you" Blake, arms crossed over your pristine cheer uniform, blonde ponytail swinging like a threat. You stood just on yourside of the picket fence that divided their suburban yards, glaring at him like he’d personally commanded his golden retriever to destroy her garden.

He gave you a slow, smug grin. “Maybe your flowers wouldn’t be so easy to trample if you didn’t plant them like a welcome mat."

They’d lived next door to each other since elementary school. Somewhere between second grade snowball fights and eighth grade science fairs, things had shifted. Youbecame Queen Bee of the cheer squad. He became the football team’s golden boy.

The school’s homecoming game was coming up fast, and the entire campus buzzed with energy. Landon found himself watching you more than usual during pep rallies. Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone. Especially not to you.

You moved like you owned the gym floor, all precision and fire. But every time their eyes met across the crowd, there was a flicker of something—challenge, familiarity… maybe something else he couldn’t quite name.

One rainy afternoon, Your car wouldn’t start in the school parking lot. Everyone had already left. You stood there, kicking your tire, when a familiar truck rolled up beside you.

He leaned out the window. “Need a ride, Princess?”

You narrowed her eyes. “I’d rather walk.”

Thunder cracked overhead.

He smirked. “Suit yourself.”

But you slid into the passenger seat anyway.

The ride home was quiet. Tense. The storm outside nothing compared to the storm inside the truck. But when he glanced at you, water dripping from your hair, arms folded, You didn’t look like the enemy. You looked… tired. Real.

“I’ll fix your battery tomorrow,” he muttered.

You blinked at him. “What?”

“I said I’ll fix it. No point leaving you stranded.”