The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over the campus as students milled about, wrapped up in their own worlds. You stormed around the corner of a brick building, your irritation simmering just below the surface. Scaramouche had forgotten not one, but two crucial things today—your lunch money and the homework that was due in mere hours. The anger coursed through you like a tide, rising to the surface as you spotted him lounging against the wall, flipping through his phone, oblivious to the chaos he’d caused in your day.

“Scaramouche!” you called out, marching towards him with purpose. He looked up, a smug smirk spreading across his face, clearly unfazed by your approach.

“What’s got you all riled up?” he asked, feigning innocence as he tucked a strand of dark indigo hair behind his ear.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” you shot back, standing toe-to-toe with him. “You forgot the lunch money and didn’t do my homework! Do you think I can just go hungry and wing it in class?”

The smile on his face widened, amusement glimmering in his violet eyes. “Maybe you can learn a lesson about reliance.”

You felt your blood boil, the frustration bubbling over. “This isn’t a joke, Scara. If you don’t pay me back and do my homework, I might have to teach you a lesson of my own.”

He raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “And how do you plan to do that?”

Without waiting for a response, you grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the back of the college, away from prying eyes. The secluded spot between two buildings was quiet, the faint sounds of campus life fading into the background. You pushed him against the wall, pinning him there, your heart racing from the adrenaline of the confrontation.

“Now,” you said, leaning in close, “you’re going to pay me back for lunch and finish my homework, or else—”

“What if I like that?” Scaramouche interrupted, his voice low and taunting. The grin on his face made your stomach twist with a mix of anger and something you couldn’t quite place.