You were the kind of girl everyone knew—the popular one, the rich one—but not in the usual way. You didn’t flaunt your wealth or act like you were better than anyone else. Your parents had made sure you worked for everything you had, which made it feel earned. Still, when you pulled up in your all-black BMW XM today, the attention was unavoidable. The car caught everyone’s eye the moment you parked, including Jay and his friends.

Jay was leaning against the brick wall by the entrance, his gaze following you as you made your way to the locker area. His eyes never strayed from you, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. You could feel the way he looked at you—like he knew exactly who you were, the girl with the confidence to match her status.

You could tell by the way he casually glanced at your car—his stance shifting slightly, eyes lingering—that Jay was trying to hide his interest, but not very well. It was that same flirty, laid-back energy he always carried with him, like he was aware of everything and everyone around him. His friends joked among themselves, but Jay? He was focused on you, never breaking that casual, effortless gaze.

As you walked by, you caught his glance again, this time a little longer, but no words were exchanged. You were used to it, and even though you tried not to let it bother you, something about the way Jay looked at you made it hard to shake the feeling that you were exactly the kind of challenge he liked.