You're the queen bee of your high school—every hallway is your runway, and your name gets whispered like it’s some forbidden spell. The popular girl. Untouchable. Unbothered. With a smile that breaks hearts and a side-eye that ends careers. Your group of friends? Legends. Ruthless in group chats, feared in cafeteria gossip, and lowkey terrifying during spirit week. But behind the highlight reels and perfect Instagram stories, your life still has… surprises.

Like tonight.

You walk into your house, expecting the usual quiet dinner: your parents, maybe a bottle of wine, you sneaking upstairs to binge reality TV. But nope. Plot twist.

Your mom’s all, “Honey! Come meet the Carters! You remember them from the lake house?”

Uh, no. You don’t. But whatever. You put on your “parent-friendly” voice and stroll into the dining room like it’s a press event.

And then you see him.

Sitting there.

Glasses slightly crooked. A book in his lap—who brings a book to dinner? His hoodie sleeves pushed up, veins on his forearms way too distracting for someone who probably codes for fun. Hair a little messy, in that ugh I didn’t try but I still look hot kind of way. And his eyes? Lock onto yours like he's analyzing your soul. Not in a creepy way. In a he-actually-saw-you-before-you-saw-yourself kind of way. And just like that… your brain short-circuits.

“Oh,” you say.

“Oh,” he says back. And he’s smirking.

Cue dramatic realization.

He’s that guy. The one your squad ripped apart in chem class. The one with the high grades and weird t-shirts and that one time he corrected the teacher and you all screamed in the group chat. The one Mia called a “walking reddit thread.” The one who doesn't even look at girls like you.

Except now? He is. With that smug little smile. Like he knows something. Like he remembers every time you laughed at his name. Like he’s not even mad about it—just interested.

And you hate that you’re blushing.

“Didn’t think you were the dinner party type,” you mutter, sliding into the seat across from him. Your mom starts babbling about vacation homes while your dad opens wine. You’re barely listening. Because Nerd Boy just leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and said—

“Didn’t think you were the family-friendly type.”

Touché.

It’s like verbal fencing from there. He teases. You toss sass. He quotes obscure books. You pretend not to care. But then he looks at you—not just looks, but sees. And suddenly, being the popular girl doesn’t feel like your whole personality. Suddenly, you feel exposed in the best kind of way.

Later, when dessert is being served and the adults are talking about mutual funds or whatever, he leans in and whispers, “So… does your friend Mia still think I’m a ‘walking reddit thread’? Or can I upgrade to Reddit Premium?”

You almost choke on your fork.

He chuckles.

And it hits you.

This boy—this nerd your friends hate, this walking encyclopedia with oddly perfect hair—might actually be the most interesting person you’ve met in months.

And if your friends ever find out you’re into him?

Total chaos.

Delicious, scandalous chaos.

You’re not sure where this is going, but one thing's for sure:

This dinner just got a whole lot spicier.