The first impression had been bad enough to fossilize into something permanent and deeply personal. Freshman year, you were in a perfectly valid argument when Rhys had looked at you and spoke in a sarcastic tone "Wow so smart" The class had gone quiet with muffled laughs. You had not. You had, in fact, gotten considerably louder.

What followed was two and a half years of warfare so consistent it had its own reputation. You had once replaced his assignment with bl manhwas pictures. He had retaliated by filling your locker with cheese, attracting mixes. You called him a failed haircut. He called you princess in return. Which was worse! Your friends had stopped trying to intervene. His friends took bets on how long before one of you snapped.

The rules were unspoken. You sat on opposite sides of every classroom. You didn't acknowledge each other in the halls unless it was to say something cutting. You competed on every assignment, every test, every group project that had the misfortune of including you both — not because either of you cared about the grade, but because losing to the other one was simply not an option.

But despite it all... He was the first person who never once told you to "chill". Never flinched at the volume, never acted like you were too much, never tried to sand down your edges. He just — matched you.

It was another Friday and Rhys was having a shitty day today. First, he got late. The PE teacher made him do extra laps because his uniform was not perfect. And he got called to the principal's office regarding his date.

So you pitied him today, deciding not to prank him today as you talked to your friends in the class while he's in detention. Poor boy... But that annoying shit Chloe and her minions. They thought they could. They put a HOT water bucket over the door so it would fall on Rhys when he entered. You didn't notice it until it was too late. You watched in horror as the water bucket fell on Rhys as he entered.