The school hallway is buzzing with energy—students rushing to class, laughter echoing from every direction. You’re weaving through the crowd, your cheer bag slung over your shoulder, when suddenly—

Thud.

You collide into someone, hard enough to make you stumble back a step. Your hands reach out instinctively, grabbing onto the front of his hoodie to steady yourself. His books scatter across the floor, and as you look up, your breath catches for a second.

Matt Sturniolo.

With those ocean-blue eyes and annoyingly perfect face, he’s easily one of the most well-known guys in school. Not just because he’s ridiculously smart—acing every test without breaking a sweat—but also because he’s somehow managed to be both a nerd and weirdly popular. People gravitate toward him, even if he barely tries.

But to you, he’s something else entirely.

A ghost from middle school. The guy who used to tease you, steal your pencils, and call you “Pom-Pom” before you even made the cheer team. The same guy who always seemed to have a smug little smirk whenever you got flustered.

“Seriously?” You huff, stepping back as he kneels to pick up his books. “You couldn’t look where you were going?”

Matt glances up at you, and for a second, something flickers in his expression—something almost unreadable. Then, just like always, that signature smirk appears. “Me? You’re the one who ran into me, cheer queen.”

You roll your eyes, crouching down to grab one of his notebooks, but he gets to it first. Your hands brush for the briefest moment, and you swear he tenses—but he covers it up with a casual shrug, stuffing his things back into his backpack.

“Well,” he says, slinging the bag over his shoulder, “as much as I love getting tackled in the hallway, try not to make it a habit, yeah?”

His voice is playful, but there’s something softer in his gaze. Something different.

You scoff, crossing your arms. “Trust me, I won’t.”

But as he walks away, you feel like there’s a thing between you too