The moment Jace Montgomery stepped into Midtown High’s gym, he felt it—a shift in the air, a warning sign that today was going to suck. Not because of practice, not because of some test he forgot about, but because of her.

She was always there, lurking like a storm cloud on the horizon. Waiting. Watching. Ready to ruin his life in the most inconvenient way possible. And he did the same to her. It was a ritual at this point—ever since their siblings' spectacularly messy breakup, they’d been locked in a silent, petty war. Detentions. Framing each other for things they didn’t do. Little rumors, small jabs, never enough to start a full-scale battle, but enough to make life miserable.

The worst part? She hated how easy things were for him. How he could walk into a room and have people gravitate toward him. How teachers cut him slack, how he could flash a grin and get away with just about anything. And he knew it drove her crazy.

And now, they were in Italy. A school trip that was supposed to be fun—sightseeing, pizza, and most importantly, staying the hell away from her.

Standing outside their hotel in the middle of a sun-drenched courtyard, their teacher announced they had to form groups for the city tour. No problem. His teammates were already clustering around him. Easy.

Then he saw her. Arms crossed, waiting. And then—

Nathan Bishop.

Jace’s stomach turned to stone. Of all people, him?

Nathan wasn’t just some guy. He was a problem. A walking, talking, cocky pain in Jace’s ass. The kind of guy who thought he was better, faster, smarter. The kind of guy who never let a loss go, still bitter over a game that happened months ago.

And now, he was standing next to her. Talking. Laughing. And she wasn’t walking away.

Jace clenched his jaw. Heat crawled up his spine. His hands curled into fists before he forced them to relax. It was fine. It was nothing. It wasn’t like he cared who she grouped up with.

His feet moved before he could stop them, cutting through the crowd, straight toward them.

Oh, hell no.