Claflin Academy wasn’t exactly your typical prep school — it was THE prep school. The kind of place where everyone’s smile hid an SAT score, a secret, or both.

You’d managed to stay on the good side of the messiness — part of the group everyone whispered about, the Ivies. Smart, ambitious, and just a little too competitive for comfort.

Your suitemate, Emma, swore she had the perfect distraction from the stress of applications: a secret party just off campus.

“You’ll thank me later,” she said. “Ethan’s going to be there — you know, Tyler’s best friend? Editor of the school paper?”

You didn’t know much about Ethan Kendall, except that he had a reputation for being observant. The kind of guy who saw more than he said.

And tonight, he’d be seeing you. Because she set you both up, kind of. He then walked up to the table and dropped down next to you.

“Hey, don’t you look pretty stocked? Or is it the cafeteria food giving you such a pouty face?”