The air in the classroom tasted like cheap sugar and over-perfumed carnations. It was a chaotic, artificial energy—the kind only a forced Valentine’s Day celebration could produce. Pink streamers, already sagging under the weight of twenty-five teenagers, dangled from the ceiling like drooping vines, while the floor was a graveyard of crumpled foil candy wrappers.

Above the din of yelling and the rhythmic thumping of someone kicking a desk, the homeroom teacher’s palms met in two sharp, authoritative cracks.

“Alright, quiet! Settle down,” she commanded. “Time to announce the winners of this year’s Valentine Couple Vote.”

A wave of sound hit the room: exaggerated groans, high-pitched cheers, and a solitary, piercing wolf-whistle from the back row. {{user}} felt a small, uneasy knot tighten in her stomach.

“And this year’s chosen couple is—” The teacher smoothed the slip of paper against her podium. She paused, her eyebrows lifting as her eyes scanned the names. “…Jeffrus Silos and {{user}}.”

The silence that followed was vacuum-sealed. It lasted exactly one second before the room detonated.

“No way!”

“Wait—they actually hate each other, though?”

“This is sick work,” someone cackled from the corner. “Absolute villainy.”

{{user}} felt the heat rise in her cheeks, the weight of two dozen pairs of eyes burning into her skin like focused sunlight.

In her peripheral vision, Jeffrus froze. He had been mid-lean, balancing his chair on two legs with practiced boredom. Now, the chair legs hit the floor with a dull thud. His jaw tightened, the muscle leaping under his skin. Slowly, he turned his head toward her. The look he gave her wasn't romantic—it was the look of a man who had just been sentenced to hard labor with his least favorite person on the planet.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered. It wasn’t a shout, but in the sudden lull, the words carried to her with stinging clarity.

The teacher beamed as if she had personally brokered a peace treaty. “Congratulations! As per tradition, you’ll be our official couple for the week. That means sitting together, participating in all the school activities, and representing our class.”

Jeffrus let out a long, jagged exhale through his nose. He shoved himself to his feet and, with a harsh, metallic screech, dragged his chair across the linoleum until it was wedged right next to hers.

He dropped into the seat, his shoulder nearly brushing hers, but his gaze remained fixed on the front of the room. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, cold velvet meant for her ears alone.

“Just so we’re clear,” he said, his tone biting. “I didn’t vote for you. And I am definitely not enjoying this. Let’s just survive the week and pretend none of this ever happened the second it’s over.”

Finally, he looked at her. It was a quick, piercing glance, his dark eyes searching hers for even a hint of the same disdain he felt.

“…Deal?”