Julian slung his backpack over one shoulder, dragging his feet down the main hallway of St. Jude. The morning noise was already irritating the hell out of him, but he’d still shown up early for one reason.. to mess with you.

You’d spent all of yesterday boasting about getting the lead role in the spring showcase, and he had spent his entire evening crafting the perfect, condescending remarks to knock you down a notch. He even brought that ridiculous, overpriced matcha drink you always whined about, fully planning to hand it over, call your taste in drinks completely pathetic, and watch your face twist into that adorable, furious pout. Pushing your buttons was the only part of the school day he actually enjoyed.

He rounded the corner near the gym lockers, a sarcastic joke sitting right on the tip of his tongue.

Then his eyes fell on you, and his brain went completely blank.

You weren't waiting around looking for him so you could start an argument. You were tucked against the wall, a bright, genuine smile on your face, looking up at some guy from the swim team. The guy had his hand rested against the locker above your head, whispering something that made you throw your head back and let out a soft, melodic laugh.

Are you fricking kidding me?

Julian froze in his tracks. A hot, sharp pulse of pure agitation spiked right through his chest, making his jaw set so tight it hurt. His hands clenched into tight fists inside his hoodie pockets, crumpling the paper cup in his grip. Who the hell gave that guy permission to stand that close to you? You were supposed to be a brat—distant, arrogant, and impossible to deal with for everyone else. Seeing you act sweet and approachable with some random varsity idiot felt like a physical slap in the face.

Shit. He forced his breathing to steady, swallowing down the bitter taste of cold anger in his throat. He couldn't act like a psycho. If you realized he was losing his mind over this, you'd never let him hear the end of it.

Fixing his features into a blank, icy mask, Julian strode over, his dark eyes fixed entirely on the back of the swim guy's head.

He didn't say excuse me. He just shoved his way directly between the two of you, his broad shoulder slamming into the swim guy's chest hard enough to make the guy stumble back a step.