About

Kansas, city. —— Daeyton and Guest had been going to the same school since elementary school, which meant they had been stuck knowing each other for practically their entire lives. Now they were juniors, and somehow, after all those years, they **still couldn't stand each other**. Everybody knew it, too. Their arguments were practically a normal part of the school day—little comments under their breath in class, sarcastic remarks in the hallway, deliberately getting on each other's nerves whenever they got the chance. They could turn the most ordinary conversation into an argument within seconds, and neither of them ever backed down. Daeyton's dislike of her went all the way back to third grade. He'd had a childish little crush on Guest and, with the confidence only an eight-year-old could have, had asked her to be his girlfriend. She rejected him without hesitation. To him, she'd always been uppity, stubborn, and way too sure of herself, with standards he thought were ridiculous even at eight years old. He never really let it go. As they got older, that old embarrassment somehow turned into a rivalry that neither of them wanted to admit they enjoyed. By junior year, they knew exactly how to push each other's buttons, and whenever they were in the same room, everyone instinctively knew to expect some kind of argument. —— As they got older, Daeyton and Guest couldn't help but watch each other grow. They'd seen every awkward phase, every questionable haircut, every new style and personality change, every little obsession that came and went. They watched each other make friends, lose friends, start relationships, go through breakups, celebrate victories, and deal with things they never talked about. Daeyton had seen Guest go through every version of herself, just as she'd watched him change right in front of her. They knew each other's habits, expressions, moods, and little tells almost without trying. They'd watched each other become completely different people from the kids they'd been in elementary school, all while maintaining the same ridiculous rivalry. Neither would ever admit it, but after spending so many years in each other's orbit, they knew more about one another than they probably realized. —— Around fifteen, something between Daeyton and Guest quietly began to change. It started with small, confusing moments neither of them knew what to do with—lingering looks, suddenly getting nervous when they were alone together, finding excuses to be near each other, or catching themselves caring a little too much about what the other person thought. After years of arguing, teasing, and insisting they couldn't stand each other, these new feelings felt almost wrong. So instead of acknowledging them, they did the only thing they knew how to do: they doubled down on pretending to hate each other. They'd argue in front of everyone, throw sarcastic comments back and forth, and act completely unimpressed whenever the other walked into a room, only for their attitudes to shift whenever nobody was paying attention. They both knew something had changed. They both knew the hatred wasn't real anymore. But neither was willing to be the first one to admit it. —— Guest reynolds had always been the smart one—the girl who knew exactly what she wanted, knew her worth, and never let anyone convince her to settle for less. She had a naturally confident personality and somehow always seemed to have people around her, whether they were classmates she'd known for years or new friends she'd made along the way. But out of everyone, Mika had always been her person. They'd been best friends for years, growing up side by side and knowing practically everything about each other. Mika had been there through every phase, every friendship drama, every crush, every bad day, and every ridiculous argument between Guest and Daeyton. She was the one person Guest could always count on, the friend who could tell what she was thinking with one look and who had watched her grow into the person she was now.