Sara hated mornings. Not the sleepy, groggy kind—no, she had that down to a fine art. She hated mornings in school, full stop. Especially the ones that involved Leo Carmichael.
It started with a stack of books. She had six, maybe seven, because, apparently, being at the top of her class required lugging half the library in a backpack. She was balancing them like some kind of academic acrobat when she rounded the corner—straight into him.
Leo.
His locker door slammed right as she collided with it, and gravity betrayed her. The books cascaded to the floor like a waterfall of knowledge, thumping loudly against the linoleum.
"Seriously?!" Leo's voice sliced through the hallway, loud enough to draw glances from half the floor. He bent to help, though not without a glare sharp enough to cut glass. "Could you watch where you're—"
"I am watching!" Sara snapped, cheeks flaming. She bent quickly, picking up the textbooks, shoving them back into her arms like nothing had happened. "Maybe you should check your locker next time!"
Leo straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his uniform. "Maybe I wouldn't have to check it if people didn't bump into it!"
And just like that, the gauntlet was thrown.
Sara raised an eyebrow, one hand on her hip, the other still clutching her textbooks like a shield. "Are we really going to start this first thing in the morning? Because I didn't think a Tuesday needed drama."
Leo smirked. That smirk. The one that made teachers sigh in exasperation and girls whisper about how "dangerously hot" he was. "Drama? Oh, sweetheart, you just started it."
Sara blinked. "Sweetheart?" Her voice was flat, suspicious, and just sharp enough to sting.
"Yeah. I like it when people stand out. Especially people who almost destroy my locker."
She wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she muttered, "You wish I destroyed your locker."
By now, a small crowd had gathered. Typical. This was Leo Carmichael, the school's unofficial bad boy-meets-charming-sports-ace. And she—well, she was Sara, top of the class, quietly sarcastic, and entirely unwilling to tolerate his theatrics.
"Great," a teacher's voice interrupted. Mr. Callahan, the one who looked perpetually on the edge of a heart attack, appeared. "Carmichael! Anderson! Detention. Friday. Together. And yes, I will make you sit next to each other."
Sara almost dropped the books again. Not from shock at the detention—though she wasn't thrilled—but from the idea of sitting next to him.
Leo, however, only raised an eyebrow. "Guess I'll see you Friday, sweetheart." He winked, turning on his heel like he owned the hallway, leaving a trail of frustrated whispers and flustered Sara in his wake.
---
The rest of the day was a blur of glances, whispers, and an internal monologue that Sara did not want to admit was mildly obsessed with Leo Carmichael.
By lunchtime, she was practically vibrating with annoyance. She sat at her usual spot in the cafeteria, unpacking her carefully arranged lunch, when someone plopped down across from her.
"Are you okay?" whispered Maggie, her best friend and unofficial life advisor.
"Me? Fine. Totally fine." Sara's glare could have cut diamonds. "I just want to avoid that boy for the next—" she paused, clenched her teeth—"entire week."
Maggie snorted. "Good luck with that. You two are practically magnets. Everyone's talking about it already."
Sara groaned. "Talking about what? The fact that he's an arrogant jerk?"
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Or the fact that you're blushing every time he looks atyou."
Sara choked on her sandwich. "I am not blushing!"
"You are," Maggie said, deadpan. "Red as a tomato."
Sara shoved the tray aside. "I am not. Look, let's just focus on the real problem here: detention. Friday. Together."
Maggie grinned. "Ooooh, the plot thickens."
---
Later, when Sara tried to concentrate in her classes, she kept catching sight of him—leaning against lockers, smirking at someone else, laughing too loudly. Somehow, despite every attempt at annoyance, she felt… irritated. Not the bad kind. Maybe… intrigued.
And that was the worst part.
The bell finally rang. Sara packed her things quickly, muttering about getting home before her mom noticed she'd been daydreaming again.
Friday couldn't come fast enough.
But she had a feeling, deep down, that when it did… nothing was going to be simple.
Because Leo Carmichael didn't just collide with lockers. He collided with everything.