Forced Partners
---
The next few days at Starlight University moved like a storm that refused to pass.
After the café incident, Ava had hoped things would quiet down. But instead, they got worse. The whispers didn't stop — they just changed direction.
Now people didn't call her "the poor girl." They called her the girl Ryan Blake defended.
Everywhere she went, it followed her — the glances, the murmurs, the knowing smirks.
And Ryan? He went back to acting like nothing had happened.
They passed in the halls, sometimes locked eyes, but he'd just look away first — cold, distant, like she didn't exist.
It hurt more than she cared to admit.
---
Meanwhile, the school buzzed with its usual energy — the kind that came from too much privilege and too little consequence. And it was in that chaos that Lina quite literally crashed into Ethan.
She was late for class, books pressed to her chest, when she rounded the corner too fast and collided with someone tall and solid.
Her books hit the floor in a loud scatter.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry—" she started, then looked up.
Ethan. Ryan's best friend. Sharp smile, brown hair a mess in that perfect way, sleeves rolled just enough to look effortless.
He crouched, helping her gather the books. "You're fine. Though you might wanna get a license before running corners like that."
Lina rolled her eyes, snatching a notebook from him. "Ha. Very original."
He grinned. "You're Ava's friend, right?"
"Depends who's asking."
He held up a hand in mock defense. "Relax, I don't bite. I was just wondering how she's holding up."
"Why? Gonna write another rumor about her in your group chat?"
Ethan blinked, a little caught off guard by her sharp tone. Then he laughed. "Ouch. You really don't like us, do you?"
"I don't like what you all do."
"Fair," he admitted. "But not everyone in our circle is like Sophia."
Lina gave him a look. "You still hang out with her."
"Ryan does," Ethan corrected. "I just… exist there."
For a moment, she said nothing — then sighed. "I just wish people would leave Ava alone."
He studied her face — the way her frustration softened into something protective, loyal. Then smiled faintly. "You care about her a lot."
"She's my best friend."
"Well," Ethan said, handing her the last book, "tell your best friend that not everyone's her enemy."
Lina stared at him for a second, trying to read him. "And should I tell her to trust you, then?"
He smirked. "That's up to her."
As she walked away, he watched her go, realizing she was a lot harder to dismiss than most people he knew.
---
Later that day, Ava sat in the campus café, scrolling through Starlight Buzz, the student group chat that had turned into the school's personal rumor mill.
> @Camille: Saw Ava in the library again. Girl's obsessed with studying.
@Ella: Maybe she's trying to impress someone 😉
@GoldenSophia: She can study all she wants. Still doesn't make her one of us.
@Noah: Chill, Sophia. You're sounding bitter again.
@GoldenSophia: And you're sounding nosy.
Ava closed her phone with a sigh. Her stomach twisted — it wasn't even about Sophia anymore. It was the way everyone seemed to be watching.
And Ryan… he said nothing in the chat. He never talked to her again, never called Sophia out again.
That silence cut deeper than the words.
Lina dropped into the seat across from her. "You're reading that trash again."
"I can't help it," Ava muttered. "They won't stop talking."
"Then stop giving them attention."
Ava looked out the window, her reflection faint against the glass. "I thought maybe after what Ryan did, it'd stop. But it just got worse."
Lina frowned. "You still care what he does?"
"I don't," Ava said quickly — too quickly.
---
Ryan Blake, on the other hand, was having his own version of a miserable week.
After confronting Sophia, the tension in his friend group became impossible to ignore. She'd stopped talking to him altogether — but made sure everyone else noticed.
At every lunch, every event, she'd lean close to someone new and whisper, eyes flicking toward him like he was the enemy.
Fine by him. He'd never liked being told what to do anyway.
But lately, he couldn't shake off the irritation that came with hearing Ava's name dragged into conversations again and again.
He'd told Sophia to stop. She hadn't.
He could stop her again — but that would only draw more attention.
And Ryan Blake hated attention that wasn't on his terms.
So instead, he focused on basketball, late-night parties, and ignoring everything else. It was easier to play the bad boy than admit that he cared.
At least, until Monday morning.
---
Professor Grant adjusted his glasses and scanned the class. "You've all been assigned partners for your upcoming social psychology project. This will count for thirty percent of your final grade."
A murmur spread through the room.
"Pairings are listed on the screen. Please check before leaving."
Ava leaned forward, heart thudding as names appeared in glowing letters across the board.
Ava Thompson — Ryan Blake
Her stomach dropped.
Lina's head snapped around immediately. "You've got to be kidding me."
Ava swallowed. "Oh no."
Across the room, Ryan's smirk vanished when he saw it too. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.
Grant continued, oblivious. "You'll need to submit a joint proposal by next week. Cooperation and communication are part of your grade, so choose wisely how you… collaborate."
Lina whispered, "Maybe you can request a change."
Ava shook her head. "Professor Grant never changes partners. He says it's 'character building.'"
Ryan caught her eye for a brief second. Neither smiled. Neither spoke. But the tension that sparked between them could've lit the whole classroom.
---
After class, she tried to leave quickly, but Ryan caught up to her near the stairs.
"You don't look thrilled," he said.
She turned sharply. "Why would I be? You're impossible to work with."
"Really?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "You've barely tried."
"Because you don't exactly give people a reason to."
He leaned against the railing, casual and confident. "You sure it's not because you hate me?"
She met his gaze squarely. "Maybe it's both."
Ryan smiled — slow, teasing. "Well, we're stuck together now. So I guess you'll just have to deal with me."
"Great," she muttered. "Can't wait."
As she walked off, he watched her go, that same strange pull tightening in his chest — the one he didn't understand and didn't want to.
No one challenged him like she did. No one looked at him and saw more than the rich boy, the bad boy, the name everyone respected or feared.
And maybe that was what scared him most.
Because Ava Thompson wasn't scared of him.
And that made him angry and curious.
---
By evening, the group chat was already buzzing again:
> @Camille: LMAO, Ryan and Ava are partners?!
@GoldenSophia: Oh, this should be entertaining.
@Noah: Maybe they'll kill each other before the project's due.
@Ethan: Or surprise you all.
@GoldenSophia: You're joking, right?
Ava turned off her phone. She'd had enough.
Ryan, on the other hand, smirked when he saw it. Let them talk. He didn't care what they said — at least, that's what he told himself.
But deep down, he knew the next few weeks were going to be anything but simple.
---
And as fate would have it, the two enemies who couldn't stand each other had just been forced into the same corner — to work together, study together, and face what neither of them wanted to admit:
That hate wasn't always hate.
Sometimes, it was something else waiting to surface.