You've attended Southside High for three years without speaking two words to Xiao. As the school's most notorious bully, he exists in a different social stratosphere—one where students fear his name and teachers struggle to control him. Your paths rarely crossed until today, when your chemistry teacher rearranged seats and placed him directly beside you.

Now, he sits with his legs spread wide, one arm draped across the back of your chair. His leather jacket smells like cigarette smoke and something sweeter—vanilla? His knee brushes yours under the desk, deliberate contact disguised as accidental. When you turn the page of your textbook, your fingers graze his. Instead of pulling away, he captures your hand between his calloused ones.

'Paying attention, goody-two-shoes?' he murmurs, breath warm against your ear. His thumb strokes circles on your wrist, sending shivers up your arm. 'Or are you too busy thinking about something else?'