Chapter 1 Ava

If there was ever a perfect moment to start my brand-new, totally organized, drama-free freshman year, it was right now.

The sun was warm, the campus was buzzing with nervous excitement, and I had a color-coordinated schedule tucked safely in the front pocket of my backpack. My future—my carefully planned, academically responsible, scholarship-dependent future—was finally beginning.

Nothing could ruin this.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

I zigzagged across the quad with a confident smile, clutching my campus map like a lifeline. I had already planned my entire walk to Intro to Psychology: seven minutes from the dorms if I cut through the east courtyard, nine if I got stuck behind slow walkers, and zero chance of getting lost.

Perfect. Peaceful. Predictable.

Then, because life hates me, someone slammed straight into my left shoulder.

My backpack swung sideways, I stumbled, my map flew out of my hand, and before I could even say “excuse me,” a coffee cup exploded across the pavement—well, not just the pavement. My brand-new white sneakers, too.

I froze. Slowly, dramatically, like in one of those romantic comedies I pretend not to watch, I looked up.

And there he was.

The guy. Or, as I’d later come to think of him: the beginning of all my academic, emotional, and psychological problems.

But at that moment? He was just… annoying. Annoyingly good-looking, yes, but mostly annoying.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, blinking at me with warm brown eyes that probably made half the campus melt. “Whoa, you okay?”

I should’ve said something normal like, “Yes, thank you,” or, “It’s fine.”

But instead—of course—I choked out, “My shoe is crying.”

He blinked, then looked down at the coffee dripping off my sneaker. “Oh. Uh… yeah. It definitely looks upset.”

I groaned. “It was white.”

“It’s… still mostly white?” he offered helplessly.

I shot him a look. “Coffee is literally brown. That is the opposite of white.”

“Okay, true. That’s on me.” He lifted his hands in a half-apology. “I’m really sorry. I wasn’t looking—someone texted me and—”

“So your phone is more important than not bulldozing innocent pedestrians?”

His lips twitched. “Innocent?” His eyes skimmed my outfit—neat ponytail, pale blue sweater, perfectly organized backpack. “Yeah. I guess you look pretty innocent.”

Did he just—

Compliment me?

Insult me?

Both?

I crossed my arms. “Are you always this reckless, or was I just unlucky today?”

“I’d say you were lucky to bump into me,” he said with a smirk.

Oh wow. He was one of those guys.

Confident. Charming. Infuriating.

The type who was probably used to girls laughing at his dumb jokes and forgiving him instantly because of his jawline.

Well, not me.

I bent down, grabbed my stained sneaker, and sighed dramatically. “Great. First day and I already look like I stepped in a mocha volcano.”

He laughed—actually laughed—and held out a napkin he dug from his pocket. “Here. It’s clean, I promise.”

“Why do you have napkins in your pocket?”

“Emergency situations,” he said casually. “Like this one.”

I snatched it, dabbing at my shoe. It didn’t help. At all.

“Ugh.”

“Let me buy you another coffee,” he said. “You know, to make up for the crime I committed against your footwear.”

“It wasn’t my coffee.”

He blinked. “Right. Okay. Let me buy you a shoe?”

I stared at him. “Do I look like a girl who lets random strangers buy her shoes?”

He swept a hand at me. “You look like a girl who really hates me.”

I didn’t deny it.

He grinned like that only amused him more. “I’m Jace, by the way.”

Of course he had a name like Jace.

I exhaled. “Ava.”

“Ava,” he repeated, tasting the syllables like they were somehow interesting. “Nice to meet you.”

“It wasn’t nice.”

That only made his grin widen.

I took a step back, checking the time. Intro to Psychology started in nine minutes. My stomach twisted. “I have to go.”

“Let me walk you there,” Jace offered, already falling into step beside me.

“No thanks.”

“I insist.”

“I decline.”

“You’re heading toward the psych building, right?” he said, like he already knew the answer.

I froze. “How did you know that?”

He shrugged. “Lucky guess.”

No. No one “guessed” what building someone was headed toward on a campus with thirty-seven buildings.

Suspicious.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you following me?”

“Of course not.” He smirked again. “But I will if you keep walking.”

I let out a frustrated sound and marched forward. He was right, sadly. He would follow. And I did not have time to argue.

“So,” he said easily, “where you from, Ava?”

“Not answering.”

“That’s a weird name for a place.”

I shot him another look. “You’re not funny.”

“I’m extremely funny. You’re just stressed because your shoe is in mourning.”

I covered my face with my hand. “Please stop talking.”

“No can do.” His voice was bright, unbothered. “Silence makes me uncomfortable.”

“Well, chaos makes me uncomfortable, so I guess we can both suffer.”

He laughed again. And annoyingly… it wasn’t an awful sound. It was warm and smooth and somehow impossible to tune out.

Great. Just fantastic. My first day and I’d attracted a chaos demon.

We reached the psych building sooner than I wanted. The steps were crowded with freshmen taking first-day selfies and calling their parents. I hovered at the bottom, hoping he’d just leave.

But he didn’t.

He leaned against the railing, watching me. “See? I got you here in one piece.”

“You nearly killed me five minutes ago.”

“Details.”

I shook my head, already stepping past him. “Goodbye, Jace.”

“I’ll see you around.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Oh, I definitely will.”

I didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, I slipped into the lecture hall, found a seat near the middle, and sank into it with an exhausted sigh.

My heart was racing.

Not in a romantic way.

Not in a movie-magic way.

In a what fresh disaster was that way.

I pulled out my notebook, trying to wipe my brain clean of the past ten minutes, when—

A familiar voice drifted from behind me:

“Hey, Ava.”

NO.

I turned slowly, praying I was hallucinating.

But there he was.

Jace.

Sliding into the seat directly behind mine.

I nearly choked on my own oxygen. “Why are you here?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Uh… taking Intro to Psychology? Like ninety percent of freshmen?”

I stared at him. “You’re in this class?”

“Yep.”

“You’re sitting behind me?”

“Looks like it.”

I dropped my forehead onto my desk. “This is not happening.”

“It is happening,” he said cheerfully. “Fate wants us to be friends.”

“Fate needs to mind its business.”

He laughed softly. “You know, you’re kinda cute when you’re angry.”

I whipped around. “I will throw my shoe at you.”

He held up both hands. “Okay, okay. I’ll be good.”

The professor stepped up to the podium, flipping through her notes. I forced myself to focus, taking deep breaths.

This was fine. Totally fine. I could handle one annoying boy. I could ignore him. I could pretend he didn’t exist. And after today, I would never have to interact with him again.

At least… that’s what I thought.

Because when the professor announced our semester-long project partners, my blood went cold.

“Ava Carter… and Jace Rivera.”

I felt Jace’s slow grin burning into the back of my head.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whispered.

Behind me, his voice was a low, amused murmur:

“Told you I’d be seeing you around.”