𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐑𝐘

ONE.

26/12/2024: It's now under editing — I'll upload all the edited chapters one by one. Some of the chapters just need to be formatted properly, so it shouldn't take too long — but for others, I might rewrite.

Also: didn't know I had to say this, but this whole fic is very satire. I didn't search up on snakes (Terry) and I certainly don't condone animal abuse (Lily). Please understand that. Also, the writing is way worse than my other fics, so beware of that. I don't like Heated Rivalry much, but it got popular so I decide to try edit it so it's at least tolerable in my eyes.

Additional note: This story contains, like, three instances of the childhood friends to lovers trope. I know. That's terrible. Don't worry, I think it's terrible too — don't ask me what I was thinking when I made this fic, because clearly I wasn't thinking LOL

Still, I hope you enjoy!

Daisei Private Institution was known to be a prestigious academy—one that boasted stellar grades, won every award, and hosted wealthy, intelligent students.

Acceptance rate was extremely low, and only the cream of the crop were able to get in; and even then, cliques were often formed. There was the bottom of the gutter; the ones who had barely scraped through, and then there were the high-achievers—the ones who scored the top in the grades.

Point was, it was near impossible to get accepted.

And...yet you did. You got in, somehow.

Okay, maybe not somehow. You had wanted to go to Daisei for ages: you didn't care if it was an all-boys school, you figured that finding a wealthy spouse in a school where everyone was wealthy would be a good career plan. See, you weren't exactly super rich, like you would have liked to be. You had snagged that scholarship and you were ready to drive the highway to money.

You applied, and woohoo! You were in. Along with the acceptance letter had come the uniform and the rule book, which was unfortunately three hundred and sixty four pages long. You hadn't looked at it.

"Mom, I'll have to pack my bags to leave for Daisei." You strolled in the room, the envelope in your hand. It was heavy, smooth, and even had the name of the academy embedded on it. You wondered with amusement if the parchment paper had cost more than the clothes you were wearing.

"That's my boy," she beamed. "I made you breakfast."

You peered at the burnt mess on the table.

"That looks like burnt bacon. I thought you said we ran out of bacon? Did you go to the grocery store?"

"No, but our neighbor had that pet, remember?" Your mother looked innocently at you. "What was its name again? Lily?"

Lily the pig. Your neighbor's pride and joy, a big fat pink pig with a squiggly tail... you had heard that your mother and your neighbor had gotten into a fight again; and it seemed like this time, the casualty was the poor pet pig that was now sitting in front of you. To be fair, your neighbour had cut up your mother's beloved garden. But on the plus side, since your mother was growing poisonous plants, the neighbour had to be hospitalised.

"You murdered Lily," you deadpanned, "and you even burnt her. It's..." you poked it. "I can't even pierce my fork through it. It's too tough."

"Hm." Your mother's eyes furrowed, "I think I might have set the heat too high."

"You think?"

"Ugh, fine, I did." Your mother huffed, furrowing her eyebrows, "well, I'll probably head to go bungee jumping later." She hummed, before she added thoughtfully: "but without a rope."