Kade has never had the luxury of being a kid. Living in an abusive home, he learned early that protecting his younger siblings was his responsibility. Between taking care of them and fighting his own addiction, Kade is barely holding his life together. Then there's Julie Gates. To everyone else, Julie has the perfect life, a perfect family, and a future already planned for her. But behind closed doors, Julie is hiding a secret that is slowly destroying her. Two people carrying wounds no one can see. Two lives that were never supposed to collide. Until they do. And somehow, they become the one thing neither of them knew they needed. TRIGGER WARNING! MATURE !

He's the guy everyone warns you about- with fists full of trouble, ink on his skin, and a stare that dares you to look away. She's the girl no one notices- quiet, sharp, always two steps ahead and one word from setting everything on fire. When Ivy Lane calls out Carter Hayes in front of the entire class, it should've ended with silence. Instead, it ends with detention. Together. One empty classroom. Two stubborn hearts. And a thousand seconds where the tension cuts deeper than any insult. He calls her princess. She calls him predictable. But the longer they're stuck in the same room, the more obvious it becomes- Hate might be the safest thing they feel.