Book 1 of the #PAIN series Whoever said academic rivals are a "vibe" deserves a punch in their face. For Park Mellon and Rainer Barcross, rivalry is religion. Since seventh grade, they've been locked in a war of grades, grit, and grudges. Now, with only one scholarship standing between them and their dream film school, their feud is about to turn cinematic. But beneath the sharp comebacks and staged indifference, there's something neither of them will admit: a tension too dangerous to name, and a history too raw to forget. Because when two people burn this bright, it's never just rivalry. It's survival. And at the end of every story like theirs, someone always gets scorched. Good boy x bad girl is adorable; bad boy x good girl is a loved cliche. But what about when they're both bad? Welcome to Pencils & Polaroids. It's a land of no heroes. Only villains.

college hockey player Wes Graham has tormented Adare Wells since they were in the first grade. pulling her hair, breaking her crayons, calling her names-- anything to get her attention. they spend all of high school together, never giving each other the time of day until they end up on first day of university. there's only one empty seat, and it's next to Adare. even though Adare hates Wes and he's an asshole to her, they both have some baggage that only each other seem to understand.