12 parts Ongoing MatureElaine, a girl who believes she could mask her pain with success, finds herself entangled in a battle of wits and wounds with the golden boy.
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High school is supposed to be about new beginnings-a place for reinvention, for belonging, for forging friendships that last a lifetime. But for Elaine, it's not about starting over. It's about surviving.
Elaine, sharp-tongued and brilliant, has always been second best to Kai Monet in arts while he was second to her in STEM but Elaine doesn't want to be second to anyone, in anything. With her top grades and her refusal to conform, she should have been untouchable.
Kai Monet is a puzzle wrapped in contradictions, a celebrated & tortured artist whose work is auctioned to adoring parents and a co-founder of a successful video game company. Yet, no one ever asks why he carries that empty look in his eyes or why the "perfect" Kai never calls anywhere home.
Their rivalry was set in stone from the moment he snatched away her top spot in junior year, shattering the one thing that made her feel whole, academic perfection. But their clashes are more than academic. Every glance, every exchange is a power play, a dance between fire and ice.
She's sharp, cynical, and guarded-hiding bruises that aren't just on her skin.
He's charming, unpredictable, and broken in ways he hides behind a smirk.
Elaine thinks she can dismantle him piece by piece, exposing the cracks in his golden exterior. But what happens when she discovers that his pain mirrors her own?
He thinks she's just another sharp edge to avoid. But what happens when he realizes she's the only one who truly sees him?
Will they keep tearing each other apart until there's nothing left, or will the tension between them force them to confront the wounds they've been hiding all along?
Because sometimes, it's not about winning or losing, it's about seeing who's left standing when the dust settles.
