~ It Ends With a Willow ~

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Fern Stratchan thought she was finally free. After six long years of rivalry, pranks, and relentless competition, she had escaped the torment of Orlin Nester when they parted ways after high school. College was supposed to be a fresh start, no more sarcastic remarks, no more glares across the classroom, no more Orlin. But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Her first day at Keresley Library had started off well enough. The place was quiet, the smell of old books comforting, and Mr. Nester, the library's owner, had been welcoming. He'd mentioned that his nephew worked there too, and that Fern would be working alongside him. She didn't think much of it, just another coworker. She had no idea what was coming.

The moment she turned around to see who had interrupted her reading, her world turned upside down.

"You have to be fucking joking."

Fern was stunned, dread pooling in her stomach. Standing there, with his usual smug expression and an air of unbearable confidence, was Orlin Nester. Of all the people in the world, of course the nephew had to be him.

Their feud had survived countless tests over the years, group projects, school competitions, and even an unfortunate incident involving a fire alarm. Now, with the deafening silence of the library around them, one question remained: would they finally learn to tolerate each other, or was their rivalry about to enter a whole new chapter?

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