Forever, somehow

Lucy Calloway

Lucy Calloway walks through life like she owns it. And, to be fair, she kind of does. Rich, popular, and effortlessly put-together, she's the girl people expect to have everything figured out. Blonde hair that catches the sunlight just right, freckles dusted across her nose like proof she was made for summer, and sharp blue eyes that miss nothing. She thrives on competition-whether it's academics, sports, or a simple argument, she has to win.

She's good at school. Almost perfect at it, actually. Except for biology, which she loathes with a passion (who even cares about mitochondria?). Math, though-that's her thing. Numbers make sense. Formulas don't change. Unlike feelings. Unlike the way she feels whenever Samantha Greyson walks into the room, all cold stares and sharp words, setting her on edge in a way she refuses to examine too closely.

She's spent years convincing herself she hates Samantha. She's also spent years in the closet. Coincidence? Maybe.

Samantha Greyson

Samantha Greyson has always been underestimated. She's not rich, not the kind of girl people fawn over at first glance, but she's got something better-an edge. The kind that makes people watch her twice. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes that flicker between green and gold depending on the light, and a sharp tongue that's gotten her into trouble more times than she can count. She doesn't do warmth-not like Lucy, all golden and bright, too blinding to look at for long.

She loves winter. Loves the cold, the way it makes people sharper. Biology is her thing-life, how it works, how everything connects. But math? Ugh. Numbers don't hold her attention the way cells and ecosystems do.

And then there's Lucy Calloway. Miss Perfect. The one person who can go toe-to-toe with her and make her want to fight. She's convinced herself she hates Lucy.

Except, sometimes, hate feels a lot like something else.