Luke Howard is starting over-new city, new school, and a chance to finally live life on his own terms. A quiet, awkward 18-year-old from Scotland with a sharp wit and softer heart, he's enrolled at Quantum University, hoping for peace, friendship, maybe even a little romance.
What he doesn't expect is Mason James.
Mason, a fiery 19-year-old with a ginger mullet and a grin that spells trouble, is everything Luke can't stand-loud, cocky, and always two steps ahead. Their first meeting is a collision-literally-and it only goes downhill from there. Assigned as seatmates in the elite "Star Section," the two clash instantly, their snarky exchanges quickly turning into a slow-burning rivalry laced with something neither of them wants to name.
As the academic year unfolds, teasing becomes tension, and tension begins to blur the line between hate and something more electric. With secrets, sarcasm, and stolen glances building between them, Luke and Mason must navigate college life, chaotic feelings, and the possibility that their worst enemy might just become their biggest weakness.
Told through the eyes of Luke-and occasionally narrated by his ever-watchful journalist sister, Kylie-this is a story of sharp words, soft moments, and the messy thrill of falling for someone you never saw coming.
One glance at Mason Foster and you expect him to be a normal sixteen-year-old boy. Apart from the bad boy aura he gives off, the cigarettes he holds between his teeth and how his ego is a bit too inflated for everyones liking, Mason is a typical teenager. But there's a catch. Nobody sees the pain hiding behind his eyes. Nobody sees the secrets buried deep within his broken smile. Nobody sees the demons slowly eating his mind away. And nobody ever sees what goes on inside the Foster household.
Carrie McDermott has her own problems. With her controlling, obsessive boyfriend practically stalking her after moving countries with her family, she doesn't have time to deal with the blue-eyed bad boy with the bruised face and split knuckles next door, however charismatic and alluring he is.
Every interaction between the two always ends up spiralling out of control and turning into something out of a dramatic soap opera. But what happens when Carrie begins to get an insight into the darkness holding Mason captive and the reasons behind his actions? What happens when their lives begin to entwine far more deeper and further than either one of them ever intended?
Warning: This story contains strong language, violence, mental health issues and verbal and physical abuse. If any of these topics make you feel uncomfortable please don't feel obliged to continue reading.