More than hate

Eliana, sweet, well-mannered sunshine girl everyone loved... or at least, that's what she let them see. She was perfect in the eyes of others, especially Grayson's parents, who adored her, praised her, and never missed a chance to compare their own son to her.

Grayson hated that.

Cold, distant, and always pushing back against expectations, he grew up right next door to her. To him, Eliana was the flawless girl who could do no wrong-the one person everyone chose over him without hesitation. To her, Grayson was the boy who carried anger like it was the only thing he knew.

They were never friends. Not really. Just two people forced into each other's lives, constantly clashing.
Then time pulled them apart.

Years later, college brings them face to face again but Eliana isn't exactly the same girl he remembers. She still smiles the same, still plays the part perfectly... but there's something off. Something she keeps carefully buried.
And this time, Grayson notices.
What started as resentment begins to shift into something neither of them expected because the more he looks at her, the more he realizes...
Maybe she was never as perfect as everyone believed.