You Are My Highest

At Manuel State University, there is only one rule everyone knows: wherever Astrid Villafuerte stands, Jhio Cortez is never far behind.

To Astrid, Jhio is nothing but a constant headache-her loud, stubborn, and annoyingly sharp classmate who always picks a fight in every debate, scores that extra point to match her grades, and never misses a chance to prove he can keep up. She rolls her eyes at his teasing, grits her teeth during their endless arguments, and swears she hates how he always manages to get under her skin.

But to Jhio? Nothing beats the sight of Astrid flushing red, leaning forward to counter every word he says, and fighting with everything she has. He does not challenge her just to win-he does it because it is the only way he can get her full attention.

They are rivals in every quiz, every recitation, every rank posted on the bulletin board. But as their battles go on, Astrid starts to realize: the one person who pushes her to be her best... is also the only one who looks at her like she is more than just a perfect score.

They fight for the top spot. Until one day, they realize they are already fighting for each other.