Krystal and Luhan were, no doubt, the brightest students in their year level.

The two are practically considered young Einsteins. They both had exceptional IQs ranging from about 160 to 180, long lists of talents, and they didn’t look like nerds at all. They were geniuses who looked like models straight from a magazine, and they were not anti-social freaks either. Some people even think they were the closest humans could be to attaining perfection.

They were that gifted.

But here’s the catch: they practically see each other as archenemies. It’s expected, to be honest, for two intelligent people to fight for the title of being the smartest, but to both Krystal and Luhan, it was not just a friendly competition to see who gets more As. They hated each other. And it’s always been like that. They were in a constant battle of who is better than the other and neither would back down. No one knew if there was a deeper reason to why they loathed each other, but some would think it was because Luhan could never steal Krystal’s throne. Or maybe it was because Krystal thinks that most teachers favor Luhan over herself. Nonetheless, they still took their grades a bit too much. They couldn’t accept a 99% on their exams. They couldn’t accept an A-. They couldn’t accept being less noticed. They couldn’t –

Well, the point was made.

Luhan and Krystal were basically the worst enemies at school, but to say that many students wanted them to stop fighting over something so petty and just be together is an understatement. Even the teachers wanted them to just happen. Besides, whenever they were in close proximity, there was no denying that the between the two was evident. They probably never noticed it, given that only cold stares and harsh insults are exchanged between them, but it was there.

And it would cost them only a wasted minute before they actually realize what the hell has been there all along.

“Out of my way, pretty boy.” Krystal spat as she walked past Luhan in the crowded hallway.

“I wasn’t even anywhere in front of you, Jung.” He scoffed, purposely nudging the tower of books she was carrying. And those weren’t thin paperbacks. Those books were 500 to 700-paged hard-bounds borrowed from the library, and the pages she made sure were free of crinkles and stains were not so tidy anymore. She managed to get sight of a few rips, and to say that Krystal was pissed was like saying that a baby hamster squeaked. She was infuriated, and almost everyone in the vicinity cowered in fear. Except for Luhan, of course. The boy was just standing, unfazed by her death glares.

“Oops.” He pouted, but the mischievous glint in his eyes proved otherwise.

“ you.” She growled, stooping down to collect the books scattered on the floor.

“No thanks.” He replied, a smug look plastered on his face.

If Luhan didn’t have fast reflexes, his left cheek would’ve been bruised by the book that was about to hit his face. But he did, and before Krystal could successfully whack the smirk off his face, he caught her wrist in a tight hold and pulled her closer.

“Well, look what do we have here, huh? The top student’s supporting violence! What would the teachers say?”

For a split second, Krystal was frozen in her spot. She didn’t know if it was because of her accidental spurt of barbarism, or if it was because there were only approximately 20 centimeters between them. And if it wasn’t for her pride, she would’ve drooled over him right there and then.

She regained her composure almost instantly though, and before their audience could savor the closest thing to a moment they ever had, the bell rang.

“.” They cursed in unison, and then they were sprinting in the hallways, ignoring the awestruck looks from their classmates. First, they’ve had a heated argument in front of the student body, and then they violate a school rule. They were also late for class, and if that day didn’t make it into the school’s history books, nothing would.

They reached their Biology class at exactly 2:01 p.m., a minute late. The moment they showed up at the door, a collective gasp was heard from their classmates. If it wasn’t for their exchange of hateful looks, people would’ve gotten the wrong idea. They were sweaty and panting and late. People would’ve assumed they just had a quickie, but much to everyone’s dismay, it was an impossible thing to happen.

At least, that’s what they think.

“Krystal and Luhan! Why on Earth were you two late?” The teacher asked, a surprised look etched on her face.

The two pointed fingers at each other, too dumbfounded to speak. As if on cue, they looked at each other with so much loathing in their eyes.

“It’s Luhan’s fault! He purposely nudged the books off my grasp in the hallways!” Krystal reasoned, but Luhan was quick to counter her statement

“You were the one who bumped into me, Jung! Don’t even try to blame me!”

“Well, since the two of you are late and you’re bickering like a bunch of toddlers, I’ll be partnering the both of you for your next investigatory project.” The teacher said nonchalantly.

“But we were only late for a minute!” Krystal gasped in alarm.

“Are you questioning my decision, Ms. Jung?” The teacher challenged, and Krystal was rendered speechless. She still wanted to maintain her good girl image even if she ruined her record of not being late for any class, so she decided to shut up and pray that Luhan would be as stubborn as her.

“That’s just not fair!” Luhan groaned, wanting to pull his hair in frustration.

“The both of you will be partners for this project and my decision is final, so please proceed to your seats before I give you your detention slips and see you after class.”

At that moment, they knew that they were defeated and there was no chance of getting out of their damned situation. Detention would ruin their high school record, so it’s that or doing a year-long project with each other. Besides, they knew, deep down, that they’d rather do the project together than decrease their chances of getting into the universities they wanted to go to.

Begrudgingly, they sat on the two remaining seats which just happened to be next to each other. Krystal sat down with a huff and thought of unicorns, cotton candy and rainbows. Anything but the seemingly innocent devil next to her. Luhan was a different story though. He’s successfully snapped three of his pencils into halves and it hasn’t been five minutes since their teacher decided to make his senior year hell.

“This is your ing fault.” Luhan practically growled under his breath, sending chills to her spine. She almost immediately stiffened at his voice, but quickly switched back to her composed self and stared at him.

“If you didn’t nudge my books, none of this would’ve happened, pretty boy.” Krystal responded.

 “You’ll pay for—“

“If you want to pass this damned project then I s