Lena Carter hated exactly three things in life:
Group projects.
People who talked during lectures.
And Ethan Blake.
"Wrong again," his voice came from behind her, low and annoyingly amused.
Lena didn't turn around. "Did I ask?"
A few students snickered. She could practically feel his smirk.
"You should. It might help your grade," Ethan added, stepping beside her desk like he owned the entire classroom.
Lena finally looked up, her eyes sharp. "Funny. Last I checked, we're tied."
"For now."
God, she wanted to throw something at him.
Professor Hale cleared his throat loudly. "If you two are done turning my class into a debate show, perhaps we can continue?"
Silence fell, but the tension between Lena and Ethan didn't.
It never did.
—
The argument started after class.
It always did.
"You deliberately contradicted me," Lena snapped, shoving her books into her bag.
Ethan leaned against the desk, arms crossed, completely unbothered. "Because you were wrong."
"I wasn't—"
"You missed a key point in the theory."
"Oh, I'm sorry, professor," she mocked. "Didn't realize you were teaching now."
His eyes darkened slightly, something flickering behind the usual teasing. "Maybe I should be."
That did it.
Lena stepped closer. "You think you're better than everyone just because you have money and connections—"
"And you think being stubborn makes you right."
They were too close now.
Way too close.
Neither of them moved.
The air shifted.
For a second—just one second—everything went quiet.
Then—
"ENOUGH!"
Professor Hale's voice thundered across the room.
Both of them stepped back instantly.
"Detention. Both of you. Starting tomorrow. And since you clearly can't function like civilized students…" He adjusted his glasses, glaring. "You'll be working together."
Lena blinked. "What?"
Ethan actually looked surprised for once. "That's unnecessary."
"Oh, I think it's very necessary," the professor said dryly. "You'll attend academic probation tutoring. Together. Daily."
Daily?!
Lena turned to Ethan, horrified.
He looked right back at her.
And then—
He smirked.
"I guess we're stuck together, Carter."
Lena forced a tight smile.
"This is going to be a nightmare."
Ethan leaned closer, his voice dropping just enough for only her to hear.
"Not for me."
Her heart did something weird.
Something she refused to acknowledge.
Because if there was one thing Lena Carter knew for sure…
It was that she would never fall for Ethan Blake.
Never.