Stuck with Him

“Some people break the rules. Others are the rules you can’t escape.”

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Detention.

The word itself felt like a curse.

I’d never even had a tardy slip, let alone an after-school punishment. But now here I was, standing outside Room 107 with my backpack slung over my shoulder, staring at the faded sign that might as well have read Abandon Hope, All Who Enter Here.

And of course, he was already there.

Raven Cross lounged against the wall, arms crossed, his leather jacket draped over one shoulder like some magazine model who knew he looked good. His smirk appeared the second his eyes landed on me.

“Princess finally showed.”

I clenched my jaw. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? It fits. You’ve got that whole… perfect, untouchable thing going on.” His gaze swept over me slowly, deliberately. “It’s cute.”

I ignored the way my cheeks heated and pushed past him into the room.

Inside, the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. The desks were arranged in neat rows, the air stale and heavy with the scent of old chalk. Mr. Briggs, the history teacher who supervised detention, sat at his desk flipping through a newspaper, barely glancing up as we entered.

“Sit. No talking. One hour,” he grunted.

I took a seat near the front, determined to make it through the next sixty minutes in silence. But of course, Raven slid into the desk beside mine.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered.

He grinned. “What, you don’t like my company?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

I whipped my head toward him, narrowing my eyes. “Why do you keep bothering me?”

“Because you make it too easy.” He leaned back, balancing his chair on two legs, looking effortlessly relaxed while I was ready to combust. “Most girls would kill for my attention. You? You act like it’s the plague. It’s… interesting.”

I rolled my eyes and focused on the blank worksheet Mr. Briggs had dropped on our desks. Busywork. Great.

The room was quiet for about five minutes. Five. That was how long it took for Raven to get bored.

Tap. Tap. Tap. His pen drummed against the desk in an irregular rhythm, just loud enough to drive me insane.

I glared. “Can you not?”

He raised a brow. “What, this?” He tapped louder.

“Stop.”

“Make me.”

I let out an exasperated sigh and scribbled on my paper. But then his voice dropped lower, closer to a whisper only I could hear.

“You know, detention doesn’t have to be boring.”

I froze, refusing to look at him. “I don’t want to know what that means.”

“Relax, princess. I’m just saying…” His smirk widened. “We could make a game out of it. See how long it takes before Briggs notices if I—”

“Mr. Cross!” Mr. Briggs’ sharp voice cut him off. The teacher’s eyes narrowed over the top of his newspaper. “Two feet on the floor. Now.”

Raven chuckled and obeyed, dropping his chair back down with a loud thud. He shot me a wink. “Worth it.”

I shook my head, muttering under my breath. “You’re impossible.”

“And you,” he said smoothly, “are fun to annoy.”

The clock ticked on, painfully slow. My pen scratched across the worksheet while Raven doodled aimlessly on the corner of his paper, humming to himself like detention was his personal concert.

But every so often, I caught him watching me.

Not in the mocking way he usually did, but something heavier. Almost… curious.

I quickly looked away each time, telling myself it didn’t matter. He was trouble, and I wanted nothing to do with him.

At least, that’s what I kept repeating in my head.

Because deep down, I knew the truth.

I noticed him, too.

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