Alex Dunphy has spent her entire high school career focused on one thing—being the best. With perfect grades, an impeccable college resume, and zero distractions, she’s always been the smartest person in the room.

Until Jasper Allister shows up.

A lazy genius with a talent for words, an infuriating smirk, and a habit of quoting literature at just the right moment, Jasper is everything Alex doesn’t need in her final year. Worse, he seems to enjoy getting under her skin, challenging her in class, and unraveling the careful control she’s built around herself.

As their academic rivalry turns into something dangerously close to friendship—maybe even more—Alex starts to question everything she thought she wanted. Because if Jasper is just an obstacle in her path, why does arguing with him feel like the best part of her day?

Enemies. Rivals. Something else entirely. In the last year of high school, Alex Dunphy is about to learn that some stories are impossible to write without an unexpected plot twist.

Chapter 9 - Notice