Chapter 1
My nemesis was coming to visit over break.
I panicked and posted on the campus forum for help.
I wrote: [What's the worst food you can find near campus?]
The first reply said: [Whatever's growing in the toilet at the far end of Dorm Five.]
The second reply said: [Seriously? Can't you find a classier way to get revenge?]
I scrolled through every single comment until number thirteen stopped me cold.
It read: [Feed him surströmming. If he actually eats it, he's probably into you.]
I hadn't even finished reading the rest of that reply when a video call from my nemesis lit up my screen.
He said, "I'm here. Open the door."
A guy in a flashy outfit stood at my doorstep, holding a bouquet of flowers. He cleared his throat with two stiff little coughs.
He said, "Your mom told me sunflowers are your favorite."
Holy crap. Was this really the same cold, top-of-his-class rival I knew?
*****
Lucas had always carried himself with a cool, untouchable air. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and his lean frame stood on the highest spot of every awards podium.
From elementary school all the way through high school, he beat me at everything.
My mom never let me forget it, either. She would say, "Look at Lucas from across the street. That boy's up before dawn, heading to school, and he takes first place every single time. I'd be happy if you even cracked the top ten."
I shot back, "Mom, he lives in the gated community across town. He's not exactly our neighbor."
Not even college could free me from his shadow. Lucas got into an Ivy League school overseas, and somehow, he still found ways to one-up me.
One day, he texted me: [I'm thinking about visiting your city over Thanksgiving break. You free?]
I typed back: [Nope.]
He replied almost instantly: [I got an autographed photo from your favorite celebrity. But if it's not a good time, no worries.]
I typed back even faster. [I'm free. Totally free.]
He knew exactly how to get to me. Years of resentment boiled over, and I pulled up the campus forum on my phone and fired off a post: [My high school rival is coming to visit. What's the most disgusting food near campus?]
The first comment read: [Toilet water.]
The second one asked: [Guy or girl? Are they hot?]
I replied: [A guy. Annoyingly good-looking. The golden child every parent wishes they had. I hate his guts.]
The thread kept going until comment 13 stopped me in my tracks. [Surströmming, obviously. Nothing makes an out-of-towner suffer more than fermented fish.]
Comment 14 disagreed. [Nah, go with durian chips.]
Comment 15 said: [My vote's on blue cheese. Also, OP, you'd better actually hate this guy.]
The post blew up and shot straight to the top of the page. One evil suggestion after another poured in.
And I welcomed every single one of them.
I was still cackling at my phone when Lucas' video call lit up the screen.
I declined it without a second thought, and a text popped up right after: [I'm here. Open the door.]
My stomach dropped.
I had moved into a rental near campus in my first year because dorm life wasn't for me, and now he was standing right outside.
I opened the door, and there he was.
Lucas, the boy who had spent his whole life looking like he was carved from ice, stood on my doorstep holding a bunch of sunflowers.
He wore a floral button-down shirt, and his signature glasses were nowhere to be seen.
He held the flowers out and said, "Hailey, your mom told me sunflowers are your favorite."
I forced a smile and said, "It's the middle of the night. What are you doing here?"
He stared at me, and his voice cracked slightly. "Sorry, I spent all my money on signed photos. Can I crash here for a few days?"
I let out a dry laugh, hoping he could hear the rejection in my tone.
He added, "When my allowance comes in next month, I'll pay you back double for rent. Would six thousand cover it?"
The moment those words left his mouth, I grinned and grabbed the suitcase from his hand. "There's a guest room next door. You can stay there for now."
*****
A friend from school had recommended the place, so I took him to a spot that sold surströmming.
I grinned and said, "You should try surströmming. Fermented herring with pickles. My treat."
Lucas stared at the swollen tin in front of him. A murky brine oozed around the grayish chunks of fish, and the smell hit like a punch to the face. The rickety little table we sat at didn't help either.
He was the kind of guy who ironed his socks, so his brow furrowed once, twice, and then a third time for good measure.
I blinked up at him with big, pleading eyes.
He clenched his jaw and forced the words out. "Julian told me you met someone. Is that true? Does he treat you well?"
I had grown up with Lucas. He was handsome, smart, and good at everything he touched. Most people just assumed I had feelings for him.
On graduation day, I had joked that I would definitely find my perfect guy in college.
A whole year had passed since then, and I never expected anyone to actually bring it up.
So I lied. I said, "Yeah, he's on the student council. Tall, good-looking, and top of his class."
I had always been a head shorter than Lucas, but when it came to dating, I refused to lose to him.
Lucas blinked a few times after hearing that, and his hand trembled slightly around the piece of herring he was holding.
My heart climbed straight into my throat.
The fish was inches from his lips when he slammed it back down and raised his voice. "Have you ever considered anyone else? What if there's someone better right in front of you?"
A few heads turned our way.
Someone at the next table called out, "Aw, lovers' quarrel?"
I shook my head and pretended to be annoyed. "Even if someone were better than him, they probably wouldn't have the body to match."
And with that, I grabbed the back of his head and shoved a chunk of herring straight into his mouth.
Nice try. I dared him to spit it out.
Lucas chewed hard and forced down two more bites. He said, "It's good. Give me another piece."
But if I listened closely, I could hear the faint crack of a sob in his voice.
I softened and whispered, "Lucas?"
No way. Was surströmming really that brutal?