You know that guy in every school movie? The golden boy? Yeah, that’s me. Ronan Blackwell. Quarterback since junior year. Voted Most Likely to Ruin Your Life. And trust me, I could—if I cared enough. I’m six-foot-three, all muscle and attitude. Dark hair, gray eyes, a jawline sharp enough to hurt feelings. I’ve been told I look like trouble in a letterman jacket—and they’re not wrong. My locker’s always clean. My grades? Just high enough to keep the Ivy Leagues drooling. My phone? Full of names I don’t bother remembering. I throw the touchdowns, I host the parties, I make the rules. The teachers pretend not to see when I show up late. The principal calls my father before he calls me. And everyone? They either love me or pretend to—same thing. But then there’s her. The one girl who’s been a thorn in my side since third grade. The girl who beat me in every spelling bee, called me out on every lie, and never once looked impressed. Now she’s cheer captain—because of course she is. Center of attention, always five steps ahead,always in a damn fight, and still acting like she’s allergic to my existence. She hasn’t changed. But lately, I find myself staring when I shouldn’t. Watching the way she moves, the way she smirks, the way she never backs down. God, I hate her. So why the hell do I want her so bad?

I used to think I knew what betrayal felt like. People I trusted, people I called friends, turned on me, tore me apart in ways I didn't even think were possible. My life felt like a series of crushing blows, one after the other. But then, for the first time, I found someone who didn’t hurt me. He was my rock, my best friend, the one who helped me pick up the broken pieces of myself and keep moving. For years, we were inseparable. But then, one day, everything shattered. He came to me with those sad eyes, telling me he was in love with her. The one who destroyed me, who made me feel worthless, like a burden. The one who tore me down until I barely recognized myself. He chose her, over me. And that moment, something inside me broke. I couldn’t stay in a world where people like him existed—where loyalty meant nothing. I walked away. I had to. And that’s when I found them. The Vowbreakers. A gang built on one thing—loyalty. A place where I finally felt like I belonged. But it wasn’t just them. It was him. Ice. With his steel-gray eyes, that towering presence—6’6”, 285 pounds of muscle, with an arrogant smile that made me want to hate him... but I didn’t. It was him who made the Vowbreakers swear another vow—the one to protect me.