Chapter 2 How to Lose Your Sanity in One Email

---

Avery slammed her locker shut with a little more force than necessary. The metal rang out like a warning bell.

"What did the locker ever do to you?" came a voice behind her.

She turned to see her best friend, Priya, juggling a coffee cup and her sketchbook. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she had two pens stuck in it like makeshift chopsticks.

"Jace Carter," Avery said like it was a curse. "He's my prom planning co-chair."

Priya choked on her coffee. "What? That cannot be real. Please tell me this is some sort of caffeine-fueled nightmare."

"I wish." Avery shoved her planner into her bag like it had personally betrayed her. "Principal Harper emailed this morning. She wants 'collaboration between different student groups' or something equally horrifying."

"Let me guess," Priya said, sipping dramatically. "You're the brains. He's the... cheekbones."

Avery scowled. "He's the chaos."

They started down the hallway, weaving through clumps of students. Posters for Spirit Week fluttered from the walls, and the smell of cafeteria breakfast pizza hung in the air like a threat.

"You know," Priya said casually, "you two do have great chemistry."

Avery stopped walking. "No. Do not even go there."

"I mean," Priya shrugged, "the fighting, the tension, the way he stares at you like he's two seconds from either kissing you or insulting your taste in pens-"

"He doesn't stare."

Priya grinned. "Okay."

"I'm serious."

"I believe you."

Avery narrowed her eyes. Priya held up her hands in mock surrender, then veered toward the art room.

Avery continued on alone, muttering under her breath. Great. Now her best friend was shipping her with her archnemesis. What was next-matching prom outfits?

She walked into AP Chem and took her seat, trying to push Jace out of her mind.

But as she opened her notebook, there was one undeniable fact hanging in the back of her head:

They were officially working together.

And somehow, that felt more terrifying than any test she'd ever taken.