Novels by joythebestgirlygirl

Zoey’s PovThe announcement that Ryan and I had been chosen as the official student representatives spread through both schools much faster than either of us expected. Everywhere I went, someone seemed to have an opinion about it. Some students congratulated me because they thought it was an important opportunity, while others wondered how long it would take before Ryan and I started arguing in front of the entire committee again.Even Ava couldn’t resist teasing me. “You know,” she said as we walked toward my locker after history class, “I’ve never seen you talk about another person this much.”“I don’t talk about him that much.”She gave me a look that clearly said she wasn’t convinced. “You mentioned his name four times during lunch.”“Only because everyone else kept asking about the committee.”“Mhm.”“And because he keeps changing perfectly good ideas.”She smiled. “So you were thinking about him.”“I was thinking about the project.”“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”I gently

Ryan’s PovAfter spending an entire afternoon visiting local businesses with her, I was beginning to realize my first impression hadn’t been entirely wrong. She was opinionated. She was definitely stubborn. But there was so much more to her than I’d allowed myself to see.The next committee meeting took place two days later, and for the first time since this whole partnership had started, I didn’t walk into the community center expecting another disaster. That alone should have worried me.I arrived a few minutes early, balancing two paper cups of hot chocolate in one hand while carrying my folder under the other arm. The weather had turned colder overnight, and the sharp wind outside had left almost everyone complaining before they even made it through the front doors.Zoey was already there. I wasn’t surprised. She sat at the same table as always, her notebook open, completely absorbed in a color-coded schedule that looked complicated enough to organize an entire city. I walked over

Zoey’s PovApparently, the universe had a strange sense of humor. First, it let me embarrass the captain of Ridgeview Academy in front of half the town, and then it decided the perfect punishment was making him my partner for the biggest event of the year.I found out about the second part before I’d even made it to my locker.By the time I walked through the doors of Evergreen High the morning after the pep rally, my phone had already buzzed itself into a small crisis. Forty-three notifications. Group chats I hadn’t opened in months had suddenly come back to life, every single one filled with the same ten-second clip of me telling Ryan Walker that hockey wasn’t the only thing worth cheering for.Someone had set it to dramatic orchestra music. Someone else had turned it into a meme with the caption “Evergreen’s Final Boss.” My personal favorite was the one where they’d zoomed in on Ryan’s face at the exact second he ran out of things to say, freezing the frame like a trophy.“You’re f

Ryan’s PovBy the time I arrived at Ridgeview Academy the morning after the Winter Pep Rally, every hallway conversation seemed to stop for exactly one second before continuing with barely concealed laughter.I didn’t need to check my phone to know why. My teammates had already sent enough screenshots to fill my notifications, most of them freezing on the exact moment Zoey Bennett calmly dismantled my final point in front of the entire town. Apparently my facial expression had become everyone’s favorite meme.I shoved my phone into my backpack and walked toward my locker, pretending none of it bothered me.“Morning, Captain.”I turned just in time to see Mason Carter leaning against the row of lockers with the biggest grin I’d ever seen on his face.“You survived.”“I wasn’t aware there was a chance I wouldn’t.”“Oh, there definitely was.” He laughed. “I’ve watched that debate at least six times.”“I bet you have.”“You know what my favorite part is?”“I really don’t.”“It’s when you

Zoey’s PovIf there was one thing everyone in my hometown took more seriously than breathing, it was hockey.It didn’t matter whether you attended Evergreen High or Ridgeview Academy. The moment winter arrived, classrooms emptied faster, conversations grew louder, and every shop downtown decorated its windows with blue-and-white banners celebrating the upcoming season. Even the local bakery sold cookies shaped like hockey sticks, and our history teacher somehow found a way to compare famous battles to championship games. Sometimes I wondered if the whole town would simply stop functioning if a puck disappeared.As someone who had spent years winning debate competitions instead of scoring goals, I’d long accepted that people like me would never get the same applause. Athletes were greeted with cheers every time they walked through the hallway, while the debate team usually celebrated our victories by eating stale cookies in the library after school. Not that I was bitter. Okay, maybe