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Chapter Three

Living with the Enemy

Aria’s POV

Sharing a room with Luca Silver was like sharing a cage with the world's most arrogant tiger.

And by the end of our first week, I was already wondering which one of us would snap first.

The first morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. to the sound of my alarm, the harsh electronic kind that could raise the dead.

Well, that was the best alarm that could actually get me out of bed.

I rolled out of bed, pulled on my running shoes, and shuffled toward the bathroom. I couldn't afford to be late for my first training session. Making a terrible first impression wasn't exactly how I planned to start my life at North Ridge.

I turned the door knob and was shocked to realize it was locked.

I knocked softly on the door. "Hello?"

There was no answer, but I could hear the shower running. And then accompanying the sound of water running in the bathroom was a loud humming. Off-key, arrogant humming.

I turned around to look at the other side of the room. He wasn’t in bed. I had been hurrying to the bathroom that I didn’t even notice he wasn’t in bed.

" Hey, I hope you know some of us have actual training schedules. "I shouted, knocking louder.

The water shut off, and I waited for the door to open. But instead, Luca's voice was muffled through the door.

"Well, some of us have actual championships to win."

"If you don’t come out right now, I will break down this door."

"Try it, and I will tell everyone you were desperate to see me naked again."

I pressed my forehead against the wood and counted to ten. When the door finally opened, steam billowed out, and Luca emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist again, dripping water on the floor I'd just cleaned last night.

"You're a menace," I said, pushing past him.

He caught my arm, just barely, his fingers warm and damp.

"You're a morning person. That's the real crime here."

I grabbed the nearest towel and threw it at his face. He laughed, catching it one-handed, and I slammed the bathroom door behind me.

By day three, we'd established a pattern. A terrible, petty, strangely rhythmic pattern, and I was certain we would tear each other's throats out before the academy fixed the accommodation issue.

Whenever Luca stole my cereal, I hid his phone charger. When he used half my shampoo, I moved his hockey stick somewhere he would never think to look. He retaliated by eating my granola bars and leaving the wrappers on my pillow like a psychopath.

We were childish. Petty. Ridiculous.

And somehow, it was becoming our normal

"I woke up at 5 a.m. every morning to train," he complained every morning.

"Normal people sleep until eight," he groaned from his bed, face buried in his pillow, voice thick with exhaustion.

"Normal people don't snore like a chainsaw," I shot back, lacing my shoes.

"I don't snore."

"You absolutely snore. I have recordings."

He sat up, hair wild, eyes narrow. "You wouldn't dare."

"Piss me off one more time, and I will have your videos on the billboard. Trust me, that would sell better.”

"If you dare do that, I’ll make this academy a hell for you.”

I smiled, knowing that my message has sunk in. I grabbed my gym bag and left.

The bathroom became our battlefield.

I would be brushing my teeth, and he'd walk in like I wasn't there, reaching around me for his toothpaste, his arm brushing my shoulder, his reflection smirking behind mine in the mirror.

I hated how aware I was of him whenever he got too close.

It wasn't attraction. At least, that's what I told myself.

It was irritation.

It had to be.

I would be in the shower, and he'd bang on the door claiming he was going to die of toothpaste deprivation.

Then, one evening, my phone rang.

Mom.

My chest tightened the second I saw her name on the screen. She never called this late unless something was wrong.

Luca was sprawled on his bed, scrolling through something on his tablet, earbuds in. He didn't look up. I couldn't afford for him to hear my conversations with my mom. I grabbed my jacket and stepped into the hallway, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Hey, Mom."

"Aria." Her voice was thin, stretched tight. "I didn't want to call. I know you're settling in."

"What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath before speaking again. "It is Mylo, your brother.”

I could feel the tension rising inside of me.

Mylo had been sick for as long as I could remember. An autoimmune condition had turned his childhood into hospital visits, medications, blood tests, and bills my mother could never seem to catch up with. She had spent nearly everything she had keeping him alive.

"What about Mylo this time?"

"Mylo's treatment: they want to start the new protocol next month. And we don't have enough money. Not even close."

I closed my eyes, leaning against the wall. "How much?"

She named the amount.

My stomach dropped.

It was more than my scholarship covered. More than Mom could possibly earn in a year.

For a moment, I couldn't speak.

This was exactly what I'd been afraid of. I'd finally gotten into North Ridge, but even a full scholarship couldn't fix everything waiting for me back home.

"Don't worry, Mom." My voice came out steady, practiced. "I'll find a way."

I had to.

There was no backup plan. No wealthy family waiting to rescue us. No savings tucked away for emergencies.

If I failed at North Ridge, I didn't just lose my place at an elite academy. I lost the only chance I had to save my family.

"Aria, you can't… you should focus on your studies."

"I will." I opened my eyes, staring at the hallway's industrial carpet. "I promise. Just... keep me posted on his numbers, okay?"

"There's more, Aria." Her voice cracked. "I got a letter yesterday."

My stomach tightened. "What kind of letter?"

"Your sponsors."

I straightened. "What about them?"

"They're threatening to pull out."

My heart stopped. "What?"

"They said they're reconsidering their support. If they withdraw, I don't know how we're going to manage everything, especially with Mylo's new treatment.”

It felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore.

When I hung up, I stood there for a long moment, trying to steady my breathing.

I wiped quickly at the corner of my eye and pushed away from the wall.

Then I froze.

Luca was standing across the hallway.

His earbuds hung loosely around his neck, his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't looking at me. His gaze was fixed on the floor, his jaw tight.

My heart skipped.

How long had he been standing there?

Had he heard everything?

How long had he been there? He opened his mouth to say something, but then he said quietly, not meeting my eyes. "I forgot my key."

I nodded, too tired to question it, and unlocked the door. He followed me inside, silently.

For the first time since we'd become roommates, Luca Silver didn't have a single sarcastic comment.

He just looked at me.

And somehow, that was worse.