Love me if you dare

Everyone on campus knows Zara Cole's name. Nobody knows her story. She skips class, breaks rules, and dates whoever she wants — and she's built that reputation on purpose, like armor. Ethan Blake is the opposite of everything she stands for: student council president, top of his class, a future already mapped out in a straight line. When a professor forces them to work together on a major project, Ethan makes a bet with his friends that he can get Zara to finally take something seriously. Zara overhears him. Instead of getting mad, she smiles — and raises the bet. "I'll make you fall in love with me before you finish your little project." Ethan accepts, sure he won't lose. But the more time he spends with Zara, the more he sees the girl underneath the reputation — funny, guarded, fiercely loyal, and hiding something she's never told anyone. As their fake rivalry turns into something real, a secret from Zara's past surfaces — one that could destroy her future, her education, and everything Ethan has worked for. Now Zara has to choose: keep protecting herself the only way she knows how, or let someone finally see the real her — and risk losing everything to do it. A slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers story about two people who were never supposed to fall for each other — and couldn't stop themselves.