Academic Rivals Novels & Stories

Sebastian's POV I sat in the back of my Aston Martin, scrolling through my tablet for the daily hand exercise game I did when I was stressed out. It was the most peaceful thing right now. The numbers and patterns kept my mind occupied. Kept me from thinking about things I didn't want to think about. I didn't involve myself in matters involving rivals. Dominic had been my rival since college. After what caused the accident of the Rossis, it separated the business deals between our families. Generational rivals. That's all we were supposed to be.

His face was all emotionless as he stared at me with nothing but disgusting, loathing, and hatred. My heart squeezed. I opened my mouth, desperate to say something, anything, but before I could, the voice of the MC boomed through the hall. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the special event that will shake the whole city of manchester…” The crowd erupted in mad cheers, while others murmured in confusion. “I guess it's time for the proposed competition, see you there, My Rival” Andrian said before going away with the woman beside him. Her distant laughter rang like the horn of hell to my ears.

"A bit much? Mia, they’re ruining the reputation of our school. I’m doing everyone a favor. Now, do you want to be on the winning side or not?" She hesitated. Then she nodded slowly. Good girl. I looked back at the scene near the cars. The Dean was pointing toward his office. Kai’s father was shouting. Ava looked like she was about to faint. I felt a twinge of something—not guilt, definitely not guilt—but a realization. Once I hit this button, there is no going back. The rivalry is over because the enemy will be dead. Metaphorically, of course. Does that make me the villain? Or just the only one brave enough to play the game?

"We understand there are rivalries. But acting on impulse gives them room to study your behavior and strategy. They can use that against your team during the actual tournament." I stood still and clenched my jaw but kept my lips shut not wanting to do this. I was an Alpha, and if we were to be outside college, I was higher in rank to these old looking people scolding me. And they would never dare talk to me. I wasn't going to do this rubbish. What hadn't they called Dorian out when his buddy intentionally bounded into my buddy, Jace? This was total rubbish.

Because this— Was no longer a rivalry. It was a war.

The headline: GOLDEN BOY RIVALS: FERNANDEZ AND JAMES COMPETE FOR EUROPEAN FOOTBALL'S BIGGEST PRIZE. I read the article. Andre had won the Golden Boy award the year Russell expected to win it. Andre had won the Kopa Trophy that Russell had publicly said should have been his. Russell had given two press conferences complaining about the voting, saying Andre benefited from playing at a club with history while he was building something from scratch at Merseyside. There were fan accounts dedicated entirely to the rivalry. And I had just slept with one of them. The winning one. I put the phone face down on my lap.

Angel The games went on for a while, as expected it was heated. Tension filling the air, stirring anger in the hearts of losers. Sparrow and I weren't the only rivals here but we were probably the greatest rivals. Remarks kept flying at every chance created and the tension wasn't reducing any moment.

he said. Nyx grinned. “Everything here is.” Alaric didn’t respond. He simply turned and continued down the stairs. Nyx followed, aware of the shifting currents of attention around them. The scoreboard had changed the academy’s atmosphere overnight. Before, the rivalry had been implied. Now it was measurable. Trackable. Public. Students moved differently when rankings were visible. Every conversation carried calculation. Every glance weighed opportunity. Briarcrest had turned the academy into a living battlefield. And Nyx suspected that was exactly the point.

Heart pounding like a bass drum, because yeah… he got under my skin more than I wanted to admit. The next day, the racing field was buzzing. Engines roared, tires screeched, and a sea of people murmured about our showdown. I couldn’t help but smirk. The news had spread like wildfire—Ethan versus Ryan. Rivals to the death or, you know, to the first corner. I adjusted my gloves, pretending calm while my stomach did gymnastics. Not Jessica making me nervous. Well… maybe a little. Fine. A lot. But mostly, it was Ryan standing there, hair tousled, smirk doing something untamed to me I was not ready to admit.

I handed her phone back to her. "Them," I muttered. "You mean Raging Beast and Deadly Snake!" she exclaimed. I frowned. "Why do you all call them by those names?" I asked. "Because it suits their personalities perfectly. Nobody dares to call them by their real names in this school unless they're tired of living. Raging Beast, as the name implies, is cold and always angry. Some students say he has anger issues. He's the son of the Alpha of the neighboring pack. He's ruthless, and even the principal is wary of him. Deadly Snake, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He rarely speaks unless it's absolutely necessary. He could witness someone dying right in front of him and still maintain