After being bullied yet again, I hid in the bathroom, crying in a locked stall—until Ethan Cole, Westbrook High’s untouchable quarterback, found me. Instead of mocking me, he quietly scared off the people who hurt me and knelt in front of me like I mattered. Then he made a shocking offer: we’d fake-date. If I pretended to be his girlfriend, no one would mess with me anymore—and in return, I’d help him pass his classes. I knew I should say no, but the way he looked at me, protective and already a little too soft, made it impossible. I agreed, not knowing he’d been falling for me long before I ever noticed him.