I HATE THAT I LIKE YOU
1. SHUT UP
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pairing ₊ ᰔ ˎˊ˗ | popular!lara x popular!fem!r
synopsis ₊ ᰔ ˎˊ˗ | lara runs the school— hot, bitchy, & impossible to ignore. you’re the straight-A sweetheart whom she loves to compete with. somehow, the rivalry turns into feelings neither of you saw coming.
warning ₊ ᰔ ˎˊ˗ | enemies to lovers trope, language, fluff, bits of angst, lara is lowk a spoiled asshole, eventual smut
ever since middle school you couldn’t stand lara, she started this unwanted competition between you two. it was a known fact that you hated her cocky, vile, butthead, jerk yet gorgeous face. oh you sucked at these name calls.
you guys could not be around each other for a second without bickering, of course she enjoyed seeing your face scrunch up with irritation.
like this morning, when you were rushing down the hallway, arms full of textbooks, and suddenly—
"watch where you're going," lara snapped, her shoulder colliding hard with yours. your books scattering across the floor.
"maybe if you weren't taking up the entire hallway—"
"maybe if you weren't such a clumsy bitch"
you gasp a little at harsh name, you grabbed your books quickly. lara watched you pick them up, her smirk wide.
you ignore her, picking the last book & head off to your first period.
of course you had ap literature together first period. you'd barely settled into your seat when lara sauntered in, dropping her designer bag on the desk right next to yours with an obnoxious thud.
"you've got to be kidding me," you muttered.
"trust me, the feeling's mutual, sweetheart." she examined her nails, that infuriating smirk playing on her lips.
"don't call me that."
"what, sweetheart? does it bother you, sweetheart?"
"you're insufferable." you sigh.
"and you're uptight. at least i'm interesting."
"interesting? you're a walking cliché in overpriced boots"
"these boots cost more than your entire life—"
"ladies!" mrs. chen's voice cut through the classroom like a whip. she stood in the doorway, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in that way that meant business. "settle down. please."
you sank into your seat, face burning. lara just leaned back, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
mrs. chen moved to the front of the class, pulling up the projector. "since we're all so energetic this morning, let's channel that into something productive. this semester project will be done in pairs" she clicked to the next slide, "which i've already assigned."
your stomach dropped.
"y/n and lara." it felt as if your two names rang throughout the whole school, this was hell on earth.
“absolutely not” you blurted out.
“i hate to agree with her, but i can’t. she’s like unbearable” lara drug out her words.
“i’m so glad we feel the same!” you sarcastically smile. lara rolled eyes, turning away from you.
“the pairings are final. end of discussion.” your teacher was obviously annoyed, even she was over it.
you turned to look at lara, horror mirrored in both your expressions for once.
this was going to be a disaster.
the rest of the class passed in a blur of mrs. chen explaining project requirements while you sat there, acutely aware of lara's presence beside you. she was tapping her pen against her desk.
tap, tap, tap—in that rhythmic way that made your jaw clench.
"stop that," you hissed.
"stop what?" tap, tap, tap.
"you know what."
"oh, does this bother you?" she tapped faster, leaning closer with that shit-eating grin.
you grabbed the pen right out of her hand.
"hey!"
"you'll get it back when you learn to not be so fucking annoying."
"give it back, you—"
"ms. y/l/n, ms. lara," mrs. chen called out without even turning around. "is there a problem?"
"no, ma'am," you both mumbled in unison.
lara snatched her pen back the moment mrs. chen looked away, and you could feel her glaring at you for the rest of the period.
when the bell finally rang, you gathered your things as quickly as possible, but lara was faster. she stepped directly in front of you, arms crossed.
"so when are we doing this stupid project?"
"i don't know, never? i'll do the whole thing myself and put your name on it."
"as if i'd trust you to do it right. you probably think wuthering heights is a romance novel."
your face heated. "it literally is a..you know what, i'm not doing this right now."
"library. tomorrow. 4pm." she turned on her heel, her hair whipping around dramatically. "don't be late."
"who the hell said i agreed to—"
but she was already gone, leaving you standing there with your fists clenched and your heart racing with frustration.
the next day, you showed up to the library at 4:15 pm. not because you were late. you just refused to give her the satisfaction of being on time.
lara was already there, sprawled across one of the study tables like she owned the place, scrolling through her phone. she looked up when you approached, checking her watch with exaggerated slowness.
"fifteen minutes late. how predictable." lara said uninterested on what your rebuttal was.
"i'm here, aren't i?" you dropped your bag on the table with more force than necessary.
"barely." she pushed a copy of wuthering heights across the table. "i already started reading. you're on chapter five."
"excuse me? you don't get to assign me anything."
"someone has to take charge, and clearly it's not going to be you."
you grabbed the book, flipping it open with more aggression than the poor novel deserved. "fine. but we're splitting this evenly. i'm not doing all the work while you coast by on your daddy's money."
her eyes flashed dangerously. "my daddy's money? she scoffed. “i have a support system— that so happens to be be financially stable. are you jealous?”
"jealous? at least i work for what i have instead of having everything handed to me on a silver platter."
"oh, that's rich coming from you," she shot back, her voice dripping with venom. "you think you're so much better than everyone else, don't you? miss perfect."
“you’ve paid your way through your whole life”
"you don't know anything about me."
"i know enough."
"really?" she leaned forward, her voice dropping low. "enlighten me then. what do you think you know?"
you opened your mouth, then closed it. because the truth was, you didn't know much about lara beyond the surface. the designer clothes, the expensive car, the way she seemed to glide through life without effort.
"that's what i thought," she said quietly, something unreadable flickering across her face before the mask slipped back into place. "just read your chapters."
you both worked in tense silence for the next hour, the only sounds the turning of pages and the occasional scratch of pen on paper. you hated how aware you were of her.
the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating, the subtle scent of her perfume, the way her leg bounced under the table when she was thinking.
"stop staring at me," she said without looking up.
"i'm not actually.”
"you are. it's creepy."
"i was just—you have something in your hair."
she looked up then, her hand immediately going to her hair. "what? where?"
"left side. no, your other left. there."
she pulled out a small leaf, examining it with confusion.
"maybe if you didn't dramatically flip your hair every five seconds”
"i do not dramatically flip my—" she stopped, catching the smirk on your face. "you're messing with me."
"maybe."
for just a second, the corner of her mouth twitched. almost like she wanted to smile. but then she caught herself, rolling her eyes instead.
"you're so immature."
"and yet, here we are. partners."
"don't remind me."
but something had shifted, just slightly. the tension was still there, thick and electric, but underneath it was something else. something you couldn't quite put a name yet and weren't sure you wanted to.
this was going to be a very long semester.
© br4tzz
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