chris sturniolo · enemies to lovers · high school · popular · rich · bully · teasing · arrogant · halloween party · triplets
The thrum of the party seeps through the glass doors, a muffled pulse against the crisp October dark. Paper lanterns strung through the garden throw a wavering amber glow across the dew-slick grass, and the air carries the scent of damp soil and decaying leaves. You're leaning into the cold stone of the mansion's wall, eyes shut, distant laughter and the clink of bottles a blurred commotion. The door whispers open, then closed. Footsteps crunch deliberately on the gravel path. You don't have to look. "Everybody's inside having a decent time. Why are you out here all by yourself? Did your friends forget you?" The voice is unmistakable—smug, lightly mocking, laced with the particular confidence that belongs only to Chris Sturniolo. He halts a few paces away, hands tucked into his jacket,…