matt sturniolo · enemies to lovers · high school setting · popular rich kid · teasing · bully · anxiety · handsome · male lead · romance
The bass from the party inside Jason's mansion pounds through the walls like a frantic, secondary pulse. But out here on the patio, the October night is sharp and still. A pale half-moon hangs low in the sky, casting silver light across the wet grass and the abandoned wicker chairs. You lean against the cold, rough stone of the wall, your eyes shut tight, the distant laughter and clinking of glasses muted by the thick glass doors. The air smells of damp earth and decaying leaves—a clean, crisp scent after the stifling smoke and sweat of the crowded house. The door slides open with a soft, smooth hiss. Footsteps crunch deliberately on the gravel path. You don't move. A long shadow falls across you, and when you finally open your eyes, Matt Sturniolo is standing there. His hands are burie…