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Luxanna Crownguard pulled into the school parking lot in her family’s pristine, shiny SUV, the kind with a smooth engine purr and beige leather seats that smelled like responsibility and too much money. As she adjusted her headband in the rearview mirror, a familiar growl echoed beside her.
Cue the arrival of Jinx, screeching to a stop in her old, borderline-illegal muscle car she called Fishbones. The thing was loud, scarred with mismatched panels, and painted in garish streaks of hot pink and electric blue flames. But Jinx loved that hunk of metal like it was a child. She built it, painted it, bragged about it endlessly. And today was no different.
The two of them parked side-by-side, and as if choreographed by fate or just bad luck, they stepped out at the exact same time.
Lux was sunshine incarnate in a yellow sundress and a deeper mustard cardigan, her knee-high socks pulled perfectly even above her black boots that added just enough of a rebellious touch and her signature black headband tying the whole look together. It was academic chic with just enough edge to say “I’m nice, but not a doormat.”
Jinx looked like the riot that broke out after a punk concert. Long twin braids dyed a violently bright blue, leather jacket studded and scribbled on with white-out and sharpie, a ripped band shirt, bleached jeans with more holes than fabric, and spiked boots with pink laces stomping like she owned the pavement.
They made eye contact. Tension. The kind of tension you’d assume came from years of blood feuds or betrayal. But in truth? Neither of them remembered why they hated each other. They just did. Tradition, probably.
“My lady,” Jinx said in a mock-posh tone, giving a dramatic bow and sweeping gesture toward the school doors like a goth Shakespearean jester.
Lux rolled her eyes, classic, and started walking past her.
Then, “SIKE, SUCKAA!”
A shoulder bumped into hers and Jinx dashed ahead, cackling like a gremlin and sprinting toward the school doors. Lux groaned. Loudly. She was used to it by now. It was just how their mornings went, an endless cycle of annoying gestures and insults, none of which made any sense anymore but all of which were too ingrained in their routines to stop.
When Lux entered the classroom, Jinx was already sitting at her desk near the window, lounging with her feet on the chair and arms behind her head. Lux walked past her to the opposite side of the class and felt the usual magnetic annoyance. Jinx, ever the show-off, grinned and blew a kiss Lux’s way, clearly enjoying every second of their ongoing war. Lux just rolled her eyes, knowing it would only make Jinx laugh harder, which, of course, she did.
Lux took her seat, unbothered by Jinx’s antics for the moment. She simply pulled out a folded piece of pink-lined paper from her pencil case and, using the daintiest handwriting and brightest pink pen she had, wrote:
Dear Jinx,
I hope you accidentally inhale glitter and cough sparkle dust for the rest of your life.
Kindly go choke on your knockoff leather jacket.
With the warmest regards,
Lux 💕
She smiled sweetly and handed it to Sona, the designated middlewoman. Sona let out a long-suffering sigh—again?—but passed it to Briar, who read it to herself shamelessly and barked a laugh before tossing it onto Jinx’s desk.
Jinx opened it immediately, her face lighting up with a mischievous grin as she read the words. She locked eyes with Lux across the room, her grin widening.
“Nice one, Crownguard,” Jinx mouthed sarcastically, and Lux couldn’t help but smirk in response. There was something almost… comforting about their constant back-and-forth, even if it was ridiculous.
The class began, and for a while, it was peaceful, well, as peaceful as it could be with Jinx on the other side of the room. Lux tried to focus on the lesson, but the tension between them never really went away. Then, out of nowhere, a paper plane flew across the room, landing perfectly on Lux’s desk. She picked it up with an eye-roll, knowing exactly who it was from.
Sure enough, inside the crumpled paper was a note in Jinx’s usual blue and pink ink.
ur mouth is open btw. u look stupid.
The note was accompanied by a doodle of Lux, exaggerated with stink lines around her and a ridiculous expression on her face. Lux snorted before she even realized it. She glanced across the room at Jinx, who was already looking at her with that smug grin of hers.
Without thinking, Lux stuck out her tongue at her, an instinctive move she’d made so many times before and Jinx just burst into laughter. Lux couldn’t help but join in, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all..
They went back to pretending to learn.
A few more notes were exchanged, some via Briar, some via paper plane, one even via a very confused Teemo who didn’t realize he was part of this turf war. Each note carried the same ridiculous insults and clever jabs. But in the way that only sworn enemies could pull off.
By lunch, everyone in class was exhausted from playing unwilling mailman. But Lux and Jinx? They looked recharged. Like chaos was their morning coffee.
Lunch was war.
A war of sunlight and chaos, as the entire school had dubbed it. Lux, glorious in yellow and glowing like the sun, versus Jinx, a walking storm in leather and bleach. Even standing in line for food, the air around them practically sizzled.
“I didn’t know rats were allowed in the lunch queue,” Lux muttered, carefully inspecting her tray of food.
Jinx, three students behind her, shouted back, “Didn’t know porcelain dolls could talk without shattering.”
“Must be exhausting, trying that hard to be edgy.”
“Almost as exhausting as pretending to have a personality.”
Everyone around them sighed. A few even groaned. The lunch lady muttered something under her breath and started slopping mashed potatoes more aggressively than necessary.
By the time they sat at opposite tables obviously, their feud had resumed in silent facial warfare. Lux rolled her eyes dramatically whenever Jinx so much as breathed too loudly. Jinx responded by making exaggerated gagging faces and pretending to throw up every time Lux smiled.
Their friends, used to this, didn’t even blink anymore. Ekko, sitting beside Jinx, casually shielded his drink in case of unexpected crossfire. Meanwhile, Seraphine was already scooting her tray slightly away from Lux, murmuring, “I’m not cleaning up after another incident, okay?”
That incident referred to the food fight. The one that started with Jinx throwing a tater tot at Lux’s head. Lux retaliated with a scoop of peas. Things escalated. Mashed potatoes were involved. Someone used spaghetti as a whip. By the end, it looked like the cafeteria had been attacked by a horde of angry raccoons, and the entire student body had to stay after school to clean.
Ever since then, everyone had learned one lesson: don’t get involved in the Lux and Jinx Cold War.
The day trudged on. Between classes, Lux and Jinx kept at it, tiny paper planes and handwritten hate notes exchanged like passive-aggressive missiles. Another one landed on Lux’s desk during English. She opened it and read:
Crownguard, your essay was so boring I fell asleep and met God. He said he doesn’t like you either.
Lux didn’t miss a beat. She passed one back:
Tell God I said hi. Also, your presentation made me wish for the sweet release of death. I think I blacked out halfway through your third conspiracy theory.
Jinx grinned. Lux smirked. Somewhere in the back, someone let out a long, suffering sigh.
Then came History.
The last period. The dreaded class of endless lectures and tiny text from textbooks that probably hadn’t been updated since the Rune Wars. Professor Heimerdinger was already waiting with his usual stack of handouts and a full pot of tea. “Today,” he began in his nasally, high-pitched voice, “we are starting a group project. This will be part of your final marks, so I expect exceptional work and full cooperation.”
Lux perked up. No problem, she always worked with Seraphine and Sona. She’d carry if needed. Her grade was safe.
“That said,” Heimerdinger continued, “groups will be assigned randomly. No switching partners.”
That was… less fine. But still manageable. He began reading off names. Some cheers. Some groans. Lux zoned out, twirling her pen, until—
“Luxanna Crownguard,” he said, pointing to her. “You will be partnered with… Ekko.”
Lux nodded. Okay, cool. Ekko was a good classmate, a hard worker, and easy-going. She could work with him.
“And Poppy,” Professor Heimerdinger continued.
“Not bad,” Lux thought. Poppy was determined and persistent, sometimes a little too much, but she could manage.
“And lastly, Jinx.”
The class gasped.
So did Lux. Jinx, who had been drawing clouds on the back of her hand, froze mid-scribble. The two of them turned to look at each other in wide-eyed disbelief, like someone had announced they were being married by force.
“No switching,” Heimerdinger repeated without looking up. “I mean it.”
Lux groaned, her face in her hands. Jinx slumped back in her chair, mumbling “this is a hate crime.”
The class burst out laughing. Even Professor Heimerdinger chuckled faintly, sipping his tea like he’d just set a fire and was watching it burn. When the bell rang to signal the end of the day, Lux and Jinx were still sitting, stunned. Ekko and Poppy approached them.
“We should set up a Zoom call tonight,” Ekko said.
“Yeah,” Poppy nodded. “No offense, but you two look like you need a moderator.”
Lux straightened, clearing her throat. “Of course. I’m not letting a clown ruin my grades.”
Jinx flipped her off.
Lux returned it with a dainty smile and a cheerful “See you in hell.”
8:00 PM – Zoom Call
Lux joins on time, in her perfect lighting and neat headband, her camera revealing her tidy room filled with bookshelves, neat desk, and that ever-so-perfect aura of a goody-two-shoes student.
Ekko joined next. “Gimme a sec,” he said, vanishing with a muted mic and the sight of him walking and tripling on his skateboard before he disappeared from the camera.
Poppy popped in two minutes later and immediately declared, “Hold on, I need the right virtual background.”
Lux sipped her water. “Sure. The gremlin hasn’t arrived anyway.”
Ekko returned just in time to see Poppy set her virtual background to Mount Doom. “You’re so dramatic,” he said.
She grinned. “I’m just setting the tone.”
And then, Jinx appeared with the name “Lux Sux LOL”. Hair messy, lip gloss smudged, grinning like she owned the meeting. Lux had her insult ready. “Finally. I thought you were too short to reach the camera.”
Jinx snorted. “I’m surprised you found the camera up your shiny ass.”
Lux almost laughed. It was funny. Instead, she rolled her eyes.
“Okay,” Ekko cut in. “If you two could pause the blood feud for like an hour, that’d be great.”
“No promises,” Jinx said.
“Only if the demon behaves herself,” Lux replied.
Ekko sighed. “Whatever. Let’s start.”
But Lux wasn’t listening anymore.
Because behind Jinx was her bedroom wall. It was chaos, paint splatters, graffiti scrawls, band posters, stickers, but one section caught Lux’s attention like a spotlight in the dark.
Notes.
All her notes.
The hate notes. The insults. The sarcasm. All pinned to Jinx’s wall, some decorated with glitter, some outlined with pink hearts, and Lux’s brain nearly short-circuited. Some even had doodles of them holding hands. One had “Lux <3” scribbled in bubble letters.
Lux stared, open-mouthed.
Jinx’s grin faltered as she realized what Lux was looking at. “Oh. Crap.” She leaned out of frame like she was going to fix the background, then gave up. “Whatever. Forgot to blur it. Sue me.”
“Are those—?”
“What?” Jinx said, shrugging like it was nothing, but her face slightly red. “I gotta keep my reminders of our… special bond, don’t I?”
Lux blinked. It didn’t sound like hate. Not even close. It sounded… flirty?
Wait.
Wait wait wait.
Jinx likes her?
Lux blinked, suddenly feeling a heat in her chest that wasn’t from the usual irritation.
Lux’s face went red.
Wait what?
Do I—?
Am I—?
Fuck. Do I like Jinx too?!!
And that was when Lux Crownguard’s perfectly controlled, perfectly scheduled, perfectly graded world began to spiral. Because the girl she had hated since forever… might have her heart pinned to the wall too.
The rest of the Zoom meeting passed in a blur for Lux. Ekko and Poppy took charge, dividing up the assignment, setting up deadlines, and debating which historical theme they should focus on. Lux barely contributed. She was too busy casting furtive glances at her screen, stealing looks at Jinx, who was just as red-faced and awkward as she was. Every time their eyes met, both would instantly look away.
No insults. No bickering. Just silence and a suffocating tension neither of them knew what to do with.
At the end of the meeting, Ekko leaned back in his chair and said, “Wow. Congrats. You two actually managed to act like mature human beings. What a historic moment.”
Lux and Jinx both laughed, half-hearted and forced and immediately made up excuses to leave.
“Uh, I’ve got chores,” Lux said quickly.
“Yeah, I gotta… feed my engine,” Jinx muttered before logging off.
Once the screen went dark, Lux sat still in her chair, stunned. Her heartbeat was still racing.
What the hell just happened?
She spent the rest of her weekend in a state of confusion, drifting through her chores, her homework, and even the dreaded history project with a single thought spinning around her brain like a skipping record: Jinx likes me? I like Jinx?
The idea clung to her like glitter. It was everywhere, inescapable.
Sure, her heart always fluttered (she used to say it burned, but now she’s being honest) whenever Jinx made one of her dumb faces or stuck out her tongue in class. She always opened Jinx’s hate notes with a weird little thrill, like unwrapping a present full of chaos. They were clever. Stupid. Funny. Sometimes even sweet if you read between the lines.
Until now.
Lux dragged herself off her bed on Saturday afternoon, marched into her closet, and reached for a large black box tucked away on the highest shelf. She set it on her bed like it was sacred, and opened it slowly.
Inside were years’ worth of “hate notes” from Jinx. Crumpled, glittery, some with drawings of Lux looking like a clown, or princess, or both. Some were brutally funny. Some were just… kind of adorable. All were undeniably Jinx. And she had kept them. Every single one.
Why?
Because she liked Jinx. She liked Jinx.
“Holy shit,” Lux muttered, staring down at the chaotic pile of affection-disguised-as-insults. “We’ve been sending each other love letters.”
Her heart did a triple somersault.
She repeated it the entire weekend like a mantra. While sweeping the kitchen. While brushing her hair. While doing the stupid history assignment she now wanted to turn into a tragic enemies-to-lovers romance. Even while washing her face.
I like Jinx.
By Monday morning, Lux was already out of bed and dressed before her alarm even rang. Her hands trembled as she fixed her headband and smoothed her yellow sundress, her cardigan slightly wrinkled from her restlessness. She didn’t even fully know what she was going to do. All she knew was she had to see Jinx.
And there she was.
Fishbones rolled up at the exact same time as Lux’s car, like fate was giving her a wink. Jinx stepped out, black leather jacket as worn and perfect as ever, her jeans just as aggressively torn. Her twin braids bounced behind her, her boots stomped with confidence she probably didn’t feel, and Lux’s breath caught in her throat. She always knew Jinx had that kind of wild, unconventional charm, pale skin dusted with freckles, sharp cheekbones, a too-cute nose, the tiniest gap in her front teeth, and those impossible blue eyes and hair to match, but now?
Now Lux knew. She wasn’t just hot. She was devastating.
Jinx shoved her hands in her pockets and approached Lux slowly, eyes flicking up and down like she wasn’t sure how to act either. When she stopped in front of her, she nodded and said, “’Sup, sunshine,” in that raspy voice of hers that suddenly made Lux want to melt into the pavement.
Lux smiled, small, nervous, way too genuine. “Hey, you.”
And then they just stood there.
No insult. No shove. No war.
Just silence.
Eventually other students began arriving and side-eyeing them with suspicion. Their lack of chaos was concerning.
Lux cleared her throat. “I’ll see you in class.”
“Yeah. See you,” Jinx replied, still looking like she couldn’t decide if she should run away or start a mosh pit.
They walked into class together but sat at their usual opposite desks in silence. They didn't even exchange a single note or insults the entire morning. Lux could feel the tension in the room shift. Everyone noticed.
She heard whispers.
Even Sona leaned over and asked softly, “No notes today? Want me to pass something?”
Lux shook her head at first. But then paused. “Actually, wait.”
She grabbed a piece of paper and her glittery pink pen. Her hands shook as she wrote.
Hey, Jinx. Do you wanna go on a date with me? 💕
She hesitated before handing it to Sona, who didn’t blink or question it, just passed it on like usual. Straight to Jinx.
Lux looked away, heart pounding like crazy. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jinx hesitate before opening the note. Her face turned pink. Then red.
Sona returned to Lux’s desk with a folded note. Lux opened it slowly. First she noticed was the doodle of them kissing poorly, Lux with sparkles, Jinx with devil horns. Then:
Do u wanna be my girlfriend?
PS: yes to the date ☀️
Lux clapped a hand over her mouth, trying and failing to hold in her grin. Her heart felt like fireworks. She quickly scribbled her reply and folded it into a neat paper plane.
It landed perfectly on Jinx’s desk.
Jinx unfolded it.
Dear Jinx,
Yes.
—Your girlfriend, Lux 💕
Jinx looked up. Lux looked up. And for once, they didn’t roll their eyes. They just smiled like a lovesick puppy. And the rest of the class looked at them like hell is freezing and the world is ending.