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Three heartthrobs. One bet. But Eren is the one playing the field.
Receiving three love letters before first period wasn't a flex; it was a logistical nightmare.
I leaned against my locker, carefully slotting the unopened pink and blue envelopes into my backpack. I didn't mean to be cold, but between maintaining my rank at the top of the senior class and managing a chaotic home life, I literally did not have the bandwidth for high school romance. To me, school was a business trip. I was here to get my diploma and get out.
"Idiots," I muttered, hoisting my massive tower of AP European History textbooks into both arms. My biceps strained under the weight. I desperately needed to take a breather, but the hallway was finally emptying out, the warning bell about to ring.
I hurried down the east wing, my sneakers squeaking against the polished linoleum. Just as I passed the empty old art storage room, a loud, obnoxious laugh echoed through the cracked doorway.
I paused. Normally, I would have kept walking. But then I heard my own name.
"I’m telling you, Yeager is going to be a piece of cake," Floch’s voice dripped with that textbook, trust-fund arrogance that always made my skin crawl. "Guys like him spend all day with their noses in books because they don't know how to handle real attention. One compliment about his eyes and he’ll be begging to hold my hand."
"Keep dreaming, Forster," Jean scoffed, his voice closer to the door. "Yeager isn't an idiot. He’s rejected the cheer leader. You think your cheap lines are going to work? It takes actual charm. The kind he can’t intimidate."
My brow furrowed. I shifted the heavy textbooks against my chest, stepping closer to the gap in the door. What the hell were they talking about?
"Shut up, both of you. You're giving me a headache."
That voice was low, bored, and immediately recognizable. Levi Ackerman. The undisputed king of the school’s social hierarchy. He was wealthy, terrifyingly sharp, and usually completely indifferent to anyone outside his immediate circle. Hearing my name come out of his mouth felt surreal.
"Listen to the terms," Levi continued, the sharp click of his lighter echoing in the quiet room. "The rules are simple. We all try to woo the brat. First one to make Eren Yeager completely fall in love with them wins. Once he confesses, the winner dumps him brutally in front of the whole school. The losers pay the winner fifteen thousand dollars cash. Deal?"
"A grand? Hell yeah, I'm in," Floch laughed.
"Consider that money mine, Ackerman," Jean bragged.
Outside in the hallway, my blood ran cold. Then, it boiled.
Fifteen thousand dollars. They were wagering fifteen thousand dollars on my feelings, planning to humiliate me just to stroke their own pathetic egos. They thought I was some fragile, naive little nerd who would break apart at the first sign of affection.
Slowly, a dark, vicious smile spread across my face. I adjusted the heavy textbooks in my arms, suddenly not feeling tired at all.
They wanted a game? Fine. But they had no idea who they were playing with. I wasn't going to cry, and I certainly wasn't going to tell the principal. I was going to let them try. I was going to make Jean carry my bags, turn Floch into a laughingstock, and push the infallible Levi Ackerman to his absolute limits.
I was going to drain their wallets, ruin their reputations, and make their lives a living hell. And the best part? They would have to smile and thank me for it.
The final bell rang, echoing loudly down the hall. I took a deep breath, wiped the smirk off my face, and stepped away from the door, ready to play the victim of a lifetime.
AP European History was usually my sanctuary, but today it was a battlefield.
I slid into my seat near the window, carefully setting my mountain of textbooks on the desk. A second later, the chair next to me scraped loudly against the floor. Floch dropped into it, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. He smelled aggressively of expensive cologne, clearly already dressed for his upcoming "conquest."
I opened my notebook, staring straight ahead at the whiteboard, completely ignoring his existence.
"Hey, Eren," Floch murmured, leaning across the aisle. His voice was pitched low, attempting a smooth, intimate tone that made me want to gag. "You look nice today. Did you get a haircut or something? It really highlights your eyes."
I didn't blink. I didn't turn my head. I just casually adjusted my glasses and flipped to a blank page. "Floch, the bell rang three minutes ago. Mr. Smith is literally looking right at you. If you don't take notes on the Treaty of Westphalia, your GPA is going to drop harder than your pride."
Floch choked on his own breath, his face flushing a bright, furious red as a few students nearby snickered. He spent the rest of the period aggressively scribbling nonsense in his notebook, completely defeated by step one of my anti-romance defense protocol.
When the dismissal bell finally rang, I took my sweet time packing up. I made sure to stack the three heaviest, thickest textbooks right on top of my binder. As I lifted the massive pile, making a theatrical show of shifting my shoulders to look exhausted, a shadow fell over my desk.
"Hey there, Eren," Jean said, leaning against the adjacent desk with a practiced, charming smirk. "That looks incredibly heavy. You shouldn't be straining yourself with all that. How about I carry them to your next class for you?"
I looked up, letting my eyes widen slightly. I injected a tiny, innocent tremble into my voice. "Oh... Jean. Really? You'd do that for me? I don't want to be a bother..."
"Bother? Never," Jean bragged, practically preening as he snatched the stack from my hands. He adjusted his stance, clearly trying to flex his biceps through his school blazer. "A guy like you shouldn't have to break a sweat over a few books."
"Wow, you're so strong, Jean," I said, giving him a bright, blinding smile that I knew would make his brain short-circuit.
Internal victory tasted sweet. He thought he was winning the bet. In reality, he had just signed up for a contract as my personal pack mule.
"Actually," I continued, tapping my chin thoughtfully as we stepped into the crowded hallway, "since you're being so incredibly sweet, could we make a quick stop at my locker? I have a few more things to move."
"Sure, lead the way," Jean chuckled, completely oblivious.
We arrived at my locker. I opened it and immediately started pulling out every single heavy object I could find. A giant, heavy-duty three-ring binder. A massive dictionary I hadn't opened since freshman year. A five-pound protein powder tub I left in there last week.
"Here, can you hold this too?" I asked, piling them onto his arms.
Jean’s smirk began to falter as the stack reached his chin. His elbows started to shake under the weight. "Uh, Eren? Exactly how many classes do you have next?"
"Oh, just chemistry! But the lab manuals are so heavy," I sighed dramatically, placing a final, massive encyclopedia right on top of the pile. Jean’s knees literally buckled a fraction of an inch. "You're a lifesaver, Jean. I don't know what I would have done without a big, strong guy like you around."
Jean swallowed hard, his face turning a dangerous shade of purple as he tried to look nonchalant. "Yeah... completely... fine. No problem at all."
As we walked down the hall, I walked at an agonizingly, painfully slow pace. I stopped to chat with a classmate. I stopped to tie my shoe—taking a full two minutes to do so. I even stopped to admire a school poster on the wall. Behind me, Jean was sweating through his uniform, his arms trembling violently as he tried not to drop a hundred pounds of paper in front of the entire student body.
From across the hallway, near the water fountains, I caught sight of a sharp, dark haircut.
Levi was standing there, arms crossed, watching the entire pathetic display with an unreadable expression. Our eyes met for a split second. I didn't break eye contact. Instead, I leaned in a little closer to a shivering Jean, giggled loudly at nothing, and gave Levi a tiny, knowing smirk before turning away.
Phase one was a roaring success. I was going to milk this opportunity until Jean’s arms fell off.
By the time we reached the chemistry lab, Jean looked like he was about to collapse. His face was a deep shade of crimson, sweat was dampening his hairline, and his arms were visibly vibrating.
"Thanks so much, Jean! You can just drop them on that corner desk," I said, pointing to the station at the very back of the room.
With a pathetic, breathless grunt, Jean dumped the hundred-pound tower of paper onto the black tabletop. He leaned heavily against the stool, panting as he tried to regain his composure. "Anytime... Eren. Just... let me know if you need... a ride home or anything."
"I'll keep that in mind," I beamed, giving him another sweet, empty smile. Before he could try to flirt further, the teacher, Mr. Hannes, clapped his hands to get our attention. Jean had no choice but to drag his aching limbs over to the other side of the room to sit with Marco.
I sat down on my stool, pulling out my lab goggles. I could feel a pair of eyes burning into the side of my face. I turned my head, and there he was.
Levi Ackerman was already sitting at the adjacent stool of my two-person lab station, his chin resting in his hand, looking at me like I was a bizarre specimen under a microscope.
"Your little pack mule looks like he’s about to faint," Levi murmured, his voice low and smooth. "You're pretty cruel, Yeager."
"I don't know what you mean, Ackerman," I replied, masking my smirk behind a perfectly innocent blink. "Jean was just being a gentleman. Are you volunteering to take his place for the next period?"
"Tch. Don't flatter yourself," Levi scoffed, turning his gaze to the front of the room. "But Hannes is making us do partner work today. Looks like you're stuck with me."
Mr. Hannes began writing the instructions for a basic chemical reaction experiment on the board. Levi didn't move a muscle to get the supplies, so I stood up, gathered our beakers, and brought them back to the desk. If Levi thought he was going to intimidate me into doing all the work, he was dead wrong. I was going to use this time to reel him right into my trap.
"Alright, Ackerman," I said, setting the glass flasks down. "We need to measure out exactly fifty millilitres of hydrochloric acid. Do you want to pour, or should I?"
"I'll do it," Levi grumbled, sitting up straight.
He picked up the flask with surprising precision. As he poured, he started speaking, his tone dripping with his usual deadpan, unbothered attitude. "This school is full of idiots who don't know how to follow basic instructions. They mix the wrong elements, ruin the equipment, and expect a passing grade. It’s pathetic."
Normally, a guy like Levi talking about lab safety would be incredibly boring. But I knew exactly how to play this.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the lab table, placing my chin in my hands. I widened my eyes, tilting my head slightly, hanging onto every single word coming out of his mouth. I didn't just pretend to listen; I made it look like his complaints about high school chemistry were the most fascinating, intellectual things I had ever heard in my entire life.
"Really?" I breathed, injecting a mix of awe and genuine curiosity into my voice. "Go on. What else do they mess up?"
Levi paused, the flask hovering in the air. He blinked, clearly caught off guard by my intense focus. Usually, people shrunk back from his harsh attitude or got annoyed. He wasn't used to someone looking at him like he was a brilliant professor delivering a keynote lecture.
He cleared his throat, adjusting his grip on the glass. "Well... the titration process. Half the class doesn't even know how to read a meniscus. They look at it from above like morons instead of keeping it at eye level."
"Wow," I whispered, leaning in just a fraction closer, letting my eyes drop to his hands before looking back up at his dark grey eyes. "I never thought about it that way. You're really observant, Levi. Most guys in our grade only care about sports or popularity, but you actually pay attention to the details. It's... really attractive."
The word attractive hung in the air between us like a physical weight.
Levi’s stoic, unbothered expression cracked for a split second. His chest hitched, and his eyes flared with genuine surprise. He quickly looked down at the beaker, pouring the acid a little too fast, a faint, barely noticeable tint of pink brushing across the tips of his ears.
Gotcha, I thought, screaming with internal laughter. The great Levi Ackerman is flustered.
"Tch. It’s just common sense, brat," Levi muttered, his voice dropping an octave as he tried to regain his cool. He shoved the measured beaker toward me. "Just... add the magnesium ribbon before you spill it."
"Of course," I smiled softly, my voice dripping with sweet obedience. I took the beaker, making sure my fingers brushed against his for just a second longer than necessary. I watched him stiffen slightly out of the corner of my eye.
He thought he was playing me for a few thousand dollars. He had absolutely no idea that I was already steps ahead, weaving a web that was going to trap him completely.
The final bell of the day was music to my ears. I packed my notebooks leisurely, keeping a perfectly serene expression on my face while my mind ran through the data. Floch was thoroughly humiliated, Jean’s arms were probably out of commission for a week, and Levi’s flawless composure had a very satisfying dent in it.
I slung my backpack over one shoulder and walked out of the school gates, breathing in the fresh afternoon air. I was halfway across the student parking lot when the roar of high-performance engines shattered the quiet afternoon.
Vroom. Vroom. Screeech.
Three pristine, ridiculously expensive sports cars pulled up in a synchronized, aggressive semi-circle right in front of me, effectively blocking my path to the sidewalk. It was so dramatic it felt like a scene out of a bad action movie.
On the left was Floch, leaning out of the window of a flashy, neon-orange BMW coupe. In the middle was Jean, looking incredibly smug inside a sleek, silver Audi convertible—though I could see his hands trembling slightly on the steering wheel from carrying my books earlier. And on the right, parked with terrifying precision, was Levi in a matte black Porsche.
The doors clicked open almost simultaneously.
"Hey, Eren!" Floch called out, stepping out of his car and leaning against the hood with a practiced, confident grin. "Walking home in this heat? Come on, hop in. The AC in my car is perfect, and I can take you to that fancy café downtown."
"Ignore him, Eren," Jean cut in, stepping out of the Audi and wincing slightly as he stretched his sore shoulders. He tried to cover it up with a smooth smile. "I’ve got the top down. Much better view. Plus, I already know your favorite music. Let me drive you home."
I stood there, holding the strap of my backpack, looking between the two of them. It was pathetic, really.Fifteen thousand dollars was making them act like desperate reality TV contestants.
Then, the door of the matte black Porsche swung open. Levi stepped out. He didn't try to strike a model pose. He just leaned against the car, arms crossed over his chest, his sharp grey eyes cutting through the other two like a knife.
"Stop barking, you two. You look desperate," Levi said, his low voice carrying effortlessly across the asphalt. He turned his gaze to me, his expression completely blank, though I noticed his eyes lingered on me for a fraction of a second longer than usual. "Get in, Yeager. I don't like waiting."
It was the ultimate trap. Three high school heartthrobs, three luxury sports cars, all begging to take the "nerd" home. Any ordinary guy in my position would be blushing, stuttering, and having a total meltdown over who to choose.
I let a soft, completely innocent smile play on my lips. I looked at Floch, then at Jean, and finally locked eyes with Levi.
"Wow, guys. That is incredibly sweet of you," I said, my voice dripping with pure, unadulterated gentleness. I adjusted my backpack strap, taking a step forward. "But no thank you."
The collective short-circuit was almost audible.
Floch’s confident grin completely froze. Jean’s jaw literally dropped. Even Levi’s eyebrows twitched upward in genuine shock. They were so certain one of them would win this round that a rejection wasn't even a mathematical possibility in their minds.
"Wait, Eren, hold on—" Jean started, taking a step toward me.
"Really, it’s fine!" I interrupted brightly, waving my hand dismissively as I walked right past the hood of Levi’s Porsche. "The weather is beautiful, and my doctor says I need to get my daily steps in. See you guys tomorrow in class!"
I didn't look back. I just kept walking down the sidewalk, a massive, triumphant smirk spreading across my face the moment my back was turned to them. I could hear them arguing furiously in the background, blaming each other for messing up the opportunity.
They thought they could buy my affection for a few thousand bucks. But if they wanted to ride in those fancy cars with me, they were going to have to work a lot harder than that.
The second I crossed the threshold of my apartment, I threw my backpack onto the floor and burst into hysterics.
My best friend, Armin, was sitting at the kitchen island, surrounded by high-level coding textbooks and a laptop. He looked up, his blue eyes wide behind his glasses as I practically doubled over laughing. "Eren? Are you okay? Did something happen at school?"
"Armin, you will not believe the absolute circus I walked into today," I gasped, wiping a tear from my eye.
I sat down next to him and laid out the entire story. I told him about the empty art storage room, the fifteen-thousand-dollar wager, Floch’s terrible flirting, Jean becoming my literal pack mule, and Levi blushing in the chemistry lab. By the time I finished describing the three sports cars blocking my path in the parking lot, Armin’s jaw was on the floor.
"They... they did what?" Armin breathed, his fingers freezing over his keyboard. His shock quickly melted into absolute indignation. "Fifteen thousand dollars to break your heart? That is deeply messed up, Eren! We should tell the principal, or—"
"No, absolutely not," I interrupted, a dark, wicked grin spreading across my face. "That’s way too boring. I’m going to bleed them dry, Armin. But I need data. If I'm going to make their lives a living hell, I need to know exactly what buttons to push."
Armin blinked, a slow, equally mischievous smile breaking through his usual good-boy demeanor. He opened a fresh tab on his laptop. "Well... if it's data you want, you came to the right guy. Let's do some digging."
For the next two hours, Armin and I ran a full-scale forensic audit on their social media accounts. We bypassed the glossy, curated photos of sports cars and parties, digging deep into the archives. Jean’s profile was mostly just thirst traps and gym selfies, and Levi had a few black and white selfies. But Floch? Floch loved to brag, which meant he left a massive paper trail.
"Wait, look at this," Armin said, zooming in on an Instagram post from Floch's family vacation three years ago.
It was a photo of a massive, terrifyingly tall glass observation deck in Chicago. While Floch's family was smiling at the camera, Floch was captured in the background. His face was entirely pale, his eyes were wide with sheer terror, and he was violently clutching a structural steel pillar like his life depended on it. The caption read: 'Floch refused to step on the glass. Total meltdown lol.'
"He’s terrified of heights," I whispered, my smirk returning with a vengeance. "Deeply, pathologically terrified."
"Eren," Armin laughed nervously, pushing his glasses up his nose. "What exactly are you planning to do with this information?"
"Floch wants to take me on a date to win a bet," I said, leaning back in my chair and cracking my knuckles. "It would be incredibly rude of me not to give him exactly what he wants. He wants a fancy date? I’ll give him the most memorable date of his life."
The next morning at school, I didn't even wait for Floch to approach me. I walked straight up to his locker during the morning break. He was leaning against it, talking to a group of sophomore girls, but the moment he saw me walking over, he immediately dismissed them, putting on his best winning smile.
"Eren! Change your mind about that ride?" Floch cooed, running a hand through his hair.
"Actually, Floch, I felt really bad about turning you down yesterday," I said, lowering my gaze and acting incredibly shy. I twisted the strap of my bag, letting out a soft, vulnerable sigh. "You were just being so sweet. I was thinking... if the offer is still open, maybe we could hang out this weekend? Just the two of us?"
Floch’s eyes practically turned into dollar signs. "Of course! I’d love to. Name the place, Eren. Anywhere you want."
"Well, I’ve always wanted to go to the extreme Ferris wheel at the boardwalk adventure park," I beamed, looking up at him with wide, completely innocent green eyes. "The one with the open-air, swinging glass cabins? It's supposed to be so romantic. Will you take me?"
Floch’s winning smile instantly froze.
I watched the color completely drain from his face in real-time. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes darting around wildly. "The... the extreme Ferris wheel? The one that goes up three hundred feet over the ocean?"
"Yeah! Unless... you're busy?" I pouted, letting my lower lip tremble just a tiny bit. "It’s okay if you don't want to. I can always ask Jean instead..."
"No! No, Jean is an idiot," Floch panicked, his competitive drive overriding his absolute terror. He forced a strained, shaky laugh that sounded like a dying bird. "I love heights! Heights are great! Let’s do it. Saturday at noon. It's a date."
"Yay! You're the best, Floch," I cheered, giving him a bright wave before turning on my heel.
The moment my back was turned, my innocent expression vanished, replaced by a ruthless smile. Round two was officially set. I couldn't wait to see how much that thousand-dollar bet was worth to him when we were dangling three hundred feet in the air.
I was still riding the high of trapping Floch when I turned the corner toward the school library. I was so busy mentally calculating how much data Armin and I could dig up next that I completely lost track of my surroundings.
My shoe caught the edge of a slightly raised floor mat.
In an instant, physics took over. My center of gravity shifted completely forward. My textbooks flew out of my hands, scattering across the linoleum, and I braced myself to faceplant hard onto the floor.
I didn't hit the ground.
Instead, two strong arms wrapped securely around my waist, catching me mid-air with a dramatic, movie-like flourish. I gasped, instinctively clutching at the shoulders of whoever had saved me.
I looked up. Of course. It was Jean.
He was standing there, chest puffed out, holding me up like a prize trophy. Despite his arms probably still burning from yesterday's heavy lifting, he didn't let it show. He immediately shifted his face into what he clearly thought was a dashing, heroic smolder.
"Whoa there, Eren," Jean murmured, lowering his voice to a sultry register that made me want to burst out laughing. "Careful. I know I'm staggering, but you don't have to literally fall for me."
I stared at him for a second. Did he really just use a 'falling for me' line in the year 2026? It was peak crack behavior, and it was absolutely magnificent.
"Oh my gosh, Jean," I gasped, instantly slipping back into my innocent, fragile nerd persona. I kept my hands resting firmly on his chest, feeling his heartbeat skyrocket. I let my eyes widen with theatrical admiration. "You... you caught me. You're like a literal superhero."
Jean practically purred. He stood up straighter, adjusting his grip on my waist to lift me fully back onto my feet, though he took his sweet time letting go. "Just doing my duty, Eren. Can't let a precious guy like you get hurt."
"I was so clumsy," I pouted, looking down at my scattered papers and books on the floor. "And now my things are everywhere..."
"Don't worry about it for a second," Jean immediately bragged, dropping to his knees to gather my notes. He was moving with absolute urgency, clearly thinking this accidental stumble was his golden ticket to winning the fifteen-thousand-dollar bet. "I've got it. Every single page."
As Jean scrambled around on the floor collecting my AP European History worksheets, I looked up.
Leaning against a row of lockers just ten feet away was Levi. He had a juice box in one hand and his arms crossed, watching Jean grovel on the floor with total, utter disgust. When Levi looked up and met my gaze, he slowly raised an eyebrow, as if to say, 'Are you seriously letting this horse-face win?'
I gave Levi a tiny, helpless shrug, pretending to be completely overwhelmed by Jean's "chivalry." Then, I looked back down at Jean, who was handing me my neatly stacked books with a triumphant grin.
"There you go, Eren," Jean said, standing up and brushing off his knees. "All safe and sound."
"Thank you, Jean,"
The moment I turned the corner and broke line of sight with Jean, my innocent expression completely vanished.
I wiped my hands on my jeans, feeling a sudden wave of intense shuddering pass through my body. The way he had lowered his voice to that fake, husky tone made my skin crawl. The way he had held onto my waist just a second too long made me want to jump into a bath of pure bleach.
Seriously? I thought, my mind racing in absolute disbelief. This guy? THIS is one of the school’s top three heartthrobs?
I leaned against the wall of the empty hallway, holding my textbooks tightly to my chest as a wave of genuine disgust hit me. Half the female population of our school spent their lunch breaks sighing over Jean, whispering about how handsome, athletic, and mature he was. They literally wrote poems about his jawline.
In reality, he was just a desperate, easily manipulated boy who would throw himself onto the floor to pick up paper just because a pretty nerd smiled at him. He was a complete clown. The fact that girls actually fought over him made me seriously question the intellectual capacity of our student body.
"If this is what the peak of high school romance looks like," I muttered to myself, shaking my head in pity, "humanity is completely doomed."
During the lunch break, while the rest of the student body crowded into the noisy cafeteria to gossip, I escaped to my usual sanctuary. It was an abandoned classroom at the very end of the north hall. The school used it for extra desk storage, meaning it was completely empty, completely quiet, and the perfect place to get some actual studying done without anyone breathing down my neck.
I pushed the heavy wooden door open, holding a carton of milk and my AP History binder. But the moment I stepped inside, my feet froze.
Someone was already there.
Even worse, they were sitting in my chair. The specific desk by the window where the sunlight hit perfectly was currently occupied by none other than Levi Ackerman. He had his legs crossed, his head tilted back against the wall, and his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell in a slow, even rhythm.
I stood there for a second, my eye twitching. The sheer audacity of this guy. First he bets thousand dollars to break my heart, then he colonizes my peaceful study spot.
I marched right up to the desk and slammed my binder down onto the wooden surface with a loud thud.
Levi didn't even flinch. He slowly opened one dark grey eye, staring up at me with a completely unbothered, sleepy glare. "You're loud, brat. Go away."
"You're in my seat," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring right back at him.
Levi fully opened his eyes, leaning forward slightly. A tiny, mocking smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Your seat? I didn't see your name carved into the wood, Yeager."
"Everyone knows I study here during lunch," I snapped, exasperated. "Just move to one of the other fifty empty desks in this room."
"No. I like the window," Levi murmured, his voice incredibly low and raspy from sleep.
I rolled my eyes, completely done with his stubbornness. "Fine. Enjoy the window. I'm leaving."
I reached down to grab my binder, ready to walk out and find another quiet corner, but I never got the chance. Before my fingers could even touch the plastic cover, Levi’s hand shot out.
His grip was lightning fast. His fingers wrapped securely around my waist, tugging me forward with surprising, effortless strength.
"Whoa—!" I gasped, completely losing my balance.
Instead of hitting the floor, I was pulled directly into his personal space. The desk chair was small, and with Levi pulling me close, my hip was pressed flush against his side. I was practically forced to sit right on the edge of his desk, our faces barely inches apart. I could smell the faint scent of mint and clean linen on his uniform.
"We can just share," Levi whispered, his dark eyes locking onto mine, completely trapping me in his gaze. He didn't let go of my waist, his grip firm and warm through my shirt.
My heart did a violent, unexpected somersault in my chest. This wasn't like Jean. Jean’s flirting made me want to gag, but Levi’s intensity was a completely different story. It was sharp, dangerous, and it completely scrambled my brain.
"L-Levi,—" I stammered, my face instantly bursting into a furious, burning blush.
Click.
The classroom door suddenly swung wide open.
"What is going on in here?!" a sharp, authoritative voice boomed through the room.
We both snapped our heads toward the door. Standing there was Mr. Shadis, his face twisted into a look of absolute, thunderous horror. From his angle, it looked like I was practically wrapped around Levi’s lap in an empty, darkened classroom.
"M-Mr. Shadis!" I choked out, violently untangling myself from Levi and scrambling backward until my spine hit the chalkboard.
"Save it, Yeager! And you, Ackerman!" Shadis roared, his veins literally bulging out of his forehead. "This is a school, not a cheap romance novel! Get out of this room immediately! Both of you are banned from this wing for the rest of the week! Move!"
My face was so hot I was certain steam was about to come out of my ears. I snatched my binder off the desk, keeping my head ducked entirely low as I sprinted past Shadis and out into the hallway, leaving Levi behind.
I leaned against a wall in the main corridor, my hands covering my bright red face, my chest heaving. I was genuinely, deeply embarrassed. I was supposed to be the mastermind playing them, but Levi had just completely turned the tables on me with a single move.
Since Shadis had officially banned me from my quiet sanctuary, I had no choice but to face the absolute zoo that was the school cafeteria the next day.
The second I crossed the threshold into the bustling lunchroom, it was like the sea parted. But instead of the usual random crowd staring at me, three very familiar, high-profile figures immediately cut through the sea of students.
"Eren! Hey, Eren!" Floch called out, stepping into my path first. He was holding a grease-stained paper bag like a trophy, offering it out with a confident, bright grin. "I saw you walking in. I skipped the lunch line to get you these fresh, hot chicken nuggets. You need your protein, right?"
Before I could even blink, a silver shadow slammed into Floch's shoulder, shoving him aside. It was Jean, looking incredibly desperate as he thrust a pink cardboard box directly into my face.
"Ignore him, Eren!" Jean shouted, his voice cracking slightly as he tried to sound smooth. "Nuggets are trash. I bought you these glazed donuts from that gourmet boutique down the street. They're literally your favorite. Take them!"
"Both of you need to shut up and get out of his face," a low, dangerous voice muttered from behind them.
The crowd gasped as Levi stepped forward, pushing past Jean and Floch without a care. He didn't look desperate, but he was holding a premium, freshly brewed iced caramel macchiato in a glass cup. He extended it toward me, his dark grey eyes locking onto mine with absolute authority. "Drink this, Yeager. You look tired from yesterday, and those two idiots are going to give you a headache."
It was a literal food showdown. The three undisputed kings of the school’s social hierarchy were standing in a circle around me, aggressively offering me nuggets, donuts, and coffee like desperate reality TV contestants trying to win a prize.
"No, thank you. Move," I muttered, dodging the donuts and ducking under Levi's coffee cup.
I ignored all the luxury pastries and premium caffeine. Instead, I marched straight to the vending machine in the corner, punched in a dollar, and grabbed a simple, fifty-cent bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. That was it.
I navigated through the whispering crowd and dropped onto the plastic bench across from Armin, who was watching the entire spectacle with his jaw on the floor.
"Eren..." Armin whispered, his blue eyes wide behind his glasses as I aggressively ripped open my chip bag. "They are completely losing their minds over you."
"They're trying too hard," I groaned, tossing a chip into my mouth. "It's pathetic."
Before Armin could reply, a sharp, loud whisper drifted over from the table directly behind us.
"I mean, seriously, look at him," a girl's voice sneered, not even bothering to hide her volume. "He just sits there acting all innocent with his little bag of chips. He’s totally playing them. Yesterday Jean, today all three of them? He’s such an attention-seeking fraud. He’s not even that special."
"I know, right?" her friend chimed in, giggling nastily. "He probably begged Levi to buy him that coffee. He’s just a desperate nerd trying to climb the social ladder. It’s pathetic."
Armin’s face instantly fell. He gripped his sandwich tighter, his eyes flashing with anger. "Eren, don't listen to them—"
He didn't get to finish his sentence.
I didn't care about the rumors, and I certainly didn't care about the bet. But I absolutely refused to let some insecure keyboard warriors trash my name while I was trying to enjoy my chips.
I stood up. My cafeteria bench scraped loudly against the linoleum floor, cutting off the chatter at the nearby tables. I turned around slowly, towering over the two girls who had been talking trash. The moment they realized I had heard everything, their smug expressions instantly vanished, replaced by wide-eyed, pale faces.
I leaned down slightly, resting my knuckles on the edge of their table. I gave them a bright, chillingly sweet smile.
"You know, girls," I said, my voice carrying clearly across the quieted section of the cafeteria. "I really, really wanted to slap your faces just now. Like, genuinely."
The entire section of the lunchroom gasped. The two girls froze, terrified.
"But honestly?" I continued, tossing my hair back and sighing dramatically as I picked up my bag of chips. "I am just way too busy right now. Handling three highly attractive boyfriends takes a lot of time and energy, you know? So, Bye."
I gave them a sharp, dismissive little wave, turned on my heel, and walked out of the cafeteria with Armin trailing right behind me.
Behind us, the lunchroom absolutely erupted into chaotic shouting.
The next morning, the spring air was crisp as I walked down the sidewalk toward school. I was mentally reviewing my lines for the drama class skit later today when the low, mechanical rumble of a high-performance engine sounded beside me.
A sleek, matte black Porsche pulled up smoothly against the curb.
The passenger side window rolled down automatically, revealing Levi’s sharp, unbothered profile. He didn't look at me, keeping his eyes on the road ahead as he idled. "Get in, Yeager. I’m not letting you walk and look like a homeless brat."
A wicked idea instantly popped into my head. "Good morning to you too, Levi," I smiled innocently, opening the door and sliding into the pristine, leather-scented interior.
In my right hand, I was holding a paper cup of boiling hot, extra-sweet gas station coffee. As Levi shifted into drive and the car accelerated, I waited for the perfect moment. The second he turned the steering wheel to round a gentle corner, I intentionally loosened my grip.
Splat.
The plastic lid popped off, and a generous splash of dark, sugary coffee splattered across his meticulously clean, leather dashboard.
"Oops!" I gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to my chest and widening my eyes in mock horror. "Oh my gosh, Levi, I am so sorry! I am just sooo clumsy in the mornings!"
Internal victory surged through me. Levi was a notorious clean freak. I braced myself for him to completely lose his mind, scream at me, and kick me out of his luxury car.
But he didn't.
Instead of slamming on the brakes, Levi calmly reached into the glove compartment with one hand, pulled out a pack of premium wet wipes, and pulled over safely to the side of the road. He didn't even look at the ruined dashboard. Instead, he reached across the console, grabbed my right hand, and began gently, meticulously wiping away the stray drops of coffee that had splattered onto my skin.
His fingers were warm, and his movements were incredibly soft. He cleaned every single one of my fingers with total focus, his dark grey eyes fixed entirely on my hand.
"Did it burn you?" Levi murmured, his voice low and genuinely concerned.
My chest violently tightened. My heart skipped a beat, then began racing at a million miles an hour. A hot flush climbed up my neck, completely unprompted. Wait, what? My brain short-circuited. Why was he acting like this? He was supposed to be a heartless jerk playing a game for fifteen thousand dollars.
No, no, no, I screamed at myself internally, violently pulling my hand back from his grip. Get it together, Eren! This is all a play. He's just acting. He's trying to win the bet! Do not fall for it!
"I'm fine," I snapped, turning my face toward the passenger window to hide my burning blush.
The rest of the drive passed in a tense, suffocating silence. When the Porsche finally pulled up into the crowded school drop-off zone, I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, ready to flee.
Before I could grab the handle, Levi stepped out of the car, walked around the hood, and opened the passenger door for me. He offered me his hand, guiding me out of the low sports car with an absurd amount of theatrical attention, making sure half the student body saw the gesture.
"Jeez, Levi, stop," I muttered under my breath, swat his hand away. "I am not blind. I can step out of a car by myself."
Levi paused, leaning in close enough that his breath brushed against my ear. "Seems like it sometimes, brat," he murmured dryly.
I scoffed loudly, rolling my eyes, and stormed away toward the main entrance, my heart still thudding against my ribs in a very annoying, betraying rhythm.
By fifth period, the trauma of the morning was replaced by a completely new kind of humiliation:
Drama class.
Our teacher, Mr. Hannes, had assigned group skits, and because I had drawn the short straw, my role was entirely non-verbal. I was dressed in a giant, ridiculous, brown-and-green cardboard costume.
I was playing a tree.
I stood perfectly still on the wooden stage, my arms extended to hold up paper leaves, looking entirely dead inside. On the other side of the stage, Armin and Sasha were passionately reciting a dramatic scene about a tragic historical romance.
Suddenly, right in the middle of Sasha’s emotional monologue, a loud scraping sound echoed from the audience section.
Jean stood up.
He didn't just stand up; he marched right into the center aisle. He began aggressively clapping his hands together, shouting at the top of his lungs. "YES! BRAVO! THAT IS MY BOY! LOOK AT THAT EMOTE! BEST TREE IN THE HISTORY OF THE THEATER!"
The entire drama class burst into hysterical laughter. Armin choked on his next line, and Sasha stared at Jean in utter bewilderment.
My left eye twitched violently inside my cardboard bark. What the actual hell is he doing? I glared daggers at him from behind my fake leaves, wanting nothing more than to uproot myself and tackle him into the front row.
The second the bell rang and the skit ended, I shuffled off the stage and frantically tried to tear myself out of the cardboard costume. Before I could even get the Velcro detached, Jean materialized in front of me in the backstage hallway.
He was holding a massive, vibrant bouquet of red roses in one hand, and a giant, five-foot-tall plush teddy bear in the other. He shoved them both into my arms, nearly crushing me under the weight of the polyester fur.
"For the star of the show," Jean smirked, winking at me with that ridiculous smolder.
"Jean, what is wrong with you?" I hissed, trying to look over the head of the giant bear. "You ruined the entire skit!"
"I was just supporting my man," Jean chuckled, entirely unfazed. Then, he whipped out his smartphone, flipping it casually in his hand. He leaned against the backstage wall, looking down at me. "Hey, babe... there’s something seriously wrong with my phone."
I blinked, suspicious. "What?"
"Yeah, it’s a glitch," Jean shrugged, flashing a confident grin. "It doesn't have your number in it."
I stared at him, a deadpan expression freezing on my face. A pickup line. Another terrible pickup line.
"That's a shame. Guess you should take it to the Apple store," I said coldly, turning around to walk away.
But Jean quickly stepped into my path, completely blocking the exit with his wide shoulders. He crossed his arms, his smirk turning into a stubborn line. "Oh, come on, Eren. Just a number. I'm not leaving this hallway until you give it to me. We have to coordinate our next... hangout, remember?"
I looked at the giant teddy bear, then at the roses, and finally at Jean’s determined face. He was clearly trying to check off the "get his number" box for the bet.
Fine. Two could play this game.
"Give me your phone," I sighed, acting completely defeated.
Jean practically purred as he handed it over. I quickly punched in my real digits—mostly because I realized having his number would make it much easier to send him on wild goose chases later. I handed the device back to him.
"There. Now get out of my way," I muttered, pushing past him.
"Thanks, babe! I’ll text you tonight!" Jean called out triumphantly behind me.
I marched toward the exit, dragging the massive teddy bear behind me like a dead body. Levi’s weird gentleness this morning and Jean’s absolute circus of a pickup line were starting to push me to my limit. This Saturday boardwalk date with Floch couldn't come fast enough. I was ready to unleash some serious psychological warfare.
The final period of the day was a slow torture. I was sitting at the back of the economics classroom, tapping my pencil against my chin, trying to focus on the lecture about supply and demand.
Swish.
A sharp white object zipped through the air and landed with a soft click right on top of my open textbook. I looked down. It was a perfectly folded paper airplane.
I looked up, scanning the room, and immediately locked eyes with Jean. He was sitting just two desks over, leaning aggressively across the aisle. The moment he saw me look, he slid out of his chair and moved to the empty desk right next to mine, ignoring the teacher's whiteboard entirely.
"Eren," Jean whispered, leaning in close so only I could hear. His face was tense, his usual arrogant smirk replaced by a look of frustrated jealousy. "Why the hell did you come to school in Levi's Porsche?"
I didn't answer. I just casually turned a page in my textbook, letting a small, secretive smile play on my lips to rile him up.
"Listen to me, Eren," Jean hissed, leaning even closer, his tone dripping with fake protective concern. "Guys like Ackerman... they're dangerous. He’s rich, he’s bored, and he doesn't care about anyone. A guy like him only wants to break your heart. He’s just playing with you."
Internal laughter screamed inside my head. He’s playing with you. The irony was so thick I could have choked on it. Jean was literally describing his own fifteen-thousand-dollar bet, but trying to pin the villain role entirely on Levi to win the race.
Before I could pull away, Jean shot his hand out and grabbed my right wrist. He lifted my hand toward his face, lowering his eyes, and began gently kissing the back of my knuckles. It was a theatrical, historical-romance gesture that made my stomach do a violent, disgusted flip.
"Let go," I whispered sharply, violently ripping my hand out of his grip.
I immediately grabbed a wet wipe from my backpack and aggressively scrubbed the back of my hand, making sure he saw the sheer look of distaste on my face. "Oh, wow, Jean. How serious are you, really?"
Jean blinked, caught off guard by my reaction, but he quickly recovered, leaning back with a dramatic, wounded look. "How serious am I? Eren, I am incredibly serious about you. I’ve been carrying your books, buying you gourmet donuts, protecting you in the halls... I want to prove to you that I'm the only guy here who actually cares."
I stopped scrubbing my hand. I looked at him, letting a dark, calculated smirk replace my annoyed expression. If Jean wanted to play the desperate devotee, I was going to give him a task that would completely wreck his weekend.
"You want to prove it?" I asked, my voice dropping to a sweet, tempting whisper. "I don't know, Jean. Words are cheap. I still need real proof."
Jean’s eyes flared with intense competitive hunger. He practically salivated at the challenge. "What do you want, Eren? Name it. Anything. I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to you."
I leaned in, tapping my chin thoughtfully as the final bell of the day suddenly rang out, echoing down the hall. Students began packing up their bags, creating a perfect wall of noise around us.
"I'll tell you tomorrow," I smiled softly, sliding my textbook into my backpack and standing up. I looked down at him, giving him a mysterious, lingering glance.
"I'll be waiting," Jean smirked, entirely oblivious to the trap door opening beneath his feet.
I turned and walked out of the classroom, my mind completely buzzing with the ultimate chaotic blueprint.
The next morning, the school cafeteria was humming with its usual pre-class energy. I walked in, scanning the room, and immediately spotted Jean. He was pacing nervously near the beverage cooler, practically chewing his bottom lip off while staring at his phone.
The moment he saw me, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Eren! You're here. Tell me what the proof is. I'm ready."
I walked up to him, letting a secretive, innocent smile play on my lips. I leaned in close, my breath brushing against his ear as I whispered the ultimate humiliating dare I had concocted with Armin last night.
Jean’s eyes instantly grew to the size of dinner plates. He stumbled back a step, his jaw dropping so low it could have hit the floor. "You... you want me to do what? In front of everyone?!"
"Only if you were serious about proving your love," I pouted, crossing my arms and taking a step away. "If it's too much, I guess you don't really care that much about me."
"Wait! No!" Jean panicked, his competitive drive overriding any remaining brain cells. He grabbed my wrist, looking deeply into my eyes. "If I do this... if I actually do this right now, will you be my boyfriend?"
I didn't answer with words. I just looked down, letting out a soft, shy giggle, and gave him a slow, deliberate nod.
Jean took a deep breath, puffing his chest out. He marched right into the center of the cafeteria, stepped onto the sturdiest plastic chair, and climbed directly onto the middle of a lunch table.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" Jean roared, clapping his hands together.
The entire cafeteria fell dead silent. Hundreds of students turned their heads. Floch stopped talking to his friends, and even Levi, who was sipping tea in the corner, raised an eyebrow.
"I have something to confess!" Jean shouted, his face turning a vibrant shade of crimson, but he pushed forward anyway. "I... I wet my bed every single day! And I don't know what to do about it!"
I burst out laughing. It was loud, hysterical, and entirely unprompted. I clapped my hands together, waiting for the entire room to erupt into brutal, mocking laughter that would ruin Jean's reputation forever.
But nobody laughed.
Instead, a collective gasp echoed through the room. A group of sophomore girls at the next table covered their mouths, their eyes welling with tears.
"Oh my god, Jean... that is so brave of you to share," one girl sobbed.
"We're here for you, Jean!" another group of cheerleaders cheered, standing up and rushing toward the table to offer him hugs. "It’s a medical condition! You shouldn't be ashamed!"
"You're a real man for being so vulnerable!" a guy from the football team yelled, clapping him on the back as Jean climbed down, looking confused but suddenly surrounded by a harem of comforting students.
My laughter died instantly in my throat. I stood there, my eyes wide, completely devastated by the sheer stupidity of the student body. They didn't mock him. They canonised him.
"Are you kidding me?" I muttered, my soul leaving my body.
I couldn't take it anymore. I turned on my heel and practically fled the cafeteria, completely defeated by my own trap.
To recover from the cafeteria disaster, I spent the next period hiding out in the furthest corner of the school library. I cracked open my biology textbook, trying to scrub the image of Jean being comforted by cheerleaders out of my brain.
Scrape.
The wooden chair directly opposite me pulled back. I looked up from my notes and saw Floch sliding into the seat.
He didn't say a word. He didn't smile, run a hand through his hair, or try a smooth pickup line. Instead, he pulled out a thick, leather-bound classic novel, popped his collar up slightly, and stared intensely at the pages with a dark, brooding scowl.
I stared at him for a solid thirty seconds. He didn't blink. He just flipped a page with theatrical slowness.
"What are you reading, Floch?" I asked, leaning forward on my elbows.
Floch didn't look up. He didn't even acknowledge my voice. He just shifted his jawline slightly, trying to look like a dangerous, mysterious bad boy who was too cool for school.
Internal realization hit me like a truck. Ah. He’s trying the snobbish, unbothered bad-boy attitude. He probably thought that since Jean was the "sensitive, vulnerable" one and Levi was the "scary" one, he needed to play the aloof intellectual to win my heart. It was completely transparent.
I leaned across the small library table, getting right into his personal space until I was just inches away from his book.
"Have you swallowed your tongue?" I whispered sharply, my voice dripping with pure sarcasm. "Or does your breath just stink too bad to talk?"
Floch’s dark, brooding facade instantly shattered.
Floch leaned forward, matching my energy. He pushed closer, tilting his head until our lips were barely an inch apart. I could see the golden flecks in his eyes as he gave me a low, challenging smirk. "Wanna find out, Eren?"
Any ordinary nerd would have fainted from the proximity. I just scoffed loudly, rolling my eyes, and leaned back into my chair, entirely unfazed by his attempt at a romantic climax.
"Save the drama for tomorrow," I said, packing my pens into my pencil case. "Are you still up for our date at the boardwalk?"
Floch shrugged his shoulders casually, trying to slip back into his aloof character, though I could see his hands trembling slightly at the reminder of the three-hundred-foot Ferris wheel. "Yeah. I'm up for it. See you tomorrow."
"Perfect," I smiled darkly, standing up and slinging my bag over my shoulder.
Saturday at noon arrived with a bright, relentless sun that baked the ocean pier. I stood near the ticket booth of the boardwalk adventure park, casually sipping an iced lemonade.
A moment later, Floch materialized out of the crowd. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from howling with laughter. To maintain his new "brooding bad boy" persona, he was wearing a heavy black leather jacket, dark jeans, and combat boots. In eighty-degree beach weather. He looked ridiculously out of place, and I could already see beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"Ready, Eren?" Floch asked, forcing a low, husky rumble that sounded like he had gravel in his throat. He leaned against a railing, trying to look detached.
"Oh, Floch! You look so cool," I cooed, slipping instantly into my fragile nerd character. I gripped his arm, pointing directly at the towering structure behind us. "Let's start with The Goliath!"
The Goliath was a hyper-coaster with a ninety-degree vertical drop. Floch’s bad-boy smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, his eyes widening in pure dread. "The... the coaster? Aren't you worried it's too fast?"
"Not when I'm with a big, brave guy like you," I beamed, dragging him toward the line.
For the next three hours, I subjected Floch Forster to a personalized circle of hell. I didn't just take him on the Ferris wheel; I forced him onto every single high-altitude, stomach-churning ride in the park. We rode The Sky Drop, The Vertigo Swings, and finally, the dreaded three-hundred-foot open-air Ferris wheel.
By the time we stepped off the final ride, Floch’s aloof bad-boy facade was in absolute tatters. His leather jacket was slung miserably over one shoulder, his perfectly styled hair was a bird's nest from the wind, and his face was a pale, sickly shade of translucent green. He looked like he was about to meet his maker.
"Wow, that was amazing!" I cheered, spinning around on the wooden boardwalk. Then, I executed my master stroke.
I took a deliberate, theatrical step forward, caught the heel of my sneaker on a perfectly flat wooden plank, and let out a sharp, dramatic cry. "Ah!"
I dropped to the wooden deck, clutching my right ankle with both hands. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing a tiny, pathetic tear to leak out. "My ankle... oh my gosh, I think I just violently sprained it..."
Floch stumbled over, bleary-eyed and clutching his stomach. "Are you... can you walk?"
"No," I whimpered, looking up at him with massive, watery green eyes. "It hurts so bad, Floch. I don't think I can take a single step. Can you... can you carry me?"
Floch’s jaw tightened. He looked around the crowded boardwalk, then down at me. The fifteen-thousand-dollar bet was the only thing keeping his legs moving. With a heavy, miserable groan, he bent down and hoisted me onto his shoulders.
Internal triumph surged through my veins. He was completely exhausted, dizzy from heights, and now he was a literal pack mule.
"Thank you, Floch! You're my hero," I whispered sweetly. Then, I pointed toward the opposite end of the pier. "Oh! Since you're already carrying me, can we go to the cotton candy stand? I really need some sugar to deal with the pain."
Floch dragged his combat boots across the hot wood, panting under my weight. He walked a full five minutes to the cotton candy stand, bought a giant pink cloud, and handed it to me.
"There," Floch wheezed, his chest heaving. "Can we sit now?"
"Oh, wait! I see the popcorn stand over there!" I chirped, pointing three hundred yards back in the direction we had just come from. "I love the buttery kind. Please?"
Floch’s teeth literally grinded together. He turned around, his muscles trembling, and marched all the way back across the pier to get the popcorn. For the next hour, I made him do a thousand walks back and forth between the candy stores, the pretzel stands, and the churro carts. I ran him ragged until his shirt was completely soaked in sweat and his breath was coming out in ragged, desperate gasps.
Finally, with his legs visibly shaking, Floch collapsed onto a wooden bench, dumping me unceremoniously onto the seat next to him. He leaned his head back against the wood, eyes closed, looking completely defeated by life.
I took a bite of my cotton candy, looking at his miserable state with absolute, ruthless satisfaction. It was time for the finishing blow.
I tapped his sweaty shoulder, letting out a soft, demanding whine. "Floch? All this salty popcorn is making me really, really thirsty. Can you go back to the very front of the park and get me a cold grape soda? The vending machines down here only have water."
That was the breaking point.
Floch’s eyes snapped open. The last shred of his "bad boy" persona evaporated into thin air. His face contorted into pure, unadulterated rage. He stood up so fast his bench shook, glaring down at me with absolute hatred.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Floch screamed, his voice cracking wildly as a few tourists turned to stare. "I have carried you across this entire miserable pier ten times! I have ridden every terrifying machine in this park! I am sweating, I am nauseous, and my arms are about to fall off! Get your own damn grape soda, you psychotic, demanding little brat!"
He snatched his leather jacket off the bench, threw it over his shoulder, and turned on his heel.
I sat on the bench, watching his neon-red hair disappear into the sea of tourists. The second he was out of sight, I straightened my "sprained" right ankle, rotated my foot in a perfect circle, and burst into a fit of triumphant, villainous laughter.
One down. Two to go.
For the next three days, school was an absolute comedy routine. Floch was completely nowhere to be found—rumour had it he had skipped school entirely to recover from a "severe case of motion sickness and sunburn." Jean, on the other hand, was pestering me every single second. He kept cornering me in the hallways, flexing his muscles, and asking when we were officially going to start our "vulnerable boyfriend" phase. I kept brushing him off with vague promises, waiting for the perfect moment to break him.
Then came Thursday lunch.
Armin and I were sitting at a concrete table in the courtyard, quietly reviewing our chemistry notes, when a sudden shadow fell over us.
Thud.
Levi Ackerman dropped his lunch tray onto our table and casually slid into the seat right next to mine. Armin’s jaw immediately dropped, his eyes darting between us in sheer panic. Levi didn't even look at him. He just pulled out a wet wipe, thoroughly cleaned his hands, and opened a container of salad.
"Pack a bag, Yeager," Levi said smoothly, his low voice completely casual, as if he were discussing the weather. "My family is flying out to the Bahamas on their private jet this weekend. You're coming with us."
My brain did a record-scratch. The Bahamas? A private jet?
I forced myself to maintain my innocent, wide-eyed nerd expression, though my heart did a tiny, treacherous flutter at how intense his grey eyes looked when he stared at me. "The Bahamas? Levi, we’re not even dating. Besides, I don't know anything about you. I haven't even met your family yet. It would be totally inappropriate for me to just jet off with a stranger."
Levi didn't even blink. He just chewed a piece of cucumber, swallowed, and leaned in a fraction closer. "No problem. You can meet my family tonight. Come over for dinner at seven. I’ll text you the address."
On the outside, I bit my lower lip, looking uncertain and shy.
On the inside? I was doing a full, wild, triumphant happy dance. Yes! Finally! Levi was stepping right into the trap. He thought he was playing the rich, irresistible prince who could sweep the poor nerd off his feet to win a thousand bucks. He had absolutely no idea what was coming for him.
"Okay," I whispered softly, giving him a small, vulnerable nod. "I'll be there."
"Good," Levi murmured, a tiny, almost unnoticeable smirk playing on his lips as he stood up and walked away.
The moment school ended, I didn't go home. I sprinted straight to Mikasa’s apartment.
Mikasa owned three of the most chaotic, hyperactive, evil Bengal cats in existence. They were essentially tiny, orange leopards on a permanent sugar rush. They had a pathological urge to scratch leather, knock over glass, and climb walls.
"Eren, why do you need to borrow my cats for a dinner date?" Mikasa asked, her brow furrowing with deep concern as she helped me load the three screeching felines into a heavy-duty plastic travel cage.
"It’s for a very important science experiment, Mikasa. Trust me," I grinned wickedly.
At exactly 7:00 PM, I stood on the porch of the Ackerman mansion. It was a massive, pristine, modern estate that looked like a museum of contemporary art. Everything was white, glass, and dangerously expensive.
I rang the doorbell, holding the vibrating, growling cat cage behind my back.
The heavy oak door swung open. To my absolute surprise, Levi looked genuinely, visibly happy when he saw me. He wasn't wearing his school uniform; he had on a casual black sweater with the sleeves rolled up, and his dark hair was slightly messy. His grey eyes softened the second they landed on my face. "You're on time. Come in."
"Hi, Levi!" I beamed, stepping into the immaculate marble foyer. Before he could close the door, I dramatically brought the plastic cage forward. "Oh, by the way! I hope you don't mind, but my mom had to rush out for an emergency, and there was absolutely no one home to babysit my family's new pets. I couldn't just leave them alone!"
Levi looked down at the cage. Inside, three pairs of glowing, hyperactive eyes stared back, and the plastic was visibly shaking from their scratching.
"Pets?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! They're super sweet," I smiled innocently, and before he could object, I bent down and unlatched the cage door. "Go ahead, guys! Explore!"
The cage door popped open. It was like releasing three furry orange hand grenades.
The first cat immediately sprinted into the living room, launched itself off a pristine white leather sofa, and began violently scaling a fifteen-foot-tall set of silk floor-to-ceiling curtains. The second cat took a flying leap onto a glass coffee table, aggressively knocking over a crystal vase, shattering it into a million pieces. The third cat began doing literal wall-runs across his meticulously polished mahogany bookshelves, sending rare editions flying everywhere.
It was absolute, instantaneous destruction. The Ackerman mansion was being dismantled in real-time.
I stood in the foyer, hiding a ruthless, victorious smirk behind my hands, waiting for the clean-freak Levi Ackerman to completely lose his mind, scream in agony, and throw me and the cats out into the street. That would be default disqualification number two.
I turned to look at him.
Levi was just standing there, arms crossed over his chest. He watched a cat rip a chunk of thread out of his designer rug, then looked up at the one currently swinging from his chandelier.
His face was completely, utterly unbothered. He didn't flinch, he didn't yell, and his eye didn't even twitch.
Instead, Levi slowly turned his head to look at me, a soft, incredibly amused expression on his face. "If you wanted to get my attention, Yeager, you didn't have to bring an adorable army. Dinner is in the dining room. Let the brats play."
My jaw literally dropped. Are you kidding me?! He didn't care about the crystal vase?!
My heart did another violent, unexpected thud against my ribs, a sudden panic washing over me as I realized Levi Ackerman was going to be a much, much harder boss fight than Floch.
The dining room was just as immaculate as the rest of the mansion, but the atmosphere inside wasn't cold at all.
As I sat down at the massive mahogany table, I was braced to meet a family of strict, unyielding snobs. Instead, I was introduced to Levi’s two younger sisters, Isabel and Mina. They were incredibly sweet, their eyes lighting up as they immediately tried to ask me about my favorite video games. Levi's parents sat at the head of the table—sophisticated, well-spoken, and remarkably welcoming to a random high schooler who had just unleashed three wild Bengal cats into their foyer.
A uniformed chef walked in, elegantly placing a beautifully plated dish of roasted chicken breast in front of me.
This was my moment. I needed to be as unhinged and difficult as possible.
I stared down at the plate, let out a tiny, theatrical fake cry, and sniffled loudly, sniffing back fake tears.
Levi, who was sitting directly across from me, instantly paused his fork. His sharp eyes locked onto mine, his brow furrowing with genuine concern. "Yeager? Is everything okay?"
"I... I'm sorry," I whispered dramatically, wiping my perfectly dry eyes. "I just... I can't eat this. I don't eat chicken."
Levi’s mother tilted her head, her expression softening. "Oh, are you a vegetarian, Eren? I can have the kitchen make an alternative right away."
"No, no, I eat meat!" I sobbed softly, putting on the performance of a lifetime. "Just... not chicken. A chicken literally saved my life one day when I was a child. I swore an absolute blood oath never to harm or consume one of their kind again."
It was the most ridiculous, crack excuse I could have possibly conceived. I braced myself for Levi to call me an absolute psycho, or for his parents to politely ask me to leave their home.
Instead, Levi didn't even hesitate. He turned his head toward the kitchen doorway and raised his hand. "Chef. Take Eren's plate back. Bring him the premium steak, medium-rare. Make it quick."
My jaw tightened behind my fake-sad expression. Are you serious?! He didn't even question the life-saving chicken story?!
Before I could recover from the shock, a sudden rustle sounded from under the tablecloth. To my absolute horror, Mikasa's two most aggressive Bengal cats launched themselves right onto the center of the dinner table. They stepped directly over the silver platters, their tails swishing aggressively.
Yes! Finally! I thought, screaming with internal glee. No clean freak can handle cats on the dinner table!
I waited for the screams. I waited for the chaos.
Instead, Levi’s mom simply chuckled softly. She reached out a perfectly manicured hand, gently scratching the aggressive Bengal right behind its ears. In an instant, the chaotic, hyperactive demon cat melted. It let out a soft, deep purr, rubbing its head affectionately against her palm, suddenly turning into the most gentle, well-behaved house pet in existence.
...WHAT?
"They're absolutely darling, Eren," Levi's mom smiled warmly.
After dinner, the psychological warfare officially flipped on me. Levi's mom insisted on pulling out a heavy, velvet-bound photo album. "You must see Levi when he was a baby, Eren. He was quite the handful."
I leaned over the pages, fully prepared to mock him. But as I looked at the glossy photos of a tiny, chubby-cheeked Levi sleeping with a little plush bear, I had to internally, painfully admit that he looked incredibly cute.
I looked up from the album, my gaze naturally drifting across the living room. Levi was sitting on the armchair near the window. He was completely silent, his dark hair falling softly over his forehead as he carefully, gently cradled a sleeping Isabel in his arms, rocking her back and forth with a look of pure, protective devotion.
A sudden, heavy realization hit me right in the chest. He wasn't a heartless, spoiled jerk after all. He was a good brother. A good son. The bet was a game, yes, but the person sitting across from me right now was terrifyingly real.
"I'll walk you out," Levi murmured after I finally managed to round up the three sleeping cats back into their travel cage.
The night air was cool, the moon casting long shadows over the manicured stone pathway of the Ackerman estate. I walked beside him, carrying the heavy cage, my mind in an absolute whirl. My foolproof plan to destroy his composure had completely disintegrated.
I was so busy staring at my shoes and stressing out that I didn't see the raised stone border of the garden bed.
My foot caught the edge. For the second time this week, gravity betrayed me.
"Whoa—!" I gasped, stumbling heavily.
I managed to catch myself before faceplanting, but the violent jolt sent my thick, black-rimmed nerd glasses flying right off my face. They clattered loudly against the stone pavement, sliding a few feet away into the darkness.
Now, here is the thing: I wasn't actually blind. My glasses were mostly just a low-prescription accessory I wore to look more approachable and fit my "top of the class" aesthetic. I could see perfectly fine without them.
I blinked, looking up at Levi under the soft, golden glow of a garden lamp.
Levi had bent down to retrieve the frames, but as he stood back up and turned to hand them to me, he completely froze. The cool, unbothered expression he always wore entirely evaporated.
Without the heavy frames obstructing my features or casting shadows over my eyes, my bare face was fully on display, and my green eyes were looking directly into his. The "disguise" was gone.
Levi stared at me, his chest hitching as he took in my full appearance. He completely forgot to hand me my glasses. His dark grey eyes traveled over my features, locking onto my gaze with a raw intensity that made the air between us grow heavy.
"Wow," Levi whispered, his voice dropping to a low, breathless register that sent a violent shiver straight down my spine. "You look... mesmerizing."
My heart violently hammered against my ribs, echoing loudly in my ears. The compliment didn't sound like a line Jean would use. It didn't sound like a game, or a bet, or a play to win a thousand dollars. It sounded completely, terrifyingly genuine.
He was looking at me. Not the nerd, not the challenge. Just me.
I violently swallowed the lump in my throat, a sudden wave of panic washing over me as I realized the absolute truth. My frantic efforts to get rid of Levi Ackerman had completely backfired tonight. I hadn't pushed him away at all.
I was the one falling into the trap.
Monday did not start at school. It started in my bedroom at six in the evening.
I was sitting at my desk, highlighting biology notes, when my window suddenly creaked open. I jumped, grabbing my heavy stapler to use as a weapon, only for Jean’s head to pop through the frame.
"Hey, babe," Jean smirked, tumbling awkwardly onto my bedroom carpet. "There’s a massive college-pre-party happening at a mansion nearby tonight. You’re coming with me."
I stared at him in utter disbelief. "Are you insane? Get out of my room! Besides, I don't have clothes for a mansion party. I literally wear hoodies and oversized jeans."
"No problem, babygirl," Jean winked, flashing his car keys. "We’re going to the mall."
Two hours later, I didn't even recognize myself in the mirror. Jean had thrown his credit card at a high-end boutique styling team. My thick glasses were gone. My hair was professionally styled back, exposing my sharp jawline, and I was wearing a tailored, dark emerald silk button-down shirt with slim-fit black trousers that hugged my frame perfectly.
When we arrived at the party, the music was thumping so loud the floorboards vibrated. The second Jean and I walked through the grand front doors, the entire living room fell completely dead silent.
"Who is that?" someone whispered.
"Is that a model Jean brought?" another girl murmured. Nobody recognized the "school nerd" without his oversized clothes and frames.
I scanned the crowded room, and my breath hitched. Levi was leaning against the bar across the room, holding a drink. The second his dark grey eyes landed on my face, his glass nearly slipped from his fingers. He stared at my transformed appearance, his expression a mix of shock and a sudden, fierce anger. He glared at me, his jaw clenching tightly.
Before I could even process his stare, a beautiful blonde girl slid up to Levi, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey, Levi. Want to dance?"
Levi didn't break eye contact with me. He kept his sharp gaze locked onto my eyes, his expression cold as steel. "Sure," he murmured to the girl. "Let's go."
My blood instantly boiled. A sudden, irrational wave of hot anger surged through my chest as I watched Levi walk onto the crowded dance floor with her. How dare he?
"Jean, I need to use the bathroom," I snapped, my voice dripping with ice.
I bolted down the hallway and locked myself in the guest bathroom. I leaned over the sink, splashing cold water onto my face, trying to calm my racing nerves. Get it together, Eren, I scolded myself, staring at my reflection. Why do you care who he dances with? This is just a game.
After five minutes, I finally calmed down and stepped back out into the main party. I walked toward the living room.
And, of course.
Jean was already on the dance floor, his hands wrapped around the waist of a cheerleader, laughing and whispering in her ear.
I let out a chuckle. "He’s a player. They’re all just heartless players." I muttered to myself, shaking my head.
Disgusted, I turned around and walked out of the loud house, stepping into the quiet, moonlit backyard garden to get some fresh air.
"Eren? Is that really you?"
I turned around to see Floch stepping out from the shadows of the patio. He had a dramatic, wounded expression on his face. He walked up to me, dropping his head as if he were deeply ashamed. "Look... I wanted to apologize for how I acted at the boardwalk. I shouldn't have yelled at such a pretty boy like you. I was just frustrated... but you look beautiful tonight."
I stared at him, my brow furrowing. Oh, wow, I thought, suppressing an urge to roll my eyes. From a screaming jerk to a smooth Romeo. He’s really trying hard for that money.
Before I could utter a single word to reject him, a powerful hand shot out from behind me.
In a split second, I was violently yanked backward, my spine colliding hard against a broad, solid chest. I gasped, looking up to see Levi's sharp, furious face looming right above me. He placed a tight, fiercely protective arm across my chest, anchoring me flush against his body.
Levi glared at Floch with a look of pure, unadulterated malice. "Back off, Forster," Levi growled, his voice vibrating tightly against my back. "I’m not letting either of you idiots play with Eren’s feelings anymore."
Floch stepped forward, his face twisting into an angry scowl. "Shut up, Ackerman! I actually like him! He was about to say yes to me!"
"Back off, both of you! He's mine!" Jean’s voice suddenly roared out as he burst through the patio doors, stepping onto the grass with his fists clenched.
Levi didn't waste a single second arguing. He smoothly pulled me completely behind his back, shielding me with his own body. He reached into his leather jacket, pulled out two thick, heavy white envelopes, and violently threw them right at Jean and Floch’s chests.
"There’s twenty thousand dollars cash in each of those envelopes," Levi commanded, his voice cold and echoing in the quiet night air. "That’s way more than your pathetic bet. Take the money and leave Eren alone forever."
Jean and Floch completely froze, their eyes widening greedily as their fingers instantly clutched the heavy envelopes filled with cash.
Levi didn't look at them again. He turned around to face me, his grey eyes filled with a sudden, dark intensity. "Get out of here, Eren. Go home."
Jean let out a mocking, bitter laugh from behind us, stuffing the envelope into his pocket. "Oh, come on, Levi. Stop acting like you actually care about him. You started this whole bet!"
"CUT IT OUT!" I snapped.
My voice rang out like a gunshot, silencing the entire garden. I stepped out from behind Levi, glaring at all three of them with absolute disdain. A cold, victorious smirk spread across my face.
"I’ve known about your pathetic little bet from the very beginning," I said, my voice dripping with pure venom. "You thought I was some naive, fragile little nerd you could manipulate for fifteen thousand bucks? Please. I was playing all of you idiots from day one. Jean, thanks for carrying my books and buying me food. Floch, enjoy your motion sickness. I ran you all ragged."
Jean and Floch’s faces went completely pale with shock. They instinctively gripped their ten-thousand-dollar envelopes tighter, looking thoroughly humiliated but too greedy to drop the cash.
Before I could say something else, they both bolted from the scene.
But Levi? Levi looked like his entire world had just shattered.
His grey eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock. He stared at me, his lips parting slightly as the realization hit him. The clean-freak reactions, the coffee on the dashboard, the cats... I had planned all of it. I had been playing him.
A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the garden.
Slowly, Levi's shocked expression melted into something profoundly sad. He didn't yell. He didn't get angry. Instead, Levi stepped forward, closed his eyes, and bent his upper body forward into a formal, deep bow right in front of me.
"I'm sorry," Levi whispered, his voice raw, quiet, and completely devoid of his usual arrogance. "I'm deeply sorry for my— our behavior, Eren."
He straightened up. He looked at my face one last time, a bitter, heartbreakingly sweet smile playing on his lips.
"Goodbye, brat," Levi murmured softly.
He turned around and walked away, his shoulders tense as he disappeared into the darkness of the driveway, leaving me standing completely alone under the moonlight in the quiet garden, my heart suddenly feeling heavy and hollow in a way I hadn't expected at all.
The remaining days of the week passed in a grey, suffocating blur.
The school was quiet. Floch and Jean avoided me entirely, too humiliated to look me in the eye after realizing they had been played. But the real torture was Levi's total absence. His seat in chemistry remained empty. His matte black Porsche never rolled into the parking lot. He had completely vanished from my life, leaving a massive, aching void in my chest that my books could no longer fill. I was miserable.
Then, on Tuesday afternoon, my bedroom door was practically kicked off its hinges.
"Eren!" my mom gasped, clutching a thick, official-looking document to her chest. Her eyes were wide with a mix of shock and pure joy. "You won't believe this! Your tuition and housing for the Oxford University scholarship program... it’s completely taken care of! Every single cent!"
I sat up straight in bed, my brow furrowing. "What? Mom, how? The financial aid office said I needed to work at least three part-time shifts a week just to cover the remaining student fees."
"That’s the crazy part," she breathed, handing me the letter. "The bank said a massive private wire transfer went through this morning. It was paid in full by a group called the Ackerman Trust. Eren, you don't have to work anymore shifts. You're fully covered."
My breath caught sharply in my throat. Ackerman.
The paper trembled in my hand. He had paid for my entire Ivy League future. Even after I had humiliated him, even after I told him I was just playing a game, he had gone behind my back to secure my dreams.
I whipped out my phone, my fingers shaking as I clicked on his contact name. I pressed call.
Ring... ring... ring...
"The subscriber you are trying to reach is unavailable."
I slammed the phone down on my desk, a frustrating tear slipping down my cheek. He wouldn't pick up. He was entirely shutting me out.
By Wednesday morning, I was on an absolute mission to corner him. I arrived at school early, my eyes scanning the courtyard until I finally spotted that familiar, sharp dark haircut near the main entrance.
My heart lifted—until I saw who was standing with him.
Petra, a gorgeous senior from the varsity cheer squad, was practically glued to his side. She had her hands wrapped tightly around his arm, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. Levi didn't push her away. He just stared straight ahead, his face a completely unreadable, stoic mask.
"Levi!" I called out, taking a step toward him.
Before I could get close, the morning warning bell rang out aggressively through the loudspeakers. A massive wave of students suddenly flooded the corridor, cutting me off entirely. By the time the crowd cleared, Levi and Petra were already gone, and I was already late for my own AP History class.
I spent the next four periods vibrating with pure, unadulterated jealousy. My blood was boiling, and I couldn't focus on a single word the teachers were saying.
The second the afternoon break bell rang, I stormed out of the building and marched directly toward the sports fields. Something told me he would be trying to find a quiet spot away from the crowd.
I rounded the corner of the massive wooden stadium bleachers, and my footsteps completely froze.
In the shaded, secluded area behind the grandstands, Levi was pinned against the wooden support beams. Petra was leaning in incredibly close, her hands resting on his chest, her lips pressing firmly against his.
A white-hot wave of pure fury erupted in my chest.
"GET OFF HIM!" I roared.
I didn't care about looking cool. I didn't care about my reputation. I stomped over like a literal hurricane, reached out, and violently tore Levi away from her by his jacket collar. Petra let out a sharp, shocked shriek as I aggressively stepped right between them, shielding Levi entirely with my body.
"Eren?! What the hell is your problem?!" Petra yelled, her face flushing with anger.
I ignored her completely. I turned around, grabbing Levi by the front of his uniform shirt and dragging him several feet away into the open field. I glared up into his dark grey eyes, my chest heaving with ragged breaths.
"Explain the money, Levi!" I demanded, my voice cracking with emotion. "My mom got the letter yesterday. The Ackerman Trust paid off my entire Oxford tuition! Why did you do that?!"
Levi looked down at my hands clutching his shirt. His expression didn't crack. He slowly, deliberately reached up and swatted my hands away, his eyes cold and distant.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Yeager," Levi murmured, his voice entirely flat. "My family does thousands of charitable donations a month. You're not special."
He turned on his heel and walked right past me, leaving me standing on the grass, my fists clenching as a cold, frustrating sweat broke out across my forehead. He was lying.
I knew he was lying.
I wasn't going to let him get away with it.
At eight o'clock that night, I bypassed the school entirely and marched straight back to the Ackerman mansion. I rang the doorbell, fully prepared to argue with his security, but to my surprise, Levi’s mother answered the door. The moment she saw my determined, slightly frantic face, a soft, knowing smile played on her lips.
"He’s upstairs in his room, Eren," she said gently, stepping aside. "Go on up. He needs to talk to you, even if he won't admit it."
I navigated the massive house, walking up the grand staircase until I reached the heavy oak door at the end of the hall. I pushed it open softly.
The room was completely empty, the lights dimmed low. Levi wasn't there yet—probably downstairs getting a drink. I stepped inside anyway, my sneakers clicking against the hardwood floor. I walked over to his massive mahogany study desk, my eyes scanning the surface.
Then, my heart completely stopped.
Resting right in the center of his desk, placed carefully on top of a velvet cloth, was a familiar bronze object. It was a vintage key necklace. My key necklace. The one my father had given me years ago, the one I thought I had lost in the empty classroom the day Levi pulled me onto his lap.
He hadn't thrown it away. He had kept it. He had protected it like a treasure.
I reached out, my fingers trembling as I picked up the cold metal, clutching it tightly to my palm.
Click.
The bedroom door swung open. Levi stepped into the room, holding a glass of water. The moment his eyes landed on me standing by his desk, holding the necklace, he froze entirely in his tracks.
"What the hell are you doing in my room, brat?" Levi snapped, his voice instantly dropping to a defensive, sharp register. "Put that down and get out."
"Explain this, Levi!" I shouted, holding the key necklace high between us. I marched right up to him, stopping just inches from his chest. "Explain the tuition! Explain why you kept my necklace! Explain why you were letting Petra kiss you when you looked completely miserable doing it! Stop lying to me!"
For a tense, agonizing ten seconds, Levi looked like he was about to deny everything. His jaw clenched, his grey eyes flashing with that familiar, stubborn pride. He opened his mouth to deliver another cold, sarcastic insult to push me away.
But then, his shoulders suddenly deflated. The stoic, unbothered wall he had spent his entire life building completely crumbled right in front of my eyes. He let out a long, heavy, defeated sigh, looking down at the floor.
"Fine," Levi whispered, his voice raw, rough, and entirely vulnerable. "You want the truth, Eren? Here it is."
He looked back up, his grey eyes swirling with an intensity that completely locked me in place.
"I made that stupid, pathetic bet with Jean and Floch because I was bored, arrogant, and thought you were just another predictable kid," Levi confessed, taking a step closer until I could feel the heat radiating off his body. "But somewhere along the way... everything changed. The chemistry lab. The coffee on the dashboard. The ridiculous cats at dinner. Every single time you tried to make my life hell, I found myself completely captivated by you."
Levi reached out, his warm fingers gently wrapping around my wrist, the one still holding the key necklace.
"By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late," Levi murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips before looking back up into my eyes. "I didn't care about the fifteen thousand dollars. I didn't care about winning. I paid off those two idiots at the party because I couldn't stand the thought of them hurting you. I paid your tuition because you deserve the world, Eren. I fell for you. Completely, utterly, and entirely. And it scares the hell out of me."
My breath hitched in my throat as Levi’s words hung in the quiet air of his bedroom. The raw honesty in his grey eyes completely disarmed me. The mask was gone. The bet was dead. There were no more schemes, no more traps, and no more games.
"You're an absolute idiot, Levi Ackerman," I whispered, my voice rough but entirely devoid of the venom I had used at the party.
Levi blinked, caught off guard by my tone. "What?"
"I said you're an idiot," I repeated, stepping even closer until my chest was pressed flush against his. I reached up, my fingers sliding into the cool, dark silk of his hair, forcing him to look directly down into my eyes. "Do you honestly think I would have gone to all that trouble just to reject you? I ran Jean ragged. I literally traumatized Floch on a Ferris wheel. But with you? Every single time I tried to push your buttons, my own heart was trying to jump out of my chest."
Levi’s eyes flared with a sudden, brilliant intensity. His grip on my wrist tightened. "Eren..."
"I fell for you too, you clean-freak menace," I admitted, a fierce, triumphant smirk breaking across my face. "You won the bet. But you're stuck with the prize."
Levi didn't wait for me to finish. He leaned down, his hand coming up to cup my jawline with an incredible, desperate tenderness, and pressed his lips firmly against mine.
Our very first genuine kiss was nothing like the chaotic, theatrical nonsense Jean or Floch had attempted. It was deep, electric, and utterly consuming. Levi tasted like mint and felt like a wildfire, his lips moving against mine with a quiet reverence that made my knees go completely weak. I melted into his touch, clutching the front of his shirt, letting the warmth of his confession completely erase the misery of the past week.
But as Levi’s grip softened and he began to slowly pull away to catch his breath, a sudden surge of possessive adrenaline flooded my veins.
The soft, fragile nerd persona was completely dead. I was in full control now.
Before Levi could fully break the kiss, I violently grabbed him by the front of his collar. With a single, explosive burst of energy, I aggressively shoved him backward.
Levi gasped in utter shock as his balance failed him, tumbling flat onto his back across the mattress of his massive king-sized bed. Before he could even process what was happening, I scrambled up after him, straddling his lap and pinning him down under my weight.
I leaned down over his chest, my dark green eyes flashing with a dangerous, glint. I shot my hand out, my fingers wrapping securely around the front of his throat—not enough to choke him, but enough to firmly anchor him to the mattress and completely cut off any chance of escape.
Levi stared up at me from the pillows, his grey eyes wide, his chest heaving as a deep, dark blush violently climbed up his neck. The infallible, terrifying king of the school was completely trapped beneath me, entirely at my mercy.
"Listen to me very carefully, Levi," I purred, my voice dropping to a low, chillingly possessive whisper as I tightened my grip on his neck just a fraction. "If I ever see another girl—or anyone else—so much as breathe in your direction again, Petra will be the least of your worries. If you ever let anyone else kiss you again, I will make your life a living hell that fifteen thousand-dollar bet could never prepare you for."
Levi swallowed hard against my palm, a heavy, dark shudder passing through his entire body. He didn't look angry; he looked completely intoxicated by the fierce authority radiating off me.
"You don't belong to the social hierarchy, and you certainly don't belong to the school king title," I smirked, leaning down until my lips were brushing against his ear. "From this second on, you belong to me alone. Do I make myself clear, Ackerman?"
A low, breathless chuckle escaped Levi’s lips, his hands coming up to grip my hips tightly, pulling my weight firmly against his. He looked up at me with a gaze full of absolute devotion and a lazy, entirely defeated smirk.
"Crystal clear, brat," Levi whispered, his eyes dark with matching fire. "I'm all yours."
I smiled, a ruthless, satisfied grin curling my lips as I leaned down to seal the deal with another bruised, deeply passionate kiss. The game was officially over, and the king of the school had just been completely overthrown.