Prescription for Heartbreak: Kissing My Archenemy

I have a strange illness: if I dont kiss someone, I suffer from severe, paralyzing chest pains that flare up out of nowhere.

Worse yet, the only person whose kiss can cure me is my lifelong archenemy, Nate Nelson.

One second, Im glaring at him with pure hatred, and the next, Im tugging at the hem of his shirt with teary eyes, begging, "Can you just kiss me, please?"

He raised a surprised eyebrow, let out a low chuckle, and asked, "Any way I want?"

1.

Nate Nelson and I have been mortal enemies since childhood.

It all stems from our parents. My dad and his dad grew up together and have constantly compared themselves to one another since day one.

Both of them are fiercely competitive and refuse to ever settle for second place.

From middle school onward, they competed over grades and trophies. Once they started working, they competed over promotions, salaries, and eventually, their families.

When Nate and I were born, they naturally passed the torch of competition down to us.

When I was a kid, if I scored even one point lower than Nate, my dad would shake his head in disappointment and sign me up for another summer prep course.

Thats how all my happy childhood vacations vanished into thin air. Because of this, I harbored a deep, burning hatred for the sole culprit behind my misery: Nate Nelson.

2.

The day the SAT scores came out, my dad went absolutely insane with joy.

I scored a 1520, practically guaranteeing my spot at Columbia University, a top-tier Ivy League school.

I was thrilled too, mostly because I had discreetly fished for information from Nate right after the exam.

He had looked completely exhausted and muttered, "I bombed it."

This meant we finally wouldn't have to go to the same school!

I would never have to look at his highly punchable face ever again!

My dad immediately called Nates dad, his voice dripping with faux sympathy. "Hey, Mr. Reed! Did Nate get his scores back yet? Oh man, let me tell you, our Chloe really didn't perform her best this time. She only got a 1520! Looks like shell have to settle for Columbia."

I have to admit, my dads humblebragging was incredibly obnoxious.

A booming voice came through the speakerphone. "Huh? What? Only a 1520? Tsk, yeah, that really is a bit disappointing.

"My boy just checked his score too. What did you get again, son? My memory is going bad in my old age. Tell your dad what you got one more time."

A lazy, drawling voice echoed through the line: "1560."

"Oh, right, a 1560! Well, looks like my son didn't do so hot either. Hell just have to make do with Columbia too," Nates dad sighed, his tone dripping with fake pity, every single word a fatal stab to the chest.

My dad and I practically coughed up blood simultaneously.

Furious, I whipped out my phone and texted Nate.

Me: "Didn't you say you bombed it?! You played me!"

Me: "[Dog breathing fire meme.jpg]"

Nate: "I didn't get a perfect 1600. Does that not count as bombing?"

Nate: "Gotta run. See you at Columbia."

My fingers were practically sparking as I furiously typed against my screen. I could picture exactly what Nate looked like right now.

He was definitely sitting somewhere slouched and lazy, wearing a smug smirk while slowly typing out the most arrogant, rage-inducing responses imaginable.

Why?!

Why couldn't I even escape him in college?!

If God made Chloe, why did He have to make Nate?!

3.

The good news was, even though Nate and I ended up at the same university, he was on the Pre-Law track while I was an English Lit major. Our departments were on completely opposite sides of the campus. In the first month of school, I had barely run into him.

I sincerely hoped I wouldn't run into him for the next four years. We could just be the most familiar strangers in the world.

But my roommates didn't share that sentiment.

"Ahhhh! Girls, theres an intramural basketball game today! Comp Sci versus Pre-Law! Guess whos playing for Pre-Law?!" Mia squealed, clutching her phone and practically vibrating with excitement.

Lexi, who always loved the drama, quickly asked, "Who? Who?! Are there hot guys?"

Our edgy roommate, Roxy, raised an eyebrow. "Look at Mia drooling. Its obviously the Pre-Law poster boy, Nate Nelson. You guys know ever since he blew up on the Campus Confessions Instagram page, Mia has been tracking his every move."

Mia giggled, blinking her big eyes. "I care about all hot guys equally. So, are we going or what?"

"Let's go. We don't have anything better to do," Lexi and Roxy agreed without hesitation.

"Chloe, you coming?" Mia turned to me.

I had absolutely zero desire to see my archenemy. Talk about bad vibes.

I waved my hand. "I think I'll pass..."

Before I could finish my sentence, a robotic, electronic voice suddenly echoed inside my head.

[Debuff: Angina attack. Countdown: 30 minutes.]

[Cure: Kiss Nate Nelson for 5 seconds.]

W-What the hell?!

Was I suddenly the protagonist of some sci-fi simulation game?!

4.

The cure was way too twisted. Kiss my sworn enemy?!

Ha! I, Chloe Cooper, would rather die of a heart attack or jump out of a fifth-floor window today before I ever set foot on that basketball court!

5.

"Wow! Chloe, did you see that?! Nate just sank another three-pointer! He is so hot!" Mia shook my arm violently, screaming until her voice cracked.

To be fair, amidst the deafening roar of the crowd, her high-decibel squeal just blended into the background noise.

I covered my ears and shuffled a little further away from her.

Looking down at the court, staring at that tall, glowing figure standing out among the sweaty players, I felt a little guilty.

Ahem. I was purely here because I love watching college boys play basketball. I totally hadn't chickened out of my own boycott.

Besides, I wasn't here to see Nate. I was here to see

The Comp Sci player in the white number 8 jersey just passed the ball to a teammate. Catching my eye, he smiled and waved at me.

Oh? I didn't know he played too.

A bit surprised, I waved back.

Yep, that's right. I was here to see him. It had absolutely nothing to do with Nate.

Before I could even lower my hand, Nate, wearing his black jersey, followed Number 8's line of sight and looked right at me. Seeing me, he seemed to freeze for a second. Then, his face went ice-cold and he swiftly looked away.

That familiar, infuriating spark of rage ignited in my chest.

What the hell was that expression?! Was he disgusted by me?! I hadn't even rolled my eyes at his bad vibes yet!!

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white.

"Chloe, why do you look like you're about to murder someone?" Lexi asked, sounding slightly terrified.

"Nothing, nothing. Just saw a really annoying bug, but I already squashed it." I quickly fixed my expression and forced a smile.

Roxy winked at me. "Hey, that cute guy who waved at you earlier is Caleb Hayes, a pretty well-known guy in Comp Sci. Fess up. How do you know him? What's the tea?"

I waved my hands frantically. "Don't misunderstand! During move-in day, Caleb was a campus volunteer. He helped carry my luggage, we chatted a bit, and exchanged socials. We don't even talk that much."

"Oh~ Sure~" Lexi and Roxy exchanged a look, dragging out their words suspiciously.

Just then, Mia screamed, "Ahhh! What is going on with Nate and Caleb?! They suddenly started playing so aggressively! Two hot guys battling it outI'm living for this!"

I turned my attention back to the court.

Nate cleanly dribbled past a defender, only to be blocked by Caleb. The atmosphere was suddenly suffocatingly tense, invisible sparks flying between their locking gazes.

Suddenly, Nate moved. Caleb shifted left to block him, entirely falling for a fake-out.

The crowd held its breath. Nate charged the hoop, leaped into the air, grabbed the rim with one hand, and delivered a flawless, thunderous slam dunk!

"Hell yeah!"

"Ahhhh, that was amazing!"

Cheers and screams erupted from the bleachers.

Yet the center of attentionNatejust landed smoothly, his dark eyes entirely unbothered, as if that spectacular dunk was just a walk in the park.

Tsk. What a show-off.

I curled my lip in disgust.

As he jogged back to play defense, Nate seemed to throw a side-glance in my direction.

He was provoking me.

Not one to back down, I glared fiercely right back at him.

Right at that moment, the electronic voice echoed in my ear again.

[Countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...]

My entire body went rigid.

No way. This was actually real?!

The moment the countdown hit "0", my heart felt like it was being violently stabbed by a thousand needles. The pain was so agonizing I couldn't breathe. My vision went black.

Clutching my chest, I collapsed weakly to the floor as the crowd gasped around me.

It hurts so much...

[Cure: Kiss Nate Nelson for 5 seconds.]

The robotic voice coldly repeated the instructions.

"Chloe! Chloe Cooper! What's wrong?! Don't scare us!" My roommates panicked, screaming my name.

The commotion on the sidelines caught the attention of the players. In my hazy state, I saw Nate drop the basketball, his face darkening as he sprinted toward me.

"Chloe!"

He dropped to one knee beside me, his deep eyes filled with raw panic, all his previous basketball-court arrogance completely gone.

I felt Nate pull me into his arms, looking down at me.

[Cure...]

The pain was unbearable. Mustering the absolute last ounce of my strength, I lifted my head and pressed my lips directly against his.

So soft.

"!!"

A ripple of shock crashed through Nate's eyes, like a stone dropping into a clear spring.

As the agonizing pain receded like a pulling tide, I heard a collective, massive gasp from the crowd around us.

Oh my god, I actually kissed my archenemy.

I had zero principles.

Nate was definitely going to think I was secretly in love with him. He was going to be so obnoxiously smug about this!

Amidst my spiraling thoughts, my consciousness faded into darkness.

6.

When I woke up, I was already in the campus infirmary.

My heart was beating perfectly normally, as if that suffocating agony had been a mere illusion.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a silhouette sitting by the bed.

I turned my head and saw Nate slouching lazily in a chair, his long legs bent awkwardly in the cramped space.

He was still wearing his black basketball jersey, which made his skin look even paler. He was looking down at his phone, his expression bored and relaxed.

As if sensing my gaze, Nate looked up.

The second I saw his face, my eyes unconsciously dropped to his lips.

That soft, warm sensation seemed to linger in my mind, refusing to fade.

"Chloe, why are you blushing?" Nate raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a half-smile.

I instantly snapped my gaze away, pulling the blanket up to cover half my face, suddenly too terrified to look at him. "I'm just hot."

Nate stared intently at me, as if seeing right through me, but didn't interrogate me any further.

"Feeling better? The campus nurse said there's nothing physically wrong with you."

"Much better." I nodded.

"Did you feel sick before you fainted? The nurse didn't find anything, so you might need to get checked out at a real hospital." His tone was surprisingly peaceful.

I blinked.

This was weird.

Whenever Nate and I interacted, we usually ended up in a screaming match before exchanging two sentences. If he wasn't throwing sarcastic jabs at me, I was mocking him.

Seeing him act so genuinely concerned was giving me whiplash.

"My heart just hurt a bit. I'll go get it checked when I have time..."

"Don't tell my mom!" I quickly added.

Even though our dads were sworn enemies, miraculously, my mom and his mom were absolute besties. Both women worried about us constantly.

I had a strong premonition that this "angina" wouldn't show up on any hospital scan anyway. There was no need to panic our families for nothing.

A soft chuckle escaped Nate's lips. "Fine."

His long, elegant fingers casually spun his phone around, but his dark eyes were locked directly on mine. "Under one condition: you explain why you kissed me first."

"Have a crush on me?"