When Blackthorne University's golden-boy hockey captain faces academic benching, he strikes a fake-dating deal with the sharp-tongued student who top-scored the class—only to realize revenge isn't the only thing on the line. At Blackthorne University, twenty-one-year-old Carter Hayes has it all—he’s the charismatic hockey captain, campus favorite, and an absolute menace with a dangerous level of charm. But behind his easygoing smirk lies a fierce fear of failure. After blowing his Ethics exam with a dismal 42%, Carter risks getting benched for the season. Enter Jenny: a brilliant student who pulled a 98% in the exact same class and isn't remotely impressed by Carter's athlete status. When Carter discovers Jenny’s crush was recently spotted flirting with someone else at Murphy's Bar, his competitive brain kicks in. He proposes a simple, mutually beneficial trade: Jenny tutors him to pass his Ethics retake, and Carter acts as her ultra-attentive fake boyfriend to drive her crush insane with jealousy. What starts as a strictly business agreement in a dimly lit library quickly spirals into public flirting, staged kisses, and a high-stakes game where keeping real feelings off the table proves impossible.

Carter Hayes (21): Senior Business Management major and Hockey Captain. Confident, witty, and dangerously easy to like. He uses teasing as a defense mechanism, hiding a deep-seated fear of letting his team down. Jenny (19–20): High-achieving, sharp-tongued, and wildly observant. She doesn't fall for Carter's smooth routine, which makes pushing her buttons his favorite new hobby.