CHAPTER ONE - FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL
Shirley
“Wake up!”
The alarm shattered the silence at exactly 6:00 a.m., loud enough to feel like an explosion inside my skull.
I jerked upright, heart racing, breath uneven. For a moment, I forgot where I was.
Then reality settled in.
Washington.
New house. New life. I never chose.
Great. Another day I didn’t ask for.
I dragged myself into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Warm water poured over me, but it couldn’t wash away the heaviness sitting in my chest. Everything felt mechanical — shampoo, rinse, breathe, repeat.
When I finally faced the mirror, the girl staring back looked unfamiliar.
Pale eyes. Tired expression. Emotions carefully locked away behind invisible stitches.
I’m Shirley Alberto. Nineteen. Filipino.
And somehow… stranded in a country that didn’t feel like mine.
Two weeks in the United States and I already hated it.
Ever since Mom married my stepdad, my life had been flipped upside down overnight — new continent, new rules, new expectations. She called it an Opportunity or Exploring.
I called it losing control of my own future.
I was supposed to be starting college.
Instead, I was putting on a school uniform like my life had pressed a reset button without permission.
“Whoa, you’re up early,” Dad said cheerfully at breakfast.
He smiled like everything was normal. Like moving across the world was just another adventure.
“You look ready for your new school.”
I nodded faintly but said nothing. Words felt unnecessary between us. He was kind — painfully kind — and that somehow made it harder to stay angry.
I ate quickly, swallowing irritation along with toast.
---
Everett High School
The building looked straight out of a movie.
Blue and gold uniforms filled the hallways like waves of confidence and belonging.
Students laughed easily, leaning into lockers, calling each other’s names like they had known one another forever.
Everyone fit in.
Everyone except me.
How was I supposed to make friends when I didn’t even want to be here?
After a brief meeting with the principal, I was escorted straight into chaos.
The classroom buzzed with conversations loud enough to rival a battlefield.
“Class, quiet!” the teacher snapped.
The noise dropped instantly.
“We have a new student.”
Every head turned toward me at once.
My stomach tightened.
Eyes everywhere. Judging. Curious.
“Introduce yourself, miss.”
I wasn’t nervous.
I was annoyed.
As I scanned the room, one detail stood out — a boy with his head flat on his desk, completely uninterested, like my existence didn’t even register.
“I think she’s shy,” a girl whispered, giggling.
I exhaled slowly, clearing my throat.
“My name is Shirley Alberto,” I said calmly.
“And I’m not shy. I was just wondering why his head is on the table.”
Silence crashed over the room.
The boy slowly lifted his head.
And—
Oh.
Wow.
The words slipped out before my brain could stop them.
“So cute…”
Too late.
He smirked, completely unfazed. “Yeah,” he said lazily. “I know I’m cute.”
The class exploded into laughter.
Fantastic. First day and I’d already embarrassed myself internationally.
“Miss Alberto,” the teacher said sharply, fighting a smile, “go sit beside him.”
Of course. Fate clearly hated me.
I walked toward the empty seat, feeling dozens of eyes follow every step.
“Hi, I’m Blake,” he said casually as I sat down.
I ignored him.
Because something else — someone else — had caught my attention.
At the very back of the classroom sat a boy dressed entirely in shadows.
Hood pulled low. Shoulders relaxed but distant. Dark eyes watching quietly from beneath the fabric like he existed outside everyone else’s world.
Silent.
Unreachable.
Dangerously intriguing.
Who is he?
What kind of school did I just walk into?
…and why did it already feel like fate had started writing a story I couldn’t escape?
