CHAPTER 1: THE GIRL WHO DIDN’T BELONG
Ava Collins stood at the school gates longer than she meant to. The building in front of her was large, loud, and alive in a way that made her feel smaller with every passing second. Students moved in groups like they had known each other forever, laughing easily, calling names, sharing inside jokes she could never understand.
She adjusted the strap of her bag tighter on her shoulder.
This was supposed to be a fresh start.
That’s what her parents had said when they changed her school. “New environment will help you,” they had told her. “You’ll make friends quickly.”
But standing here now, Ava wasn’t so sure.
She stepped forward anyway.
The hallway swallowed her immediately.
Noise came from everywhere at once, lockers slamming, shoes rushing across tiles, voices overlapping in different directions. It wasn’t just loud; it was organized chaos, like everyone here knew exactly where they were going except her.
Ava kept her eyes down and walked faster.
Room 2B.
That was all she needed to find.
She checked her timetable again, even though she already knew it by heart. Her fingers tightened slightly around the paper.
“Just get to class,” she whispered to herself.
She turned a corner too quickly.
And collided with someone.
The impact made her step back. Her books slipped from her arms and scattered across the floor. A few students nearby glanced over, then continued walking like it was nothing.
Ava bent down quickly, embarrassed, reaching for her things.
Before she could fully react, a hand picked up one of the books and held it out.
“Watch where you’re going,” a voice said.
It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t angry.
Just flat.
Controlled.
Ava froze for half a second before lifting her head.
The boy standing in front of her was tall, dressed neatly in the school uniform like it actually mattered to him. His expression didn’t change as he handed her the book.
Ethan Blake.
She didn’t know his name yet, but she would learn it soon enough.
“Sorry,” Ava said quickly, taking the book from him.
He didn’t respond.
Didn’t even nod.
He just looked at her for a brief second longer than necessary, like he was deciding something, and then stepped past her.
No apology. No hesitation. No second glance.
Just distance.
Ava stood there, still crouched slightly, watching him walk away.
Around her, life continued like nothing had happened. People didn’t stop. Nobody cared. The moment didn’t matter to anyone except her.
She slowly picked up the rest of her books, her face warm with embarrassment.
“It’s fine,” she muttered to herself, even though it didn’t feel fine.
When she finally stood up, she looked down the hallway again.
Ethan Blake was already gone.
But for some reason she didn’t understand, she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he looked at her.
Not rude.
Not kind.
Just… unreadable.
And somehow, that bothered her more than if he had said anything at all.
Ava tightened her grip on her books and started walking again.
But now, the school didn’t just feel loud.
It felt like it had just noticed her.
And not in a welcoming way.
