Chapter 1-The ice rink
They had been in the same school for ten years, never once crossing paths in a way that mattered. She was Isabella, the hazel-eyed girl with curly brown hair she always straightened and glasses she often pushed up when nervous. Popular in her class, sassy, smart, and kind. He was Noel—quiet, observant, part of the school’s popular guy group but not really the loud one. The boxer type. Strong, thoughtful. But they’d never met. Not properly.
It all changed in 10th grade, on a cold winter night at the ice rink. A group outing—a quadruple date, though unofficial. Four girls, four boys. Isabella and her three best friends. Noel and his. That night, the laughter echoed against the rink walls, blades scraping ice, gloves brushing against cheeks in flirty teases. She teased him when he stumbled. He fired back with mock insults. By the end of the night, it wasn’t about the group anymore. It was about them. The teasing didn’t stop when the skates came off. It followed them into texts. Into school. A constant back-and-forth of “bullying,” light-hearted jabs, and late-night messages that meant more than they admitted.
