Chapter 1 The boy in the black hoddie
Rain tapped softly against the classroom windows as Liana rested her chin on her hand, completely bored out of her mind.
First day at a new school.
New people. New teachers. New fake smiles.
Exactly the kind of thing she hated.
“Class, we have a new student joining today,” the teacher announced.
Nobody cared at first. Half the class was still talking.
Then the classroom door opened.
A tall boy walked in wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled low over his head. His dark hair fell messily over his eyes, and he looked completely uninterested in being there.
The room instantly went quiet.
Even the girls sitting behind Liana started whispering.
“That’s Kai Ryder.”
“He got suspended last year.”
“I heard he punched someone.”
Kai ignored everyone. He shoved his hands into his pockets and lazily looked around the room before his eyes landed on the only empty seat—right beside Liana.
Of course.
He walked toward her desk and dropped into the chair without saying a word.
Liana kept her eyes on her notebook, pretending she didn’t notice him.
A few seconds later, she felt him staring at her.
“What?” she muttered.
“You’re sitting too close,” he replied coldly.
Her eyes widened. “This is literally my seat.”
He shrugged. “Still annoying.”
Liana stared at him in disbelief while he casually leaned back in his chair like he owned the entire classroom.
Unbelievable.
The teacher started explaining something, but Liana couldn’t focus anymore. Not when the mysterious boy beside her smelled like rain and trouble.
Halfway through class, her pen slipped from her desk.
Kai picked it up before she could.
For a moment, their fingers brushed.
And for the first time since entering the classroom, the boy in the black hoodie smiled slightly.
It was small. Barely noticeable.
But somehow… it made Liana’s heart skip.
