Chapter 1
Nonchalant Hearts
Chapter One: The Girl Who Challenged Him
The first thing Salish noticed about Nidal was his attitude.
The second thing she noticed was that he knew exactly how annoying he was.
Walking into Westbridge Academy on her first day, Salish held her books tightly against her chest as students filled the hallway with laughter and whispers. New schools were supposed to be exciting, but she had learned that being the new girl came with one big problem—everyone thought they already knew who you were.
She ignored the curious looks and focused on finding her classroom.
That was until someone stepped directly in front of her.
"Lost?" a deep voice asked.
Salish looked up and met the eyes of a boy who looked like he owned the entire hallway. His dark hair was slightly messy, his uniform was perfectly worn, and his expression showed complete confidence.
"Actually, I was doing fine until you decided to block my way," she replied.
A few students nearby stopped talking.
Nobody talked to him like that.
The boy raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
Salish crossed her arms. "What is?"
"Most people try to impress me on their first day."
She gave him a confused look. "Why would I do that?"
For the first time, his confident expression changed.
"You don't know who I am?"
"Should I?"
The students around them looked shocked.
The boy gave a small smile.
"I'm Nidal."
Salish waited.
And waited.
When he didn't say anything else, she shrugged.
"Okay."
She walked past him, leaving him standing there.
Nobody ignored Nidal.
Nobody.
---
Nidal watched her disappear into the crowd.
Most people at Westbridge Academy knew his name. He was the person everyone either wanted to be friends with or wanted to avoid.
But Salish?
She didn't care.
And somehow, that irritated him.
"Who was that?" his friend asked.
Nidal looked toward the classroom where she had entered.
"The new girl."
"She just embarrassed you."
Nidal smirked.
"Nobody embarrasses me."
But deep down, he knew one thing.
Salish was going to be a problem.
---
Later that day, Salish sat in class, trying to focus on the teacher's explanation. She was determined to start fresh and avoid unnecessary drama.
Unfortunately, life had other plans.
The teacher looked at the seating arrangement.
"Salish, you will be sitting beside Nidal for the rest of the semester."
Her eyes widened.
Across the room, Nidal looked equally unhappy.
"You have got to be kidding," they both said at the same time.
The class laughed.
The teacher smiled.
"Maybe you two will learn something from each other."
Salish looked at Nidal.
"Highly unlikely."
Nidal leaned back in his chair.
"Agreed."
Neither of them knew it yet...
But the person they disliked the most would soon become the person they could not live without.
