Chapter 1 blue flower
The afternoon bell rang across Westbridge High School, signaling the end of another ordinary day.
Almost immediately, the hallways came alive.
Lockers slammed shut. Shoes hurried across polished floors. Voices overlapped as students made plans for the afternoon, complained about homework, or rushed toward the school gates before the crowd became too thick.
Some stayed behind for clubs and sports.
Others lingered simply because they weren't ready to go home yet.
Eli Parker wasn't interested in any of it.
He sat beneath an old tree at the far end of the school courtyard, where the noise from the main building faded into a distant murmur.
This was his favorite place.
His notebook rested against his knee, and a pencil moved quietly across the page.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Eli narrowed his eyes as he studied the drawing in front of him.
The courtyard was slowly taking shape on the paper—the wooden benches, the classroom windows in the distance, and the wide branches stretching above him.
He liked drawing places more than people.
People were difficult.
They moved.
They talked.
Their expressions changed every few seconds.
Buildings were easier.
Trees were easier.
Silence was easiest of all.
Eli leaned back against the trunk and examined his work.
“Not bad.”
He tilted the notebook slightly.
“Could be better.”
He erased a small section and began working on it again.
Then he heard footsteps.
At first, he ignored them.
The footsteps came closer.
Then—
Tap.
Something landed beside his notebook.
Eli stopped drawing.
He looked down.
A small blue flower rested in the grass.
He blinked.
Before he could pick it up, a girl's voice came from behind him.
“Oh! Sorry!”
Eli turned.
A girl stood a few steps away.
Her dark hair was tied loosely behind her head, with a few strands falling around her face. She looked slightly embarrassed as she glanced between Eli and the flower.
“I didn't mean to drop that there.”
Eli picked it up.
“You dropped it.”
The girl stared at him for a second.
Then she smiled.
“I noticed.”
He held the flower toward her.
She stepped closer and took it from his hand.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The courtyard suddenly seemed quieter than before.
Their eyes met.
Eli became strangely aware that she was looking directly at him.
Then she smiled again.
It wasn't a huge smile.
Just a small, genuine one.
But for some reason, Eli's heart gave an unfamiliar little thump.
Thump.
He looked away.
The girl tilted her head.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You look nervous.”
“I'm not.”
“You definitely are.”
Eli frowned.
“I said I'm not.”
She laughed softly.
“Okay, okay. I believe you.”
She turned to leave.
Eli watched her take a few steps.
Then she stopped.
“By the way…”
He looked up.
“My name is Maya.”
Eli stared at her for a second.
“Eli.”
Maya smiled.
“I know.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“You know?”
“We're in the same history class.”
“Oh.”
She gave him one last smile.
“See you tomorrow, Eli.”
Then she walked away.
Eli watched until she disappeared through the courtyard gate.
Only then did he look down at his notebook.
He had been drawing the tree.
But somewhere along the way, his pencil had stopped moving.
His eyes drifted toward the blue flower in Maya's hand as she disappeared into the distance.
He didn't know why he was still thinking about it.
It was just a flower.
And she was just a girl.
At least, that's what he told himself.
