WEST BRIDGE HIGH

CHAPTER ONE

BOY FROM ENGLAND

West Bridge High was a school of wealth, privilege, and prestige. Its reputation stretched far beyond California, and only the wealthy could afford to send their children through its magnificent gates.

Every morning, luxury cars lined the entrance, delivering students whose surnames carried almost as much influence as their parents' fortunes.

A sleek black Mercedes-Benz pulled up outside the school.

The back door opened, and a beautiful, petite Black American girl stepped out. She wore a short red skirt, a neatly tucked white shirt, and a red tie. Her hair was perfectly styled, and her schoolbag rested comfortably against her shoulder.

She looked around, released a quiet sigh, and shut the car door.

The driver pulled away.

Her name was Nia Carter.

As expected, heads turned the moment she entered the hallway. Some students smiled at her, others whispered, and a few simply watched her walk past.

It wasn't unusual.

Being a Carter meant attracting attention, whether she wanted it or not.

Nia walked elegantly towards her locker, opened it, and slipped her bag inside. Just as she was about to close it, a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Baby girl."

She turned.

Standing before her was Damien Cole, her charming boyfriend and captain of the school's football team.

His handsome face carried the smile she had grown so fond of.

"Hey, babe," she replied.

Damien leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.

"I have to go. Football practice."

"Already?"

"You know how Coach gets."

She smiled.

"I love you."

"Love you too."

He winked before walking away.

A short distance from the lockers, two girls watched their interaction.

"I just wish those two lovebirds would break up," one muttered.

"Why?"

"Because I want him all to myself."

Nia walked past them without acknowledging their conversation.

She had heard worse.

A few minutes later, Nia entered her classroom and settled into her usual seat.

The teacher arrived shortly afterwards.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, ma'am," the class responded.

"Before we begin today's lesson, I'd like to introduce someone."

She turned towards the door.

"Come in."

A tall, handsome, light-brown-skinned boy stepped into the classroom. His appearance immediately attracted attention.

He had neatly styled dark hair, striking features, and a calm expression that made him appear almost indifferent to the curious eyes studying him.

"This is Ethan Ashford. He's a new student, and I expect everyone to make him feel welcome."

"He's British," someone whispered behind Nia.

Ethan briefly surveyed the classroom before making his way towards an empty seat close to hers.

The lesson began.

Halfway through class, Ethan's pen stopped working.

He scribbled against his notebook, tried again, and sighed when nothing appeared.

He searched his bag.

No spare.

His gaze shifted towards the girl sitting closest to him.

"Hi," he whispered.

Nia continued writing.

"Excuse me."

She finally glanced at him.

"Please, do you happen to have an extra pen?" he asked in his deep British accent.

"No."

Ethan paused, then gave a small smile.

"Alright. Thanks anyway."

He turned back towards his notebook.

A few seconds later, Nia opened her purse, brought out a pen, and extended it towards him.

He looked at it before turning towards her.

"Thought you didn't have one."

"Do you want it or not?"

He chuckled and collected it.

"Thanks."

He smiled.

Nia looked away almost immediately.

Cute smile, she thought.

When the bell rang, students hurried out of the classroom.

Ethan remained behind, arranging his books. Another student sat at the back, occupied with his phone.

An elderly man entered the room.

He looked around before noticing Ethan.

"Hello, young man."

"Hello, sir."

"You're Ethan Ashford, right?"

"Yes."

The man smiled.

"I went through the records the principal gave me. You're quite good."

Ethan nodded.

"Hmm. Not a man of many words, are you? I like you already."

Ethan smiled faintly.

"I'm the basketball coach. What do you think about joining the team? Tomorrow, we'll be selecting our captain and co-captain."

"Yeah. Sounds good."

"Excellent! Come along, then."

Ethan picked up his belongings and followed him.

Meanwhile, Nia entered the cafeteria.

She collected her lunch and scanned the room until she spotted her best friend, Maya Koteg, sitting alone and scrolling through her phone.

Nia approached her.

"Hey, sister."

"Hey," Maya replied without looking up.

Nia placed her tray on the table and sat opposite her.

"How are you doing?"

"Cool. You?"

"Same."

Nia took a bite of her food before smiling.

"Tomorrow is Theo's big day."

"Yeah, I know."

Something about Maya's response sounded unusually dull.

Nia looked up.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Maya picked up her phone and stood.

"I'll see you later."

Before Nia could ask another question, she walked away.

Nia watched her leave, confused.

Then she shook her head and returned to her meal.

At the basketball court, the coach arrived with Ethan.

He clapped his hands.

"Gather around, Tigers!"

The players stopped practicing and approached him.

"Well, gentlemen, I've brought you a new recruit."

Several curious eyes settled on Ethan.

"Oi, Brit!" King Junior called out. "You here to play basketball or ask where the tea is?"

The boys burst into laughter.

"Shut up, Junior. He's here to play basketball," Coach replied.

Theo stepped forward, bouncing a basketball.

"If you can't beat me one-on-one, you're carrying everyone's water bottles."

Ethan looked at him without responding.

"Funny how the loudest player is always the first to complain," Ryan remarked.

For a moment, everyone went silent.

Then laughter erupted across the court.

Even Ethan couldn't suppress his smile.

"Alright, enough!" Coach interrupted. "Ethan, go and change. Join the others. Tomorrow is a big day."

He tapped Ethan's shoulder before walking away.

After practice, Ethan remembered the pen Nia had lent him.

He picked it up and headed towards the hallway, hoping to return it before leaving school.

As he approached the lockers, he noticed Nia struggling to retrieve her purse from a boy who kept holding it above her reach.

"Damien! Give it back!" she protested, laughing.

Ethan frowned.

From where he stood, it looked as though the boy was bothering her.

"Hey! Give her bag back!" he called out.

Damien turned.

"Who are you?"

"That's none of your business. Just give it back."

Damien stared at him before scoffing.

"I'm her boyfriend, freak."

Ethan froze.

Oh.

That explained a lot.

"Look at this dude!" Damien exclaimed.

His friends began laughing.

Ethan glanced at Nia, then quietly approached her.

"Your pen."

She collected it.

"Thanks."

He nodded and walked away, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

Nia noticed his expression and playfully hit Damien's arm.

"Stop laughing! He didn't know."

Damien only laughed harder.

Ethan returned to the basketball court.

Most of the players had already left, so he picked up a ball and began practicing alone.

He bounced it twice, aimed, and shot.

The ball slipped neatly through the hoop.

"You really like basketball, don't you?"

Ethan turned.

Ryan stood by the entrance, smiling.

"It's just something that calms me down when I'm angry," Ethan replied.

Ryan approached and sat on a nearby bench.

"I watched you play with Coach earlier. You're pretty good."

"Yeah, I know."

Ryan laughed.

"Confident too."

Ethan smiled and took another shot.

"About tomorrow," Ryan began, "just play normally."

Ethan caught the ball.

"Why? Because of Theo?"

"Nope."

Ryan picked up his water bottle and took a drink.

"Just don't show off all your skills. You never know who's watching and learning your moves, Ethan Ashford."

He stood and walked towards the exit.

Ethan watched him leave, slightly amused.

A moment later, his phone vibrated.

He checked the screen, gathered his belongings, and headed towards the parking lot.

A white Rolls-Royce was waiting for him.

As he approached the car, he noticed Nia standing beside a black Lamborghini.

Damien had his arms around her, and the two were kissing.

Ethan looked away.

For some reason, the sight bothered him more than he expected.

He released a quiet sigh and entered his car.

"Good afternoon, sir," the driver greeted.

"Afternoon."

The car pulled away.

A black Mercedes-Benz arrived shortly afterwards to collect Nia.

She kissed Damien goodbye.

"Don't forget our restaurant date tonight!" she reminded him.

"I won't!"

She smiled before entering the car.

Damien watched her leave.

Just as he was about to enter his Lamborghini, his phone vibrated.

Two messages.

One was from his sister.

The other came from an unknown number.

He opened the unknown message first.

We have a very good package for you. You'd better come.

His expression changed slightly.

He opened his sister's message.

Come home. Dad.

Damien stared at the screen.

Then he locked his phone, entered his car, and drove away.

Elsewhere, Theo sat in the students' private lounge.

He picked up his phone and sent Maya a message.

A few minutes later, she entered.

Theo immediately stood, approached her, and pulled her into an embrace.

"I need you," he whispered.

Maya looked at him.

Something about the way he said those words made her wonder what was really going on.

That evening, Ethan went jogging around his neighborhood.

He had only recently moved to California, and exploring the area had become one of his favourite ways to familiarise himself with his new surroundings.

As he passed a small coffee restaurant, he slowed down.

The warm lights shining through its windows caught his attention.

He turned around and entered.

While placing his order, he noticed someone sitting alone near the window.

Nia.

She was staring at her phone, occasionally glancing towards the entrance.

Ethan collected his coffee and approached her table.

"Hey."

Nia looked up.

"Oh! Hi!"

"Fancy seeing you here."

She smiled.

"What are you doing around here?"

"Jogging. Thought I'd explore the neighbourhood a little."

"Oh."

He gestured towards the empty chair.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure."

Ethan settled opposite her and took a sip of his coffee.

"So, what are you doing here all alone?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Let me guess. Damien Cole?"

"Yeah."

She glanced at her phone again.

"We were supposed to meet here, but he isn't answering my calls."

"Maybe he's busy."

"Or he's with another girl," she muttered.

Ethan looked at her.

"Yeah..."

Nia raised an eyebrow.

He quickly took another sip of coffee.

The atmosphere around their table had grown awkwardly quiet.

Ethan glanced towards the window.

"Let's go outside and take a stroll."

Nia looked at him.

"It's cool outside," he added with a smile.

She hesitated before nodding.

"Okay."

They left the restaurant together.

The evening air was refreshing, and the streets were illuminated by rows of beautiful lights.

For a while, they walked in comfortable silence.

"So," Nia began, "why did you come to California?"

"My parents wanted a change of environment. New air, new experiences, that sort of thing."

"Interesting."

"What about you? Ever been to England?"

"No, but I like England. Especially the palace and everything."

Ethan laughed.

"Then why aren't you there?"

"One day, I'll go. Maybe I'll even visit the royal family."

"Oh, I could help you with that. My parents are close to the royal family. We're practically at the palace all the time."

Nia turned towards him.

"Wait. So you've actually had tea with the Queen?"

"Not just the Queen. The royal dogs too."

Nia burst into laughter.

Ethan joined her.

As they continued walking, she caught him staring at her.

He quickly looked away, a slightly shy smile appearing on his face.

"You know, the stars are pretty," he said, looking towards the sky.

"I know."

"Then you must know they shine like your eyes."

Nia stopped.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Then she giggled.

Ethan laughed at her reaction.

"Sorry! It's just... that's the first time anyone has ever said something like that to me."

"Damien?"

"Not even him."

Ethan smiled.

Nia checked the time on her phone.

"Oh, it's late."

She moved towards the roadside and stopped a cab.

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow," Ethan said.

"Yeah. See you."

"Good night."

"Good night."

They said the words almost simultaneously and started laughing again.

The cab driver glanced at them through the window and rolled his eyes.

Nia entered the vehicle.

As it pulled away, Ethan stood watching for a moment before turning towards home.

He had only wanted a cup of coffee.

He hadn't expected the evening to end with Nia Carter.

And somehow, that made it even better.