First Class
1049 Words
The teacher, a tall woman with sharp eyes and a clipped voice, began taking attendance. Each roll call was like a drumbeat, reminding Luna that she was new here, visible, under the microscope.
“Hart, Luna?” the teacher’s voice cut through the low murmur of the room.
“Here,” Luna whispered, her voice barely audible even to herself. She felt eyes on her immediately, a ripple of curiosity or judgment that made her stomach clench.
Students shifted, some sneaking glances, others whispering quietly. She counted the cracks in the ceiling, imagining they were constellations she used to know, anything to distract from the pressure of all those eyes.
The lesson began—English, apparently—and Luna tried to immerse herself in the words on the board. Grammar rules, sentence structures, the rhythm of paragraphs: it should have been simple. But she couldn’t focus.
Every so often, her mind wandered to the absent figure she couldn’t stop thinking about. Kael. The way he moved through his house, the way his presence lingered even when he wasn’t nearby. She wasn’t sure why, but her chest tightened whenever she imagined him watching, silent and deliberate, as if reading her without her noticing.
A subtle tap at her desk made her jump. She looked down to find a crumpled note slipped under her notebook. Heart pounding, she unfolded it.
“Don’t let anyone scare you. Stay calm. – Just Someone.”
Her fingers trembled slightly as she refolded the paper, scanning the room. Who could it be? The eyes of her classmates flitted nervously back to their own work. No one was paying her any attention. And yet… she felt watched.
The bell rang suddenly, pulling her out of her thoughts. Students scrambled to leave, gathering backpacks and chatter like rushing water. Luna stood slowly, careful not to bump into anyone. The hallways were loud, chaotic, and unfamiliar, but there was something about the controlled tension in the air, the way people moved, that made her feel… alert, alive.
Then, across the hall, she caught a glimpse of shadowed dark hair and a familiar posture. Kael.
He didn’t approach. He didn’t look directly at her. Yet even from a distance, he had that effect—like gravity, pulling her focus despite herself. She turned quickly, pretending not to notice, but her pulse refused to slow.
The first day had only just begun, and already Luna realized that Blackwood High was nothing like any school she had ever known
The hallway was chaos.
Lockers slammed. Someone laughed too loud. A bell rang somewhere far away, already late. Luna kept to the edge, clutching her bag like it could shield her from attention.
She told herself to breathe.
She didn’t see him coming.
They collided hard enough to knock the air from her lungs.
“Oh—!”
Her books slipped from her arms, papers scattering across the floor.
“I’m so sorry...”
Strong hands steadied her before she could crouch. These hands were warm, sure.
She looked up.
And froze.
The boy was… unfairly handsome.
Not dark and dangerous like Kael. This one smiled easily. Light brown hair, slightly messy. Eyes the color of honey. Athletic build. The kind of boy teachers trusted and girls crushed on openly.
For a second, he just stared at her.
Then he grinned.
“Well,” he said, “that’s one way to meet someone.”
Heat rushed to her face. “I— I wasn’t looking.”
“I can tell.” He knelt quickly, gathering her papers before she could protest. “You’re new, right?”
She hesitated. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only because no one bumps into me on purpose,” he said lightly.
It was on purpose ,I said I wasn't looking.
“I’m Rowan.”
He held out the papers like a peace offering.
“Luna,” she replied, taking them. Their fingers brushed.
Nothing dramatic happened.
No spark. No jolt.
Just…Normal.
And somehow, that felt strange too.
“First day?” Rowan asked.
She nodded. “Is it that bad?”
He winced. “Depends who you ask.”
Before she could question that, the hallway shifted.
The noise didn’t stop,but she felt something change in the air.
Luna felt it before she understood it. Like pressure. Like eyes turning.
Rowan noticed too.
His smile faltered just slightly.
She followed his gaze.
Kael stood at the end of the hall.
Silent.
Watching.
His eyes were on Rowan’s hand.
Still holding Luna’s papers.
Something dark flickered across Kael’s face. Gone so fast she might’ve imagined it , except Rowan straightened instinctively.
“…You know him?” Luna asked quietly.
Rowan didn’t answer right away.
“Yeah,” he said finally. “I do.”
Kael started walking toward them.
Each step felt deliberate. Controlled.
The hallway seemed to part for him.
Rowan handed Luna the last paper and stepped just a little closer to her ,not touching, but clearly choosing a side.
Kael stopped in front of them.
“Rowan,” he said.
“Kael.”
The air tightened.
Luna felt suddenly, acutely, like she was standing between two very different storms.
Rowan glanced at her. “You heading to lunch?”
She nodded again, unsure why her throat felt tight.
“Good,” he said. “Walk with me. I’ll show you where it is.”
Kael’s jaw flexed.
“That won’t help,” he said.
Rowan’s smile sharpened. “what is it to you?.”
Silence stretched.
Luna swallowed. “I— I should go.”
Both boys looked at her.
Two pairs of eyes.
Two different weights.
She took a step toward Rowan.
Kael didn’t stop her.
But his voice followed her anyway.
“Be careful who you trust, Luna.”
Her name on his lips sent a shiver through her.
Rowan glanced back at Kael, eyes narrowing. “She didn’t ask for a warning.”
Then he looked at Luna again ,softer now.
“Come on.”
As they walked away, Luna didn’t turn back.
But she felt it.
Kael’s gaze burning into her spine.
And somewhere deep inside her chest, something twisted , not because she chose Rowan…
…but because part of her wondered what Kael would do about it.
- Writer
