ғɪᴠᴇ sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡs, ᴏɴᴇ ɢɪʀʟ

Chapter One: ‎‎The Way They Looked at Her~ ‎ ‎Tiffany Alexandra Mendoza hated the hallways of St. Jude’s Academy. ‎Not because of the endless noise or the students who acted like they were born richer and better than everyone else. She hated them because lately, every hallway felt like a trap. ‎ ‎And it was always because of them. ‎The five boys everyone feared. ‎James Alejandro. ‎Alexi Moretti. ‎Shin Santiago. ‎Primo Mondragon. ‎Noah Miguel. ‎ ‎People lowered their voices whenever those names were mentioned. Teachers pretended not to notice the trouble they caused. Students moved out of their way automatically, like survival instinct kicked in whenever the five of them appeared. ‎Tiffany tried doing the same. ‎Head down. Quiet. Invisible. ‎It never worked. ‎Especially not today. ‎She had barely turned the corner near the library when someone stepped in front of her. ‎ ‎James. ‎ ‎He leaned casually against the wall, one hand inside his pocket, like he had all the time in the world. ‎“You’ve been avoiding us.” ‎Tiffany tightened her grip on her books. “I haven’t.” ‎James gave her a slow look that made her stomach twist. ‎“You’re a bad liar.” ‎Before she could answer, another voice cut in. ‎“She looks scared.” ‎ ‎Alexi walked out from inside the library, calm and unreadable as always. His expression barely changed, but there was something intense about the way he looked at her. Like he was studying every reaction she made. ‎“I’m not scared,” Tiffany lied softly. ‎Primo suddenly appeared beside Alexi with an amused grin. ‎“That’s cute.” ‎ ‎Tiffany nearly jumped when she realized Shin was now standing behind her. ‎She hadn’t even heard him walk over. ‎That was the thing about Shin—he barely spoke, but his silence somehow said more than words ever could. ‎And then Noah arrived last. ‎ ‎His eyes landed on Tiffany immediately. ‎“You skipped lunch again.” ‎Tiffany blinked in confusion. “What?” ‎“You didn’t eat.” ‎“How do you even know that?” ‎Primo laughed under his breath. “You still don’t realize how much attention we pay to you." ‎ ‎Her chest tightened. ‎That should not have made her heart race the way it did. ‎“We’re classmates,” she said carefully. “Why are you acting like this?” ‎James pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer. ‎“Because you keep trying to disappear from us.” ‎ ‎Tiffany looked between all five boys surrounding her and suddenly felt very small. ‎ ‎Students walking past pretended not to notice what was happening. Nobody ever interfered when it came to them. ‎The warning bell rang loudly overhead. ‎Still, none of the boys moved. ‎James gently took the books from her hands before she could stop him. ‎“You should stop running, Tiffany.” ‎His voice was quiet. ‎Too quiet. ‎ ‎“Sooner or later, you’ll end up with us anyway.” ‎And somehow, deep down, that terrified her because a small part of her believed him.