DETENTION HEARTS

The first thing Scarlett Hayes noticed about Crestview Academy wasn't the towering brick buildings or the perfectly trimmed lawns. It was the silence. Not the peaceful kind. It was the kind of silence that made you feel like everyone was watching, judging, measuring whether you belonged there. She tightened her grip on the strap of her backpack as she stepped through the black iron gates. The morning sun reflected off the windows of the massive main building, making it look more like a college campus than a high school. "This is it," she whispered to herself. A fresh start. After years of studying late into the night, winning competitions, and working harder than almost everyone she knew, she'd earned a full scholarship to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country. She wasn't about to waste it. Her phone buzzed. Mom: Good luck, baby. Make us proud. Love you. Scarlett smiled. Always. She slipped the phone back into her pocket and continued walking. Students filled the pathways, laughing in expensive clothes that somehow made the school uniform look fashionable. Designer sneakers peeked out beneath plaid skirts and tailored pants. Scarlett looked down at her own shoes. Clean. Simple. Good enough. "Hey, watch it!" Someone bumped into her shoulder. A blonde girl balanced three coffee cups while glaring at Scarlett like she'd committed a crime. "Sorry," Scarlett said automatically. The girl rolled her eyes. "New girl." It wasn't a question. Before Scarlett could answer, the girl walked away. "Great," Scarlett muttered. Ten minutes on campus and she'd already collected her first judgment. Things could only go up from here. Right? The orientation map made absolutely no sense. Building A looked exactly like Building B. Building C had somehow disappeared. Scarlett had walked in a complete circle. Twice. She sighed. "Seriously?" She spotted a security guard across the courtyard and started jogging toward him. That's when she heard it. An engine. Loud. Too loud. Students immediately stepped aside. Someone shouted— "Move!" Scarlett turned. A black sports car flew into the courtyard entrance much faster than any car should've been moving inside school grounds. Her eyes widened. "What the—" The tires screeched. The car stopped inches from her. Her backpack slipped off her shoulder. For a second— Everything froze. Then the driver's window rolled down. A boy leaned one arm out of the window. Messy dark hair. Blue eyes. That annoying confident smile people wore when they'd never heard the word consequences. "You planning on standing in the middle of the road all day?" Scarlett stared at him. "You almost hit me." He shrugged. "But I didn't." "You were speeding." "Technically." "There's no technically." He laughed. Actually laughed. "You're funny." "I'm serious." "So am I." Students had already started gathering. Phones appeared. Someone whispered— "Ethan's already causing trouble." "Ethan?" "The Ethan Carter." Scarlett didn't know who that was. She didn't care. She stepped closer to the window. "You should apologize." His eyebrow lifted. "You want me to apologize?" "You almost ran me over." "But I didn't." "That's not the point." He smiled wider. "I like your confidence." "I don't like your attitude." "Ouch." His friends inside the car burst into laughter. One of them leaned forward. "Dude, she's roasting you." Ethan looked amused. "What's your name?" Scarlett folded her arms. "Why?" "So I know who keeps yelling at me." "Scarlett." He nodded slowly. "Scarlett." Then— "I'm Ethan." "As if that explains anything." More laughter. For the first time— His smile faltered. Just a little. Interesting. The security guard finally reached them. "Carter!" The guard sighed like this happened every week. "Office." Ethan saluted dramatically. "Yes, sir." Before driving away— He looked back at Scarlett. "This isn't over." She raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware it started." His grin returned. Then he drove off. The crowd exploded into whispers. Scarlett adjusted her backpack. "What was that?" A girl beside her answered. "That was Ethan Carter." "Should I know who he is?" The girl blinked. "You seriously don't know?" "No." "He's basically king of Crestview." Scarlett looked toward the disappearing car. "Then someone needs to tell the king to learn how to drive." The girl laughed. "You've got guts." Scarlett smiled. "So I've been told." She had no idea those words had just started the biggest rivalry in school. Homeroom wasn't much better. Mrs. Benson welcomed everyone with practiced enthusiasm. "New students, please introduce yourselves." Scarlett stood. "I'm Scarlett Hayes. I transferred here on scholarship." The room stayed quiet. A few students nodded politely. Then— The classroom door opened. Late. Of course. Ethan walked in carrying iced coffee like he'd just wandered into a café instead of class. Mrs. Benson sighed. "Mr. Carter." "My alarm betrayed me." "I'm sure." He looked around. Then spotted Scarlett. "Oh." His grin returned. "Road Girl." The class laughed. Scarlett wasn't laughing. "My name's Scarlett." "Right." He dropped into the seat behind her. Perfect. Just perfect. Mrs. Benson continued teaching. Scarlett tried focusing. Keyword— Tried. Because every five minutes— Ethan whispered something. Tapped his pencil. Made someone laugh. At one point— He flicked a tiny folded paper onto her desk. She opened it. > Still mad? She grabbed a pen. Wrote one word. > Yes. She folded it. Threw it back. Thirty seconds later— Another note. > Understandable. She ignored it. Another. > You're kinda scary. She ignored that too. Another. > Smile once. I dare you. Scarlett turned around. "Can you stop?" He looked innocent. "I'm encouraging happiness." "You're encouraging detention." His eyes sparkled. "Worth it." Mrs. Benson looked up. "Problem?" Scarlett answered. "No." Ethan answered at the same time. "She's bullying me." The class erupted. Scarlett couldn't believe him. Mrs. Benson pinched the bridge of her nose. "Both of you." Silence. One warning. Scarlett faced forward. She'd known him less than an hour. And he'd already become the most irritating person she'd ever met. Lunch was chaos. The cafeteria looked like a movie set. Popular kids occupied the center tables. Athletes took one side. Artists another. Scholarship students seemed scattered everywhere. Scarlett carried her tray carefully. "Over here!" A curly-haired girl waved enthusiastically. Scarlett smiled gratefully. "Thanks." "I'm Tessa." "Scarlett." "I know." Tessa grinned. "The whole school's talking about you." Scarlett nearly dropped her fork. "What?" "You argued with Ethan." "So?" "So nobody argues with Ethan." Scarlett frowned. "Why?" "Because he's Ethan." "That's not an answer." Tessa laughed. "Exactly." They spent lunch talking. Tessa turned out to be funny. Loud. Impossible not to like. Scarlett finally relaxed. Then— A shadow fell across their table. Ethan. Of course. He balanced an apple on one finger. "You stole my entertainment." Tessa sighed. "What do you want?" "I'm apologizing." Scarlett blinked. "Oh." Maybe he'd grown up. "I'm sorry..." He paused dramatically. "...that you stood in front of my car." Scarlett stared. Tessa burst out laughing. Scarlett wasn't amused. She stood. "You know what?" "What?" "I hope someone beats you at something." He smirked. "Impossible." "We'll see." She walked away. Ethan watched her go. His friend Jayden elbowed him. "Dude." "What?" "I don't think she likes you." Ethan chuckled. "No." He watched Scarlett disappear through the cafeteria doors. "I definitely noticed." For the first time in years, someone at Crestview hadn't cared who Ethan Carter was. And somehow— That bothered him. A lot. End of Chapter One.