Chapter One The New Girl
915 Words
The first day at a new school always smelled the same.
Freshly cut grass.
New textbooks.
And fear.
Elena Brooks stood just outside the black iron gates of Willowridge Academy, tightening her grip on the strap of her backpack. Students streamed past her in groups, laughing like they had known one another forever.
She wished she looked half as confident as they did.
Instead, her stomach twisted into nervous knots.
"It's just one year," she reminded herself. "You can survive one year."
The academy stood proudly in the middle of the quiet town of Willowridge, its ivy-covered buildings glowing beneath the morning sun. It looked more like an old university than a high school, with wide stone pathways, blooming flower gardens, and a towering clock that chimed every hour.
It was beautiful.
Which somehow made it even more intimidating.
Taking a slow breath, Elena stepped through the gates.
"Okay," she whispered. "New school. New start."
She had barely taken a few steps before someone bumped into her shoulder.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!"
A girl with curly dark hair stumbled backward, hugging a stack of books to her chest before they could fall.
Elena blinked.
"No, that was my fault."
The girl studied her for a second before smiling.
"You're new."
"Is it really that obvious?"
"You've looked at the campus map three times in the last minute."
Elena looked down at the folded map in her hand and laughed.
"...Maybe."
"I'm Mia."
"Elena."
"Nice to meet you, Elena. Lucky for you, I know this school better than I know my own house."
"You've counted?"
Mia paused dramatically.
"...Good point."
Elena laughed.
A real laugh.
Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Come on," Mia said, looping her arm through Elena's. "I'll show you around before the teachers mistake you for a lost tourist."
The morning passed faster than Elena expected.
She met teachers whose names she instantly forgot.
She got lost twice.
She almost walked into the chemistry lab instead of English.
And somehow...
Mia had already introduced her to half the school.
"How do you know everyone?" Elena asked as they crossed the courtyard.
"I don't."
"You just called three different people by name."
"I guessed."
"You guessed?"
"I'm surprisingly good at it."
Elena laughed so hard she nearly dropped her notebook.
For the first time in weeks...
She forgot why changing schools had frightened her so much.
Lunch arrived with the usual rush of students filling every corner of the courtyard.
"So..." Mia said between bites of her sandwich.
"There's one person you haven't met yet."
Elena raised an eyebrow.
"Should I be worried?"
Mia shrugged.
"Depends."
"On?"
"Whether you enjoy arguing."
Before Elena could ask another question...
Someone brushed past her shoulder.
Hard.
Her sketchbook slipped from her hands.
It hit the ground with a soft thud.
Pages fluttered open.
Elena quickly bent down to grab it—
—but another hand reached it first.
Their fingers almost touched.
She looked up.
A boy stood in front of her.
Dark hair.
His uniform sleeves were rolled neatly to his elbows.
One earbud rested around his neck.
A pen spun effortlessly between his fingers, as though he'd done it a thousand times.
His eyes met hers.
For a brief second...
Something about them felt strangely familiar.
He frowned.
"So," he said calmly, "are you always this determined to block the hallway?"
Elena stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"You were standing in the middle of it."
"I wasn't."
"You kind of were."
"No," she replied, folding her arms. "You walked into me."
"I don't think I did."
"I know you did."
For the first time...
The corner of his mouth twitched, almost like he was trying not to smile.
"You're stubborn."
"And you're rude."
He looked down at the sketchbook in his hands.
The worn cover caught his attention.
It looked well-loved.
As he handed it back...
Something slipped from between the pages.
A single pressed white daisy.
It landed gently near his shoe.
Ethan froze.
His eyes remained on the tiny flower for a moment longer than they should have.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
Like hearing the beginning of a song he used to know.
Familiar.
But impossible to remember.
"Why does this feel... familiar?"
"Hey, Ethan!"
A voice echoed across the courtyard.
His best friend waved from the basketball court.
"You coming?"
Ethan blinked.
The strange feeling disappeared.
"...Yeah."
He bent down, picked up the flower with unexpected care, and tucked it back inside the sketchbook.
As he handed it to Elena, their fingers brushed for the briefest second.
"Don't lose it again," he said quietly.
His voice sounded softer this time.
Almost gentle.
Before Elena could respond, he turned and walked away.
She watched him disappear into the crowd.
"What was that?" she muttered.
Beside her, Mia sighed.
"...Well."
"What?"
"You've officially argued with Ethan Carter."
"Should I know who that is?"
Mia looked at her in disbelief.
"Only the most confusing boy in this school."
Elena rolled her eyes.
"I already don't like him."
Far across the courtyard, Ethan reached the basketball court.
His best friend nudged him.
"So..."
"What?"
"You've been looking back for the last thirty seconds."
"I have not."
"You literally almost walked into a bench."
Ethan stayed silent.
His friend grinned.
"Hmm..."
Without meaning to...
Ethan looked back.
Just once.
Elena was laughing at something Mia had said.
For reasons he couldn't explain...
He smiled.
Just a little.
Then he looked away…….
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