WRECKED BY YOU

The hallway reeked of freshly waxed floors and old secrets. Zara Blake walked like she didn't give a damn, boots thudding against the marble tiles of Saint Matthew's Academy — the elite school for the rich, the brilliant, and the broken. She didn't fit any of those categories. But then again, fitting in had never been her style. Her black leather jacket stretched tightly over the stiff navy blazer. She hadn't even buttoned it. Her tie hung half-loose, her skirt was rolled twice at the waist, and her lip gloss was smudged from biting her mouth in frustration. Everyone stared. She could feel it — their curiosity wrapped in judgment. "The new girl," someone whispered from behind a locker. "I heard she got expelled from Westwood. Explosives were involved." "Wasn't it a s*x scandal with a teacher?" "No, no — drugs. She overdosed in chem class, I swear." Zara rolled her eyes. Let them run wild. The truth was none of their business, and besides, the rumors were always more interesting than reality. What happened at Westwood had scarred her — but it also woke something up. Something dangerous. She had made a deal: stay out of trouble, get through the year, graduate quietly. Too bad trouble followed her like a shadow. As she passed a long row of sleek lockers, something made her stop. Not a sound. A feeling. That instinct that crawled up your spine when someone's eyes are on you. She turned — and froze. He was leaning against the far end of the hallway. Slouched. Brooding. Built like sin. A black hoodie peeked out beneath his uniform blazer, his tie barely hanging on. Tattoos snaked out from his sleeves. His dark eyes were half-lidded, sharp, and unapologetically intense. Jace Maddox. Zara didn't need to be told who he was. His name was already legend in whispers: fights, girls, stolen cars, and a jawline carved from danger itself. The kind of boy every parent warned their daughter about. The kind of boy who didn't follow rules — he bent them until they shattered. His gaze burned through her. Not like he was curious. Like he already knew her. Like he was remembering something that hadn't even happened yet. Zara's lips curled, just slightly. Challenge accepted. She held his gaze — steady, fearless — then flicked her hair over her shoulder and turned away. No words. No hesitation. But inside? Her heart was racing like a stolen car. She wasn't here to fall. She wasn't here to feel anything. Yet with just one look, Jace Maddox had cracked open something deep inside her. And he knew it.