DANGER SITS BESIDE ME

(Zara’s POV) The air smelled different. It wasn’t like the soft, dusty breeze from my old neighborhood. This one carried the scent of wet cement and mango trees, the chatter of students, and the distant hum of okada engines passing the school gate. I gripped the strap of my new backpack tighter as I walked past the compound wall, my heart pounding in rhythm with my footsteps. First day. New school. New faces. New everything. I whispered the words to myself like a prayer, hoping they’d calm me, but the nervous flutter in my stomach only grew. Dad’s transfer had turned my life upside down, and Mom’s cheerful words that “change is good” didn’t exactly make walking into Starlight College any easier. The compound was huge—three-story classroom blocks stood like watchful guards, and groups of students in neat brown-and-cream uniforms crowded the corridors. I stood frozen, unsure which direction to take, when someone bumped into me. “Sorry!” I gasped, spinning around. A boy. Tall. Lean. Dark eyes that felt like they could slice through skin. His tie hung loosely from his collar, and his expression was unreadable—calm, but sharp enough to cut. “Uh… please,” I stammered, forcing a smile, “do you know where the staff room is?” For a moment, he just stared at me. Long enough that I almost regretted asking. Then, without a word, he raised his hand and pointed to a block on the right. His movements were lazy, like he didn’t care if I found it or got lost forever. “Thank you!” I said, my voice too bright, too eager. He didn’t reply. He simply turned and walked away, his hands shoved into his pockets. Still, something about his silence made my heart skip a beat—not out of admiration, but out of… unease. Inside the staff room, the teacher smiled warmly and guided me toward my new class. My knees wobbled as we entered, dozens of eyes turning to stare at me. “Class, this is Zara,” the teacher announced. “She just transferred here. Please make her feel welcome.” I forced a smile, murmured a shaky “hello,” and bowed my head politely. But then—my gaze froze. At the back of the classroom, half-slouched in his chair, was the same boy who had shown me the way. His sharp eyes caught mine, and for a fleeting second, I felt the air leave my chest. The teacher pointed. “You’ll sit there. Beside Daniel Coker.” Daniel. The name echoed in my mind like a warning bell. I swallowed hard and walked to the back, the entire class watching like I was stepping into a lion’s den. Sliding into my seat, I whispered a small, “Thanks… for earlier.” He didn’t look at me. Didn’t nod. Didn’t speak. His eyes stayed glued to the window like I didn’t exist. Yet, I couldn’t shake the heavy weight of the stares around us, as if the entire class was silently telling me— You don’t know who you’re sitting beside. And they were right. Because soon, I would discover that Daniel Coker was no ordinary classmate. He was the son of a ruthless family, a boy feared by students and teachers alike… a boy everyone avoided. Except me.