Ravenhill Highschool
312 Words
THE FORBIDDEN LOVE
The bell at Ravenhill High rang sharply across the wide courtyard, echoing between the old stone buildings and sending students pouring out of classrooms like water from a broken dam. Laughter, chatter, and the scrape of chairs filled the air. It was the beginning of a new term, and with it came new rumors, new rivalries, and—though no one could yet guess—new love.
Elizabeth Carter stood near the front gates, clutching the straps of her backpack as she scanned the crowd. She had transferred only two weeks earlier, and despite her calm expression, her stomach fluttered every morning before school. Ravenhill was prestigious, competitive, and full of students who had known each other for years. She was the outsider.
Her dark curls were tied back loosely, and sunlight glinted off the silver pendant at her neck—an old family heirloom her mother insisted she wear for luck. Elizabeth wasn’t sure whether it worked, but she touched it whenever she felt nervous.
“Move, you’re blocking the path.”
The sharp voice came from behind her. Elizabeth turned just in time to avoid colliding with a tall boy who strode past with an irritated look on his face. His blazer was unbuttoned, tie loosened, dark hair falling into eyes that looked far too serious for someone his age.
“Sorry,” she said quickly.
He paused, glanced back at her, and nodded stiffly before disappearing into the crowd.
“That’s Damon Hale,” a girl beside Elizabeth whispered.
Elizabeth blinked. “Oh. Is he… famous?”
The girl laughed softly. “In a way. His family owns half the city, and he acts like it.”
Elizabeth followed the direction Damon had gone, curiosity sparking. Something about his posture—rigid, guarded—made her think he carried more weight than just a wealthy surname.
- Writer
