We were never innocent

The first time I saw him, someone was screaming. Not the cute kind of screaming people did at parties when their favorite song came on. This was different. It was sharp. Angry. Terrified. I froze halfway up the staircase, one hand gripping the railing while the music downstairs shook the walls. My best friend, Maya, crashed into my back. “Why did you stop?” I didn’t answer. The screaming came again. Then silence. Maya leaned around me. “What?” “Did you hear that?” “Hear what?” I stared down at the crowded living room. Dozens of teenagers filled the house. Someone had turned the lights red, and the whole place looked like a crime scene waiting to happen. Bodies moved between the couches, drinks were passed from hand to hand, and music blasted from speakers near the windows. Normal. Too normal. “I think someone was fighting,” I whispered. Maya rolled her eyes. “People have been fighting since we got here.” She grabbed my wrist. “Come on. You promised you weren’t going to disappear on me tonight.” “I wasn’t.” “You were literally about to.” I let her pull me down the stairs. Tonight was supposed to be simple. One party. One night. No drama. That was the lie I told myself before everything changed. My parents thought I was sleeping at Maya’s house. Maya’s parents thought she was sleeping at mine. Neither of us had planned on being anywhere near this house. But Maya had received the address from someone at school, and apparently that was enough to convince her that sneaking out at midnight was a perfectly reasonable idea. I should have said no. Instead, I followed her. Because lately, saying no had become my specialty. No parties. No drinking. No trouble. No boys. No secrets. I had spent months trying to be the version of myself everyone expected. Good daughter. Good student. Good friend. The girl who never caused problems. But standing in that crowded room, watching everyone laugh like nothing mattered, I suddenly wondered what it would feel like to stop caring. “Hey.” Maya waved a hand in front of my face. “You’re doing that thing again.” “What thing?” “Thinking too much.” “I don’t think too much.” “You absolutely do.” She pushed a cup into my hand. I looked down at it. “What is this?” “Don’t ask questions.” “Maya.” She laughed. “Relax. It’s soda.” I took a sip. It was. “See?” she said. “You’re alive.” “Barely.” She pulled me toward the living room. I was halfway there when I noticed him. He stood near the back door. Black hoodie. Black jeans. Hands shoved into his pockets. He wasn’t talking to anyone. Everyone else seemed desperate to be noticed, but he looked like he would rather disappear. His face was partially hidden beneath the hood. Then he looked up. Straight at me. My stomach dropped. I looked away immediately. “Who is that?” I asked. Maya followed my gaze. “Oh.” “What?” “You don’t know him?” “No.” “That’s Raven Cross.” I frowned. “That’s a weird name.” “It’s not his real name.” “How do you know?” “Because people talk.” “What do they say?” Maya lowered her voice. “They say he’s trouble.” I glanced back at him. He was still looking at me. “Everyone says that about someone.” “Not like this.” “What does that even mean?” Maya opened her mouth, but before she could answer, someone called her name from across the room. She turned. “Stay here.” “Where are you going?” “To say hi.” “To who?” She was already walking away. “Maya!” She disappeared into the crowd. I sighed. Of course. I stood alone for approximately ten seconds before deciding I was going home. I turned toward the front door. “Leaving already?” I stopped. His voice was low. Closer than I expected. I turned slowly. Raven stood behind me. Up close, he looked younger than I thought he would. Not harmless. Just tired. His eyes were dark, and there was a small scar near his eyebrow. “Do I know you?” I asked. “No.” “Then why are you talking to me?” He shrugged. “You looked like you were trying to escape.” I looked toward the door. “Maybe I am.” “Then you should probably go.” I blinked. “What?” He nodded toward the door. “Before someone notices you’re here.” I narrowed my eyes. “Why would that matter?” “Because this isn’t the kind of place someone like you should be.” “Someone like me?” He looked me over. Not in a way that made me uncomfortable. More like he was trying to figure me out. “Someone who still believes people are basically good.” I laughed once. “You don’t know me.” “I know enough.” “You’ve spoken to me for thirty seconds.” “Exactly.” I shook my head. “You’re weird.” “I’ve been called worse.” For some reason, I smiled. It disappeared when a loud crash came from the hallway. Raven’s expression changed instantly. The tiredness vanished. He turned toward the noise. “Stay here.” “Why?” He was already walking away. I followed. Of course I did. The hallway was packed with people. Someone had knocked over a table. A group of boys stood near the kitchen, arguing. One of them had blood on his knuckles. My heart started beating faster. Then I saw the person standing across from them. Maya. “Maya?” She looked at me. Her face was pale. “Go home.” “What happened?” “Now.” One of the boys laughed. “Who’s this?” Maya stepped in front of me. “She’s leaving.” The boy moved closer. Raven appeared between us. “Back up.” The boy stared at him. “You don’t tell me what to do.” Raven didn’t move. “I’m telling you anyway.” The room went quiet. Not completely. But enough. Everyone seemed to know something I didn’t. The boy looked at Raven for a few seconds before scoffing and walking away. Maya grabbed my hand. “Come on.” We pushed through the crowd. I looked over my shoulder. Raven was still standing there. Watching me. His expression was unreadable. Outside, the night air hit my face. Maya didn’t speak until we were halfway down the street. “What happened?” “Nothing.” “Maya.” She stopped walking. “I said nothing.” “You literally told me to go home.” “Because I was trying to protect you.” “From what?” She looked back toward the house. Then at me. “You shouldn’t have talked to him.” “Raven?” “Don’t say his name.” I stared at her. “You’re being dramatic.” “I’m serious.” “What did he do?” Maya shook her head. “I don’t know.” “Then why are you acting like he’s dangerous?” “Because everyone knows he is.” “Everyone?” “Yes.” I crossed my arms. “That’s not an answer.” She looked frustrated. “You don’t understand.” “Then explain it.” She hesitated. “There was a girl last year.” My stomach tightened. “What girl?” “She disappeared.” I stared at her. “What does that have to do with Raven?” Maya’s voice dropped. “She was his girlfriend.” The street suddenly felt colder. I looked back at the house. The windows glowed against the darkness. I couldn’t see him anymore. “What happened to her?” “No one knows.” I swallowed. “That’s horrible.” “Exactly.” “Did the police—” “Maya!” A voice shouted from behind us. We both turned. It was Raven. He stood at the end of the street. Alone. My heart started pounding. Maya grabbed my arm. “Don’t.” But Raven wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at me. Then he said something that made the blood drain from my face. “Your name is Avery, right?” I froze. I had never told him my name. Not once. Maya stared at me. “How does he know your name?” I couldn’t answer. Raven took one step closer. Then another. The street suddenly seemed impossibly quiet. I could hear my own heartbeat. “How do you know my name?” I asked. He stopped. For a moment, he said nothing. Then his eyes shifted toward Maya. Something passed between them. Something I didn’t understand. Raven looked back at me. “You really don’t remember?” My brows pulled together. “Remember what?” He gave a humorless smile. “Forget it.” “What does that mean?” “Avery,” Maya whispered. I turned toward her. “What?” “Just come home with me.” But I couldn’t move. I was staring at Raven. There was something about the way he looked at me. Not curiosity. Not attraction. Recognition. Like he’d seen me before. Like he’d been waiting for me to finally notice him. “Have we met?” I asked. His jaw tightened. “Not the way you think.” Before I could ask what that meant, a car turned onto the street. Its headlights swept across us. Raven stepped backward into the shadows. “Go home, Avery.” “How do you know me?” He didn’t answer. He simply turned and disappeared into the darkness. Maya pulled me in the opposite direction. I followed, but my mind stayed behind. With him. With the scar above his eyebrow. The black hoodie. The way everyone went silent when he entered a room. And the girl who had disappeared. I looked back one last time. The street was empty. But I knew something had changed. Maybe I hadn’t met Raven Cross by accident. Maybe he had been waiting for me. And maybe the reason he looked at me like he already knew me… was because he did.