Falling for a thug

Strange feeling

Lily's pov

By the time I got home, exhaustion dragged at every step.

I dropped my bag beside the couch and joined my family in the dining room. My mother looked up from her plate, her fork pausing halfway to her mouth.

"How was your first day?"

I pulled out a chair. The legs scraped sharply against the floor. "It was... interesting."

My younger brother glanced over. "Interesting how?"

"I met some nice people. Nia and Chloe. They're actually really friendly."

My mother smiled. "See? I told you you'd make friends."

"Yeah," I said, reaching for my water. My fingers tightened around the glass. "But there's something else."

Everyone turned toward me.

"What?" my father asked.

I hesitated, suddenly aware of the ticking clock behind me. "There's this guy at school."

My brother raised an eyebrow. "A guy?"

"Don't make it weird. I didn't say I liked him."

My mother laughed, but her eyes stayed on me. "I'm listening."

"I don't even know his name." I swallowed. "But he's... different."

"Different how?" my father asked.

I searched for the right words, my fork nudging the food around my plate. "He has this really strong aura. Whenever he walks into a place, everyone notices."

My brother grinned. "So he's hot."

I nearly choked on my water. "That's not what I said!"

"But you didn't say he wasn't."

"You're annoying."

Everyone laughed, but the sound faded quickly, leaving an uneasy quiet behind it.

"I'm serious. People act strange around him. They either go quiet or move out of his way."

My mother's smile disappeared. She set her fork down. "Is he dangerous?"

"I don't know."

The memory surfaced again: the sudden silence, the way the crowd had parted, the cold certainty that something about him was wrong.

"Maybe."

My father's expression hardened. "Maybe isn't an answer, Lily."

"I know."

"Then stay away from him," my mother said, sharper than before.

I looked down. "I wasn't planning to follow him home."

"That isn't what I meant."

The room seemed to shrink around us. My father studied me. "Lily, be careful around people you don't know."

"I know, Dad."

I lowered my gaze and picked up my fork, but my hand trembled slightly. The food had lost its taste.

I had only seen him for a moment. I didn't know his name or anything about him. Still, my mind kept returning to the same details—the silence, the fear, the way everyone seemed to recognize something I couldn't.

Then it hit me.

I hadn't been curious because he was different.

I was curious because, somehow, he had felt familiar.

And that was probably the last thing I needed.

The next morning, Lily arrived at school with her bag hanging over one shoulder.

She walked through the school gate, looking around the familiar surroundings. It was only her second day, but somehow, the place already felt a little less strange than it had yesterday.

“Lily!”

She turned.

Nia was waving at her from across the courtyard, with Mia and Chloe standing beside her.

Lily smiled and walked over.

“You actually came early today,” Nia teased.

Lily laughed. “I didn't want to get lost again.”

Chloe shook her head. “You should have seen your face yesterday when you couldn't find your classroom.”

“Don't remind me.”

Mia laughed along with them.

The three girls walked with Lily toward their classroom, chatting about random things.

For a moment, Lily forgot that she was still the new girl.

Then the bell suddenly rang.

“Come on,” Chloe said. “We're going to be late.”

They hurried toward the classroom together.

But as they entered the hallway, the mood around them suddenly changed.

Students who had been laughing and talking began lowering their voices.

Some moved out of the way.

Lily noticed it immediately.

“What happened?” she whispered.

Nia's smile disappeared.

Mia glanced down the hallway and lowered her voice.

“Don't look now.”

Lily frowned. “Why?”

“Just… don't.”

Naturally, Lily looked.

A group of boys was walking toward them.

The students around them moved aside without being asked.

Lily didn't know who they were yet.

But judging from everyone's reaction, she was about to find out.

And then she saw him.

She didn't know his name yet.

But somehow, she knew that he was the reason everyone had suddenly gone quiet.

She watched him walk past, her eyes following him for a second longer than she intended.

There was something about the way everyone reacted to him.

The whispers had stopped. Students who had been laughing moments ago suddenly found the floor interesting. Even the people walking toward them seemed to move out of the way without being told.

So he's the reason.

She didn't know his name yet, but somehow, she already understood that he was the person everyone was afraid of.

"Why is everybody acting like that?" Nia whispered beside her.

Before Mia could answer, a group of boys appeared behind him.

They walked with the same confidence, laughing among themselves as they followed Wayne down the hallway. Unlike the other students, they didn't seem bothered by the silence around them.

One of them suddenly stepped sideways without looking and bumped into Chloe's shoulder.

"Watch where you're going," Chloe said, rubbing her shoulder.

The boy stopped.

The laughter from the group disappeared.

Mia's stomach tightened.

The boy slowly turned around and looked at Chloe. Then his eyes moved to Mia, Nia, and Lily.

"Problem?" he asked.

Chloe opened her mouth, but Nia quickly stepped in.

"No. It's fine."

The boy gave a small smirk.

"Good."

He turned to leave, but then another voice came from behind them.

"Let's go."

Wayne.

He hadn't stopped completely. He was standing a few steps away, one hand in his pocket, looking back at his friends.

The boy immediately followed.

And just like that, they continued walking.

Mia watched them disappear into the crowd.

The hallway slowly came back to life.

People started talking again. A few students glanced in their direction before quickly looking away.

Mia frowned.

"Who exactly is that?" she asked.

Nia looked at her like she couldn't believe she was asking.

"You really don't know?"

Mia shook her head.

Nia lowered her voice.

"That's Wayne."

Mia looked down the hallway where he had disappeared.

For some reason, hearing his name made her even more curious.