A NEW ENEMY
524 Words
The rest of the day felt like a blur.
Every hallway I walked through, every classroom I entered, it felt like people were staring at me. Whispering. Watching.
The new girl who argued with Adrian Black.
Apparently, that was my new identity.
By lunchtime, I was starving and exhausted.
Maya and I walked into the crowded cafeteria together. The smell of pizza and fries filled the air while students filled almost every table.
“Sit anywhere,” Maya said nervously, scanning the room. “Just… not over there.”
She subtly pointed to the corner of the cafeteria.
Of course, I looked.
And there he was.
Adrian sat at the center table with a group of students around him like he was some kind of king. His chair leaned back slightly as he laughed at something one of his friends said.
People kept glancing at him.
Some girls looked at him like he was a celebrity.
Others looked like they were terrified.
I rolled my eyes.
“Is he always the center of attention?”
“Unfortunately,” Maya muttered.
We sat at a table near the window. I had just opened my lunch when the cafeteria suddenly went quiet again.
I didn’t need to look.
I already knew.
Footsteps approached our table.
Slow.
Confident.
Maya froze beside me.
“Well,” a familiar voice said, “look who it is.”
I slowly looked up.
Adrian stood in front of our table with two of his friends behind him.
His gray eyes studied me like I was some kind of puzzle.
“Are you following me?” I asked flatly.
His friend snorted.
Adrian smirked.
“Trust me,” he said, “if I was following you, you’d know.”
I crossed my arms.
“What do you want?”
Instead of answering, Adrian reached over and grabbed my apple from the table.
“Hey—”
He took a casual bite.
“Not bad,” he said.
My jaw dropped.
“You just stole my food!”
He shrugged.
“You’re welcome to try and take it back.”
His friends laughed.
The entire cafeteria was watching us now.
My face burned with anger.
“Why are you doing this?” I snapped.
For a moment, Adrian didn’t answer.
His expression changed slightly.
Something darker flashed in his eyes.
Then it was gone.
“Because I can,” he said simply.
He leaned down closer to me again.
“And because I warned you.”
Before I could react, he walked away with his friends, still holding my apple.
Maya looked like she might faint.
“Oh my god.”
I slammed my hand on the table.
“That guy is unbelievable.”
“You really shouldn’t make him mad,” Maya whispered.
“Too late,” I muttered.
Across the cafeteria, Adrian suddenly glanced back.
Our eyes met again.
This time, his expression wasn’t amused.
It was something else.
Something intense.
Like he had already decided something about me.
And whatever it was…
I had a feeling my life at Silverwood High was about to become a lot more complicated.
- Writer
