MAGIC, CRUSHES & HEARTBREAK

The first thing Heaven noticed about her new school was how loud it was. Not loud in the ordinary way. It was the kind of loud that seemed to vibrate through the walls—students laughing in the hallways, shoes tapping against polished floors, lockers slamming shut, and voices overlapping until it was almost impossible to understand what anyone was saying. Heaven adjusted her glasses and held her books closer to her chest. She hated crowded places. She hated attention even more. Unfortunately, being the new girl at school meant she was already getting plenty of it. She kept her eyes down as she walked through the hallway, trying to find her classroom. Her dark hair was pulled neatly away from her face, and her uniform was perfectly arranged. She had checked everything twice that morning. She didn't want to give anyone a reason to notice her. She just wanted to get through the day. She had barely taken three steps when someone bumped into her shoulder. Her books slipped from her hands. "Oh—sorry." Heaven froze. The voice was male. She looked up. And immediately wished she hadn't. Conrad stood in front of her. She had already heard about him before she even entered the school. Everyone seemed to know who Conrad was. Athletic. Popular. Confident. And, according to the conversations she'd overheard that morning, a complete flirt. He was wearing his uniform differently from everyone else, with his sleeves slightly rolled up and his tie loose around his neck. A basketball rested under one arm. He looked at the books scattered across the floor. Then at her. "Are you okay?" Heaven nodded quickly. "I'm fine." She bent down to pick up her books. Conrad crouched too. Their hands reached for the same book. Heaven pulled hers away immediately. "Sorry." He smiled. "You say sorry a lot." She pushed her glasses up her nose. "I don't." "You just did." She looked at him. He was smiling like he had just discovered something amusing. Heaven took the book from his hand. "Thank you." "No problem." She stood. Conrad stood too. For a second, neither of them moved. Then someone shouted from the end of the hallway. "Conrad!" He turned his head. "I'll see you around." Heaven blinked. "We don't know each other." His smile widened. "Not yet." Then he walked away. Heaven stared after him. Not yet? She shook her head. Absolutely not. She turned around and continued down the hallway. She didn't notice the faint golden glow that appeared beneath her fingertips. It lasted only a second. Then it disappeared. *** By the time Heaven found her classroom, she had convinced herself that the strange moment in the hallway meant nothing. She sat near the window, opened her notebook, and began copying the lesson from the board. This was what she was good at. School. Books. Quiet. Things that made sense. Things she could control. Magic wasn't one of those things. Heaven had spent years pretending it didn't exist. Her mother had always told her that some things were better left alone. Heaven had listened. Mostly. She knew she was different. She had known since she was little. Sometimes objects moved when she was angry. Sometimes lights flickered when she was frightened. And sometimes, when she touched something, she could feel something beneath its surface. A strange energy. She had learned to ignore it. She had learned to keep her emotions under control. That was why she hated being noticed. The less attention she attracted, the safer she felt. The classroom door opened. Heaven looked up. Conrad walked in. Her stomach dropped. Of all the classrooms in the school. He glanced around. Then his eyes landed on her. His expression immediately changed into a grin. He walked toward the empty seat behind her. Heaven stared at her notebook. Please don't. The chair scraped against the floor. Conrad sat down. "Hi again." Heaven didn't turn around. "Hi." "You look familiar." "We met ten minutes ago." "Exactly." She sighed quietly. He laughed. "You always this serious?" "Usually." "That's unfortunate." She finally turned around. "Why?" "Because you're missing all the fun." Heaven raised an eyebrow. "I think I'll survive." Conrad smiled. "Maybe." The teacher entered before he could say anything else. Heaven turned back around. She tried to focus. But she could feel Conrad looking at her. She ignored him. At least, she tried to. Then the lights flickered. Once. Twice. Heaven's hand tightened around her pen. The room suddenly felt colder. She looked down. A tiny spark of golden light danced across her fingers. Her heart stopped. No. Not here. Not now. She closed her hand quickly. When she looked up, Conrad was staring at her. He wasn't smiling anymore. He had seen it. Heaven's stomach twisted. Conrad leaned forward. "What was that?" "Nothing." "I saw something." "You didn't." He studied her face. Then he smiled again. But this time, there was something different in his expression. Curiosity. Heaven turned away. She knew that look. Conrad wasn't going to let it go. And for the first time since arriving at the school, Heaven wondered if staying invisible was going to be as easy as she had hoped. Because Conrad had noticed her. And worse— he had noticed her magic.