BENEATH THE BROKEN PROMISES

CHAPTER ONE: THE NEW BOY The first thing Ryan Anderson noticed when he walked through the school gate was the silence. It lasted only a few seconds. Then someone laughed. “Look at his clothes.” Another boy whispered loudly, “Is that bag still alive?” Laughter spread across the courtyard. Ryan kept walking. His shirt was old. His trousers had clearly been worn many times, and the straps of his faded bag looked like they could tear at any moment. He knew exactly what everyone was thinking. Poor boy. He had heard it before. The classroom became even louder when he entered. Some students looked at him, then at each other, trying not to laugh. Ryan didn't react. He simply walked to an empty seat at the back and placed his bag beside him. “Hey, new boy.” Ryan looked up. A tall boy was standing beside his desk with two friends. “What's your name?” “Ryan.” The boy smiled. “Ryan what?” “Anderson.” “Welcome, Anderson. Just so you know, this isn't a place for people like you.” A few students laughed. Ryan looked at him for a moment. Then he quietly opened his notebook. The boy frowned, clearly expecting an argument. “You don't talk much, do you?” Ryan shrugged. The teacher entered before the situation could continue. “Everyone, settle down.” The class slowly became quiet. The teacher placed some books on the desk and looked toward Ryan. “You're the new student?” “Yes, sir.” “Good. I hope you'll work hard.” Ryan nodded. The lesson began. For the first twenty minutes, Ryan said nothing. He simply listened, writing carefully in his notebook. Then the teacher wrote a difficult question on the board. “Who can solve this?” Nobody raised a hand. The teacher waited. Still nothing. He turned toward the class. “Anyone?” Ryan slowly raised his hand. The classroom became strangely quiet. The teacher looked surprised. “Yes, Ryan?” Ryan stood and walked toward the board. He studied the question for a few seconds before writing the answer. The teacher stared at it. Then he smiled. “Correct.” A few students exchanged confused looks. The boy who had mocked Ryan earlier leaned back in his chair. Ryan returned to his seat without saying anything. For the first time that morning, nobody laughed at his clothes. They were looking at him differently. But Ryan didn't care. He had learned long ago that attention could be dangerous. And he had no intention of letting anyone discover who he really was. Across the classroom, a quiet girl sitting beside the window briefly looked up from her book. Her name was Ava Bennett. She had noticed everything. And for some reason, she couldn't stop wondering about the strange new boy. Why did someone who looked like he had nothing seem so completely unbothered by everyone? Ava lowered her eyes back to her book. She didn't know it yet. But Ryan Anderson was about to change everything she thought she knew about the people around her.