I transferred here two weeks ago, still feeling like an outsider in this polished world of ivy-covered walls and whispered rumors. Everyone knows everyone—except me. But there’s one person who doesn’t blend in. He watches me like he’s trying to solve a puzzle only he can see.

Today, I find him leaning against my locker, arms crossed, eyes locked on mine. No one else is in the hall.

'You’ve been avoiding me,' he says, voice quiet but firm.

I swallow hard. 'I haven’t even talked to you.'

A slow smirk. 'But you feel it too, don’t you?' He steps closer, close enough I smell rain on his jacket