North Brook High looked nothing like River Bay High.

Gone were the graffiti-tagged lockers and flickering hallway lights. Here, everything gleamed — polished floors, manicured courtyards, and students who looked like they’d walked straight out of an elite prep school commercial.

He adjusted the strap of his worn-out backpack, the weight of his scholarship letter like an anchor in his chest pocket. He’d earned his place here, but it didn’t feel like it yet — not with the way eyes followed him as he crossed the courtyard.

Then came the sound of heels.

Click. Click. Click.

The crowd shifted like a wave.

She stepped into view like the scene had been rehearsed — golden hair cascading in effortless waves, perfectly tailored blazer hugging her frame, and eyes sharp enough to slice glass.

Blair Sterling.

The queen of North Brook High.

Her gaze swept over him, calculating. Then she smiled — not kindly, but like a cat sizing up a mouse that had just wandered into her garden.

“So you’re the new toy River Bay dropped off,” she said smoothly. “Cute. Rugged. Scholarship, right?”

He stayed quiet, straightening his posture.

She took a step closer, her entourage lingering just behind her. “Let me make this easy for you. You’re new, you don’t know the rules, and you probably think you’re going to lay low. You won’t. Not here.”

Blair circled him slowly, eyes flicking from his shoes to his smirk. “People like you either get eaten alive or... trained. Lucky for you, I’m feeling generous.”

She stopped in front of him, flashing a too-sweet smile. “You’ll hang around me. You’ll walk with me. Sit at my table. And in return? You’ll survive North Brook.”

Her finger lightly tapped the collar of his blazer.

“Congratulations, scholarship boy. You’re my new puppy.”

And just as her words settled in the air, a basketball bounced in the distance.

Caden Sterling — Blair’s older brother, golden boy of the basketball team, and North Brook’s walking heartthrob — jogged up, spinning the ball with lazy precision. He gave him a once-over, then nodded slightly.

“New blood?” he asked Blair, eyebrow raised.

She smirked. “Mine now.”

Caden looked between the two of them, then grinned. “Have fun with that.”

As Caden walked off, Blair leaned in close, voice low.

“Let’s see how long you last before trying to bite the hand that feeds you.”