Episode 1 – Alex’s POV

Title: “First Bell”

The first day of my final year felt... different.

Not just because I was wearing a freshly ironed uniform or because the morning sun hit differently on the driveway. It was the feeling—the quiet weight of knowing this was the beginning of the end. My last year of high school.

I blinked against the sunlight sneaking through the curtains and stretched slowly. Downstairs, I could already hear voices—Mom’s humming in the kitchen and Henry's familiar footsteps stomping around. My cousin always got dramatic when it came to early mornings.

I put on a hoodie and joggers before heading to his room.

“Wake up, bro,” I said, lightly kicking the side of his bed.

Henry groaned. “Five more minutes, man.”

“Nope,” I replied, already walking out. “We’re not late on the first day.”

I FaceTimed Joan as I headed back to my room.

“Hey, babe,” I said when her face appeared on the screen. She looked flawless, even with rollers in her hair.

“Hey, darling. Ready for the chaos to begin?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

She laughed. “You’ll survive. And guess what? My cousin is coming to our school this year. Sandra.”

I paused. “Sandra?”

“Yeah. She’s transferring. From Atlanta. Super smart, super chill. You’ll like her.”

I nodded, distractedly. I’d heard the name Sandra before, maybe once or twice, but it never really stuck. Just another face in Joan’s big extended family.

After breakfast, Henry and I grabbed our bags and headed out. The air was warm, buzzing with the kind of nervous energy that came with new beginnings. Same school, same halls—but this year felt different.

When we arrived, Joan was already at the front gates, waving excitedly.

“Hey!” she called out, pulling me into a quick hug.

“You didn’t tell me school started with paparazzi this year,” I joked, nodding toward the massive crowd behind her.

Joan rolled her eyes. “They’re not ready for us.”

And then I saw her.

She stepped out of a black SUV, a small suitcase in one hand, a sleek backpack slung over her shoulder. Dark jeans, white sneakers, simple T-shirt. No big entrance. No drama. Just... presence.

Sandra.

She looked around, scanning the crowd until Joan called her name and waved her over.

“Sandra!” Joan ran up to hug her. “You made it!”

“Barely,” Sandra smiled, brushing a curl behind her ear.

And then her eyes met mine.

Everything slowed, just for a second.

Joan turned toward me. “Alex, this is my cousin I told you about.”

I stepped forward, offering a small smile. “Hey. I’m Alex.”

“Hi,” she replied. “Sandra.”

There was a quiet beat. Something I couldn’t name hung in the air between us.

Joan, completely unaware, linked her arms through ours. “You two will get along great.”

Sandra just smiled politely, but I caught the way her eyes lingered on mine before looking away.

We walked toward the building, laughter floating behind us. Joan chatted the whole way, bouncing between plans and class schedules. I responded when I could, but my thoughts drifted back to that glance, that pause, the quiet way Sandra had looked at me.

I didn’t think much of it.

But maybe I should have.

Because sometimes, it’s not the loud moments that change everything—it’s the quiet ones.

And in that quiet moment, something had already begun.

Episode 2 – Sandra’s POV

Title: That look

If there was a medal for awkward first days, I was already a front-runner.

First, my curls puffed up from the humidity before I even got out of the car. Then I tripped over absolutely nothing on the way to the front gate—classic. To top it off, my backpack strap snapped, and I had to knot it back together like some kind of survival challenge.

But then I saw her—Joan—standing near the school fountain like a scene out of a high school movie. Flawless braids, glossy lips, and that same signature laugh I hadn’t heard in months.

“Sandra!” she squealed, running up and giving me a hug that nearly cracked my ribs.

“I made it,” I laughed.

“You look amazing! Oh my God, it’s been forever! Okay, you *have* to meet someone.”

That’s when I saw him.

He stood casually beside her—tall, hoodie on, backpack slung over one shoulder, and somehow looking like he walked straight out of a Netflix teen drama. Not the jock, not the rebel—something in-between.

“This is Alex,” Joan said, grinning. “My boyfriend.”

Boyfriend.

Of course.

Naturally, this perfect human belonged to my cousin.“Hey,” he said, stepping forward and holding out his hand.

“I’m Sandra,” I replied, shaking it. His hand was warm. Firm. And when our eyes met, something… lingered. Just for a heartbeat.

Joan jumped in, totally unaware of the mental gymnastics I was doing. “She’s my cousin! Remember I mentioned her?”

“Right. Good to finally meet you,” Alex said, that small smirk still playing on his lips.

I nodded, my heart tapping out a confused rhythm. “You too.”

The rest of the morning passed like a blur. Joan introduced me to everyone—Henry, who kept making corny jokes; Priya, who had the best eyeliner game I’d ever seen; and Mark, who looked like he didn’t care about anything but probably cared about everything.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was mentally exhausted.

We sat on the grass under the big tree at the edge of the courtyard. Joan was on her phone, talking about the prom happening next term and showing us five identical-looking dresses from her gallery.

Alex handed me a juice box—apple.

“Thanks,” I said.

“You hesitated at the vending machine earlier. You picked apple. Figured that was your thing.”

I stared at him. “You noticed that?”

“I notice stuff,” he said casually.

And that was the problem.

Because I was noticing him, too.Our eyes met for a second. Then a second too long.

I looked away.

Then back.

And this time… he didn’t look away.

Cue internal panic.

*Abort. Abort. This is Joan’s boyfriend.*

I focused on the grass. On the juice box. On anything but his face.

Joan kept talking, oblivious. “So, prom’s months away, but if we wait till the last minute, everything will be ugly and overpriced. I already called dibs on blue, Sandra.”

“Good to know,” I said, forcing a smile.

But inside, something had shifted.

Later that night, as I unpacked in my aunt’s guest room, I sat on the bed and stared at nothing. That moment under the tree kept replaying like a scene I wasn’t supposed to be in.

I didn’t *want* to feel anything.

Not for *him*.

But it was too late.

Something had started.

And I had no idea how to stop it.

---

*Episode 3 – Henry’s POV*

*Title: “New Girl, Same Trouble”*

I knew it.

I *knew* this school year was going to be chaotic the moment I saw Alex double-take at the new girl.

Correction: not *just* the new girl—Joan’s cousin.

And she wasn’t even trying. She just showed up with her wild curls, sunflower earrings, and that “I-mind-my-business” energy that somehow made everyone want to know *her* business.

Typical.

“What do you think of her?” I asked Alex later that day as we stood by the lockers.

“She’s cool,” he said, way too fast.

Cool?

Nah, bro. You’re toast.

I squinted. “That’s not a ‘cool’ tone. That’s a ‘I’m-already-writing-a-love-song-in-my-head’ tone.”

He gave me the side-eye. “Relax.”

“I *am* relaxed,” I said, grabbing a protein bar. “You’re the one flirting with your girlfriend’s cousin.”

“I wasn’t flirting.”

“Your pupils dilated, your voice dropped an octave, and you handed her a juice box like it was a love potion. That’s textbook flirting.”

He rolled his eyes but didn’t deny it.

That’s when I knew—I needed popcorn. Because this was going to be better than the time Mr. Harris slipped and fell into the staffroom trash can. Twice.Later that day, I ran into Sandra near the library.

She smiled. I melted—just a little.

“I’m trying to find Room B12,” she said.

“Oh, that’s easy. First, you go down this hallway that smells like expired cheese, then make a left where the vending machine always eats people’s money, and boom—Room B12.”

She laughed. “Is that the official school tour?”

“No, that’s the *Henry Special*. Comes with sarcasm and a very specific vending machine warning.”

“Noted,” she grinned.

I watched her walk away and thought, *Okay wow*. So she’s beautiful *and* laughs at my jokes? Dangerous combo.

But then I remembered—Joan’s cousin. Joan, who once slapped a guy for *thinking* about texting another girl while dating her. Joan, who would probably set the school on fire if she found out Alex was checking out Sandra, or worse… if I was too.

Which I wasn’t.

I mean, not really.

Maybe a little.

Okay, fine, I was in trouble too.

At lunch, we all sat under the tree, and I swear the air felt weird—like one of those cheesy teen dramas where everyone’s smiling but hiding a secret.

Joan was scrolling through dresses.

Alex was stealing glances at Sandra.

Sandra was acting like she didn’t notice—but she *totally* did.

And me?I was silently sipping my soda, mentally preparing for the emotional apocalypse that was about to unfold.

I knew how this stuff worked. Two guys. One girl. A whole lot of drama. And somehow, I always ended up being the voice of reason—aka the one who got ignored.

But not this year.

This year, I’d play it cool. Stay out of the mess.

Unless she smiled at me again.

Then all bets were off.