Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The First Day of School

The buzzing of alarm clocks and the hum of morning radios signaled the start of a new school year in the quiet town of Maple Grove. The air was filled with anticipation as students hurried to prepare for their first day back. Among them was Lily Thompson, a fifteen-year-old girl who had been dreading this day all summer.

Lily stood in front of her small bathroom mirror, squinting at her reflection. Her brown hair, always unruly and wild, frizzed around her pale face, making her green eyes appear even larger. She sighed as she pulled on a baggy hoodie, hoping it would help her blend into the background. Her round glasses slipped down her nose, and she pushed them back with a finger. Today, like every day, she would try to be invisible.

"You look fine, Lily," her older brother, Jake, called from the hallway. He had been trying to encourage her all morning. But Lily knew better. High school could be unforgiving, and she had always been at the bottom of the social food chain.

"Yeah, right," she muttered under her breath, grabbing her backpack and heading out the door.

The walk to school felt longer than usual, each step filled with trepidation. She could already hear the excited chatter of students, eager to show off their new clothes and summer tans. Lily pulled her hoodie tighter around herself and kept her eyes on the ground.

When she reached the front steps of Maple Grove High, she caught a glimpse of the crowd gathered at the entrance. Her heart sank when she saw him. Logan Carter. The school's star athlete, with his perfect smile and golden-brown hair that always seemed to catch the light just right. He was surrounded by a group of friends, effortlessly charming everyone around him. Logan was everything Lily was not—confident, popular, and devastatingly handsome.

Lily had harbored a crush on Logan since middle school, but she never dared to approach him. In her mind, he was out of her league. As she tried to sneak past him, hoping to go unnoticed, she accidentally tripped over her untied shoelace, sending her tumbling forward. The contents of her backpack scattered across the ground, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

A chorus of laughter erupted, and Lily's cheeks turned bright red. Logan glanced in her direction, his amused smirk turning into a full-blown grin.

"Nice entrance," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. His friends chuckled in agreement, their laughter ringing in Lily’s ears.

Scrambling to her feet, Lily mumbled an apology, desperately trying to gather her things. Her hands shook as she picked up her scattered notebooks, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she swallowed them back. Crying would only make it worse.

Logan turned away, already losing interest, but the damage was done. Lily could hear whispers and giggles as she hurried down the hall, disappearing into the safety of her first-period classroom.

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