CHAPTER ONE

It was the beginning of my high school life, and while there were many students like me, each one was distinct in their own way. As for me, I had short hair, a boyish cut, and didn't really fit the stereotypical "girly" image, even though I was a girl. I preferred oversized clothes—nothing too revealing.

It was early in the morning when I woke up to prepare for my first day of high school. My mom was around, but we barely spoke. It was the kind of silence that had become routine in our house. I left home, stood at the bus stop, and waited for the bus to arrive.

When I reached school, I headed to my class, and the teacher arrived and quickly left. The class went on without much excitement. During break time, everyone gathered in groups, chatting and gossiping, but I stayed alone. It wasn't that I minded; I just wasn’t interested in socializing. There was one classroom no one ever used, so I started to take refuge there. It was a quiet place where I could nap or just escape the noise, though I could still hear distant laughter and chatter echoing down the hallway.

The quiet of the unused classroom wrapped around me like a blanket. The low hum of distant voices from the hallways barely reached me, but I was used to it by now. I sat cross-legged on the floor near the window, my hoodie pulled tight, staring out at the schoolyard. The silence was a relief, a chance to be away from the noise and crowds.

The door opened, and the sound of footsteps interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t look up. I didn’t need to. I could already tell who it was—Mark and his usual group of friends. They came in like they owned the place, their laughter and chatter filling the otherwise still air. I didn’t care. I had no reason to.

Mark dropped his bag on one of the desks with a thud. “Man, I’m starving,” he muttered, stretching his arms over his head. “Lunch can’t come soon enough.”

Jason laughed, a sharp, irritating sound. “We still got a few minutes, man. Chill.”

I kept my gaze fixed out the window, ignoring the voices that were slowly growing louder. They were talking about the same things they always did: lunch, sports, teachers. It wasn’t interesting, so I tuned it out. They weren’t talking to me, and I wasn’t going to make myself part of it.

“I don’t know, I’m thinking of hitting the arcade after school,” Jason said, a casual statement that barely registered in my mind. “What do you guys think?”

Lizzy, the girl in their group, let out a sarcastic laugh. “The arcade? You guys are such nerds. Come on, there’s going to be a soccer game. I heard a bunch of people are meeting up at the field.”

“Soccer?” Mark scoffed. “Since when do you care about soccer?”

“Since it’s more fun than watching you guys do nothing.” Lizzy smirked.

Their conversation continued, drifting from one topic to the next, but I wasn’t listening. It was all just background noise. I didn’t care about their plans, their jokes, or their endless chatter.

I kept my head down, eyes still locked on the view outside. They weren’t part of my world, and I wasn’t about to let myself get involved in theirs.

After a few more moments of idle banter, I heard the shuffle of feet moving toward the door.

“Alright, I’m out,” Mark said. “See you guys after lunch.”

Lizzy followed. “We’ll be in the courtyard, don’t be late.”

The door clicked shut behind them, and the room fell back into the quiet I preferred.

I exhaled slowly, not having moved an inch during their entire exchange. Nothing had changed. They were gone, and I was alone again—exactly how I liked it.

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