Chapter 1: The Boy Everyone Warned Me About

“They warned me to stay away from him. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t.”

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The first day of senior year at Northwood High was supposed to be normal. A fresh start. New notebooks, clean shoes, and a silent promise to myself that this year, I’d keep my head down and stay out of trouble.

But trouble had a way of finding me.

I clutched my backpack tighter as I walked through the gates of Northwood High. The campus buzzed with students—cheerleaders in their perfect ponytails, athletes tossing footballs across the courtyard, and groups of friends catching up after summer.

I wasn’t part of any of those groups. I was just Amara Blake—the girl who always sat in the back row, the one people barely noticed. And honestly, I preferred it that way.

Or at least I did. Until I saw him.

He leaned against his motorcycle parked just outside the school gates, a cigarette dangling from his lips despite the NO SMOKING signs plastered everywhere. A leather jacket hung loosely on his shoulders, his dark hair messy in a way that looked almost intentional.

Students glanced his way, whispering, some even staring like he was both a warning sign and a magnet you couldn’t ignore.

Raven Cross.

The name carried weight at Northwood High. The boy who never followed rules. The one who got suspended twice last year but still showed up like he owned the place. People said he was dangerous, arrogant, and untouchable.

And now, his piercing gray eyes were locked on me.

My heart stuttered. I quickly looked away, pretending to be fascinated by the school’s notice board. But it was too late—I could feel his gaze following me.

“Hey, new girl.”

I froze. Was he talking to me?

Slowly, I turned, and sure enough, Raven pushed himself off his motorcycle and walked toward me. Each step he took felt like a challenge, like he was daring me to run.

“I’m not new,” I said quietly, clutching my bag like it was a shield. “I’ve been here since freshman year.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Then how come I’ve never seen you before?”

“Because you don’t look.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. My eyes widened. Did I really just say that?

For a second, there was silence. Then Raven chuckled, low and dangerous, the kind of sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“Bold. I like that,” he said, tilting his head. “Most people don’t talk to me like that.”

“Maybe that’s why they’re still alive,” I muttered under my breath, hoping he didn’t hear.

But judging by the way his smirk grew wider, he definitely did.

The bell rang, saving me from having to respond further. I quickly turned and rushed inside the building, heart pounding against my ribs.

Yet even as I found my way to my first class and slid into a back seat, my thoughts weren’t on my schedule or the teachers. They were on him.

On Raven Cross—the boy everyone warned me about.

And deep down, I already knew… this year at Northwood High was going to be anything but normal.

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