Chapter 2

The next morning, sunlight poured through the classroom windows. Students shuffled in, dropping their bags and chatting while the teacher began writing on the blackboard. The room smelled faintly of chalk and paper.

Lucas sat near the middle row, lazily twirling his pen between his fingers. Beside him, Stephen was already focused on his notebook, scribbling down every word. Lucas, however, seemed only half interested, as usual.

While the teacher’s back was turned, a boy from the next row leaned over and slipped a folded note onto Lucas’s desk. Lucas raised an eyebrow, curious, and quietly opened it under the table.

The handwriting was neat but nervous.

“You’re really handsome. Will you go on a date with me?”

Lucas stared at the words for a moment, then a small smile spread across his face. He glanced back at the boy who had written it. The boy’s cheeks turned red as their eyes met.

Lucas didn’t laugh. He didn’t tease. Instead, he pulled out his pen and carefully wrote a reply on the back of the note.

“Thank you. But I’m not ready for a relationship. I’m sorry.”

He folded it neatly and passed it back. When the boy opened it, he looked surprised—but not hurt. His lips curved into a small smile, and he gave Lucas a quick nod of thanks.

Stephen, who had been watching the exchange out of the corner of his eye, sighed quietly. Lucas never changed. He was always kind, even when he had to reject someone.

The rest of the school day passed slowly. By the final bell, the halls were buzzing with students eager to leave. Lucas, however, had basketball practice.

As soon as he entered the court, cheers erupted. Dozens of girls filled the benches, waving and giggling. A few boys stood among them too, shouting encouragement. The sound of his name echoed around.

“Lucas!”

“Over here!”

“Shoot, Lucas, shoot!”

Stephen sat near the back, trying to stay out of the chaos. He watched as Lucas dribbled across the court, moving like water—smooth, fast, impossible to ignore. The ball left his hands and sank perfectly into the hoop. The crowd cheered louder, their voices bouncing off the high ceiling.

For everyone else, it was exciting. For Lucas, it was exhausting.

He loved the game, but sometimes he felt trapped inside the noise of his own fame. The endless confessions, the rumors, the stares—they never stopped. Every smile he gave turned into gossip. Every rejection, no matter how gentle, made someone whisper behind his back.

He wanted, just once, to be normal. To play basketball without an audience. To walk the halls without eyes following him. But no matter what he did, attention clung to him like a shadow.

When practice ended, Lucas sat on the bench, wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel. He heard the girls still giggling, some even arguing about who cheered louder. He let out a long sigh.

Stephen walked over with a bottle of water. “You okay?”

Lucas took it and drank. “Yeah. Just tired. Sometimes it feels like… no matter what I do, I can’t escape being Lucas.”

Stephen chuckled. “That’s because you’re you. People notice you even when you’re just breathing.”

Lucas gave him a playful glare. “That’s not comforting, you know.”

The next day brought something different. As the first period started, the teacher cleared his throat and gestured to the doorway.

“Class, we have a new student joining us today. Please welcome Benjamin.”

All heads turned. A tall boy with dark hair stepped inside. His eyes were calm but sharp, the kind that made you curious even before he spoke. He wore the standard school uniform, yet somehow, it looked better on him than on anyone else.

“Introduce yourself,” the teacher said.

Benjamin bowed slightly. “My name is Benjamin. I just transferred here. I hope we can get along.” His voice was low, smooth, carrying a quiet confidence.

Whispers filled the classroom immediately.

“He’s handsome!”

“Where is he from?”

“Do you think he’ll join the basketball team?”

Lucas, who usually didn’t pay much attention to new students, found himself staring. His chest felt strange, like something had shifted inside him. His stomach fluttered, light and nervous, almost like butterflies.

He blinked and quickly looked away, confused.

Why was he reacting this way? He had met dozens of people before. He had rejected countless confessions without his heart skipping a beat. But now, just from seeing Benjamin’s face and hearing his voice, something was different. Something he couldn’t explain.

The teacher pointed toward an empty seat near Lucas and Stephen. “Benjamin, you can sit there.”

As Benjamin walked past, Lucas’s eyes flicked up again. For the briefest moment, their gazes met. Benjamin’s lips curved in the faintest smile before he sat down.

Lucas turned his head quickly, his ears warm. He didn’t even notice Stephen watching him carefully, a puzzled look in his eyes.

The day went on as usual, but Lucas’s mind wasn’t steady. During lessons, he caught himself glancing at Benjamin more than once. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but something about the new boy pulled him in.

By the time the bell rang, Lucas wasn’t sure what this feeling meant. He only knew one thing: for the first time in a long while, someone had shaken the calm balance of his life.

And he had no idea where it would lead.

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