Episode 1 : First bell. POV : Alex

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.

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