Chapter 1: The Glance
It was the first day of senior year, and the classroom hummed with the sound of idle chatter and the thud of heavy textbooks hitting desks. Outside the window, the sky was a brilliant blue, the kind that made you wish you could be anywhere but stuck inside a classroom. Luke sat at his usual desk, his white hair standing out starkly against the sea of typical brunettes, blondes, and every other color of normalcy. His hair had always been different, and he had learned to accept that a long time ago. Still, the subtle glances from other students were something he'd never get used to.
As he stared down at his notebook, doodling absentmindedly in the margins, something — or rather, someone — walked past him that made his breath catch in his throat. Her name was Kira.
Kira was the kind of girl who made people stop and look. With jet-black hair that cascaded down her back in soft waves, and legs that seemed to go on forever, she was hard to miss. But it wasn't just her height, though Luke always felt a bit small standing near her; it was the way she moved, with this quiet confidence, like she owned every room she walked into. And today, as she strolled into class, she didn't even glance his way — not at first.
Luke had known her since freshman year. They weren't exactly friends, more like classmates who occasionally shared a group project. But lately, something about her had changed. Maybe it was the way her eyes had started catching his more often, or the small smile she gave him in the hallway last week. Whatever it was, Luke couldn't stop thinking about her. There was an air of mystery about Kira, and that only made her more intriguing.
As Kira made her way to the desk right in front of him — a seat she'd never sat in before — Luke tried his best to look busy, flipping through his notes even though his mind was anywhere but on the page. She sat down, placing her black leather bag on the desk with a soft thud, and glanced over her shoulder, her dark eyes locking onto his for the briefest second.
"Hey, Luke," she said, her voice smooth and unhurried.
"Hey," he managed, surprised she even remembered his name.
Kira leaned back in her chair, the movement emphasizing her height, and stretched, her black hair falling over her shoulders. Luke felt his heart race, his throat tightening as he realized how close she was now. It was as if the space between them had shrunk, and suddenly, he was hyper-aware of every tiny sound — the rustle of her jacket, the soft exhale of her breath.
The rest of the class filed in, oblivious to the subtle tension that seemed to wrap around Luke like a vice. He tried to focus on the front of the room as the teacher began his usual first-day-of-school spiel, but Kira's presence was like a gravitational force pulling his attention back to her. He found himself stealing glances at her between the teacher's words, studying the way her hair shimmered when the sunlight hit it, the curve of her neck, the subtle way she tapped her pen against her notebook.
When class finally ended, Luke packed up his things as quickly as he could, hoping to escape before his racing thoughts made his nervousness too obvious. But before he could stand up, Kira turned around in her seat, blocking his path.
"Are you always this quiet?" she asked, her tone teasing, though her eyes held something more — a challenge, maybe?
Luke swallowed. "Not always. Just, you know, the first day back."
Kira smiled, a faint curve of her lips that made his stomach twist. "I like quiet. It's... interesting."
Luke wasn't sure how to respond to that. Her attention felt like a spotlight, and for a second, he wondered if everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing just to watch this moment unfold.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, standing up in one fluid motion that made Luke feel even shorter than usual. She walked out of the classroom, her long legs moving effortlessly as if the world just made way for her.
Luke sat there for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. He could still feel the trace of her presence, lingering in the space she had left behind. His heart pounded in his chest, but there was also something else, a stirring in the back of his mind — a question.
Why him?
As he left the classroom and made his way through the crowded hallway, Luke couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to change, something beyond the usual rhythm of high school life. Kira had noticed him, talked to him, and he wasn't sure what that meant. But whatever it was, it felt like the beginning of something new, something he wasn't entirely ready for.
And yet, he couldn't help but feel excited about what might come next.