The rest of the class passed by in a blur. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on the teacher's words, my eyes kept drifting toward the boy sitting up front—Ethan Cole.
What was his problem, anyway?
I replayed the moment again and again in my head. The way he brushed past me, his dismissive tone, and the tension I saw in his eyes. It didn't add up. He was rude, sure—but he didn't seem careless. There was something guarded about him, like a wall he'd built so high even he forgot what was behind it.
When the bell rang, I packed up quickly and slipped out of the classroom. The hallway was alive again, buzzing with noise and movement. As I headed toward my locker, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned to see Emma, my best friend, grinning at me.
"Someone looks dazed," she teased, nudging me lightly. "Don't tell me you've already fallen for someone on day one."
I rolled my eyes. "Hardly. More like someone ran into me, muttered something rude, and then pretended I didn't exist."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess—Ethan?"
I blinked. "You know him?"
"Who doesn't?" she replied with a dramatic sigh. "He's like... the walking mystery of the school. Barely talks to anyone. Got top grades without trying. Rumor has it, he transferred here last year from some fancy private school after... something happened."
I frowned. "What happened?"
"No one knows. But let's just say, drama follows him around like a shadow."
That only made me more curious. I shook off the feeling and slammed my locker shut. "Well, he can keep his drama. I'm here to survive senior year, not get pulled into someone else's mess."
Emma grinned. "Sure. Just don't be surprised if you two keep bumping into each other."
I hoped she was wrong.
But fate clearly had other plans.
At lunch, when I entered the cafeteria looking for an empty seat, my stomach dropped. Every table was full. Every table but one—at the far end, where Ethan sat alone, head down, headphones in, completely detached from the world around him.
My feet moved before I could stop them. I didn't want to sit next to him, but I also didn't want to wander around like a lost puppy. I stood awkwardly for a moment, debating, then walked over and cleared my throat.
"Mind if I sit here?" I asked quietly.
He didn't respond.
I tried again, a little louder. "Is this seat taken?"
He glanced up, eyes cold and unreadable. For a moment, I thought he was going to ignore me again. But then, to my surprise, he nodded slightly and went back to his music.
I sat down, unsure of what to do with the silence that followed. My food suddenly felt tasteless, and the tension between us made the air feel heavier.
Still, a small part of me wondered: why was someone like Ethan always alone?
And why did I care?