The air around the hall was thick with murmurs and perfume. She hated places like this — full of people pretending to be something they weren't.
Hazel adjusted the strap of her bag and tried to ignore the stares. It wasn't every day someone walked into Ridgewood Academy halfway through the term. She didn't care though. She'd learned long ago not to care what anyone thought.
Then she saw him.
Adrian.
He leaned against the wall like he owned the place, hands buried in his pockets, head tilted slightly as he watched her with those unreadable gray eyes. There was something in his stare — not interest, not curiosity — more like quiet amusement, the kind that said you don't matter.
She felt her jaw tighten. "What?" she snapped, meeting his gaze.
He smirked, slow and deliberate. "Nothing. Just didn't think they were admitting strays this year."
Her eyes narrowed. "And I didn't think they were still letting jerks roam free."
A few students snickered nearby, whispering. Adrian's smirk didn't falter — if anything, it deepened. He stepped closer, close enough for her to notice the faint scent of smoke and leather clinging to him.
"You should be careful," he murmured. "This school eats people alive. Especially the ones who think they can bite back."
Hazel refused to move, even when his voice dropped lower, darker. "Good," she said. "Then I'll fit right in."
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes — surprise, maybe. But it was gone before she could name it.
He turned away, leaving her standing in the hallway with her pulse racing and her pride intact.
And just like that, Hazel knew one thing for sure — she hated Adrian Blackmore.
But hate has a way of turning into something else. Something worse.