"You have no idea what you are," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, sending a shiver down my spine. "But you will. And when you do... everything will change."
____
Simone is a high school senior forced to move to a strange town called Greenw...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I found Room 204 and slipped inside, hoping to blend into the background.
The teacher, a middle-aged man with graying hair and a stern expression, glanced up from his desk.
"Ah, you must be Simone Heartstone," Mr. Diaz said, looking at his roster. "Welcome. Please, take a seat."
I nodded and found an empty seat near the back. As I settled in, I noticed the other students glancing my way, sizing up the new girl.
I forced myself to look straight ahead, trying to ignore the glances.
The class dragged on, Mr. Diaz's monotonous voice doing little to hold my attention. I doodled absentmindedly in my notebook, my mind wandering back to the life I had left behind.
Greenwood High felt like an alien world, and I was struggling to find my place in it.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was exhausted. Emily had offered to show me to the cafeteria, and I gratefully took her up on it.
The cafeteria was a cacophony of noise, filled with students laughing, talking, and clattering their trays.
I followed Emily through the chaos, but as soon as we entered, she was swept away by a group of her friends. Left on my own, I grabbed a tray of food and looked around for a place to sit.
After scanning the room for an empty seat, I spotted a girl sitting alone at a table near the back. She was dressed in bright pink clothes, a stark contrast to the muted tones everyone else seemed to favor.
With no better options, I made my way over and sat down across from her.
"Hi," I said, offering a tentative smile. "Mind if I sit here?"
She looked up from her lunch, her eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, uh, sure. I'm Lily."
"Simone," I replied, relieved to have found someone to talk to.
We chatted for a few minutes, and I found myself starting to relax. Lily was easy to talk to, and her quirky sense of style and offbeat sense of humor were a welcome distraction from the overwhelming newness of everything. She seemed fairly normal to be sitting alone at lunch.
Our conversation was abruptly interrupted by a loud, derisive voice. "Ew, why are you talking to her? That's the weirdo."
I looked up to see Genny standing there, her entourage flanking her like bodyguards.
Her icy gaze was fixed on Lily, and the cruel smirk on her face made my blood boil for some reason.
"Excuse me?" I said, standing up to face Genny. "What's your problem?"
Genny's eyes narrowed. "My problem is you talking to that loser," she sneered. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"I don't care who you are," I shot back. "You have no right to treat people like that."
The cafeteria had gone eerily quiet, all eyes on us. Genny's smirk faded, replaced by a look of pure venom.
"Big mistake, new girl," she hissed. "You'll regret this."
Just then, a chubby guy with glasses hurried over, his face pale with anxiety. "Please, Genny, just leave them alone," he said, his voice trembling. "It's not worth it."
With one last withering look, Genny turned on her heel and stalked off, her entourage following close behind.
The tension in the room seemed to lift slightly as they left, and I sank back into my seat, my heart pounding.
"Thanks," Lily said quietly, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Most people just let her do whatever she wants."
"No problem," I replied, forcing a smile. "Someone needed to stand up to her."
Nate, the guy with the glasses, took a seat next to us. "That was brave," he said, his voice still shaking. "But you should be careful. Genny can make your life miserable. I mean look at Li-nvm."
"I'll keep that in mind," I said, looking around the cafeteria. Weird, so something really did happen between Lily and Genny.
I quickly noticed that people were still watching us, whispering to each other. I sighed, realizing that my attempt to stay under the radar had failed spectacularly.
As we finished our lunch, Nate and Lily filled me in on the social dynamics of Greenwood High. The school was a microcosm of cliques and hierarchies, with Genny firmly at the top.
Her father being the mayor gave her a level of influence that was hard to challenge, and she used it to control and intimidate those around her.
Despite the rough start, I found comfort in knowing that not everyone at Greenwood High was like Genny. Nate and Lily were kind and welcoming, and I was grateful for their friendship. Or at least till I graduate.
After lunch, each class was a new challenge to me, each teacher a new hurdle to overcome.
By the time the final bell rang, I was more than ready to go home. I stepped outside and sat on the steps, waiting for my grandma to pick me up.
As I scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, I noticed a figure standing near the edge of the school grounds. It was the same handsome boy from earlier.
Curious, I got up and walked over, stopping a few feet away.
He was kneeling beside an injured bird, its wing twisted at an odd angle. But instead of helping it, he simply stared at it, his expression unreadable.
"Hey," I called softly. "Is the bird okay?"
He didn't look up, but his jaw tightened. "Stay away," he said coldly.
"I was just making conversation." I blinked, taken aback by his harsh tone.
"I don't need your conversation," he snapped, finally looking up. His striking blue eyes were filled with an unsettling intensity. "Just stay away from me."
I took a step back, feeling a mix of confusion and anger. "Fine," I muttered. "Whatever."
I turned and walked back to the steps, my mind racing.
Who was that guy? And why was he so hostile? It seemed like everyone in Greenwood with a pretty face had a terrible personality.
As I sat down again, I saw my grandma's car pulling into the driveway. I got up and hurried over, eager to leave the strange encounter behind.
"How was your first day?" Grandma Darla asked as I got in the car.
"It was... interesting," I said, glancing back at the boy one last time before we drove away. "Very interesting."
