WHO AM I

A NEW PLAYER

The karaoke night was a whirlwind of laughter, off-key singing, and unexpected fun. For a while, everything felt... normal. No more social media drama, no art competitions, just pure, unfiltered fun. But the next morning brought something entirely different—a wave of change that none of us saw coming.

As we gathered around the school courtyard, something—or rather, someone—caught my attention. A sleek, black limousine pulled up by the front gates. You know, the kind of car that immediately screams "I'm filthy rich." I raised an eyebrow. This was definitely out of place.

"What is that? Some kind of celebrity or something?" Jasper asked, shading his eyes from the sun to get a better look.

"Who shows up to school in a limo? Are we in a movie now?" Cathy added, clearly just as confused.

The door of the limousine swung open, and out stepped a guy who looked like he belonged in a fashion magazine—dark hair slicked back, sunglasses perched on his face, and a suit that looked way too expensive for a high schooler. He moved with an air of confidence that practically demanded attention.

"Who is that?" Lila whispered, her eyes wide as she watched the scene unfold.

Before anyone could answer, the mysterious guy strode over in our direction. Noah stiffened beside me, and I could almost feel the tension radiating from him. Something about this guy seemed off... or maybe it was just the whole "billionaire entrance" that threw us all off balance.

He finally stopped in front of us, and with a casual smirk, he pulled down his sunglasses, locking eyes with Lila. "You must be Lila."

Lila blinked, taken aback. "Uh... yeah. And you are?"

"I'm Renzo." His voice was smooth, dripping with charm. "I just transferred here. I've heard a lot about you."

"Wait, what?" I blurted out, unable to keep my thoughts in check. "You just transferred, and you already know who Lila is?"

Renzo chuckled lightly. "I do my homework. Besides, when someone makes waves like Lila has, it's hard not to hear about it."

Lila looked like she didn't know whether to be flattered or creeped out. "Waves? What waves?"

"The art show, the social media buzz... you're more popular than you think," Renzo said, his eyes never leaving hers. "I admire that."

Noah, who had been quiet the whole time, finally stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "What do you want, Renzo?"

Renzo turned to Noah, his smile never faltering. "I don't want anything—except maybe to get to know Lila better. Is that a problem?"

Before Noah could respond, the bell rang, breaking the tension. Renzo flashed us all another smile, then turned and walked away, leaving us standing there, confused and a little shaken.

Lila stared after him, her mind clearly racing. "What just happened?"

Jasper clapped his hands together. "Well, looks like we've got ourselves a real-life soap opera going on now."

Cathy grinned. "And I'm living for it."

As the day went on, Renzo's appearance stirred up more questions than answers. Lila was quiet, clearly unsettled by the attention, and Noah... well, Noah was acting weird too. He'd always been protective of Lila, but something about Renzo seemed to push his buttons in a way I hadn't seen before.

Later that afternoon, we were all sitting by the school fountain when Renzo approached again—this time with a proposition.

"I've got an idea," he said smoothly, sitting down next to us like he belonged. "There's a gallery opening downtown tonight. Exclusive, invitation-only event. I've got a few extra invites. Thought you might want to come with me, Lila."

Lila blinked, caught off guard. "A gallery? Tonight?"

"Yeah, it's an important event. You'd fit right in." He pulled out a sleek, silver envelope from his jacket and handed it to her. "Let me know if you're interested."

Noah narrowed his eyes. "You've been here one day, and you're already inviting people to fancy events?"

Renzo shrugged. "I have my connections. It's part of who I am. When you have certain privileges, you might as well use them, right?"

The tension was thick as Lila looked down at the invitation, clearly torn. She didn't want to seem ungrateful, but something about Renzo made everyone uneasy.

"I'll think about it," she finally said, her voice uncertain.

Renzo smiled, standing up. "Good. I'll be waiting."