Chapter 2

Noah Sterling

“Noah! Come sit beside me!”

Brooke’s voice cut through the classroom before I even stepped fully inside. She was already patting the empty chair next to her, lashes fluttering like it was some kind of performance. Her friends immediately joined in, a chorus of giggles and nudges, all eyes turning toward me.

I paused, fingers tightening around the strap of my bag.

Sitting there would mean noise. Endless talking. Forced laughter. Questions I didn’t feel like answering and attention I didn’t ask for. Brooke didn’t want company—she wanted an audience, and I was tired of playing that role.

My gaze drifted across the room instead, searching for somewhere quieter. Somewhere untouched by all the commotion.

And ah- there she is- Nyx the short ginger haired girl. She sat by the window, staring outside like the classroom didn’t exist. Her chin rested lightly against her palm, eyes unfocused, following something only she could see. She wasn’t trying to look distant or interesting. She just was. No whispers, no laughter, no subtle glances in my direction like the others gave me.

While half the class kept calling my name, tapping the empty seats beside them, Nyx didn’t move. Didn’t look back. Didn’t care. And for the first time all day, the space beside someone felt quiet.

So I took it.

Nyx Vale

Class was the same as always, yet somehow more unbearable today. I tried to focus on the board, on the words the teacher kept repeating, but my attention kept getting dragged away by the constant movement around me. Heads turning. Whispers. All because Noah Sterling was sitting beside me.

I didn’t know why he chose this seat, and honestly, I didn’t care. What bothered me were the people who suddenly couldn’t sit still.

Layla, the girl in front of me, laughed a little too loudly at nothing. Every few seconds, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, each movement exaggerated, calculated. I picked up my pen, trying to write, when her hair swung back again—straight into my eyes. The sharp sting made me flinch.

“Oops, sorry,” she giggled, not bothering to look at me. Her gaze slid past my shoulder instead, hopeful.

Noah didn’t smile. He didn’t laugh. He only looked at her, his expression flat and cold. The kind of look that shut things down without a single word. Layla stiffened, her shoulders dropping as she turned back around, suddenly very interested in her notebook.

I went back to my notes, blinking the irritation away, wishing the class would just return to being quiet again.

After the long torturous hours of class, I went to my lock to get my Biology textbook.

"Why were you sitting with Noah today?" Brooke's sharp voice made me snap out of my thoughts as her hand slammed beside my head on the locker.

"I wasn't sitting with him, he was the one who sat beside me..." I replied back.

"Oh so now you're saying he's giving you attention? Newsflash bitch..." Her lips curled into a smirk. "He's not interested."

I didn’t bother arguing. I just pulled my textbook out and shut the locker, the metal clang louder than her words. I’d heard worse before.

Her fingers closed around my jaw, rough and sudden, forcing my face up.

“You think you’re so smart and pretty?” she said, her voice low and sharp. “You think playing hard to get makes boys notice you?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t struggle either. I just stared past her, counting the seconds until she let go. She wanted a reaction. I wasn’t going to give her one.

Her friends gathered around me like shark stalking its prey. Brooke pushed me on the hard ground as my back slammed against the locker. She kicked my stomach once. Twice. Again and again till I coughed blood out. Pain surged through my body but I didn't give her a single bit of reaction she want.

"You worthless piece of shit." She gave me a final blow on my stomach.

"Tch whatever just a waste of time and energy" And with that she left.

I tried to stand but failed miserably as I coughed more blood out. This isn't going to be easy. The pain grew stronger and stronger. No one is around either. I lied here, counting each tile, each breath too painful to even take in properly and waited for a teacher to pass by and help me go to the infirmary.

I don't know how long I stayed there. Time stretched out, thinned, and stopped making it worse until I heard footsteps.

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