All because of a jacket

“I wanna go to the school that he goes to. Period,” Nyla declared, her voice leaving no room for argument while Isabelle was serving breakfast.

Her mother giggled, setting down a plate. “What if he's homeschooled?”

Nyla rolled her eyes, quickly gulping down her orange juice in order to avoid answering. Deep down, she didn't know what she would do if he actually was homeschooled. The thought alone made her chest feel tight.

Abruptly, her dad walked out of his room, a bright smile on his face. “I've got good news, Nyla!”

She gave him a sharp, questioning look. “What is it, Dad?”

“I think I found out where he goes. It's a private international school down the street, and surprisingly, it's pretty close to us.”

Nyla's eyes instantly sparkled.

“But there is one problem,” her dad hesitated, his smile fading a bit.

“What?”

“It's too expensive. I don't think we can afford it—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Nyla interjected fiercely, “I can get a job! I promise I'll do anything to get my admission into that school.”

Isabelle and Vincent looked at each other, silent for a moment before nodding their heads in sync. For them, their daughter's happiness was the most important thing in the world.

The plan was executed.

When Monday morning arrived, the air felt charged with anticipation. Nyla quickly got into her new uniform, styled her hair into a neat half-updo, grabbed her bag, and practically flew to the car.

“Dad, I'm so excited!” she beamed as they drove.

“I know, princess. I hope you enjoy your new school.”

When they pulled up, Nyla’s eyes scanned the grounds. The campus was massive—way bigger than anything she was used to. There was fresh green grass stretching across the courtyard, kids running around, and even a set of swings in the distance.

Heart hammering, she began walking through the crowd, completely distracted, until she abruptly bumped right into someone.

“Hey,” she said, stumbling back as her gaze followed upward. It was a girl. “I'm so sorry!” Nyla apologized quickly.

“It's okay… you just caught me off guard,” the girl smiled, brushing off her skirt. “I'm Lily, nice to meet you!”

Nyla returned the greeting, a wave of relief washing over her.

They walked down the crowded hallway together, chatting easily. “So, you're from Italy?” Nyla asked.

“Yep, I'm a transfer student,” Lily replied with a grin.

It turned out that Lily and Nyla shared their very first class, making it obvious they would be hanging out often. The lessons went amazingly well, and by the end of the period, they had already exchanged numbers.

Later in the day, Nyla found herself with a free period while Lily went off to her next class. She was standing beside her locker, adjusting her books. But the moment she swung the metal door shut, a familiar voice cut through the hallway.

“Hey, you've been standing here for a while. Is everything fine?”

Nyla froze. “Damian,” she whispered, backing away a little. She could not stop her heart from palpitating wildly against her ribs.

He leaned against the lockers, studying her. “How do you know my name? I think I saw you—”

Nyla immediately changed the subject, her voice high and breathless. “Oh… I'm just really good at guessing, you know?”

He raised a single, skeptical brow. “I don't think that it's a coincidence.”

Nyla's hands were shaking violently. To act like she didn't care, she began nervously fumbling with her locker key, but Damian’s sharp eyes immediately noticed the tremor in her fingers before moving up to lock onto her gaze.

They made intense eye contact, causing Nyla to immediately look down at her shoes, her cheeks burning.

“What’s your name?” he asked, his tone completely nonchalant.

“Nyla,” she replied flatly, trying to steady her voice.

“Cool. Then I'll see you around!”

He turned on his heel and was about to walk away, but a desperate surge of panic hit Nyla. Without thinking, she reached out, held his arm, and whispered, “Wait!”

Damian stopped dead in his tracks, looking down at her hand in absolute shock. Nobody in this school had the audacity to touch him besides his closest friends. He turned his torso toward her, his expression hardening. Realizing what she’d done, she immediately let go of his arm.

“You… you forgot to close your locker, I think!” she stammered, looking for any excuse.

“I don't have a locker,” his voice came out biting and cold as he turned and kept walking.

The moment he was out of earshot, Nyla banged her hand against the metal door. Shoot! You messed up, Nyla, and now he's gonna think you're an obsessed weirdo.

Great! she thought to herself in misery.

But it got worse. As her eyes followed him down the hall, she watched Damian pull off his jacket and throw it directly into a nearby trash bin—simply because she had touched it.

The harsh act cut her deep, leaving a dull ache in her chest. How could he do something so cruel?

“Hey, girl!” Lily suddenly tapped her shoulder, making her flinch.

“Gosh, you scared me!” Nyla let out a forced, awkward laugh, trying to mask the tears pricking her eyes.

Lily chuckled, completely oblivious, and led Nyla toward the cafeteria. “My class ended early today. I'm starving, let's get something to eat.”

Nyla tried to decline ordering anything because she didn't have any money on her, but Lily insisted on paying.

“What's this?” Nyla asked as Lily handed her a delicate pastry.

“An éclair. It’s an elongated choux pastry filled with rich chocolate custard and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze,” Lily explained proudly.

Nyla managed a small smile. “Goodness, your description sounds amazing.”

They sat down at a table, eating and gossiping, but Nyla’s attention was completely compromised. She turned around, her eyes instantly tracking Damian and Adrien across the cafeteria as they bought drinks.

“Hello? Earth to Nyla?” Lily shook her shoulder multiple times until Nyla finally snapped back to her senses.

The rest of the school day passed by way quicker than Nyla had anticipated. Soon, she was standing outside by the gates, waiting for her dad to pick her up. She watched Damian pass by with Adrien, the two of them giggling about something.

An hour ticked by, and her dad still hadn't arrived. Nyla tried calling his phone, but the line wasn't working. She swallowed hard, feeling small and stranded.

“I can drop you,” a smooth voice offered.

Nyla looked up, surprised to find Damian standing there, car keys dangling from his fingers. The memory of the hallway flashed in her mind, fueling a sudden spark of anger.

“Why are you being kind? You literally threw away your jacket because I touched it!” Nyla replied bluntly.

Damian let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. “Haha.”

“You'd probably throw away your car too if I sat in it, right?” she challenged.

“Maybe,” he replied coolly, unlocking the door. “Get in.”

Nyla stood her ground, her voice dropping to a painful whisper. “You changed a lot, Damian. You broke the pinky promise you made to your chika.”

Damian froze. He raised his eyebrow, his entire demeanor shifting as he stepped closer to her. “Chika?”

The word struck a chord deep inside him, pulling forward a rush of buried childhood memories. Something violently clicked in his brain. But before he could utter another word, a loud car horn beeped across the street.

It was Nyla's dad.

Nyla backed away slowly, maintaining intense eye contact with him before turning to run toward the vehicle.

“Nyla… chika,” Damian muttered to himself, the realization hitting him like a physical wave. She was my friend! How could I forget her? Panic flared in his chest, and he actually started running after her dad's car. But he was too slow. He watched as the car merged into traffic, slowly disappearing from view.

Inside the car, Vincent glanced at his daughter through the rearview mirror. “How was your day, honey?”

“It was fun. I made a new friend whose name is Lily.”

Vincent let out a warm chuckle, genuinely happy that his daughter was making connections and taking steps toward overcoming the deep attachment issues she had struggled with over the years.

Damian, on the other hand, was driving home with a mind entirely consumed by chaos. Had he really just met his childhood best friend? Remorse pooled in his stomach. He felt utterly terrible about the jacket incident.

“Hey, William,” Damian addressed his driver.

The driver simply hummed in response.

“Can you stop and get me roses from a shop?”

William nodded without asking any questions. He was already having a stressful day and didn't want to overcomplicate things.

Roses were Nyla's favorite flowers—at least, as far as Damian could remember from their childhood. He figured he could apologize and give them to her tomorrow.

Little did he know, she would cherish that single gesture forever.

The moment Nyla got home, she ran straight to her bedroom. She pulled out her scrapbook diary, flipping to a fresh page, her heart soaring as she wrote:

Dear Diary,

I met MY Damian today!

She heavily underlined the word my, meaning it with every single ounce of her heart.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***