As I stepped through the doors of Piety High, the crisp wind whipped against my cheeks, sending a shiver down my spine. There was an electric buzz in the air—a feeling that something monumental was about to unfold.
I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the nagging sense of dread.
Until an unmistaken voice rang out my name “Isabella Ramirez!” The voice pierced through my thoughts, pulling me back to reality. It was Mia Sullivan, my best friend, her energy as infectious as ever. She rushed toward me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. I couldn’t help but smile, even as curiosity gnawed at me. What news was swirling in that head of hers now?
“Hey, what’s up?” I greeted, my smile widening despite the unease settling in my stomach.
“Have you heard the latest?” she asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, glancing around as if sharing the world’s biggest secret.
I chuckled softly; this was classic Mia. She was always in the know. “What now?” I asked, rolling my eyes, trying to feign indifference.
Her expression turned serious. “You won’t believe it!”
Impatience bubbled up inside me. “Come on, Mimi, just spit it out already!”
“I heard Landon Brooks has transferred back today!”
A chill shot through me. My heart sank. “Who?” I asked, but deep down, I knew exactly who she meant—the one person who had haunted my high school experience.
Oh no! He was back in school today.
For two long years, I had managed to escape his grasp, finally breathing freely in the absence of his torment. But now? The memories rushed back, dark and suffocating. He had turned every hallway into a battlefield, and I had barely survived.
“It’ll be fine,” Mia reassured me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I nodded, but doubt clawed at my insides.
As we entered the classroom, I felt an almost magnetic pull toward the back of the room, where he sat. The air thickened, charged with an energy that made my skin prickle.
He sat there like a king, surveying his realm, and I could feel the weight of his gaze even before I turned to look. My heart raced beneath my chest, pounding like a locomotive train.
The bell rang once again, signaling the end of class, and I hastily packed my things, desperate to escape. But why was I scared? What could he possibly do to me now?
He wasn’t like this with anyone else, except for just me.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Memories of the past flooded back—with two years of peace shattered in just an instant. All I wanted was to navigate my final year of high school without him reigniting old fears.
Suddenly, a loud bang against my locker jolted me, and I jumped back with a yelp.
It was Landon, standing there with that infuriating smirk—a reminder of all the chaos he brought into my life.
“Are you gonna sit down or what?” he taunted, laughter spilling from the crowd surrounding him.
I froze, my heart still racing. This was only the beginning.
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