I always hated the first day back.
Not because I was behind on summer homework—I'd finished that two weeks ago out of boredom. Not because I didn't have clothes to wear—I'd picked them out the night before, just like every year.
It was the hallway. That long, fluorescent-lit tunnel of stares and whispers.
Denton High never changed. The smell of sweaty gym floors, soggy nachos, and industrial-strength cleaning spray filled my nostrils before I even stepped off the bus. I gripped the strap of my backpack tighter, trying to ignore the way my stomach was churning.
"Just blend in," I muttered to myself. "No one cares. No one's looking."
Except I cared. Because she might be.
Alicia Hart. Blonde, blue-eyed, and somehow glowing even under cheap school lighting. She stood near the lockers with a group of friends, laughing at something one of them said.
I didn't know her well. Not really. We had biology together last year and she once borrowed a pencil. But every time I saw her, something in my chest reacted like it had a mind of its own.
My heart thudded—loud, uninvited, and impossible to ignore. "Don't stare. Don't be creepy," I thought, immediately doing both.
She looked over. Just for a second. Not a glare, not a scowl—just a glance. And I panicked.
I turned so fast I almost slammed into a vending machine. Great start, Shino. Real smooth.
I could already hear the laughter. I ducked my head and moved down the hall, disappearing into the crowd. My cheeks burned. I could fix engines, skin a deer, shoot a target at a hundred yards—but I couldn't survive a smile from Alicia Hart.
And yet, somehow, that was going to be the easiest part of my day. Because soon, the world was going to end.
**
The first few classes passed in a blur of half-awake lectures and the hum of fluorescent lights. My mind kept drifting—part to Alicia, part to the weird news clips I watched with my dad over breakfast. Riots in Dallas, "flu-like symptoms" spreading fast. But no one seemed worried.
By third period, I was almost settled into the rhythm. Almost.
Then fate sucker-punched me with an elective I'd forgotten: Group Speech. Kill me.
And there she was. Alicia, sitting two rows down. I blinked like I was glitching. Same radiant smile, same careless elegance. She caught me looking, again. This time, she didn't look away.
"Shino, right?" she said during a partner exercise.
I swear the air left the room. "Uh... yeah," I said, somehow forgetting how to form vowels.
She smiled. "You're the guy who built that solar-powered phone charger for science fair last year, right?"
Wait— she remembered that
I nodded, my heart punching my ribs. "Y-yeah. That was me."
"That was really cool," she said. "I liked your presentation."
I wanted to say something witty. Smart. Memorable. Instead, I said: "Thanks. You're cool too. "I'm an idiot.
She giggled. Not the cruel kind. The kind that made me feel like maybe the world wasn't all that bad.
But of course, the universe couldn't let me have that moment.
"Looook who's flirting," a voice sneered behind me as we left class.
I didn't even need to turn. I knew that nasal whine anywhere—Colt Morgan, linebacker, walking cliché. Flanked by his goons, Logan and Bryce.
"Hey, nerd-boy," Colt said, elbowing past me. "Didn't know anime dorks scored girls like Alicia. You tell her about your samurai sword collection yet?"
Logan snorted. Bryce fake-bowed. "Senpai, notice me!" Bryce said in a terrible accent, doubling over in laughter.
I could've walked away. I should've walked away. But I just stood there, heat crawling up my neck.
"That's enough," Alicia said sharply.
They stopped.
Colt blinked. "What?"
"I said leave him alone." Her voice was calm, but firm—like she'd said it a thousand times before.
Colt laughed, a little too loudly. "C'mon, I was just messin' around."
"Yeah? Well, you're not funny." Alicia turned to me. "You okay?"
I nodded. Couldn't speak. My throat was sandpaper.
She gave me a soft smile and walked off, leaving the bullies behind. They didn't say anything after that. Just grumbled and shuffled away like kicked dogs.
But the damage was done. The hall had gone quiet. Eyes were on me.
I wanted to disappear.