The first day at a new school always felt like stepping into a completely different universe. Northern Heights Academy was enormous, with polished hallways that reflected the morning sunlight and lockers lined up like sentinels guarding secrets. Luna clutched her bag straps a little tighter as she stepped inside, trying to convince herself that she wasn't nervous at all.
New school. New faces. New rules.
She had been a new admission, transferred from another branch, and everything felt foreign yet exciting. The chatter of students, the echo of shoes against the floors, the faint smell of chalk and polished desks — it all combined into a strange, overwhelming symphony. She tried to walk confidently, but her heart raced faster than she expected.
"Alright, Luna, just act normal," she whispered to herself, adjusting the strap of her bag. She didn't want to trip over a desk or draw attention in the wrong way.
When she entered her classroom, she froze for a moment. The seats were arranged in pairs, and the teacher was calling names, pairing girls with boys — a system that seemed designed to create chaos. Luna's gaze fell on a boy leaning casually against a desk, dark hair slightly messy, sharp eyes scanning the room. He plopped his bag down beside the seat assigned to her.
That had to be Peryn.
"Guess who's going to be annoying you all year?" he said, loud enough that the surrounding students glanced their way.
Luna blinked, unsure if he was serious. "Me?" she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Or you?"
"Details," he said, tilting his head like he had already solved the universe's greatest mystery. Luna felt an unexpected mix of annoyance and curiosity — and maybe something else she wasn't ready to name.
Beside her, Sayuri smiled softly, her presence calm and grounding, a stark contrast to Peryn's playful chaos. Across the aisle sat Akio, Peryn's best friend, with sharp features and serious eyes that seemed to analyze everything, including Luna herself. At the back, Hina, the mischievous mutual friend, grinned like she already knew every secret this classroom might hold.
The first day blurred in a haze of introductions, seating arrangements, and whispered chaos. Luna noticed little things about Peryn immediately — the way he smirked when correcting someone's mistake, the subtle way his eyes flicked to her desk as if he were already tracking her every move.
During the first science class, Luna struggled to follow a complicated experiment. Peryn, of course, noticed. He leaned slightly over his desk, whispering sarcastic comments with a teasing lilt, and Luna caught herself laughing, even though she knew she shouldn't.
"Luna, that's not how you mix it," he said softly, enough to make her cheeks heat up.
"I… I know!" she whispered back, flustered, her hands trembling slightly as she followed his instructions.
Hina, from the back, nudged Sayuri and whispered, "They're like a live anime duo, aren't they?" Sayuri rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her small smile. Luna felt her heart skip at the comment — though she didn't realize it yet, Hina had already noticed the tiny sparks forming between her and Peryn.
Akio, sitting beside Peryn, tried to maintain a composed expression, but Luna could sense his growing frustration. He had liked her from afar, and now Peryn was occupying all her attention, teasing and caring in equal measure. Luna's stomach fluttered uncomfortably — she wasn't sure if it was excitement, nervousness, or just the sheer chaos of having someone notice her so intensely.
Every small gesture from Peryn seemed intentional. When she dropped a pen, he would pick it up and hand it back with a smirk that made her flustered. When she mispronounced a word during a reading exercise, he corrected her gently, but in a way that made her feel… special.
By the end of the first week, the playful rivalry had slowly evolved into a peculiar friendship. Luna laughed at his jokes, even when they were mildly annoying. She noticed when he leaned slightly closer during lessons, how he seemed to watch her quietly while pretending to ignore everyone else. The hallways of Northern Heights Academy weren't just full of students and noise — they were full of unspoken signals, small moments that carried far more meaning than she could articulate.
Walking out of the classroom on Friday, Luna caught Peryn's eye across the aisle. He smirked, and she found herself smiling back, unable to explain why her chest felt like it had just run a marathon. Somewhere deep down, she realized that her new school wasn't just a fresh start academically — it was a whirlwind of teasing, attention, and the unpredictable thrill of someone noticing her in ways no one else had.
And Luna had a feeling, even then, that life at Northern Heights Academy was going to be a lot more interesting than she'd ever imagined.