Imani Okafor strutted down the school hallway like she owned it because, well, she kind of did.
Clad in her signature cropped denim jacket, stacked gold hoops, and her new sneakers she begged her mom to buy but ended up getting herself with babysitting money, she walked like someone with no worries in the world. Her tight curls were in a perfectly styled puff, her lip gloss shimmered like glass, and her laugh echoed across the lockers like a melody everyone wanted to hear.
"You're early for once," Kayla teased, appearing beside her in a fitted varsity jacket and tight braids that swung when she walked.
Imani shrugged, her voice smooth. "New semester. New energy. Time to let the peasants know the queen is back."
Kayla rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "You're so extra."
"And you love it."
They made their way toward their lockers as students paused to glance their way some with admiration, others with envy. The hallways buzzed with whispers, stares, and excited greetings. Everyone knew Imani. Whether they liked her or not was irrelevant she was the kind of girl you remembered.
"I saw Malik," Kayla said carefully, glancing sideways.
Imani stiffened for half a second. "And?"
"He was with Tasha."
Imani didn't miss a beat. "Let her have him. They deserve each other."
Kayla didn't push it, but her silence said she didn't believe her. Still, Imani just kept walking, flashing a megawatt smile as she passed Tasha and Malik, who were very clearly trying to be seen. Imani didn't flinch. She raised an eyebrow, cocked her head, and turned to Kayla like they were in on a private joke.
Across the hallway, a new face watched everything quietly.
Noah.
He was tall, lean, and leaned casually against a locker like he'd been standing there for hours, though he'd just transferred in. His hood was up despite school rules, and his backpack hung loose over one shoulder. He didn't speak. He barely blinked. He just... observed.
Imani didn't notice him at first. Why would she? The hallway was filled with people already trying too hard to be noticed. But something made her glance his way and their eyes met.
It was only a second.
But in that second, it was like silence dropped around them. His eyes were almond-shaped, dark, unreadable. He didn't look away like everyone else usually did. He held her gaze.
Then, just as fast, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
"…Okay, who was that?" Imani asked, more to herself than Kayla.
"Huh?" Kayla followed her gaze. "Who?"
"There was this guy… never mind."
A bell rang, and they headed to homeroom.
By third period, the name "Noah Li" was already whispered around the halls.
Transferred from out of state. Crazy good at painting. Never talks. Weird family. Some said he was mute too. Others claimed he was in juvenile detention last year. The rumors were already flying ,and Imani heard them all.
She saw him again in art class.
While everyone else gossiped or tried too hard, Noah worked quietly at the back of the room, sketching something with fast, smooth strokes. He didn't seem to notice anyone.
Imani, of course, noticed him.
The teacher paired them together for the semester's portfolio project. She didn't know if it was luck or a curse.
He didn't even look up when she sat beside him.
"Hey," she said.
No response.
"I'm Imani."
Still nothing.
She frowned. "Okay then."
He slid a pencil across the table toward her. A small, almost invisible smile tugged at his lips. Then, he gestured to the blank page in front of her, raising an eyebrow.
Was this… a challenge?
"Oh, you want me to draw?" she smirked, accepting the pencil. "You clearly don't know who I am. I can slay an outfit, slay a dancefloor, slay a debate...but I cannot draw to save my life."
Noah just stared at her.
"Fine," she muttered. "But don't laugh."
She drew a lopsided smiley face.
He blinked, then gave her the tiniest of nods, like that would suffice.
Imani tilted her head. "You don't talk, do you?"
Noah didn't answer.
But something about him,his calm, steady silence didn't' annoy her like she thought it would. It intrigued her.
Later, Imani sat in the cafeteria with Kayla, picking at her food.
"Noah Li?" Kayla echoed. "The quiet one from homeroom? Girl, he's kinda fine."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Imani sipped her juice and pretended not to care. "He's… different."
"You like different."
"I like interesting. There's a difference."
Kayla smirked. "Well, his mom? Not so nice. She's a teacher strict as hell, always yelling at students who even think about chewing gum."
"She's his mom?"
"Yep. Mrs. Li. You didn't know?"
Imani blinked. That made things even more interesting.
After school, Imani lingered in the parking lot, waiting for her Uber. She saw him again Noah walking ahead toward a small gray car. The woman driving had stern eyes and didn't smile when he approached. In the back seat, a little boy bounced and waved at Noah. A man sat in the front passenger seat, silent, with soft eyes and hands that moved rapidly sign language.
Noah responded in signs just as fast.
Imani watched, spellbound.
He wasn't mute.
But someone in his family was.
And for the first time in a long while, Imani felt something stir, a curiosity deeper than gossip or popularity or revenge.
Who was Noah Li really?
And why did she suddenly want to know?