Two years earlier…
Ethan stood stiffly at the gates of Westbridge Academy, his suitcase in one hand, his admission papers in the other. The towering red-brick buildings loomed over him, their tall windows reflecting the pale morning sun. Students in crisp uniforms streamed past, some laughing in groups, others walking briskly as though they already knew exactly where they belonged.
Ethan felt like a shadow among them — unnoticed, unwanted.
This was supposed to be a fresh start. His old school had been nothing but humiliation, his grades slipping, his name always on teachers' lists for "not meeting expectations." Here, maybe things could change. At least, that was what he told himself as he tightened his grip on the suitcase handle and stepped inside.
But by the end of his first week, Ethan realized Westbridge wasn't going to be much different.
---
It started with the whispers.
"Who's the new kid?"
"He looks weird."
"Does he even talk?"
Then came the snickers. His thick glasses, the way he squinted at the blackboard, the quiet way he answered when called on — everything about him seemed to invite laughter. When he stumbled over his words, they mocked him. When he dropped his books in the hall, they snatched them up and tossed them around like a game.
And when he tried to bury himself in his studies, hoping good grades would silence them, the numbers betrayed him.
No matter how hard he studied, his test scores came back low. His teachers frowned, confused. How could a boy who spent so much time with his nose in books fail so often?
Ethan didn't have an answer. He just felt… broken.
---
It wasn't until midterm that one teacher finally noticed.
"Ethan," Mrs. Calloway said gently after class one afternoon, adjusting her spectacles as she peered at his half-finished exam paper. "Why do you hold your book so close to your face?"
Ethan blinked. "I… I don't know. It helps me read better, I guess."
Her eyes softened. "When was the last time you had your vision checked?"
He shrugged. "Never."
That weekend, she arranged for him to see an optometrist in town. The result was simple but life-changing: Ethan needed glasses. His eyesight had been failing him for years, blurring the letters and numbers until his brain strained itself into exhaustion.
The first time he put on the new frames, the world sharpened. The blackboard's chalk marks, once a haze of white smudges, now stood out crisp and clear. The pages of his textbooks no longer swam before his eyes.
And for the first time, his grades began to rise.
---
But grades weren't enough to change his reputation.
By then, the damage was done. The bullies had already crowned him the class nerd, the invisible boy, the easy target. Daniel, the so-called "Prince" of Westbridge, led the charge with his perfect smile and his cruel laughter. Every stumble Ethan made was fuel for their fun.
"Watch out, four-eyes."
"Careful, he might trip over his own shadow."
Ethan learned to keep his head down, to bite back words, to walk with his books clutched tightly to his chest. He endured it all, waiting for the day when his work would finally speak louder than their voices.
---
And then, everything changed.
It was early spring when a new transfer arrived. The classroom buzzed with excitement as the teacher introduced her — Aria.
She was the opposite of Ethan in every possible way. Bright, confident, charming. The kind of girl who lit up a room just by entering it. Her smile was easy, her laugh effortless, and within minutes, half the class wanted to be her friend.
Ethan, sitting quietly in the back, didn't think she even noticed him.
But then the teacher glanced at the rows of desks and said, "There's an empty seat next to Ethan. Aria, you can sit there."
The room went silent.
Ethan felt every pair of eyes snap toward him, followed by muffled giggles. He sank lower in his chair, heat rushing to his cheeks.
Aria hesitated for just a second, her friends already whispering warnings. Don't sit with him. He's a loser. You'll regret it.
But with a small smile, she walked over and slid into the seat beside him.
"Hi," she said softly, her voice carrying a warmth that startled him.
Ethan blinked at her, caught off guard. He managed a nod, his throat too tight to form words.
And just like that, the first thread between them was tied.
---
But things weren't easy.
At first, Aria avoided him outside of class, her friends' whispers pulling her away. Whenever they teased her for sitting beside him, she would laugh nervously and drift toward their circle. Ethan couldn't blame her. Who would want to be seen with the outcast?
Still, fate seemed determined to push them together. In the library, she bumped into him by accident, sending his books tumbling. In the cafeteria, the only empty seat left was across from him. Even on rainy afternoons, when students huddled indoors, she always seemed to end up in the same corner of the common room.
Slowly, the awkward silences began to break.
One afternoon, while Ethan was buried in his textbook, a hand suddenly reached across his desk and snapped it shut.
Startled, he looked up. Aria leaned forward, her eyes playful but tired.
"Do you ever stop reading?" she teased. Then her smile faltered. "Actually… can I talk to you? For real?"
Ethan blinked. "About what?"
Her voice dropped lower. "I'm failing. My parents said if I don't improve, they'll pull me out of Westbridge. And you… you're the smartest person in this class. You're the only one who can help me."
Ethan stared at her, shocked. No one had ever asked for his help before.
But before he could answer, Daniel's voice rang from across the room, dripping with mockery.
"Well, isn't this cute? The nerd and the princess."
Laughter erupted.
Ethan's chest tightened. He had spent years enduring Daniel's cruelty, but now Aria was being dragged into it. His first instinct was to refuse her — to push her away and spare her the pain.
But then he looked at her eyes. Desperate. Determined. And for the first time, someone needed him.
---
✨ Cliffhanger Ending for Chapter 4:
Ethan swallowed hard, his mind warring between fear and hope. Helping Aria meant more bullying, more humiliation. But it also meant… maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to be invisible anymore.
"Please," she whispered.
And Ethan knew his life at Westbridge was about to change forever.