Gabriel slipped through the front doors of Jesovalt High just as the first bell rang, his breath fogging lightly from the morning chill. Without missing a step, he broke into a sprint, weaving past half-awake students and dodging open lockers. He was cutting it close. Again.
He had Biology first period, and Ms. Shaina didn't tolerate lateness, especially from repeat offenders. She was a petite woman with sharp eyes, thick-rimmed glasses, and long black hair. On the surface, she was quiet, petite, and welcoming. But for those who thought they'd have it easy, they learned quickly to never judge a book by its cover. Because one tardy, and you'd be serving detention until your hair turned grey.
Gabriel, sprinting as fast as he could, burst into the biology lab, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to gather his breath. He hunched over, hands on his knees and a hand in the air signaling for anyone to help him, but no one paid him any mind. The students were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice.
Gabriel waited there for a moment as he gathered his breath, then stood up only to notice Ms. Shaina hadn't arrived yet. He exhaled a soft sigh of relief, then sat in the nearest available seat to him.
Seconds later, the door opened, and in she walked.
"Good morning class, I hope you've all had a fruitful morning," she said with a huge smile on her face and a pile of science books in her arms.
"Good morning, Miss," the class echoed back, voices uneven and tired from the lack of sleep.
At first glance, it seemed like the day might pass without any issues. But then Gabriel caught Harry watching him from two rows down, eyes narrowed like knives. Gabriel didn't know what the boy's problem was today. He usually tried to avoid him, but from the look on his face, Harry had already decided that avoiding him wouldn't be an option.
Ms. Shaina walked to the front of the class, put down her books on her desk, then clapped her hands to wake up those who looked half-asleep.
"Today, we're dissecting frogs," she said. "Find a partner, collect your tools, and remember… you'll need to label each organ correctly on your worksheet. Failure to do so will result in your failing."
Chairs scraped back immediately. Gabriel stood and locked eyes with Jai-Lee across the room. They made a beeline for each other.
"Partners?" he asked casually.
She scoffed. "Like you've got any other options," she laughed jokingly.
"Come on then," Gabriel said. "If we're too slow, we'll be stuck with the runt."
They walked over to the table that had the tray of science subjects and picked a decent-sized frog and settled into their workstation. Jai-Lee already had that mischievous glint in her eye.
"You know you look like a mad scientist when you get like this," Gabriel teased as she eyed the scalpel she twirled between her fingers.
"I feel like that's my cue to cackle and rant about world domination," she said, sliding the scalpel just out of his reach, "but Ms. Shaina has a zero-tolerance policy on fun. And my dad said one more detention and I can kiss my birthday gift goodbye."
Gabriel chuckled as she leaned over the frog. "That's tragic. Maybe you should become a mad scientist. Prove a point."
"Exactly what I was thinking. He wants to act like villains? I'll show him how it's done," she replied, grinning as she made the first incision.
Gabriel turned his head, momentarily grossed out. "You're way too comfortable with this."
"Oh, come on. You're not even doing anything. I'm the one playing surgeon."
Gabriel offered a wry smile. He didn't say it out loud, but moments like this made him a little jealous of Jai-Lee. Her father might nag, hover, and meddle, but at least he was there. His mom was trying, but she was stretched too thin. His dad? He existed in texts, phone calls, and broken promises. Always too busy. Always just one project away from being present, and an empty reserved seat at every game and recital.
She caught the change in his expression. "You okay?"
"Yeah." He nodded, brushing it off. "Just thinking."
They didn't need to say more. She understood.
The rest of the period passed in a blur of frog guts and quiet jokes. Gabriel and Jai-Lee worked in rhythm, their banter a steady shield against the rest of the world. The bell rang and everyone rushed to put their projects away and head toward history class, otherwise known as nap class.
"Remember class, you have homework to do," Ms. Shaina shouted over the loud chatter and laughter as the kids tried to leave the room. "If you don't do it, you'll have to stay after school tomorrow to do it."
"Yes Miss, we know," said one of the students.
"Okay Miss, we've got you," said another, as they all headed out of the classroom and down the hall towards history class.
Gabriel entered the class and took his usual seat in the back and stared blankly at the chalkboard while Mr. Carson launched into a lecture about the French Revolution. The man had been teaching for decades and sounded like he was reading from a faded script, with no passion, just a man on autopilot who sounded like he had told this story far more times than any man should ever have to.
Gabriel's notebook stayed open, untouched. He watched sunlight drift across the desk instead, feeling the weight of the morning catching up to him. At the front of the class, Jai-Lee tapped her pen against her chin, half-listening. She didn't bother pretending to pay attention. Instead, she glanced back and raised a brow.
A few seconds later, his phone buzzed.
Jai-Lee: You bored yet?
Gabriel: Dying and I'm tired. I wonder if he closed his eyes would he be able to recite the entire French Revolution by memory lmao.
He stifled a grin, but it faded quickly. That uncomfortable sensation was back, that sense that someone was watching him. And, lo and behold, his intuition was right. When he turned around, Harry was watching him yet again two rows over, arms folded, his gaze fixed on him with that same sneer he always wore. Like Gabriel's existence offended him.
Gabriel pocketed his phone and turned back to the board, feigning interest in Mr. Carson's monotone delivery. The lecture dragged on, but eventually, mercifully, the bell rang.
He packed up quickly, eager to slip out unnoticed, but he had no such luck. Harry and his football friends had already made it to the door before him.
"Hey, rich boy," Harry spat, with a huge smile carved from corner to corner.
"Harry, you always say this and I always have the same reply," Gabriel said, head low and trying to avoid eye contact. "Just because my father owns a lab doesn't necessarily mean he's rich. I wouldn't be at this school if he was."
Harry's friends were staring at him, waiting for his reply. Harry looked down at Gabriel's books and grinned so hard all his teeth were on show.
"Need help carrying all that? Or is your locker too good for your fancy books and pens?"
Gabriel didn't answer. He kept his gaze down and began stuffing his books into his bag. He knew the routine: don't escalate. But Harry stepped closer anyway, trying to goad him. Gabriel could smell the sweat on his football jacket and see the torn edges of his backpack covered in stickers.
A few students hovered nearby. One of them, Jason, cleared his throat, then pretended to check his schedule and walked away. No one was stepping in. They never did.
That was the unspoken rule at Jesovalt High. Don't get involved unless you wanted to be next. Gabriel glanced up and spotted Ms. Riley walking past with a stack of papers in the hallway. Harry noticed her too and backed off, sinking into the sea of students heading toward the next period.
"Next time, loser," he spat as he walked off into the distance with his team of muscle-bound football players.
Gabriel caught Jai-Lee's eye across the room. She looked concerned. He gave a small nod. He was fine; he wasn't new to this. Harry had hated him since day one. The moment he stepped into the school, Harry decided he didn't like him, and still to this day he never gave Gabriel a real reason why he picked on him.
Gabriel transferred to Jesovalt High in his sophomore year after being suspended from his private school. Not for the reason you'd think—like most kids that got kicked out of school, it wasn't for fighting or constantly skipping class. For Gabriel, it was his curiosity that got the better of him.
He broke into the chemistry lab in his old school after hours. His science teacher showed them something cool and he wanted to surprise him by showing him he had it down, but that was the thing: Gabriel didn't know exactly what he was mixing, so he guessed. He began mixing, piling in substance after substance, then bang—one minor explosion set off the alarm and he was caught by the janitor who came rushing in only to see Gabriel on the floor and chemicals everywhere. Gabriel had tried to explain—he just wanted to see what would happen. He wasn't trying to cause harm. But no one was listening.
His parents were called in the next day and he was expelled. And from that moment on, he'd felt like the black sheep. His dad stopped trusting him. His mom hovered. And instead of helping him through it, they dumped him into public school to "see how the real world worked."
Jai reached out, placing a consoling hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "I'm good, Jai. I'm not a baby," he said, visibly annoyed by Harry and his friends.
"I know, Gabe, but that doesn't stop me from being a friend now, does it?" Jai-Lee said as she pulled her hand away from his shoulder and rested it at her side.
"I'm sorry, Jai," Gabriel responded, throwing his bag over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go," he continued as he walked out of the room.
Lunch was next, the time of the day where all the bullies congregated. It was the Wild West out there, where anything could happen on any given day. It didn't feel like a break; it felt like the calm before the storm.