Once upon a time, there was a thirteen-year-old boy.
A bit naive. A bit dramatic. And far too good at thinking himself into corners.To help himself manage the chaos in his head, he gave shape to his thoughts — three neat personas, each one representing a little piece of him.
At least, he believed there were only three.
Samuel sat in the principal's office, swinging his legs slightly, staring at the dusty tile floor like it had personally wronged him. This was the fourth time his schedule had been switched — fourth — and even for someone his age, that was pushing it. He wasn't angry, exactly. Just… tired.
The principal finally looked up with a warm, rehearsed smile.
"I think I've found the perfect schedule for you, young man," she said, sliding the paper toward him.
Samuel took it without much thought, forced a polite smile, and stood. As he walked out, something inside him nudged — an irritated little spark that whispered, Here we go again.
He had no idea how right that whisper was.
Little did Samuel know that this particular schedule change was the start of the most complicated chain of events he could possibly stumble into.(And trust me — it really was.)
Outside, rain hammered the pavement, the sky a gray blur as he rushed across campus and knocked on the door of his new classroom. The teacher opened it immediately, ushering him in with a cheerful grin. Samuel took a seat at a table already occupied by a nerdy-looking kid, some quiet guy, and—
—her.
At first glance, she didn't seem like anything unusual. Just a regular girl. Maybe a little above average in the looks department, but that was it. Nothing worth remembering.
Or so he thought.
The lesson began, and Samuel quickly realized he didn't have the right notes to follow along. Before he could ask, the girl beside him slid her notebook toward him with a friendly smile. He accepted it with a grateful one of his own.
Class moved fast. His table was surprisingly fun; they joked quietly among themselves until the bell rang. Samuel left feeling strangely lighter, like maybe this class wouldn't be so bad after all.
Walking home, he replayed bits of the day in his head — not the girl, not yet — just the general awkwardness of switching classes again.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.He glanced back.It was her.
And because he was tired, bored, lonely, and thirteen, he thought:
Why not talk to her? What's the worst that could happen?
Oh, Samuel. Sweet, clueless Samuel.
This would go on to become one of the most life-changing decisions he ever made.(And yes, I say that with affectionate laughter. You'll see why.)
He caught up to her and asked a few harmless questions — favorite color, random small talk, nothing too deep. She answered kindly, and they walked in step, chatting as the rain softened around them.
But somewhere in the back of Samuel's mind, a faint ticking sound began.Soft at first.Almost unnoticeable.
He didn't think much of it.
He should have.
End of Chapter 1