Reyna Blaze didn't do pretty.She didn't do pink,smiles or the fake laugh girls used when boys said something half-funny. She did knuckles cracks,baggy trousers and kept her hair in a messy ponytail like a warrior about to throw down.
So,when some oversized ego with biceps and a death glare leaned against her locker like he owned the hallway, she didn't hesitate.
"Move" she said.
Zayden Cole tilted his head slowly. Black hoodie,sharp jaw,eyes like a storm on a bad day. He didn't move.
"You deaf or just dumb?"she added,stepping closer.
Students slowed,phones peeked. The tension was thick.
Zayden's smirk was venomous."You always talk tough to guys bigger than you?"
"No" Reyna said,deadpan. "Only the ones blocking my damn locker".
A beat of silence. Then,she shoved him.
Not hard enough to throw him,but hard enough to warn.
He blinked,then laughed.
That was the beginning,they didn't know it then,but that shove wasn't just the start of a fight;It was the start of everything.
Zayden's laugh echoed through the hall,sharp and reckless.
Most girls flinched when he raised his voice.
But Reyna? She raised an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?" she asked,arms folded like she had all the time in the world to throw him through a locker.
"You" he said."You've got guts,no brains,but guts".
"And you've got muscles,no manners,but muscles" Reyna replied.
The crowd made a collective "Oooooh". A teacher peeked out of a nearby classroom,ready to pounce if things got physical,but Reyna has already twisted the combo on her locker with a practiced spin,brushing past him like he wasn't worth the time.
Zayden watched her. She felt it; that stare,the kind that didn't just look,it READ;like he was trying to figure her out.
He wouldn't,no one did.
She slammed her locker shut, slinging her bag over one shoulder. "You done staring or should I charge rent?"
He chuckled "We'll meet again, hoodie".
She paused just long enough to glance over his shoulder.
"And next time",she said "bring a dictionary so you know what personal space means".
He laughed again,but this time quieter;like she amused and intrigued him both at the same time.
She hated that.
Later that day,Reyna sat at the back of detention; legs on the desk,earbuds in,hoodie up when the door swung open.
Guess who strolled in?
"Mr. Cole"the teacher sighed "Again?"
Zayden eyes scanned the room and landed on her.
He smirked.
"Looks like I just found a reason to enjoy detention"
Reyna didn't flinch, but in her chest ;her heart did a punch.
Zayden took the seat beside her like he owned it,and the air around it. Reyna didn't even glanced his way,she stared straight ahead;one boot tapping a rhythm on the floor.
She could feel his energy;cocky, loud like static electricity ready to pop.
"You always end up in detention?" he asked,voice low.
"You always talk to people who clearly don't want to talk?" Reyna backfired.
He leaned back in his chair "Only when they shove me into lockers; kinda makes things personal".
Reyna snorted "If you think that was personal, you've lived a soft life".
He laughed again;why does he always laugh?
Like he knew something she didn't.
The teacher droned on about silence,rules and reflection,neither of them cared;they sat in their own world, like two bombs waiting for a spark.
After a long pause,Zayden leaned in closer,just enough for her to hear.
"You always this angry,hoodie?"
She turned her head, slowly"You always this annoying,Ego?"
He smiled;Sharp, dangerous."Call me that again".
"Ego",she said sweetly,"with extra dumb on the side".
Zayden let out a low whistle "Damn, I think I just met my match".
She looked at him properly,and for a second; something flickered and cracked in his eyes,just like her.
But she blinked and it was gone;masked under smirks and sarcasm.
The teacher interrupted "Reyna,Zayden;if you two are done flirting....."
"We are not" Zayden and Reyna said at the same time,interrupting the teacher.
The class erupted.
Students in detention giggled
While some murmured
And some girls wished they were in Reyna 's shoes.
Reyna threw him a deadly glare; Zayden winked.
**************
Later,as they left detention,he called out to her.
"See you tomorrow,hoodie"
She didn't turn around,but she smirked.
Zayden stared at Reyna,waiting for a response,but all he got was that smirk;sharp,smug and unreadable.
She slung her bag over her shoulder,brushed past him with that tomboy strut of hers and left the classroom like he didn't matter.
Zayden let out a breath he didn't know he was holding "She's gonna be a problem" he muttered under his breath;and somehow ... he liked it".
As they stepped into the hallway,three unfamiliar faces were just getting into a school tour from the student body rep.
Blackridge High but everyone calls it The Ridge.
It's no ordinary school;located on the outskirts of a busy city, it's a prestigious private institution known for it's elite curriculum,strict rules and scandalous secrets.
It is a thick ivy-covered walls,sleek glass building and iron gates that looks more like they belong to a prison than a school.
School rules are strict,but students break them daily. There are surveillance cameras everywhere,but somehow drama always escapes them;teachers pretend not to notice most things unless it threatens the school reputation.
Uniforms? Yep they have; but students bend the rules; Jackets unbuttoned,skirts rolled,ties loosened.
"Those are the new transfers" someone whispered behind them.
Arlo West;tall,soft curls,kind eyes but a guarded smile. His family just moved back from the states;quiet type but his presence speaks volumes. His eyes lingered on Reyna for too long.
Keira Blake;fiery red braids,eyes like trouble,fashion forward, attitude sharper than nails. She caught Zayden 's gaze and winked.
Eli Park;smooth talking half Korean boy,funny flirtatious,never serious or so it seemed. He bumped into Reyna "accidentally".
"Oops,you got that main character energy, don't you?" he teased.
Reyna gave him a blank stare"And you got side quest energy. Move"
Keira laughed from behind them "Oh ,this school's gonna be fun now".
She leaned against the wall nearby "New players. Some broken game".
Zayden's eyes were still fixed on Reyna ;and Arlo's eyes too.
Lines were already being drawn.
And none of them knew the storm they were walking into.
NEW TENSIONS,NEW FLAMES.
By the next morning, whispers had already spread like wildfire.
"Did you see the new students?"
"Arlo is so hotttt"
"Zayden looked like he was gonna kill that Eli guy"
"Oh please Eli is sexier than Zayden" one of them said
"Speak for yourself b*tch, you're just pained Zayden didn't give you any attention that's why you're supporting Eli"
"Reyna shut Eli down though. Brutal"
Students gathered and gossiped.
Reyna arrived in class as usual;hoodie half zipped,headphones on, untouchable.
She slid into her seat without a glance at anyone;but her smirk returned the moment Zayden walked in.
Zayden ignored the curious stares from classmates.
He had one mission; to find out who Reyna was.
But just as he made his way towards her desk...
"Hey,I think you're in my way" said Arlo,voice calm,soft but firm.
Zayden glanced at him "Don't think; KNOW".
Reyna chuckled under her breath.
Arlo didn't flinch "I'm not here to play games".
Zayden gave him a look that says "Good; then stay out of my business".
Just then,Keira stormed into class like she owned it;leather jackets,boots clicking. She tossed her bag on the table next to Nova, unbothered.
Nova,a cute,timid and pretty girl who's unusually quiet in class. She has blonde hair and doe eyes.
"I like chaos in the morning" Keira said with a grin "This woke me up better than coffee"
Nova rolled her eyes "Great;another drama queen".
Meanwhile, Eli had already made friends with literally everyone. He was bouncing between desks,cracking jokes and flirting within shame.
He stopped at Reyna 's desk,leaning in.
"You know," he said in a low tone,"If you ever get tired of broody boys who stare too hard..."
She raised a brow "I don't do charity".
"Oof", Eli clutched his chest "that one hurt; I like you".
Reyna smirked "You won't when I hit harder".
The bell rang,cutting of the tension; everyone took their seats but the air was thick with something electric.
Six people.
Six different storm brewing.
As the teacher walked in,the class barely settled;the tension was still crackling like static before lightening.
"Phones away, mouths shut" Mr. Howard said,eyes scanning the room like he was already done with everyone's nonsense.
Reyna leaned back in her chair,arms crossed. She wasn't even pretending to open her books.
Zayden a few rows away kept flicking his pen;CLICK-CLICK-CLICK. It was starting to get on Keira's nerves.
"Do you have to do that?" she hissed at him.
Zayden didn't even glance "Do you have to breathe so loud?"
Keira's lips curled "Careful ,I bite".
Eli leaned forward with a grin "I volunteer"
"Shut up Eli" Arlo and Nova said at the same time, glaring at Eli.
Nova rolled her eyes again "Do you people come with volume knobs?"
Mr. Howard raised a brow "Miss Nova ,would you like to share your thoughts with the whole class?"
Nova sat up straight "No sir, just....adjusting to the circus".
Laughter rippled through the room; Reyna 's smirk widened,even Zayden looked mildly amused.
Then Mr. Howard began the lesson about Vectors and equations,but no one was really listening.
Everyone's eyes flicked between the new students.
And the drama didn't stop.
Keira passed a note to Reyna:
"That Eli guy ? Total flirt,but the quiet one? Arlo! He's hiding something".
Reina scribbled back:
"They are all hiding something but that's what makes it fun".
Zayden caught the exchange from the corner of his eye.
He hated that smirk.
H hated that she wasn't rattled by him.
And worse;he hated that it intrigued him.
Halfway through the lesson,Mr. Howard was called out of the class. As soon as the door shut,chaos resumed.
Eli stood up dramatically," So, since we're all pretending like this is a peaceful classroom, anyone want to admit they've got a crush already?"
Reyna: "Your ego"
Zayden: glares at her and Eli
Nova: "You're delusional ".
Keira: "I mean I'd crush Zayden in a fight".
Arlo spoke up,eyes cold "You all sound like you've never known silence".
The class paused.
Reyna looked at Arlo for the first time; so did Zayden.
This guy wasn't just quiet. Arlo was watching,calculating and maybe more dangerous than he looked.
The class bell rang,but no one moved.
*Later That Day*
Marcus Reyes is one of the sharpest minds at Black ridge high; quiet, calculated.
He's not rich like Zayden or loud like Reyna,but he knows more about people.
Marcus doesn't trust Zayden;he knows Zayden's reputation with girls and seeing Sienna his girlfriend; laughing with Zayden,it sparked something in Marcus.
Marcus lunged forward and punched Zayden;but Zayden didn't look like he was punched at all. He chuckled darkly.
Marcus lunged forward again; Zayden dodged, effortlessly;no fear, just calm practiced precision.
One jab,another he dodged;he didn't even break a sweat.
But Marcus hit Zayden and Zayden stumbled slightly.
Blood on his lips as he laughed.
"You hit like your grades; WEAK" Zayden said.
Marcus rushed again.
And this time;
BAM
Zayden ducked,spin and slammed Marcus to the ground.
Silence. Everyone just stared.
Marcus groaned but didn't get up.
Reyna smirked and clapped twice "Entertaining,7 out of 10".
Zayden wiped his lips,eyes locking with hers.
"Tomorrow",he said "you'll talk to me".
She just walked away,but he saw it; the flicker of amusement in her eyes.