Ethan Cole had mastered the art of being invisible.
Not the kind of invisibility you read about in fantasy novels—no, his was far more ordinary. Far more painful.
It was the kind where people looked straight through you.
The kind where your presence didn't matter.
"Hey, move."
A shoulder slammed into him as he stood near the school hallway lockers. Ethan staggered slightly, his books nearly slipping from his hands. The boy who bumped him didn't even turn back.
"Sorry," Ethan muttered automatically.
Even though it wasn't his fault.
It never was.
He adjusted his grip on his worn textbooks and stepped aside, pressing himself closer to the lockers as students flooded past him. Laughter filled the hallway, loud and alive—like a world he wasn't part of.
Ethan kept his head down.
That was how he survived.
Riverside High wasn't a bad school. It had bright classrooms, decent teachers, and students who seemed to have their lives figured out.
Just not him.
"Did you hear? Lena's coming today!"
"Seriously?! She's back already?"
Ethan paused slightly at the name.
Lena Hart.
Even he knew who she was.
Everyone did.
She wasn't just popular—she was… different. Beautiful, confident, kind in a way that didn't feel fake. The kind of person people naturally gathered around.
The kind of person who would never notice someone like him.
Ethan shook his head and continued walking.
It didn't matter.
Nothing ever did.
The classroom buzzed with excitement long before the bell rang.
Ethan slipped into his usual seat by the window, in the last row. It was the perfect spot—not too noticeable, not too isolated.
Just enough to exist.
He stared outside as the wind gently moved the trees. For a moment, everything felt quiet.
Peaceful.
Then the door slid open.
And the noise exploded.
"She's here!"
"Lena!"
Ethan didn't need to look.
But he did anyway.
Just once.
Lena Hart stepped into the classroom like she belonged to a different world. Her long dark hair framed her face perfectly, and her calm smile made people lean closer without realizing it.
She laughed softly at something someone said.
And just like that, the room revolved around her.
Ethan quickly looked away.
His chest felt… strange.
Tight.
He frowned slightly, pressing a hand against his chest.
Why did it feel like that?
It wasn't pain.
It was something else.
Something he couldn't explain.
"Hey, is that seat taken?"
Ethan blinked.
The voice was soft.
Close.
Too close.
He slowly looked up—
And froze.
Lena Hart was standing right in front of him.
For a moment, his brain stopped working.
"I… uh…" Ethan glanced around quickly. "No. It's not."
"Good." She smiled and sat down beside him.
Beside him.
Not in front. Not across the room.
Beside him.
Ethan's heart started pounding.
Loud.
Too loud.
Why?
Why here?
Out of all the seats in the classroom… why next to him?
"You're Ethan, right?" she asked casually.
Ethan stiffened.
She knew his name?
"I—I guess," he said awkwardly.
Lena tilted her head slightly, studying him.
"You guess?" she said with a small laugh. "That's a strange answer."
Ethan didn't respond.
He couldn't.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The tight feeling in his chest was growing stronger. It pulsed, like a heartbeat—but not his own.
And then—
It spread.
Like a ripple.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly.
For a brief second… everything felt different.
The noise in the classroom softened.
The tension disappeared.
And the people around him…
They felt… calmer.
Happier.
Ethan swallowed hard.
"What… was that…?"
"Hmm?" Lena looked at him. "Did you say something?"
Ethan quickly shook his head. "No."
But his hands were shaking slightly.
Because deep down…
He knew.
That feeling—
It didn't come from nowhere.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class.
But Ethan couldn't focus.
Not on the teacher.
Not on the lesson.
Not on anything.
Because for the first time in his life…
Something had changed.
And it terrified him.
He glanced sideways.
Lena was writing notes, completely normal.
Like nothing had happened.
But Ethan knew better.
Because when she smiled earlier…
For just a moment…
It felt like the entire world had smiled with her.
And somehow…
He felt connected to it.
Ethan clenched his fists under the desk.
"What is happening to me…?"
He didn't have an answer.
Not yet.
But one thing was certain—
His life as the invisible boy…
Was about to end.