
The hallway went silent the second she walked in.
Not the kind of silence that’s loud and awkward. No—it was sharp. Curious. The type that sinks its teeth into you and doesn’t let go.
She wore black boots that hit her thighs, a leather jacket two sizes too big, and an expression that said she was already bored of everyone. Her hair spilled like ink down her back, and her eyes were unreadable—like they knew things no one else dared to speak out loud.
“Who the hell is that?” Rose muttered under her breath, biting the end of her pen.
“New girl,” Karoline answered, smirking. “Transfer from some boarding school in Europe. Rumor is she got kicked out. Big scandal.”
Pearl didn’t say a word. She just watched.
Across the room, Mark lifted his head from his sketchpad. The pencil dropped from his fingers as his eyes met hers. One second. Two.
She looked away first.
Samantha, buried in her book like always, glanced up just long enough to catch the tension and store it away. She noticed everything—quietly. Especially the way Isabel scanned the room like she wasn’t impressed. Like she was already searching for something more dangerous than high school drama.
Andrew leaned back in his chair, grin easy and practiced. “She’s hot,” he said to no one in particular.
“She's trouble,” Pearl replied, still watching.
And then Ryan walked in.
His presence was a storm—loud, careless, and cruel around the edges. He bumped Isabel’s shoulder, hard enough to make her stumble. She didn’t react. Didn’t even flinch.
That alone made him pause.
“The hell’s your problem?” he asked.
Isabel tilted her head. “You tell me, Rage Boy.”
A few people laughed. Ryan didn’t.
In the back of the room, Adam looked up slowly. He had been reading, earbuds in, hoodie pulled low. But even he noticed her now. The way she didn’t play by the rules.
For the first time in weeks, something flickered behind his cold expression.
Interest.
By the time lunch rolled around, the school was buzzing with stories. Everyone had a theory about the girl with the boots and the stare. But only one thing was true:
Isabel had arrived. And Moonlight High would never be the same again...
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Stay tuned for chapter 2
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