C1 Chapter 1

Yanina’s POV

The persistent, sharp blare of my alarm cut through the heavy quiet of my bedroom, pulling me aggressively out of a dreamless sleep. I groaned, the sound muffled by my pillow, before slamming my hand down blindly on the snooze button. When the ringing finally stopped, I stayed frozen for a second, wishing I could disappear back into the mattress. I blinked away the morning fog and squinted at the digital clock glowing on my nightstand.

6:00 AM.

The numbers seemed to mock me. Class didn’t start until 7:30 AM, which meant I had exactly an hour and a half to transform myself into someone who looked capable of surviving the day.

An hour and a half. It was plenty of time, yet my chest tightened with a sudden, overwhelming wave of displacement. Lying there in the unfamiliar quiet, the memories of my past life came rushing back like an open floodgate. For fourteen long years, my entire existence had been defined by the rigid schedules, strict dress codes, and cold stone walls of a New York City boarding school. It was an elite, incredibly expensive institution—a privilege my parents readily paid for without a second thought. They were wealthy enough that money was never a conversation, though I always hated the thought of sounding like I was bragging about it. To me, that wealth had just meant living in a gilded cage hundreds of miles away from the people who actually knew my name.

Now, the scenery had completely shifted. The cold northeastern winters were gone, replaced by the heavy, humid air of Florida. I was finally back under my family’s roof, standing on the precipice of my senior year at Lakewood High School. This was supposed to be the final chapter of my childhood, the phase where everything came together, but the transition felt terrifying.

I was turning eighteen in a matter of weeks, a milestone that felt completely unearned considering my utter lack of real-world experience. Living in a structured boarding school environment meant my social circle had been entirely curated for me. Outside of that bubble, I was an inherently, painfully socially awkward person. Put me in a room full of strangers my own age without a script, and I completely forgot how to function like a normal human being. But as I stared at the ceiling, I told myself that was a problem for future Yanina. Right now, I just needed to get out of bed.

With a heavy sigh, I threw off the covers and dragged myself into the bathroom. Fourteen years of institutional living and shared dorm bathrooms had taught me how to be efficient. I brushed my teeth, washed the sleep from my face, and brushed out my hair in a record-breaking fifteen minutes flat. Speed was practically hardwired into my DNA at this point; it was one of the few practical perks of being raised by a boarding school.

Back in my bedroom, I walked into my walk-in closet to figure out what a normal senior wore on her first day. Again, having a closet the size of a small bedroom wasn’t something I took for granted, but today, luxury was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to blend into the background. I needed an outfit that screamed average teenager trying to survive high school. After tossing a few options aside, I settled on a simple pair of casual, skinny blue jeans and a plain white cropped tee. I pulled on my favorite pair of white Converse—scuffed and worn enough to look lived-in—and stood in front of the vanity.

My reflection showed a pair of dull, tired blue eyes staring back. To fix that, I carefully applied a thin, precise layer of black eyeliner, which instantly made them pop and look a little more awake. I finished off the look with a quick coat of my favorite strawberry lip gloss. It was simple, low-effort, and exactly the armor I needed. I was as ready as I was ever going to be.

Grabbing my brand-new backpack from the desk, I slung it over one shoulder and made my way downstairs. As I descended the staircase, the rich, sweet scent of melted butter and maple syrup drifted through the air, instantly making my stomach growl.

When I stepped into the kitchen, I was greeted by the sight of my family. If I had to describe them in a single word, it would be typical. At least, typical for a movie. With a fiercely overprotective father and an equally hyper-vigilant older brother, my life had never really felt normal. They treated me like a fragile glass doll that might shatter if the wind blew too hard. Despite how suffocating it could be at times, I loved them to absolute death. And then, of course, there was my mom. She was the grounding wire of the entire house, the one person who always seemed to understand exactly what I was thinking without me having to say a single word.

"Good morning, sweetie," Mom said, breaking me out of my thoughts. She turned away from the stove, her face lighting up with a bright, warm smile that instantly eased the tight knot of anxiety forming in my chest.

"Morning, Mom," I replied, walking around the marble kitchen counter. I leaned in to press a quick kiss against her cheek before turning my attention to the table. "Morning, Dad."

"Morning, princess," Dad said, looking up from his coffee with the exact same affectionate smile.

I took a seat at the table and felt my jaw drop slightly. Standing in a neat, golden stack in the center of the table was a massive plate of fresh pancakes. My mom was hands-down the best cook I had ever known, and her pancakes were legendary. It was her ultimate comfort food, and seeing them there made me realize she knew exactly how nervous I was about today.

I didn't waste a single second. I grabbed a fork and started digging in, savoring the familiar taste.

"So, Yanina," Dad started, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "Are you excited for the first day at the new high school?"

The bite of pancake suddenly felt incredibly heavy in my mouth. My fork hovered in mid-air as a wave of intense discomfort washed over me. Excited? That was definitely not the word I would use. Terrified, anxious, and overwhelmed felt a lot closer to the truth.

"Umm... yeah, a lot actually," I lied, forcing a tight, artificial smile onto my face to keep him from worrying.

"Oh, I just can't believe our little princess is already completing her senior year!" Mom cheered from the stove, clasping her hands together dramatically.

I rolled my eyes, letting out a soft groan. Ugh, not this again. "Mom, please. I am not little anymore. I am literally soon to be—"

"You're a kid until I say otherwise, princess," a deep voice interrupted from behind me.

Before I could even finish my sentence or defend my honor, my older brother, Ace, sauntered into the kitchen. Without missing a beat, he reached right over my shoulder, slid his fingers onto my plate, and effortlessly hijacked a massive piece of my pancake.

The absolute nerve of this guy. I bristled instantly, my eyes narrowing into a harsh glare. If there was one thing I absolutely despised, it was people stealing food directly off my plate. "Hey! That's mine! Get your own!"

"So?" Ace asked, completely unfazed. He slid into the chair right next to mine, a massive, infuriating smirk plastered across his face as he chewed deliberately. "Haven't you ever heard that sharing is caring, little sis?"

I stared at his face, genuinely debating the logistics of punching that smirk right off his jaw. "Sharing my ass," I snapped, glaring holes into the side of his head.

Instead of being intimidated, my brother just stuck his tongue out at me like a literal child.

"Language, young lady!" Mom called out from the sink.

Ace instantly burst into a loud, obnoxious laugh, clearly thrilled that he had managed to get me in trouble within thirty seconds of sitting down. He was freaking laughing at me. The son of a—okay, I wasn’t going to finish that thought in front of my mother.

That was the paradox of Ace. On one hand, he was a senior in college and handled himself like a mature adult when he was out in the real world. He was taller than my dad, built like an athlete, and took his role as the protective older brother incredibly seriously. But the very second he walked through the front door of this house, he reverted right back to a petty, five-year-old instigator.

Deciding that arguing with him was a losing battle, I murmured a quick, half-hearted apology to my mom and decided to change the subject entirely. I needed to establish some boundaries for my first day.

"So... I was thinking," I started, keeping my voice casual as I looked between my parents. "I'd really like to go to school alone today. I already looked up the directions on my phone, and it’s a super straight shot. So... can I just drive myself or walk?"

"NO," Ace interjected immediately, his voice dropping into that unyielding, authoritative tone he used whenever he wanted to play the boss. "Absolutely not. I am dropping you off at school."

"But Ace—"

"Yanina, no buts," he cut me off again, shutting down the conversation with a wave of his hand. "It's your first day at a brand-new school. No buts, it's final. I'm driving you. Right, dad?"

I looked over at my father, hoping for some backup, but Dad just gave a firm, supportive nod without even looking up from his phone. See? Overprotective. It ran in the family.

I let out a defeated sigh, though in reality, I hadn't actually expected them to say yes. It was worth a shot, at least. "Fine... as you say," I mumbled, pulling the rest of my food away from Ace's reaching hands. A victorious smile spread across my brother's face.

I finished eating the rest of my breakfast in a hurry and checked the screen of my phone. The digital clock read 7:10 AM. A bolt of panic shot through me. There were only twenty minutes left before the opening bell, and I did not want to be the new girl walking into homeroom late.

"Okay, Ace, we seriously need to move," I said, pushing my chair back. "We only have twenty minutes left."

He nodded, the playful smirk fading into a more cooperative look as he stood up. "Alright, let's go, kiddo."

He grabbed his car keys off the kitchen counter and tossed a quick, "Love you guys!" toward the kitchen as he started walking toward the front door.

I grabbed my backpack, securing the strap firmly over my shoulder, and turned to face my parents one last time. "Okay, bye Mom and Dad. Love you!"

"Bye, princess! Take care of yourself, and best of luck on your first day! We love you too!" they called out almost simultaneously, their voices perfectly in sync.

I couldn't help but giggle a little at how predictable they were. I closed the front door behind me and stepped out into the warm, humid Florida morning air. Waiting in the driveway was a sleek, polished black Audi A4, its engine idling quietly. My brother had received the car as a gift for his eighteenth birthday, a fact that I was still deeply envious of.

I walked over, opened the passenger door, and climbed inside. The moment I buckled my seatbelt, I noticed Ace was staring at me, smiling like an absolute idiot. I paused, giving him a deeply confused, suspicious look. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, shifting the car into reverse and looking over his shoulder as he backed out of the driveway. "Just wanted to see if you were actually ready for this."

I decided to shrug it off, turning my head to look out the window as our house disappeared behind us. The familiar palm trees and sunny streets of my hometown began to blur past the glass. I took a deep, steadying breath to calm the fluttering in my stomach, forcing a smile to my face.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I murmured aloud.

But as the car sped down the road toward Lakewood High, a strange, heavy intuition settled deep in my gut. I stared out at the passing traffic, the reality of the situation finally crashing down on me. I was completely on my own now. Everything was about to change, and as much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, I had absolutely no idea if I was truly prepared for whatever was waiting for me through those school doors.