C2

Writer's POV

The day crawled by, each class a blur of whispers and stolen glances. Everywhere Mila went, eyes followed. Some out of curiosity, some out of guilt, some out of envy. But she didn’t mind. She’d expected it.

She had walked into Manchester High prepared for every look — except maybe his.

Every time she glanced up, she caught Jasper watching her.

Not with that smug, overconfident expression she remembered, but with confusion — like he was seeing a ghost wearing perfume and a smile.

During break, she found a quiet spot behind the school library, the same place she used to hide during lunch two years ago. Only now, she wasn’t crying — she was scrolling through her phone, sipping juice from a carton that cost more than the school lunch.

Her peace didn’t last long. Footsteps. Familiar ones.

She didn’t even need to look up.

“Didn’t think you’d actually come back,” Jasper’s voice said, hesitant.

Mila kept her gaze on her screen. “Didn’t think you’d actually recognize me,” she replied coolly.

“I—I do now,” he said quickly. “You just look… different.”

She finally looked up, eyes sharp and unreadable. “That’s what happens when life teaches you how to grow up.”

He gave a nervous laugh. “Guess I deserved that.”

“Guess you did,” she said, her tone calm but cutting.

There was a long pause between them — filled with things unsaid.

Apologies. Memories. The echo of that one cruel laugh.

“Mila, listen,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck, “I was stupid. Back then, I didn’t mean to—”

“—to humiliate me in front of everyone?” she cut in, standing up. “You meant it, Jasper. You just didn’t think I’d remember.”

Her perfume lingered between them as she brushed past him, but then she stopped — just for a heartbeat — and said softly, without turning around,

“Next time you want to talk, try saying something worth hearing.”

And then she walked away.

That evening, Mila sat in the backseat of her car, staring out the window as the city lights blurred by. Her driver glanced at her in the mirror. “Rough first day, Miss Mila?”

She smiled faintly, eyes distant. “Not rough,” she said. “Just unfinished.” Because deep down, she knew she wasn’t done with Manchester high.

Not with the people.

Not with Jasper.

Not with what she came back to prove.

*****

Days went by, with Jasper on her neck. Just give her a break!!!!! Manchester High hadn’t changed one bit — same fake smiles, same curious stares, same whispers that followed you down the hall like smoke.But today felt different. Maybe because I was different. I walked with my head high, ignoring the looks. Until I didn’t.

Because standing by the lockers, surrounded by a small crowd of boys, was him. New students, new rules, and one new name that carried the weight of a warning:

Xavier Reed.

He was the kind of boy people moved aside for in the hallway.

Tall, lean, with eyes that looked like they could see through you.

He was chaos wrapped in charm.

And he didn’t fear anyone. The way people gave him space — even teachers — told me enough. His uniform looked a little too casual, his sleeves rolled up, his tie loose, like he didn’t care about anything or anyone. Until the day Mila walked right past him without flinching.

*****

It happened after class, outside the science lab. A group of boys stood laughing too loud, blocking the hallway. Xavier leaned against a locker, smirking as if he owned the place. Then Mila approached — her books tucked neatly under one arm, her expression cool.

“Move,” she said simply.

The laughter died.

Everyone froze.

Even Xavier raised an eyebrow, that dangerous grin forming slowly.

“Excuse me?” he said, his voice deep, laced with amusement.

“You heard me,” Mila replied, calm and steady. “You’re in the way.”

For a second, silence.

Then — to everyone’s shock — Xavier stepped aside, still staring at her like she was a puzzle he’d never seen before.

“Interesting,” he murmured. “Most people stutter when they talk to me.”

Mila smirked faintly as she passed him. “Then maybe you’ve only met the wrong kind of people.”

The hallway buzzed after she left.

And for the first time in a long while, Xavier Reed smiled — a real one.

*****

That night, the whispers reached Jasper. He overheard it all — how Mila had faced off with Xavier and walked away untouched. He didn’t like it. Not because he cared about Xavier’s reputation… but because the thought of her standing that close to someone like him made something twist painfully in his chest.

The next morning, Mila walked into class to find Xavier sitting in her usual seat, feet up on the desk. He looked up at her, lazy grin in place.

“Morning, Princess. Thought I’d borrow your spot.”

Mila raised a brow, unbothered. “Keep it warm for me,” she said, brushing past him to sit beside the window instead.

The class erupted in whispers again, but Xavier only chuckled.

“Guess I met my match,” he muttered under his breath.

And from that moment on, everyone knew — the two most unpredictable people in Manchester High had just collided.