NINA
He looked like he had just stepped out of a Vogue magazine. His strong features were chiseled to perfection, with sharp jawlines and a straight nose that gave him an almost sculptural quality. His lips were a soft pink, just the right shade to contrast against his strikingly dark complexion. A piercing glinted by the side of his lips, adding a rebellious touch to his otherwise flawless appearance. His broad shoulders and well-toned muscles were visible beneath the sleek black leather jacket he wore, and though his body was slender, it was also clearly powerful. It was the kind of body that made you take a second—okay, maybe a third—look.
His hair was the darkest shade of black, the kind that seemed to absorb all the light in the room. The tips of his hair were tinted a rich brown, making the contrast even more striking. His hair was slightly long, messy but deliberately so. It looked like he'd just run his fingers through it, leaving it soft and tousled, and some strands fell over his forehead, partially obscuring his eyes. When he pushed them away, the movement was so fluid, so effortlessly graceful, that for a moment, I forgot to breathe.
His eyes. I still couldn't see their color from this distance, but I had the strangest feeling that once I did, I wouldn't be able to stop looking.
"Mr. Williams, nice of you to grace us with your presence," Mr. Ralf said through gritted teeth. His voice was sharp, clearly irritated by the interruption, and it was only then that I realized the entire class had fallen silent, waiting for him to make his entrance.
"Whatever," the boy muttered in a low, guttural tone, almost as if the words didn't matter to him. He moved through the classroom with a quiet confidence, like he owned the place—or perhaps like he was above it. Girls giggled as he passed, and some shot him flirtatious glances. The boys, on the other hand, couldn't seem to look anywhere but at the floor, as though they were afraid to draw attention to themselves.
My heart hammered in my chest. Was he coming this way? Was he really walking toward me?
"Move it,"
I panicked. Move, Nina. Just move.
But my body didn't seem to listen. I froze.
"What?!" I finally squeaked out, my voice way too loud for the moment.
"Did I stutter?" The boy's voice was deep, gravelly, with an almost mocking edge to it. The words hit me like a slap, and for a second, I couldn't remember how to function. My brain just… stopped.
I couldn't even muster the words to respond. I wanted to say something, anything, but all I could do was stare as his eyes finally met mine. The most intense shade of gray I had ever seen stared back at me, cool and calculating, but somehow still mesmerizing. I felt like I could get lost in them forever.
What is happening?
I blinked, snapping myself out of the trance, my face flushing with embarrassment. "I—I'm sorry," I muttered, my voice barely audible. "I'll just move over."
My hands shook as I tried to gather myself, but I didn't know where to go. The desks in this class were joined in pairs, and it seemed like everyone already had their seat partner. I realized that the only vacant seat left was the one I was sitting in. It was probably why I was placed here in the first place—no one else wanted to sit next to me, not with him.
Before I could make sense of the situation, everything happened so fast. One moment, I was sitting in my seat, and the next, I was on the floor. The impact was hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs, and for a moment, I couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
Did he—did he just push me?
A gasp echoed around the room, followed by whispers and a few stunned murmurs. My face turned a deep shade of red, and my lips trembled as I tried to process what had just occurred. The sting in my eyes told me I was about to cry, but I fought against it. No, Nina, don't cry. You're stronger than this.
"Hey, man! That's enough," Malik's voice rang out across the room. I recognized him instantly. Malik was tall, with a broad frame and a constant grin plastered across his face, but now, his smile was gone, replaced with a frown of genuine concern.
The boy didn't flinch at Malik's words. He didn't even seem to care. He rolled his eyes and, with an almost lazy motion, sat down at the back of the class, not even sparing a second glance at me. It was like I didn't even exist to him.
Malik, however, looked like he wanted to say something more, but he just shook his head in disbelief and sat beside Zane. Gracie was already by my side, her face full of concern, as she gently helped me up. I wanted to curl up and disappear, but her presence was comforting.
"Come on, Nina, sit with me," Gracie urged, her voice soothing as she led me to an empty seat beside her.
This is ridiculous, I thought to myself as I wiped my palms on my jeans. My heart was still racing.
Mr. Ralf's voice cracked through the tension in the room, his voice strained with barely-contained fury. "Mr. Williams! Your behavior is completely unacceptable. Just because your father is the sponsor of this school, it does not give you the right to act like this. That's detention for you."
Zane barely even reacted to the reprimand. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, his expression lazy, like he couldn't care less. "I don't give a damn," he said, his tone bored, but with a dangerous edge to it. "Without my dad's money, you wouldn't even have this job. You should be grateful, not trying to teach me some lesson." His words were cold and cutting, and when he raised an eyebrow at Mr. Ralf, it was almost like he was daring him to say something more.
The room went silent as students exchanged uncomfortable glances. There was an awkward tension in the air, and Mr. Ralf seemed to be holding himself back from lashing out. I could see it in the way his fists clenched at his sides.
"Just teach, okay?" Zane added with an almost condescending tone, the smirk on his lips only making everything worse.
The room was filled with the sound of suppressed laughter and hushed whispers, most of them at Mr. Ralf's expense. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks. It was like everyone was watching, waiting to see how the teacher would react.
Mr. Ralf finally muttered, "Fucking hell," under his breath as he tried to calm himself, his hands shaking slightly. He cleared his throat, straightened his back, and tried to regain control of the classroom. But the damage was done. Zane had already won, without even trying.
"Who's that?" I whispered to Gracie, unable to keep my curiosity in check.
"That's Zane," she said quietly, glancing over at him with a mixture of disdain and caution. "You could say he runs this school. His dad owns half of it, and no one says anything to him, not the dean, not the teachers. They all bend to him. He's the bad boy, always starting fights, always causing trouble. No one messes with him, and everyone's terrified of him, especially the girls. He has this way of making people do whatever he wants. He's the worst."
I stared at Zane, who was now leaning back in his chair, legs spread casually as he scrolled through his phone, seemingly unaware—or maybe deliberately ignorant—of the chaos he had just caused. I didn't know what to make of him. On the outside, he looked untouchable, like someone who thrived on control and intimidation. But there was something else there, something beneath the surface, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Stay away from him, Nina," Gracie added softly, her voice firm. "Trust me. He's nothing but trouble."
I didn't respond. What could I say? Her warning was enough to make my stomach churn. But even so, when I glanced back at Zane, his eyes locked with mine for a brief, fleeting moment, and I couldn't look away. There was something about the way he stared at me that sent a shiver down my spine. Something... unsettling.
I quickly turned my gaze to the front of the class, my hands still trembling as I tried to focus on taking notes.