The sky was heavy with storm clouds by the time classes ended at Excel High School. The air smelled of rain, and the wind swept through the emptying courtyard, carrying the distant rumble of thunder. Most students hurried home, eager to avoid the brewing storm. But not her.

Amelia Clarke walked alone, clutching her worn-out backpack tightly against her chest. Her head was down, her messy brown hair falling like a curtain to hide her face. She had learned that blending into the background was safer it kept her invisible, or at least, it used to.

"Hey, freak! Forgot something?" A sharp voice pierced through the air. Amelia froze. She recognized that voice Chelsea Greene, the queen bee of Excel High.

Before Amelia could react, a hard shove knocked her off balance. Her backpack was snatched from her grip. Chelsea's friends laughed as they unzipped it, scattering her notebooks and pens across the wet pavement.

"Oops," Chelsea said mockingly, twirling a strand of her perfect blonde hair. "Looks like you'll be doing some extra homework tonight."

Amelia dropped to her knees, frantically trying to gather her soaked books. Her heart pounded in her chest as her fingers trembled against the cold ground. Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to cry. Not here. Not in front of them.

The girls giggled and walked away, their laughter echoing long after they disappeared around the corner. Amelia stayed there, her hands shaking as she stuffed what she could back into her torn bag.

Why? Why did they hate her so much?

A raindrop splashed against her cheek. Then another. Soon, the sky opened up, pouring heavy sheets of rain that soaked through her thin sweater. Her knees hurt from kneeling, but she couldn't move.

And that's when she heard a voice calm and warm.

"Hey… you okay?"

She blinked through the rain and looked up. A boy stood in front of her, holding an umbrella over both of them. His black hair was slightly damp, strands falling into his deep brown eyes. His expression wasn't pitying just… kind.

Without waiting for her answer, he knelt beside her and began picking up her things.

"You don't have to…" Amelia's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I want to," he said simply, brushing the water off one of her notebooks. "People can be cruel."

A lump formed in her throat as she watched him gather her scattered belongings with care, as if they weren't just ruined papers to be tossed aside. No one had ever done something like this for her before.

When everything was back in her bag, the boy stood and extended his hand. "Come on, let's get out of the rain."

Amelia hesitated before placing her hand in his. His grip was firm, steady a warmth she hadn't realized she needed.

As they walked together beneath the umbrella, the sound of raindrops softened against the fabric. For once, the world didn't seem so harsh.

"So… do you have a name?" he asked, glancing at her with a small smile.

"Amelia," she said quietly. "Amelia Clarke."

"Nice to meet you, Amelia. I'm Lucas."

Lucas. It suited him.

They walked in silence for a while, the rain falling around them. It wasn't awkward if anything, Amelia felt something she hadn't in a long time. Safe.

As they reached the edge of her street, Lucas stopped. "This is me," he said, pointing to a house just across from hers. Amelia's eyes widened in shock.

"You… you live here?"

"Yeah, we just moved in." He grinned. "Looks like we're neighbors now."

Before she could respond, he gently placed her bag in her hands. "Take care, Amelia. See you around."

And just like that, he was gone disappearing behind the door of the house next to hers.

Amelia stood there in the rain long after he left, her heart pounding with questions. Who was Lucas? And why did she feel like, for the first time, everything was about to change?

But what she didn't know was that tomorrow, her world would shift again in ways she never expected.