Novel-novel oleh Nessawrites

I went back to my class as Adrian took the other route to the school balcony. It was sulking being with him at the library. I had barely stepped into the class when I heard a familiar voice from behind.I turned and it was Vanessa. Who else would call out someone's name like a dog. I stopped, facing her with my hands akimbo.“And, what can I possibly do for you?"I rolled my eyes.She scoffed. " An ordinary scholarship girl could possibly do nothing for me.” Her friends behind laughed mockingly as they clapped their hands together."Then, what made you stop this scholarship girl?" I leaned on the wall staring directly into her eyes. She stepped closer, close enough that I could perceive the cologne she applied. Vanessa's parents were really wealthy and helped in building Black Ridge Academy. Maybe that's why she feels she rules.“You know, Adrian Cole is my boyfriend and I need you to stay the hell away from him. You're not even a match for him.” She tucked her lips together. The wor

By the time we left the library, the sun had shifted.Light shined through the tall windows in long slanted beams, stretching across the hallway floors like lines drawn on purpose. It made everything look sharper. More defined.Adrian didn’t say anything as we walked out. He didn’t even check if I was following. He just moved forward like he already knew I would. It was so annoying appnd somehow… accurate.I matched his pace anyway, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. Students passed us in small groups, their voices low. A few glanced our way.I exhaled slowly. “Do people here have anything better to do than stare?”“No,” Adrian said without looking at me.I blinked. “You’re serious?”“They’re observant.”“That’s one way to put it.”“They’re careful,” he added. That word lingered.I glanced at him. “Careful of you?”He didn’t answer immediately. Then, “Careful of consequences.”That was not better. “What consequences?” I pressed.He didn't answer but instead, he looked at me and sighed.

The library was quieter than the rest of the school. Not just silent, but heavy with it.The moment I stepped inside, it felt like the air shifted again, thicker somehow, like even sound had rules here. Tall shelves stretched across the room, packed with books that looked older than the building itself. The lights were softer, dimmer, casting long shadows between the aisles.A few students sat scattered at tables, heads down, focused. No one looked up when I entered. That alone made me uneasy.I adjusted my grip on my bag and walked further in, scanning the room.If Lila was right, he would be here. And if he wasn’t…Then I had just come all this way for nothing.Something about that possibility annoyed me more than it should have. I turned down one of the aisles, my footsteps slowly against the carpet. My eyes moved across rows of books, barely looking at the titles.Then I saw him at the far end of the library, seated alone at a table near a tall window.Of course he was alone.A sta

The bell rang again, sharper this time.Chairs scraped against the floor as students stood almost in unison, conversations picking up in low, controlled tones. It was nothing like the chaos I was used to. No shouting or rushing. Just quiet movement that somehow felt more intense.I stayed seated for a second longer, staring at the paper in front of me.Zara Ibrahim and Adrian Cole partnered.I exhaled slowly. “Meet after class.”His words replayed in my head, calm and certain like everything else about him.I glanced sideways. He was already standing.Of course he was.He picked up his bag in one smooth motion, not looking at me, not waiting, not hesitating. Just moving like everything around him would adjust accordingly.Students shifted slightly as he walked past them, creating space without making it obvious. No one stopped him. No one tried to talk to him.I watched him leave before I could stop myself. Then I stood up too. Ooh my gosh this is a bad idea.“Wow.” The voice came fr

The classroom noise softened the moment I stepped in.Not completely silent, but quieter in a way that felt intentional. Like everyone had agreed, without speaking, to notice me at the same time.I ignored it. At least I tried to.“Take any seat,” the teacher said, still not looking up from her laptop.That was the kind of instruction that sounded simple until you were the one new in the room.Any seat? except every seat already belonged to someone.I turned back and saw an empty one but it was close to the same guy.Adrian Cole.My steps slowed before I even made a decision about it, which annoyed me more than it should have. I did not like hesitation. Hesitation made things feel bigger than they were.And he was just a student.The closer I got, the more I noticed the strange pattern in the room. It was not obvious at first, but it became clear in pieces. Students did not sit too close to him. Not because there was space, but because there was avoidance. Like the air around him belo

The gates of Blackridge Academy were taller than I expected.They loomed above me like something out of a story I wasn’t ready to be part of, all iron bars and sharp edges, cold and unwelcoming. Beyond them, the school was built on a dark part of an isolated boundary. Even the sky above it looked dull, like the place had drained the color out of everything.I tightened my grip on the strap of my bag and exhaled slowly.“Okay,” I muttered under my breath. “You’ve got this, Zara.”Except I didn’t feel like I did.A sleek black car pulled away behind me, leaving me alone at the entrance. No turning back now. My parents had already made that clear when they decided this school was my “fresh start.”Because nothing says fresh start like transferring to a school you’ve never heard of, filled with students who looked like they walked straight out of a magazine.I stepped forward, the gravel touching softly under my shoes as I passed through the gates. The moment I did, something shifted. I c