It All Began

The bus stuttered to a halt, hissing as the doors creaked open. Sienna Hayes tightened her grip on the fraying strap of her duffel bag, her heart pounding in sync with the rumble of the engine. Beyond the scratched glass window, Ridgecrest Academy’s towering gates gleamed under the morning sun, an imposing symbol of everything she didn’t belong to.

“End of the line,” the driver barked, his tone indifferent.

She inhaled sharply, pulling her oversized hoodie tighter around her body, as if the fabric could shield her from the weight of what lay ahead.

Ridgecrest Academy wasn’t just a school. It was a kingdom. The kind of place where students wore designer uniforms tailored to perfection and carried last names that could open doors—or close them forever. And Sienna? She was the girl who didn’t belong. A scholarship kid with bruises on her ribs and a father’s debts hanging over her head like a noose.

As she stepped off the bus, the chill in the air bit through her thin sweater. Her sneakers crunched against the pristine gravel path, and already, she could feel eyes on her. Whispers floated in the air, sharp and cutting.

“Who’s she?”

“New girl.”

“Scholarship, I bet. You can tell.”

Sienna ducked her head, her chest tightening. She didn’t need to look up to know they were right.

The rugby team was out on the field, their laughter and shouts carrying across the campus. A group of boys stood near the edge of the pitch, their broad shoulders and easy grins marking them as the rulers of this place.

At the center of it all stood Luca Deveraux.

He was hard to miss, even in a crowd. His dark hair was slightly damp from practice, curling just enough to soften the sharp lines of his face. His jersey clung to his broad chest, and his presence seemed to draw everyone in—effortless, magnetic, untouchable.

Luca laughed at something one of his teammates said, but the sound didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was a tension in the set of his jaw, a restlessness that no one else seemed to notice.

As his gaze swept over the campus, it landed on her.

Sienna froze.

Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, and something flickered in his expression—curiosity, maybe, or something sharper. She quickly looked away, her cheeks burning.

But it was too late.

By the time she found her way to her first class, her nerves were frayed. The classroom was already half-full, the air buzzing with conversation. She chose a seat at the back, keeping her head down as she pulled out her notebook.

“Who’s that?” a girl whispered.

“Don’t know. Doesn’t look like she belongs here.”

The words sliced through her, but she didn’t react. She’d learned long ago that silence was her best defense.

The door swung open, and the room fell silent.

Luca Deveraux strolled in, his presence sucking the air out of the room. He moved with the kind of confidence that came from knowing the world would bend to him.

He slid into a seat near the center, but not before his gaze caught hers again.

“New girl,” he said, his voice low and deliberate.

Sienna’s heart slammed against her ribs.

“Don’t sit back there if you want to survive,” he added, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Laughter rippled through the room, but Sienna stayed still, her cheeks burning.

As Luca turned away, she exhaled shakily. This wasn’t going to be easy, but she’d survived worse.

Or so she thought.