001| NEW GIRL, NEW TROUBLE

~IVY~

There is this saying that first impressions matter a lot.

But mine? Spilling coffee on the hottest boy in school before I even knew his name, was not exactly the best impression.

And judging by the way everyone stared at me, like I had committed social suicide before lunch, I knew this was more terrible than I thought.

I had only been focused on getting through the halls of Blackthorn Academy without drawing anyone’s attention.

So, I won’t get into trouble exposing my powers.

Even though this academy is for paranormal beings, I knew I wouldn’t fully belong here, because one use of my power, the hunters would come after me again.

Blackthorn had this dangerous and cold aura to it, almost like every pillar had eyes watching me.

The building on its own was beautiful, ancient yet still standing tall.

I wondered if I would ever fit in here, without causing or landing in trouble.

But fitting in was never my thing, like how impossible it was for me to be invisible, because soon enough I could feel hundreds of curious eyes following my every step.

“New girl.” I heard someone whisper.

“She doesn’t seem like much.”

“She won’t last. I'll give it a week.”

Great. Exactly the warm welcome I’d hoped for.

I clutched my map tightly, trying not to look like I was lost. Which, spoiler, I was.

My sneakers squeaked loudly on the marble as I turned the corner too fast, eager to get away from the whispers.

Except that I walked straight into a wall of muscle.

My coffee cup went airborne in slow motion, and SPLASH.

The brown liquid poured down the shirt of a tall boy with long white hair, steam rose from the hot coffee, like he was on fire.

Instead of reacting to the extreme hotness of my dear spilled coffee, he looked down at me with storm-gray eyes, his expression sharp enough to slice through a hard surface.

His white shirt was already ruined, the coffee dripping from it like I’d tried to drown him in Starbucks.

My hands flew to my lips.

“Oh... Oh no, I—”

I quickly reached into my bag, pulling out the first piece of fabric my hand touched.

“Let me—” I reached for his clothes, intending to wipe off the coffee, but he quickly took a step back, his face darkening.

A gasp tore through the crowd I hadn’t noticed formed.

“What are you doing?” His voice was low, angry.

I looked at him with a frown. “What does it look like, dummy?”

But he wasn’t looking at my face, but at the fabric I was holding, his face frozen in shock.

I followed his eyes, half expecting to see a dirty rag, but as soon as I saw what I was holding, I let out a scream, tugging it back into my bag.

My underwear...

Not ordinary underwear, but the exact old granny pair I had used for years, one my best friend had begged me to throw away.

Laughter erupted around us, spreading like wildfire.

My face turned pale, my heart pounding from embarrassment. I forced a smile and dug for a handkerchief.

But the guy looked so scared of what else I was going to bring out of my bag, that he already took more steps backwards, stretching out his hand as though he was trying to stop me from getting any closer.

I could hear the ripple from the crowd, they were trying hard to hold in their laughter, as I was trying to stop myself from running away, screaming from shame.

“I apologize, that was unintended.”

This was the first time I had seen a grown man blush that hard, pink creeping up his neck to his face.

“Don’t.” His voice was low and cold enough to frost glass.

I heard another ripple move through the crowd, their whispers louder now.

“She did that to Karl, the Alpha.”

“Oh, she is so dead now.”

“Kiss goodbye to your life, stupid.”

Heat flushed up my neck. Of course.

On the first day, I had not only managed to baptise the school’s wolf sweetheart in caffeine, but I had also publicly humiliated myself.

I scrambled for the right thing to say; I’d be damned if I let them see how embarrassed I was.

“Well,” I finally spoke, tilting my head slightly, “You look more colorful now, though.” I told him calmly.

The hallway went silent, a collective gasp sucked into the air.

Behind him, two guys snarled, their fangs baring as they stepped forward, murderous intent in their eyes, but Karl waved them off.

Ah. His pack members, how sweet.

Karl’s lips curved into the faintest, most dangerous smile as he took a step closer, towering over me.

“You enjoy making enemies, don’t you?”

Before I could say anything in retort, a male voice cut through the silence, sharp and strong.

“Pardon my girlfriend,”

Before I could turn to see my so-called boyfriend, a strong arm sneaked around my shoulders in a strong, possessive manner. My eyes widened as I looked up.

As soon as his sharp ruby eyes met mine, my whole body froze.

Damon.

What is he doing here?

My stomach tightened.

Damn it. Not now.

I clenched my fists. Here I was thinking I was safe here, away from everyone who knew me, but this.

His lips curved in an infuriating confident smirk, his arms tightening around me like he already knew I was about to struggle.

He turned his gaze, however, back to Karl, the smirk still there.

“She doesn’t know how things work around here,” Damon continued, his tone almost condescending. “Let me apologize on her behalf.”

The hallway exploded again.

“Holy shit, it’s Damon.”

“That’s the vampire prince.”

“Why is he defending her?”

“Oh my God, she’s with him?”

I tried to move away, but he pulled me closer.

I looked up at him, the guy who was first to break my heart. The first to make me realize that maybe love was never for me.

Guess staying invisible here is going to be harder than I thought, especially now that he’s here.

"No one invited you here," Karl said through gritted teeth.

Damon's eyes narrowed. “Careful, dog. You’re dripping coffee all over her shoes.”

The guys behind Karl moved, fangs bared, eyes glowing with a combination of both gold and blue, as though waiting to attack us for the insult.

“What did you call me?” The growl from Karl made the hairs on my skin stand. I almost shivered.

Gasps tore through the crowd again, but they couldn’t drown out the hammering of my pulse as realization crashed over me.

I’d walked straight into the middle of a war and made myself a bait.

Karl’s eyes moved from gray to red as he stepped forward, his muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike.

But Damon didn’t move, didn’t blink. He only smirked, like he had been waiting for this moment.

And me? I stood there frozen between them, caught in the tension so sharp that it could cut me to pieces, wondering how in the world I had become the center of Blackthorn Academy’s deadliest feud.