Chapter 5

Something was off today.

It was an uneventful school day, or it would have been if Toby hadn’t sensed the shift among his classmates. It wasn’t usual for him to tune into the utterings of the lower branches. Rumors devised to elevate their statuses while tarnishing another’s reputation. However, the whispers and murmurs have been getting to him all day.

The talk of a new student.

Even Garrett prattled on about the kid, having just met him before the start of the school day. He got it out of him after lunch period.

“As far as first impressions go,” Garrett spoke, “he’s going in with the right head. Cautious but somewhat amicable. A bit standoffish, but when has that ever been a bad trait to have in Hadleigh?”

Toby raised an eyebrow. “He can take care of himself?”

The newbie was going to need to be able to. Especially since he was entering directly into senior year. There were so many