1.

“I can't believe summer vacation is almost over,” Mila Bennett whined into the phone.

“Tell me about it. At least we've got dance tryouts. That should make school a little more manageable,” Willow replied, trying to sound encouraging.

Mila smiled as she walked through the bookshop, looking through the shelves for stationery she would need for the new school year.

“When is Khalil coming back? I can't believe I've actually missed his annoying arse,” she said.

“He and Jake will be back from their vacation in two days. He's lucky to have such supportive parents. They don't care that he's gay,” Willow said.

“They're good people,” Mila replied.

“So that means they're missing the first day of sophomore year?” Mila asked.

There was a short silence on the other end of the phone.

“Ummm... you do know school doesn't start until Monday, right? Today is Saturday,” Willow reminded her.

Mila stopped walking and looked at the calendar on her phone.

“No shit, Sherlock. That's why Forever 21 is so full,” she said with a laugh.

“I think I'm going to get a few clothes for school. Just a small change to my wardrobe for the new year.”

“I’m already inside,” Willow said.

A few seconds later, she spotted Mila walking through the entrance.

“You're kinda suffocating me, Willow,” Mila laughed as her friend pulled her into a hug.

Even though they had spent most of the summer together, Mila had still missed her. There was something comforting about having Willow around, especially because Mila rarely got to spend much time with her own family.

Her parents were workaholics, which meant that she spent most of her time with her guardian, Naya. Her twin older brothers were away at university, far from California, so family time was usually limited to Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the occasional emergency.

Willow understood what it was like.

Her mother was also constantly busy with work, while her father had left the family and started another one with their former maid. Because of that, Willow and her sister had grown up learning to depend on each other.

“I've already picked out a few outfits,” Willow said, pulling Mila toward a rack of clothes.

Before Mila could respond, she noticed a familiar face.

“Hey, Aaliyah!”

She reached out and playfully ruffled the teenager's hair.

“It's great to see you, Mila, but I've got to run. I'll meet you both at the food court,” Aaliyah said before walking out of the store.

“So, you were saying?” Mila asked, turning her attention back to Willow.

---

“Mila! We're going to be late!”

Willow honked the horn impatiently.

“Jeez, woman. Calm your tits!” Mila shouted back as she climbed into Willow's turquoise sports car.

Aaliyah was already sitting in the back seat.

“Are you ready for your first day of high school?” Mila asked her.

Aaliyah nodded nervously.

Willow pulled away from the house, and Mila turned on the radio. A Backstreet Boys song filled the car, and within seconds, all three girls were singing along loudly.

For a few minutes, their worries about school disappeared beneath their laughter.

“That was fun, ladies, but we're here,” Willow announced as she pulled into the school parking lot.

Aaliyah swallowed nervously as she looked out of the window.

“Hey, you're going to be fine,” Willow assured her. “You've got Kiera, and you've got this.”

The three girls climbed out of the car.

Aaliyah headed inside first, eager to find her friend, while Willow and Mila stood by the car and looked through the crowd.

“Where the hell is that dimpled guy with locks?” Willow asked after a few minutes.

They eventually gave up searching and headed toward their lockers.

“You missed me?”

The familiar voice behind them made both girls turn around.

“Khalil!”

They immediately pulled him into a hug.

“Where the hell have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you,” Mila complained.

“I was with Jake in one of the empty classrooms,” Khalil replied with a wink.

“Okay, enough with the details,” Willow interrupted. “Let's see our class schedules.”

The three friends compared their schedules. Luckily, they had several classes together, including lunch, which meant they would be spending most of the school day together.

“Well, let's get to Ms. Prick's class before she gives us detention on the first day,” Khalil said.

They laughed and hurried down the hallway.

---

“Aaliyah, wait up!”

A voice behind her made Aaliyah stop.

She turned around.

“Um, hi.”

“Hello.”

Aaliyah raised an eyebrow, wondering why the girl had stopped her.

“My name is Vanilla,” the girl said, nervously playing with her fingers. “I was wondering if we could be friends.”

Before Aaliyah could answer, Kiera appeared beside them.

“I thought you would have been in class by now, Ali,” Kiera said.

“I was, but Vanilla stopped me. She said she wanted to be my friend.”

Kiera smiled.

“That's actually a great idea. Then it won't always be just the two of us.”

She turned toward the new girl.

“Hi, I'm Kiera.”

“It's nice to meet you, Kiera. I'd love to be your friend too,” Vanilla replied.

“Okay, then. Come on. We don't want to be late for our first class.”

The three girls walked down the hallway together.

Aaliyah glanced at Vanilla from the corner of her eye.

That's oddly strange, she thought.

Relax. Just go with the flow, another part of her mind reminded her.

She took a deep breath as they entered the classroom.

I just hope my first day of freshman year goes well.

Kiera quietly hoped for the same thing as they found three empty seats and settled down.

---

By lunchtime, the school was buzzing with activity.

“What time are tryouts today?” Mila asked Willow as they sat in the cafeteria.

“After school,” Willow replied, taking another bite of her salad.

Mila nodded.

Before she could say anything else, the cafeteria doors opened.

Hayes Miller walked in with his friends, Natalie, Mike, Austin, and Nina.

The atmosphere seemed to shift almost immediately.

Willow rolled her dark grey eyes.

The basketball team had a reputation around school, and Hayes was at the centre of it. Girls immediately began fixing their hair, adjusting their clothes, and trying to get his attention.

Natalie and Nina seemed completely uninterested in the attention around them. They simply pulled out their phones and continued scrolling.

Mila, however, couldn't have cared less.

She had never understood what everyone saw in Hayes.

Natalie and Nina noticed the two girls and gave them a friendly nod. They were all members of the dance team, after all.

Hayes, on the other hand, looked directly at Mila.

His expression was enough to annoy her.

Mila narrowed her eyes.

“You could try harder, buddy. That doesn't work on us.”

Hayes stopped walking.

“You better watch your tongue,” he warned.

Mila immediately mimicked him.

“You better watch your tongue.”

A few people nearby laughed.

Hayes's expression darkened.

“You really don't know when to stop, do you?”

“You don't scare me, Miller. Try something else. This one is getting old.”

Mike stepped forward before things could escalate.

“That's enough, Bennett. Don't you know when to stop?”

Mila opened her mouth to respond, but Khalil placed a hand on her shoulder.

His silent warning was enough.

Don't.

Mila rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

Hayes smirked.

“Cat got your tongue, Miss Fakey-Fake?”

Mila looked at him but said nothing.

Hayes ran a hand through his blonde hair, clearly enjoying the reaction he was getting.

At six-foot-five, with a well-built frame and an unusual shade of green eyes, Hayes knew exactly what effect he had on people. He was popular, confident, and had a reputation for being a ladies' man.

Unfortunately for him, Mila wasn't impressed.

“That's enough, Miller,” Nina said firmly.

“Whatever,” Hayes muttered.

Just then, the bell rang.

Mila released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

“Finally,” Willow said. “It felt like an eternity with all that tension in here.”

Khalil stood and picked up his bag.

“Come on, Bennett. We've got math.”

Mila followed him, but she could feel someone's eyes on her.

She turned around.

Hayes was watching her.

Without thinking twice, Mila lifted her middle finger at him and gave him a victorious smirk before walking away.

Mila: 100.

Hayes: 0.

Beat that.

She smiled to herself as she walked into math class.

---

“Good afternoon, class,” the teacher greeted them.

Mila dropped into her seat beside Willow and stared at the board.

“Fuck my life,” she whispered.

Willow covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

The first day of school was already exhausting.

Across the school, Aaliyah was having a very different conversation.

“So, I was thinking... what if we tried out for the cheerleading team?” she asked.

“That's not a bad idea,” Kiera replied. “I was thinking the same thing.”

They both looked at Vanilla.

“What about you?”

“Sure. I'd love to,” Vanilla said with a bright smile.

“Then let's go,” Kiera said excitedly.

The three girls grabbed their things and headed toward the gym.

After school, the dance studio was already crowded.

“It seems like we've had more people try out this year than ever before,” Willow said as she dropped her bag beside the table.

“Of course we have,” Mila replied.

Natalie and Nina were already there, waiting for them.

“Sorry we're late,” Mila apologised.

“You're not late,” Natalie said. “We were just a little early.”

Willow clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the dance team.”

Natalie stepped forward beside her.

“As you know, we're auditioning for new members this year. Show us what you've got, and we'll decide who stays and who goes.”

A few nervous laughs came from the crowd.

“Let's begin.”

One by one, the students stepped forward and performed.

Mila watched carefully, occasionally exchanging a look with Willow whenever someone surprised them.

By the time the last person finished, everyone looked exhausted.

“Thank you all for coming today,” Willow announced. “The final names will be posted on the notice board by Thursday. You'll be able to check whether you made the team or not.”

Natalie smiled.

“Until then, ciao!”

The students slowly filed out of the studio.

Mila grabbed her bag and followed Willow and the others toward the parking lot.

Outside, she spotted Aaliyah waiting with Kiera and Vanilla.

The teenager's face immediately brightened when she saw them.

“So, someone looks happy,” Willow said as she approached her sister. “I guess your day went well.”

Aaliyah smiled.

“It did. And I can't wait to tell you both everything.”

Willow unlocked the car.

“Then get in. We have all the time in the world.”

The four girls climbed into the car, already talking over one another as they drove away from the school.

None of them knew that the new school year would bring more than new classes, new friends, and dance tryouts.

For Mila, it would bring a boy she never expected to fall for.

And unfortunately for her, that boy was Hayes Miller.