The sun was dipping low on the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink as Leo revved up his motorcycle and let the wind hit his face. The engine roared beneath him like a restless animal, vibrating through his bones-a sound he found oddly calming.
He wasn't heading anywhere in particular.
Sometimes he rode just to avoid thinking. Other times, he rode because the silence of his room felt heavier than the noise of the road.
This time, he wasn't sure which one it was.
Leo turned a corner sharply, speeding through the outskirts of town, past parks, traffic lights, and coffee shops buzzing with students. The city was alive, but Leo felt distant from it-as if he were watching a movie from the outside.
Then he saw it.
A school.
A senior high school to be exact. He didn't usually pass this way, but today, for some reason, his instincts took him here.
The gates were open. Some students lingered outside in their uniforms, chatting, waiting for rides, scrolling on their phones. He would've just zoomed by, eyes on the road, but then-
He saw her.
Standing near the edge of the schoolyard fence. Alone.
She wore the same navy blazer and skirt as the others, but something about her was... different.
Her back leaned slightly against a tree. A pair of black headphones covered her ears. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, on nothing in particular. She wasn't talking. She wasn't moving. She barely blinked.
She looked like she existed in a different world.
Leo didn't even realize he'd slowed down.
He wasn't the type to stare. He never cared much about girls-hell, he couldn't even talk to them properly. But this one... she didn't look like the others.
She didn't laugh loudly or act cute with her friends. She didn't look bored or desperate for attention. She looked calm. Cold, even. Like a winter morning.
And for some reason, Leo couldn't look away.
Who is she?
She didn't notice him. Or if she did, she didn't show it.
Her face was unreadable. Her arms were crossed. She had an aura that said don't talk to me, and Leo, for once in his life, obeyed without question.
He drove on, heart weirdly unsettled.
---
The wind rushed past him, but his mind wasn't on the road anymore.
It was still back there.
With her.
Who was she?
Why did she look so... unreachable?
And why the hell did he care?
Leo shook his head and gripped the handlebars tighter, speeding up. He hated this feeling-this nagging interest he didn't ask for. He didn't even get a good look at her face, and yet, the image of her standing there under that tree played on repeat in his head.
---
When he got home, the house was quiet.
His mom was in the kitchen. His dad was probably still at the office. No lectures today. No guilt-trips. Just silence.
Leo went straight to his room, tossed his helmet onto the chair, kicked off his shoes, and flopped onto his bed.
His phone buzzed a few minutes later.
Evan.
> Evan: "Yo. Club tonight? Same place. I got new stuff."
Leo stared at the message.
Usually, he'd say yes without even thinking. He lived for nights like that-loud music, strong drinks, and darkness thick enough to drown in. But today...
He stared at the screen longer than he meant to.
Then his thumbs moved.
> Leo: "Nah. Not tonight."
It was the fastest he'd ever replied to a party invitation.
Even faster than he expected from himself.
Evan replied within seconds.
> Evan: "LMAO who are you and what have you done with Leo?"
Leo didn't answer. He tossed the phone aside.
His room was dim now, the sun fully set behind the blinds. A faint breeze pushed through the open window. Somewhere outside, a dog barked. A car passed.
And in his mind-her again.
Headphones on. Eyes blank. Unbothered. Beautiful in a way that wasn't loud.
He didn't even know her name.
He barely saw her for more than five seconds.
But she stuck in his head like a splinter.
Leo lay on his bed, arms folded beneath his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling. The fan above spun slowly, humming like a lullaby-but sleep wouldn't come.
His body was tired.
But his mind was wide awake.
Who was that girl?
Why do I care?
It's just a random girl, right?
And yet, no matter how many times he told himself to forget, her image kept slipping back in.
The way she stood.
The way she didn't look at anyone.
The way she was just there-completely unfazed by the chaos of the world around her.
There was something haunting about it.
He could still see the outline of her blazer against the golden afternoon light. The way her ponytail moved gently with the breeze. The way she seemed untouchable.
And the weirdest part?
She didn't even see him.
She didn't have to.
Somehow, her silence said more than any words ever could.
Leo let out a long sigh and rolled onto his side, punching the pillow under his head.
This was stupid.
He didn't even know her name.
She probably didn't even exist to him. Just another face in a school full of strangers.
And yet...
His phone buzzed again.
Another message. This time from Raka.
> Raka: "Party tonight at Dimas's place. You in?"
Leo stared at it.
His thumb hovered over the keyboard.
Then he typed.
> Leo: "Not tonight."
Raka:
> "Dude. It's Saturday. You never say no on Saturdays."
Leo:
> "I'm just not in the mood."
There was a long pause before Raka replied.
> "You good?"
Leo stared at the screen for a few seconds, then locked his phone without responding.
---
He sat up.
Looked out the window.
The streetlights were on. The neighborhood quiet. A soft breeze moved the curtains just enough to make them dance.
He ran a hand through his messy hair and stood, pacing the room like a restless animal.
This was new. He'd never felt this way before.
It wasn't a crush. He didn't like her. He didn't even know her.
But it was something.
And it refused to leave.
He sat back down on the edge of his bed, grabbed a sketchbook from the drawer-not to draw, just to flip through old pages. His doodles were chaotic. Mostly shapes. Sometimes eyes. Sometimes lyrics from songs he didn't remember writing down.
Tonight, he picked up a pen.
And without meaning to, he drew the side profile of a girl-standing under a tree, headphones on, head slightly tilted downward.
He didn't stop until the image matched the one in his head.
---
Click.
His bedroom door creaked open slightly.
"Leo?" his mother's voice called gently from the hallway.
He didn't answer.
"I left dinner on the table," she added. "Just... don't stay up too late."
He waited for the door to shut again before he exhaled.
He hadn't eaten.
Didn't feel hungry.
He felt full-but with questions. With noise. With thoughts that wouldn't shut up.
---
An hour passed.
Then two.
He tried watching a movie. Didn't focus.
He opened a playlist. Still didn't help.
He changed clothes and climbed into bed, pulling the blanket over himself like it could protect him from whatever this strange feeling was.
But it didn't work.
He stared at the ceiling again.
And again, she came back.
---
The girl with the headphones.
The girl who didn't look up.
The girl who said nothing-but still managed to speak to something in him.
He closed his eyes and finally let the exhaustion take him.
His breathing slowed.
His chest rose and fell in quiet rhythm.
And in the dark, the last thing that flickered across his mind wasn't the club, or the drinks, or the laughter from nights he could barely remember-
It was her.
The stranger.
The girl under the tree.
He didn't know her name.
But somehow, he already knew:
She'd just become the beginning of something he couldn't stop.