Hazel's POV
The day couldn't end fast enough. Every hallway she walked through whispered Adrian's name, like he was some kind of legend everyone feared and worshipped. It made her want to roll her eyes until they fell out.
She found a quiet spot under the old oak tree during lunch. Or at least it was quiet — until someone's shadow fell over her book.
"You're in my spot," a voice said.
She didn't have to look up to know who it was.
"Figures," she muttered. "Do you own the whole school too, or just the trees?"
Adrian dropped his bag beside her and sat anyway.
"I don't like repeating myself," he said casually, pulling out a cigarette but not lighting it. "But I guess you're new, so I'll let it slide."
Hazel turned to face him. "You must be really bored to keep talking to someone you clearly don't like."
"I don't like you," he said flatly. "But you're… interesting."
That made her pause. The way he said it didn't sound like a compliment — more like a warning.
Before she could respond, a cheerful voice interrupted.
"Hazel! There you are!"
It was Maggie, the girl from her Literature class — short, loud, and impossible not to like. She bounced over with two sodas in hand, only to freeze when she saw Adrian.
"Oh. Him."
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "You say that like I'm a ghost."
"Worse," Maggie replied. "You're Adrian Blackmore."
Hazel glanced between them. "You two know each other?"
Maggie scoffed. "Everyone knows him. He's the guy teachers can't control and girls can't fix."
Adrian's lips twitched into that familiar smirk. "Careful, Maggie. I might start thinking you care."
Maggie rolled her eyes and handed Hazel the soda. "Don't waste your time with him. He's all smoke and mirrors."
Hazel watched Adrian out of the corner of her eye. He didn't argue. He just leaned back against the tree, the light catching the edge of his jaw.
And somehow, not arguing made him even more mysterious.
---
Adrian's POV
He wasn't supposed to care. He'd told himself that the moment he saw her — stubborn eyes, sharp tongue, fire hidden under that calm.
But Hazel wasn't like the others. She didn't look at him with fear or fascination. She looked at him like she saw through him, and that pissed him off more than he wanted to admit.
He watched her leave with Maggie, laughing about something, her hair catching the sun. He looked away before anyone noticed.
When the final bell rang, he didn't wait for his friends — Lucas and Ryan — who were probably off causing trouble. He headed straight for the parking lot. His car was old, black, loud — kind of like him.
By the time he got home, the house was quiet. Too quiet.
He kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag by the stairs. No one was there to ask how his day went. No one ever was.
The walls still carried echoes of his father's shouting — even though the man was long gone. His mother, too.
He went to his room, shut the door, and sank into silence.
---
Hazel's POV
Her house was small but warm — a contrast to the cold world outside. Her mom was in the kitchen, humming while stirring something on the stove.
"Hey, sweetheart," she said, smiling. "How was your first day?"
Hazel hesitated. "Weird. People here are… different."
Her mom turned off the stove. "Different how?"
She thought of Adrian's smirk, his voice, the way he made everyone uncomfortable and fascinated at the same time.
"Just… different," she said finally.
Her mom smiled knowingly. "You'll adjust."
Hazel forced a smile back, but her thoughts drifted again — back to those gray eyes. She told herself she hated him. But hate wasn't supposed to feel this confusing.
Upstairs, she threw herself on her bed, pulling the curtains open. The night sky stared back — and she wondered what kind of secrets a guy like Adrian was hiding behind that cold face.
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Adrian's POV
He lay on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, headphones in but no music playing.
He thought about the girl with fire in her eyes — Hazel.
He shouldn't care. But something told him he was already in trouble.
He closed his eyes and let the darkness settle.
Tomorrow would be worse.
He could feel it.
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