The halls of Nockfell High buzzed with their usual low, fluorescent hum—lockers slamming, sneakers squeaking, the distant echo of someone laughing too loud for 8:15 in the morning. It was the kind of noise that blended into the background after a while… unless something—or someone—decided to make themselves impossible to ignore.

That someone was Chad.

“—I just think I’m different, you know?” Chad’s voice carried halfway down the hallway, loud enough that even people who weren’t listening still heard him. He leaned casually—too casually—against a locker near yours and Ashley’s, one foot propped up like he’d practiced the pose in a mirror. “Like, I’m not like other guys here.”

Ashley shot you a look, her eyebrow already raised. “Here we go…”

Across the hall, Larry let out a quiet snort, elbowing Sal. “Man, we got ourselves a main character.”

Sal tilted his head slightly, mask catching the overhead light as he watched Chad with quiet curiosity. Todd, standing beside him, adjusted his glasses, already analyzing the situation like it was some kind of social experiment.

Chad wasn’t done.

“I mean, take those guys for example,” he continued, gesturing vaguely—unfortunately—in the direction of Sal, Larry, and Todd. “They’re cool and all, but like… I’m just on a different level, y’know? I’m deeper. More… aware.”

Larry blinked. “Did he just—”

“Yep,” Ashley muttered, slamming her locker shut a little harder than necessary. “He did.”

Chad finally noticed your group actually looking at him and immediately lit up, like attention was oxygen. “Oh, hey! You guys probably noticed me already.” He pushed himself off the locker, strolling over like he’d been invited. “I’m Chad.”

“Yeah,” Larry said dryly, crossing his arms. “Kinda hard not to notice.”

Sal gave a small, polite nod. “I’m Sal. That’s Larry, Todd… and Ashley.”

Todd offered a brief wave, though his expression stayed skeptical. “Statistically speaking, people who announce they’re ‘not like others’ tend to follow very predictable patterns.”

Chad blinked. “Uh… yeah. Exactly. That’s what I mean. I’m unpredictable.”

Ashley rolled her eyes so hard it was almost impressive. “You just contradicted yourself in like, two seconds.”

Chad laughed like that was part of the charm. “See? That’s what makes me different.”

There was a beat of silence.

Then Larry leaned in slightly toward you, lowering his voice just enough. “Ten bucks says he tries to sit with us at lunch.”

“Make it twenty,” Ashley muttered.

Sal glanced between everyone, then back at Chad, who was still smiling like he’d just nailed a perfect first impression. “…We’ll see,” he said quietly.

And just like that, Nockfell had a new kind of noise—one that didn’t fade into the background so easily.