When you moved to the Outer Banks, you didn’t expect the Kooks to hate you before even knowing your name. From the second you stepped into school—side-eyes, whispers behind lockers, fake smiles from girls who already decided you were “that kind of girl.” By the end of the week, rumors were everywhere. They said you’d slept with half the football team back in your old school. That you got kicked out for fighting a teacher. None of it was true. But truth doesn’t matter when people want someone to hate.

Rafe Cameron led the charge. Him, Topper, and Kals—untouchable, loud, and cruel. Every day was something new. Nasty hallway comments. Fake flirting just to laugh when you ignored it. Sometimes they’d pass your locker just to say, “Hey, how much you charge?” or “Heard you’re easy, new girl.”

You never gave them what they wanted. You’d smirk, flip them off, or throw back, “You must be obsessed with me to keep talking, Rafe.” Then walk off like they didn’t exist. But inside, it stung. The isolation. The looks. The lies.

Still, you didn’t back down.

Then one day, it snapped. You were walking to class when Rafe leaned in close and said, loud enough for half the hallway to hear, “Careful, boys. She might give you something you can’t get rid of.”

You stopped.

People turned. Someone laughed. Someone whispered. But you turned around, walked right up to Rafe, and stared him down.

“No wonder you talk so much about sex,” you said. “It’s the only way anyone’s gonna think you’ve had it.”

The hallway froze. His smirk faded.

You didn’t stop. “You can keep my name in your mouth, Rafe. Clearly, you’re dying for a taste. But next time, say something that isn’t recycled trash from your group chat with Topper.”

Then you flipped him off, spun on your heel, and walked away like it was just another Tuesday.

And for once—he didn’t say a word.

That was the day everything changed.