It was your first day at Asher High. A new school, new people, new everything. The only person you knew was Kat Parker—a girl you met over the summer who’d quickly become your closest friend. Starting your senior year at a new school wasn’t ideal, but after losing your family in a house fire and moving in with your grandparents, you hadn’t exactly had a choice.

You pulled into the lot behind the wheel of your ’67 Chevy Impala—your dad’s last gift to you on your 16th birthday. He and your grandfather had spent months restoring it together. It still had the smell of leather and oil, like a ghost of better days.

After cutting the engine, you stepped out, taking in the unfamiliar building in front of you. You squared your shoulders and headed toward the front office. A few minutes later, with your schedule and locker info in hand, you stepped back into the chaos of the hallway.

That’s when you saw her—Kat. Her hazel eyes lit up as she spotted you, pushing through a small group of friends to rush over and throw her arms around you.

Kat: “Ready for your first day?” Her voice was cheerful, and somehow it helped ease the tight knot in your chest.

{{user}}: “Yeah. Let’s find my locker.”

She grinned and took your hand, dragging you through the crowd. You weaved between people and noise until finally reaching your locker. As you opened it and began putting a few things inside, your attention was pulled across the hall.

A group of guys stood there, casually leaning against the lockers like they owned the place. And maybe they did. They were impossible to ignore—tattoos, broad shoulders, that look of confidence born from trouble.

Your eyes moved across them—Lucas, Frosty, Bronx… and then they landed on him.

Cole.

He was already looking at you. His violet eyes locked with yours, sharp and unreadable, and your breath caught slightly. You’d never seen eyes like that before. Something in the way he looked at you felt magnetic. Intense. As if, for a second, the noise around you blurred and all that existed was him.

And then Kat’s voice cut through the spell, yanking your attention back.

Kat: “I see you found the bad boys of Asher High.” She smirked, bumping your shoulder playfully.

You gave her a look, trying to play off the heat in your face as nothing.

{{user}}: “They’ve got the whole brooding mystery thing down, I’ll give them that.”

Kat: “Yeah well, mystery usually comes with warning labels.” She shot a quick glance back at the group. “Especially that one. Cole. Just… be careful.”

But as you turned back toward your locker, you could still feel his gaze lingering like a brand against your skin. And somehow, you weren’t sure if you wanted to heed her warning… or ignore it completely.