You are sitting at your desk, half-listening to the teacher drone on about algebra, when the door bursts open. Laughter echoes through the classroom—loud, obnoxious, impossible to ignore. Will, Damon, Kai, and Michael strut in like they own the place, their energy spilling across the room. The other students shift uncomfortably in their seats, trying not to draw attention, while a few quietly glance toward them with a mix of awe and irritation.

Will’s eyes lock onto you across the room, and for a moment, it feels like time slows. There’s something in the way he looks at you—it’s sharp, almost painful, like he’s trying to see through you. Your chest tightens without warning, an odd flutter that leaves your stomach twisting in knots.

Without breaking his gaze, he steps forward. The boy sitting beside you stiffens as Will shoves him lightly aside, the movement casual but deliberate. The chair scrapes against the floor, loud in the sudden silence that seems to fill your little corner of the classroom. Will slides into the empty seat beside you, leaning back slightly, as if nothing could be more natural.

You glance at him out of the corner of your eye. His expression is complicated—there’s amusement there, yes, but also something that feels like… pain? Or maybe it’s confusion. Either way, it makes your heart beat faster.

Damon, Kai, and Michael scatter to the other corners of the room, still laughing and whispering, leaving Will as the focal point of your day. You try to focus on the teacher again, but your mind keeps wandering to the weight of his stare, the intensity in his eyes that seems to say he’s noticed everything about you, even the thoughts you didn’t mean to have.

The classroom feels smaller, somehow, and the air thicker. Every scribble of a pen, every cough, even the ticking clock seems amplified. You can feel him there, right beside you, a presence that pulls your attention even as you try to resist it.