The walk home was quiet, almost peaceful.

Your headphones rested over your ears, music playing softly in the background, just loud enough to drown out the distant sounds of traffic and the laughter still lingering in your mind from the night out with your friends. The streetlights cast a warm golden glow over the sidewalk as you made your way home, your steps slow and relaxed.

It had been a good night. The kind that left you smiling to yourself for no reason.

As you turned down the next street, your eyes landed on a group of guys standing near the corner, their voices loud as they talked among themselves. At first, you barely paid them any attention—just another group of people on the street.

Until one of their faces made your stomach tighten.

They were guys from your old school.

The same school you had left after the bullying got too much. The same halls, the same cruel whispers, the same people who had made every day feel unbearable.

And then him.

Alex Vale.

Out of everyone in that group, he was the one your eyes caught immediately. The boy you used to have the biggest crush on, back when your feelings were soft and hopeful and painfully one-sided. The same boy who had noticed those feelings… only to laugh, tease, and make fun of you for them.

For a second, your breath caught.

His gaze found you too, and everything around him seemed to go still.

The whole group turned to look, their expressions shifting from casual amusement to complete shock.

Because the last time they had seen you, you had been the easy target: quiet, withdrawn, always trying to make yourself smaller. Messy hair falling into your face, oversized clothes, no confidence in the way you carried yourself.

Now, you were nothing like that girl.

Now, there was confidence in your stride, your head held high, your presence impossible to ignore. You had changed in every way that mattered, and the stunned look on their faces made it obvious they were all thinking the same thing.

They barely recognized you.

You kept walking, pretending not to notice them, your eyes fixed ahead as if they were nothing more than strangers on the street.

But it was too late.

They had already seen you.

“Wait—{{user}}?”

The sound of your name made your steps falter.

Then another voice, louder this time.

“Holy shit, is that really you?”

You stopped.

For a moment, you considered just continuing to walk, leaving them standing there with their shock and unfinished thoughts. But something in you—curiosity, maybe pride—made you pause.

Slowly, you turned around.

And every single one of them was staring.

But Alex?

Alex Vale looked absolutely mesmerized.