The first bell of the day echoed through the halls of Mystic Falls High, that metallic clang that always made Jeremy Gilbert want to turn around and head back home. Same hallways, same faces, same whispers about tragedies that everyone pretended they weren’t still whispering about.

He turned the corner toward his first class—history—and that’s when he noticed her.

The new girl.

She was standing just inside the doorway, the faintest crease between her brows as she scanned the room. She clutched a leather-bound notebook tight against her chest. Her clothes weren’t flashy—black jeans, a cardigan, a simple silver ring that glinted faintly on her finger. But there was something about her presence that seemed… heavier. Like the air shifted when she walked in.

Jeremy sat two rows ahead, glancing over his shoulder more than once as students filed in and started buzzing about the new girl.

“Who is she?” whispered a girl near the front. “Transfer, I think,” her friend replied. “Weird vibe though, right?”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. Mystic Falls was always quick to label anyone different as weird. They had no idea how deep weird actually went in this town.

When class started, Mr. Tanner strode in with his usual clipped pace, dropping his books on the desk. “All right, people, let’s get started. But before we do, we have a new face in the room.” His sharp eyes landed on the back row. “Miss…?”

The girl lifted her gaze for the first time. “{{user}},” she said softly.

“Well, {{user}},” Tanner said, “welcome to Mystic Falls High. Try to keep up.”

---

Lunch was the same chaos as always—crowded cafeteria, trays clattering, laughter echoing off linoleum walls. Jeremy sat at his usual spot, picking half-heartedly at fries, Matt talking with Tyler across him.

And there she was. {{user}}, sitting alone at the edge of the room, a tray in front of her.

Jeremy watched. Not in a creepy way (at least he told himself it wasn’t). Just… curious. He watched as she set the fork down and pulled her notebook onto her lap under the table.

Drawing.

Jeremy leaned his chin into his hand, pretending to chew his food, but his eyes kept darting toward her. The way she hunched slightly, shielding the page. The way her pencil moved with steady, practiced strokes.

She looked… lonely.

Before he could overthink it, his legs carried him across the cafeteria. Making Matt and Tyler stop, watching him with curiosity.

“Hey,” Jeremy said when he reached her table.

Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing slightly. For a moment, Jeremy felt pinned by that gaze, like she was measuring him in a way most people didn’t bother to.

“I’m Jeremy,” he offered. “Jeremy Gilbert.”

She nodded once. “{{user}}.”

“Yeah, I caught that in class,” Jeremy said with a small, awkward smile. “Mind if I sit?”