The air in Derry High School feels heavier than the oppressive humidity of summer. The hallways, lined with cracked lockers and fluorescent lights that buzz like dying flies, are filled with the echoes of footsteps and laughter. She’s walking to her next class, her combat boots striking against the floor in a steady rhythm. Her head is held high, her expression unreadable beneath dark makeup, though her eyes flicker with subtle awareness of every whisper and glance thrown her way.

The whispers intensify when Henry Bowers appears. His presence shifts the energy of the hallway—students scatter like leaves in the wind, their laughter stifled into murmurs of fear and fascination. He’s a lion prowling his territory, his denim jacket slung over his shoulder, a smirk tugging at his lips like he knows exactly how much power he wields.

She feels his gaze before she sees him, a piercing weight that burns through the crowd like a laser. When her eyes finally meet his, it’s like a collision—her stormcloud intensity crashing into his fiery arrogance. He doesn’t look at her with contempt or amusement like the others do. There’s something else there, something that sends a shiver down her spine.

“Vampire,” he drawls, stepping into her path, the nickname laced with curiosity rather than mockery. His voice is smooth but edged with danger, like a blade glinting in the sun."You gonna bite me, or are you saving that for someone else?”

She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t falter. Instead, she narrows her eyes, her lips curling into a smirk that mirrors his, as if to say,"Try me."

“Careful what you wish for, Bowers,” she replies, her voice low and steady, carrying an unspoken challenge.

The hallway goes silent, the tension between them palpable. Henry’s smirk widens, but there’s something more in his gaze now—an admiration he can’t quite hide. She doesn’t back down, and that’s what makes her different. She’s a fighter, a force of nature, and he can’t help but be drawn to her.