The summer heat still lingered in the air, thick and clinging, as the gates of Northwood High swung open once again. Students flooded in, some dragging their feet, others laughing too loudly about parties they'd half-forgotten. New backpacks, old grudges. Same lockers. Same lies.

Brielle Carter stepped out of her glossy black town car, phone in one hand, iced coffee in the other. Her sunglasses hid the dark circles under her eyes — the ones that came from late-night fights with her parents and constant fear that someone, anyone, would find out they were broke. She strutted down the walkway like she owned the school. Because for now, she still did.

Across the parking lot, Juno Hart leaned against the school's brick wall, sketchpad open, cigarette dangling loosely between her fingers. Her eyes followed Brie like a predator watching a wounded deer. She hadn't said a word to her all summer, and she didn’t plan to. But damn, it was going to be fun watching her fall.

Kian Rivera was already surrounded by juniors and freshmen, flirting like it was his full-time job. But his eyes kept drifting — first to Juno, then to Brie, and finally… to the front gates. Waiting for someone. For {{user}}, maybe.

Theo Lin sat alone on a bench, headphones in, notebook open. He looked calm. He always did. But inside, he was screaming. He had a secret he couldn’t tell anyone. Not yet. Not while his world was still holding together by threads.

Aria Moon watched it all from the shadows, hoodie pulled tight. She’d transferred here last semester and somehow embedded herself into this toxic friend group without anyone really knowing how. She saw more than she let on — and she was waiting for someone to give her a reason to burn it all down.

Miles made a scene at the front door, laughing too loudly, making fun of a teacher’s outfit. But no one saw the way his hand shook when he reached into his pocket. Or how his eyes darted to the security cameras like someone was always watching.

Sienna Vale, all pink nails and fake smiles, squealed as she hugged Brielle. “Oh my god, babe! I missed you sooo much!” she chirped, like she hadn’t spent all summer feeding her anonymous gossip page with secrets that could destroy every single one of them.

The bell rang.

The crowd surged.