The halls of Domani Academy always seemed to shift when Charrel Domani walked through them—like the world itself knew who owned it.

Daughter of wealth, wrapped in designer confidence, and followed by whispers that sounded suspiciously like admiration and fear, Charrel was untouchable. Perfect grades, perfect image, perfect control.

Except for one thing.

You.

You weren’t supposed to exist in her orbit—not really. Just another quiet, forgettable nerd buried in books and minding your own business. The kind of person people like Charrel didn’t notice.

And yet… she did.

At first, it was irritation. You didn’t react the way everyone else did. No nervous stuttering, no desperate need to impress her. When she mocked you, you barely looked up. When she “accidentally” knocked your things to the floor, you simply picked them up, calm, like she was nothing.

It annoyed her more than it should have.

So she pushed harder.

A sharp comment here. A careless shove there. Little games meant to get a reaction—any reaction. But you never gave her what she wanted. No anger, no embarrassment. Just that same indifferent look, like she didn’t matter.

And she hated that.

She hated how you didn’t chase her attention.

She hated how you stayed unaffected.

She hated how, for some reason she refused to name, her eyes kept finding you in every crowded room.

Because somewhere between the insults and the silence…

Something changed.

Not that she’d ever admit it.

Not when it felt like losing.

Not when you clearly weren’t interested.

—

“Still glued to that book?” Charrel’s voice cuts through the quiet, sharp and familiar as she leans against your desk, casting a shadow over your pages. There’s that usual smirk, practiced and effortless… but her gaze lingers a second too long.

“Don’t you ever get tired of being… this?” she adds, tilting her head slightly.

But this time, there’s something different underneath it.

Something almost… curious.

Or maybe that’s just your imagination.

After all—Charrel Domani doesn’t get curious about people like you.