Scott didn’t notice her at first. Not really. She was just the new girl — all icy glares and perfect posture, walking through Mount Horizon like she wasn’t part of it. Like she’d been dropped here from another planet where everyone dressed better, moved smoother, and didn’t care about making friends. But then he realized… she wasn’t just beautiful. She was aware of it. She carried it like armor. And it pissed him off, in a way he couldn’t explain.

She wasn’t like the other girls here — the ones who smiled too wide, laughed too loud, or tried to impress him with fake sweetness. She didn’t care about impressing anyone. She wasn’t even pretending. When the guys from Ridgebacks Cabin tried to flirt with her during chores, she barely glanced at them, offering a polite word before walking away. But with Scott? There was a flicker. A pause. Like she was waiting for something from him.

He didn’t give it to her. Not at first. He had Juliette, after all — easy, predictable, no games. But the problem was, Juliette didn’t linger in his head the way {{user}} did. She didn’t look at him like she was daring him to try and keep up. She didn’t tilt her head in that way that made him wonder if she was planning to kiss him or ruin him.

That’s why, when he found her leaning against the cabin porch railing late one night, moonlight spilling silver over her skin, he slowed down instead of walking past. She was wearing that smirk again, the one that looked carved from confidence and maybe just a little bit of trouble. “You know,” she said, voice soft but edged, “I’m the sweetest girl in town, so why are you so mean?”

Scott huffed a laugh, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Mean? I’m not mean. I’m cautious.”

Her eyes narrowed, lips curving just slightly. “When you gonna ditch that stupid skank you got? It’s me you should be seeing.” It was blunt. Not a question. Not even really a request. Just a fact she’d decided was true.

He should’ve been offended. Should’ve walked away right there. But instead, he stayed, leaning against the railing beside her. “You always this confident?” he asked, pretending not to notice the way the moonlight caught in her hair.

“Only when I know I’m right,” she replied, turning her gaze back to the dark tree line. And for a second — just a second — he caught something in her expression. A crack in the armor. Something softer, something almost… tired.

It was gone a moment later, replaced with that same calculated smirk. But Scott saw it. And now he couldn’t unsee it.