If you asked anyone at Redwood Academy who Ava-Olivia Ross was, they’d probably just shrug. Back then, I was the girl who sat by the window, doodling hearts on my notebook while everyone else laughed with their friends. I wasn’t invisible… but I might as well have been. My days were quiet. I’d walk to school with my headphones in, pretending the music was my company. I’d eat lunch alone, sometimes in the library, pretending to read but mostly just people-watching. It wasn’t that I didn’t like people — I just didn’t know how to be around them. At home, it was different. My little brothers, Henley-Jaice and Oakley-Jude, were my entire world. Henley was five, Oakley was three — a chaotic duo who never missed a chance to remind me how “boring” and “friendless” I was. I’d roll my eyes, chase them around the living room, and laugh anyway. They didn’t mean it — they just didn’t understand that some girls are meant to be quiet before the storm. When Christmas break came, nothing felt different. The lights shimmered on our porch, my mom sang to carols in the kitchen, and I stayed up late scrolling through TikTok, watching everyone else live the life I thought I’d never have. And then… January 1st. A new year. A new start. My phone buzzed — Redwood Academy Updates followed you. I didn’t think much of it… until it buzzed again. And again. And again. By the end of the day, my name was everywhere. Videos. Comments. “How is she so underrated?” “Ava-Olivia Ross is actually stunning.” And just like that — my life began. I started caring about what I wore. People smiled at me in hallways. I was invited to parties. I laughed louder, smiled brighter, and for once, people saw me. Then, one night, another notification lit up my screen. Oliver Elliott has sent you a message. And maybe that’s where everything started — or maybe… where everything started to fall apart.