Nevertheless, I got up comfortably and didn’t let anything show. My mother already had enough worries—she didn’t need mine piling on top. Besides, I could handle this on my own. What could a psycho like that possibly do to me? After all, I’m Super Miri.

  The thought made me grin.

  No, I’m not conceited! But come on—A girl is allowed to hype herself up, right? Yes. Yes, she can!

  After breakfast with my family, I headed to the bathroom to get ready for school. I brushed my teeth, then combed through my dark brown hair. My reflection blinked back at me with these turquoise eyes, which reminded me too much of my father. I traced my upper eyelid with a black eyeliner. I didn’t put any other make-up on since I didn’t really have any other. That stuff’s expensive, and honestly? I didn’t care much for it anyway. I preferred being natural—I didn’t want to hide behind layers of foundation and didn’t need to impress anyone. I guess I was blessed with my mom’s immaculate skin. Hurray for clean teenage-skin.

  Back in my room, I packed my school stuff and got dressed. I didn’t have anything fancy, so I pulled on a simple green T-shirt, blue jeans, and my worn black sneakers. One last check in the closet mirror—passable.

  Most likely not pretty enough for—

  Wait. What? Just a second there brain, do not finish that thought!

  What was I even thinking?!

  I grabbed my hair and gave it an angry tousle. Maybe if I messed it up enough, that stupid thought about Raven would fall out of my head.

  Bum. Bum. Bum.

  Two minutes later, I collected myself again and put on my jacket. School bag slung over my shoulders. I called out “Bye, see you later!” to my mom and left the apartment. A glance at my watch which told me the bus would be there in five minutes.

  Damn!

  I took off running, or else I would likely miss the bus and the next would come in 30 minutes, which would make me late for class.

  Sprinting along the sidewalk I made good distance and as I rounded the final corner to reach the bus-stop, I caught a flash of red hair boarding the bus.

  “Faster,” I muttered, pushing myself harder.

  The doors closed.

  No! All this morning exercise for nothing! I was going to miss it—

  But then the front door hissed open again.

  Yes!

  A red-haired girl peeked out, waving me over.

  I sprinted the final few steps and jumped on with a dramatic hop. Breathless, I bent over, bracing my hands on my knees.

  “Thank you,” I gasped to both the bus driver and the girl, swallowing hard. I straightened up as my breathing steadied and the bus took off.

  The redhead stood in front of me, one hand on the metal bar to steady herself while the bus was moving. And wow—she was dead gorgeous. Her dark blue eyes looked almost ocean-deep. Had I seen her before?

  “No problem. Want to sit down with me?” she asked.

  I nodded, since music wasn’t an option anymore, so why not?

  She took the seat in the front behind the driver, and I followed. Before taking the seat, I glanced around the bus. Aside from us, there was just an elderly couple in the back.

  I shook my head.

  What had I expected? That Raven would be here because he lied about his training and actually lived around the same neighbourhood?

  Yeah, right. Very unlikely.

  “I’m Cassandra—but you can call me Cassy,” the beauty said with a smile, pulling me out of my spiral. I blinked. Right. She was talking to me. I had totally spaced.

  “I’m Miri. Hi.” We exchanged smiles. She seemed really nice.

  “Do you also go to Oakie School?” I wanted to know. If we would’ve gone to the same school, I was sure I would have noticed her. She was undoubtedly hard to miss.

  She tilted her head, looking confused. Then she shook it.

  “Nope. I don’t go to school anymore—I work.”

  Huh. Wouldn’t have guessed that. She looked my age.

  “I could’ve sworn you’re a student. You don’t look that old,” I said honestly. That made her laugh.

  “I’m only nineteen.” she explained.

  So I wasn’t that far off.

  “And where do you work?”

  Yikes. That came out nosier than it was supposed to be. But she didn’t seem to mind and if she did, it didn’t reflect.

  “Just at the supermarket near here—‘Fritshes.’ Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

  “Mhm. We shop there all the time,” I said. We actually did. Four stops away. Decent prices, weird music.

  “Oh! Speaking of which…” She jumped up. “I have to get off here!”

  “Um—sure!” I scooted aside so she could slide past.

  “It was so nice meeting you, Miri! I’ll see you around?” Gosh, I was already melting for her.

  “You bet!”, I assured her.

  “Next time, don’t keep the bus waiting.”, she said with a playful wink.

  I laughed and waved as she hopped off. Then she was gone.

  The bus kept filling up after that. I stayed in my seat, and luckily, a sweet grandma took the spot next to me. During the ride, I wondered if I should visit Cassy at the supermarket at some point. Maybe she could help me get a part-time job there. Yes, I’d do that—if I had extra time. According to the elective list I studied the evening before, both subjects I chose were scheduled for today. First cooking, then parkour. I guessed that due to the many electives the school offered, they would most likely have at least two each day and lasted until late afternoon. Well, I could manage. After all, I’m Super Miri!

  When I got off at the school stop, I immediately spotted Lea, who seemed to have waited for me. Lea! I urgently needed to ask her something. She joined me, and we walked to school together, along with a crowd of other students.

  “Lea?” I began, a bit sheepishly, not knowing how best to begin this topic without eventually sounding desperate.

  “Yep, Miri?” she replied cheerfully. She was in a good mood today!

  My question felt a little embarrassing. “You know a lot about that Raven Whatnot, don’t you?” I hoped she wouldn’t think I was already head-over-heels. Because I wasn’t. Definitely not!

  “Hmm.”, she clearly thought about how to best phrase her next sentence. “I’ve never really talked to him, but I might know enough about him. He’s often the topic of conversation. Why?” Strange—she didn’t even tease me. I’d half expected something like ‘Miri, you totally like him!’

  “Do you know if he plays any sports after school?” She paused, furrowing her brow as she thought. Her lower lip curled slightly.

  “What’s he doing after school? I don’t know. Then again, I don’t think anyone really knows. But I do know, when it comes to sport activities, he takes parkour as an elective.”

  “WHAT?” I blurted, way too loudly, earning a couple scared glances from the students passing us. I stood frozen.

  “Yeah, why are you so shocked? He’s super athletic. His body is a total dream!”

  I just shook my head, not listening to the continued swooning about how great Raven was. The conversation was officially over for me. Why?! Why had I chosen parkour? I mentally slapped myself. Now I’d actually have to spend a whole lesson in the same class with him! What have I done wrong in my previous life to deserve this punishment?!

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  We arrived at our class room where our homeroom teacher Mr Solomae was busily sorting through some papers at the front desk. I rummaged through my backpack while approaching the middle aged man with dark hair and beard.

  “Good morning, Mister Solomae.” I greeted him, offering him the paper with the electives that I had fished from my bag a moment ago. He looked up and straightened from his bent position. “Good morning to you, too, Miss Sawyer.” Looking from me to the paper in my hand.

  “Here’re my choices for electives.” I had contemplated changing Parkour to something else, after finding out that this stalker was in the same subject, but ended up deciding against it. It didn’t feel right to miss out the opportunity to do this sport, just because it meant I might feel a little uneasy with Raven around. Going into this with a positive mind was probably the best. Might as well build up some immunity against him.

  My teacher took my selection off me and let his eyes slide over my choices.

  “Perfect. I will forward your choices during recess, seeing they fall on today’s subjects, so the teachers will be aware that there’s one more student later.”

  I gave a quick nod and thanked him. The entire morning lesson, I mentally steeled myself for the afternoon. Thankfully, I already knew the topic in math—we’d covered it back at my old school—so I didn’t have to pay much attention and could let my thoughts wander a bit.

  After the first two periods, the bell rang for lunch recess. Lea and I strolled down to the schoolyard and found a spot in the grass to sit on, just like the day before. We placed her blanket and unpacked our lunches. She opened her lunchbox with a dreamy sigh and immediately started munching. I joined her, pulling out my sandwich and trying to forget that I’d accidentally signed up for a class with my personal nightmare in sneakers.

  We had a pretty fun conversation about the intelligence of elephants, when suddenly Lea’s expression shifted. With her cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk and her eyes wide.

  “Whuh—?” I asked, mouth half full.

  She pointed with her fork toward something behind me, practically bouncing.

  No. No, please don’t let it be what I think it is. I refused to turn around, shaking my head in disagreement.

  “Oh my god, Miri. Behind you.” she squealed, after she had swallowed her bite, barely containing herself. “He’s looking at you! Raven is staring at you!”

  I sighed so hard I might’ve deflated.

  Fine. Slowly, I turned my head. Yep. Sure enough. Raven “I’m-Too-Handsome-to-Have-Boundaries” Payne was casually leaning against a tree with his usual annoyingly-perfect posture and backpack slung over one shoulder, ice-blue eyes fixed directly on me. For a split second my dream flashed through my mind, but I dismissed the thought almost immediately and rolled my eyes instead before turning my back to him with an exaggerated shrug, signaling to Lea that I didn’t give a damn. Let him stare all he wanted.

  “So what? Let him stare. I’m not a museum exhibit.”

  “Oh my god,” Lea repeated, ducking slightly as her cheeks flushed pink.

  “What now?” I asked, already annoyed.

  “He... he’s coming over here. Miri...” she whispered, clearly panicking.

  “What? No.” I whipped my head around— way too fast.

  So quick that I smacked myself square in the chin with my sandwich..

  “Ugh, seriously?” I groaned, rubbing the mayonnaise off and trying to pretend I hadn’t just been assaulted by my own snack.

  Lea was no help. She was half-laughing, half-hiding behind her lunch box.

  I barely had time to recover when I felt someone’s shadow fall over us. I didn’t even have to look.

  “Ladies,” a smooth male voice greeted us.

  I stood up, yanking Lea up with me and nearly recoiled. He was standing way too close. But I couldn’t let him see me flinch. That would only give him ideas.

  Raven smiled at me. A sweet smile, like he thought this was all cute or something. Don’t let him fool you Miri, remember, he lied to you.

  “Miri, if you…” he started, sliding his bag off his shoulder, but I cut him off immediately.

  “Oh, hello, Mr. Liar,” I snapped. That wiped the smile off his face. He blinked.

  “I—what?”

  “Don’t act so innocently. You lied to me. There’s no training centre near where I live. You’re a jerk, a liar and—” I took a breath, “a stupid stalker!”

  I crossed my arms dramatically and glared at him. Raven looked confused... then hurt. What? He had some nerve looking hurt. Behind me, I could feel Lea shrinking into her shoes.

  He opened his mouth to speak again.

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just leave me alone!” I grabbed Lea’s arm and turned to leave, but I couldn’t resist a final dagger:

  “And stop staring at people like you’re auditioning for a romance novel cover!

  We stormed off. Well, I stormed, dragging Lea and her blanket behind me like a cartoon tornado with a leash. I didn’t care what he had to say. I left him standing there, and that was exactly where he belonged—far away from me.

  We ducked behind the snack bar, and I finally let go of her arm. My hands were shaking, heart racing. Maybe I’d gone a little too hard. But he deserved it… right?

  “Miri, what was that?” Lea asked, frowning with a doubtful look on her face. “That was Raven Payne. Literally the cutest guy at school. He never approaches girls first. Like, ever. He even knew your name!”

  “Exactly. Suspicious behavior,” I muttered.

  Lea looked at me like I’d grown another head. “Suspicious? He was just... standing there. With those heavenly eyes.”

  “Don’t let those eyes deceive you. A wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf.”

  Her expression softened. Then, slowly, she nodded. “Okay, you know what? Fair point. I’m sorry.” she mumbled. That was quick. Lea was easy to win over. But honestly, I liked that about her. She didn’t overcomplicate things.

  The bell rang before either of us could say more. Recess was over.

  We went back to class, and I met my history teacher, Mr. Spencer. Sadly, we were again covering material I already knew. Wishing the teacher had something to share I didn’t already know. So I only half-listened, finding myself oddly curious about what Raven had wanted to say earlier. Should I have let him speak? Have I overreacted? Nope. It was probably something dumb.

  The rest of the day crawled by. Surprisingly, the boys in my class behaved like model students. Hardly any whispering or goofing around. Were they always like this? Or were the teachers just really good?

  Mr. Spencer seemed strict but fair—still young, and clearly in control. I respected that. Even though a man.

  After the regular classes ended early afternoon, Lea accompanied me to the cooking classroom. Turns out, we wouldn’t be in any of the electives together. She’d chosen astrology as her second subject. Newspaper and astrology, an interesting combination. It really was a shame, though. She wasn’t familiar with who attended cooking classes, but she assured me that there were probably lots of girls attending. Just as I suspected. That gave me a tiny bit of hope.

  Most of the electives were situated on the ground floor and when we arrived in front of the cooking class, Lea hugged me goodbye. She would join astrology for one and a half hours today, then her school day was officially over. She left, and I stepped inside.

  The cooking room was bigger than a standard classroom, and honestly, more intimidating. The blackboard on the wall to the right had a cheerful doodle of a tomato wearing a chef’s hat. Cute.

  At the front stood a petite woman with kind, clear eyes and brown hair pulled back into a bun streaked with gray. She radiated warmth like a human teapot.

  My eyes scanned the room. The setup looked semi-professional—rows of large workstations, each with a stove, oven, and a shiny sink. Pantries lined the back wall, labeled with things like flour and spices in swirly handwriting that felt aggressively wholesome.

  I was glad that the average number of girls in this class has dramatically shot up, which was most likely due to all three school years coming together for electives. Each table had four students, two girls and two boys, all engrossed in conversations. Except the back-right table, which only had three. One of them, a black haired girl with a pixie cut, was whispering to a lanky guy with glasses. The third student was bent over behind the table, digging in a lower cabinet like it owed him money.

  That’s probably where I’d end up.

  “Mirona Sawyer?” the small woman said in a quiet voice, placing a gentle hand on my arm.

  I quit my observation and looked at her. “Hello,” I said politely.

  “I’m Miss Favour. So nice to have you here, sweetheart,” she said, beaming like a grandmother who’d just discovered I baked bread from scratch.

  “Thanks. Full disclosure—I’m probably a kitchen hazard,” I said, hoping honesty might protect me from sharp objects.

  She just waved a hand. “Then you’ve come to the right place. We all start somewhere. You’ll learn. Head over to the table in the back right—they’ve already been trained a bit, and I’m sure you’ll fit in just perfectly.”

  “Alright.” I nodded and walked toward my assigned table, mentally rehearsing something clever to say like “Hello, fellow chefs” or “Don’t let me near anything flammable.”

  The pixie cut girl noticed me first. “Hey, new teammate!” She greeted me with a wide smile, making her look a little like the Cheshire Cat.

  Next to her the lanky boy with the glasses glanced up from arranging spatulas and gave me a polite nod. “Hi.”

  “Who’re you?” The girl inquired without a pause.

  “Hey. I’m Miri,” I said with an unsure smile, resting my hands on the counter.

  A noise sounded behind the boy with glasses—followed by a quiet yelp. Then the other boy, who had still been bending over this whole time, stood up, scratching his head.

  I swear the universe held its breath.

  Our eyes locked.

  Raven.

  His expression morphed from blank to confused to full-on shocked, surely mirroring my own.

  “You?” we said in unison.

  No. This couldn’t be real. Not him.