Kayla blinked. “Why would it be impossible?”

The older girl gave her a sharp look. “I’m your senior. I know how things work here. If you want to survive these four years without trouble, keep your eyes off him.” With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Kayla frozen in disbelief.

Kayla scoffed under her breath. ‘Seriously?’

To her, it was obvious that the senior liked him too and felt threatened. A slow smirk curved her lips.

If anything, this only made her more determined. Getting that guy’s attention would be her mission, and with it, the popularity she’d always wanted.

——

"So..." Isabella sat nervously between two of the girls from earlier. She fiddled with her fingers, then glanced at the raven-haired girl on her right. "You're Juliana Hastings..."

Juliana nodded with a smile. "Yeah."

Turning to her left, Isabella looked at the blonde. “And you’re Olivia Harper?”

Olivia smiled brightly. “Yup. That’s me.”

Isabella let out a small, awkward laugh. “Wow… nice names.”

“Yours is nice too,” Juliana said, tilting her head. “But… why keep yourself so hidden?”

Isabella hesitated before shaking her head. “I’m not hiding, really. I just… have a syndrome issue.” Her voice dropped at the admission.

"Oh." They both nodded, pretending to understand.

Olivia leaned in slightly. “Be careful, though. Something like that might make things harder for you.”

Isabella lowered her eyes and sighed, knowing Olivia was right. “I’ll try.”

Just then, the giant screen at the front of the hall flickered to life, and an older man’s face appeared

"It’s starting,” Olivia whispered, even though everyone already knew.

_____

Isabella sat quietly as the upperclassmen led the circle of introductions. Her chest tightened with every passing second, her heartbeat thudding painfully against her ribs.

She didn’t know why she felt this restless.

The thought of standing up, walking to the center, and introducing herself in front of her entire department, and all the seniors, was enough to make her want to disappear.

"Um, everyone listen up.” A girl with curly hair stood confidently. “I’m Charlotte Mitchell, a sophomore. Just wanted to say welcome, freshmen! I’m super approachable, always around if you need a friend, and…”

“Mm-hmm,” a guy coughed pointedly, shooting her a raised brow.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and plopped back down on the floor.

Another student took their turn, then another.

“Why isn’t he here yet?” the student president muttered.

Ezekiel shook his head. “You know how he is. Busy. They’ll find out about him sooner or later.”

The president sighed but turned back to the group. “Anyway, welcome, everyone. I’m Vince Parker, your student body president.”

The room filled with polite claps.

“And I’m…”

All eyes shifted to a striking, blonde-haired man who just sat still with his legs crossed like a monk.

“… Ezekiel Blake. Senior. General faculty president,” he said, his deep voice carrying easily across the hall. “I want to officially welcome you all. Feel free to approach me anytime you’ve got questions or concerns.”

Madison heard the whispers ripple around her.

“He’s so handsome,” Olivia whispered, unable to look away.

Kayla also couldn't stop staring, but she had her mind on one man, but she was disappointed to see he wasn't anywhere around.

Meanwhile, Isabella‘s nerves spiked all over again. Her palms grew clammy, her chest tight.

The introductions felt like they had power over her entire future, and she hated it. Why couldn’t she just be bold... just once?

Juliana glanced at Isabella and immediately picked up on her fear. She wondered why Isabella looked so tense, but instead of asking, she sighed softly and turned her attention back to the seniors.

"Alright,” Vince Parker, the student president, announced. “Now that the upperclassmen have introduced themselves, it’s time for the freshmen. Who wants to go first?”

The room fell into an awkward silence. Everyone exchanged nervous glances, clearly hoping someone else would step up.

Kayla rolled her eyes at the hesitation and pushed herself to her feet.

A chorus of “ooohhh” rose from the group, half impressed, half hyping up her boldness with applause.

Several of the guys couldn’t take their eyes off her, their stares borderline creepy, filled with admiration that made it obvious what they were thinking.

Kayla stepped into the center of the circle with confidence. “I’m Kayla Rowan, a freshman…” she said, her gaze sweeping across the room.

“She’s gorgeous,” one guy whispered to his friend.

Charlotte crossed her arms and let out a sharp sigh. “Great. She’s already set to be the popular girl this year. Annoying.”

“Totally,” her friend muttered back.

Kayla kept talking smoothly. “I know college is going to be tough, and I plan to work hard… but I also think it’s important to make friends along the way…”

“So pretty!” a boy blurted suddenly, unable to hold it in.

The group broke into scattered chuckles, while Kayla just smirked like she’d expected that reaction all along.

Then her gaze landed on weird girl she’d noticed earlier. For some reason, she felt the urge to put her on the spot.

"Anyway,” Kayla said sweetly, flashing a smile. “Thanks for listening, but I’m sure I’m not the only pretty one here. Some girls probably just… hide their beauty.”

Isabella’s head snapped up at the words.

"No way,” someone muttered.

“Who’d ever hide a pretty face? That’s something to show off,” a guy scoffed.

Kayla chuckled softly. “Right?” Her eyes slid back to Isabella. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

Isabella froze as every face turned toward her. Oh God. No. Not me. Please not me. Her heart slammed against her chest, her throat closing up.

“Come on,” Kayla coaxed as if encouraging her.

"Is she actually pretty under there?” a girl whispered.

“Nah,” another shot back. “People who hide their faces usually aren’t.”

“Maybe she’s got a scar,” someone near Juliana added, making her sigh in irritation.

Juliana finally stood, annoyed. “Kayla, you’re done. Why don't you go sit?”

The polite smile on Kayla’s face dropped, her jaw tightening at the blatant disrespect. How dare she?

But Juliana ignored her,, and she held out her hand at Isabella. "How about we introduce ourselves together?”

Isabella blinked, stunned.

The room had gone dead quiet.

She looked at Julie's hand, gratitude welling in her chest. Slowly, a small smile tugged at her lips as she reached out and stood up.

Hand in hand, the two girls walked to the center of the circle. Isabella kept her head low.

“I’m Juliana Hastings. Nice to meet you all,” Julie said confidently. Then she gave Isabella an encouraging nod. “Your turn.”

Isabella lifted her chin just enough. “I…I’m Isabella Danvers. Nice to meet you guys.”

“She’s got a pretty voice and name,” Vince murmured under his breath, “but what’s she hiding?”

“Let’s go,” Julie said gently, and the two of them returned to sit down side by side on the floor.

Isabella let out a shaky breath once it was finally over, brushing her palms against her jeans as if to wipe away the nerves. The fear that had gripped her chest all this time was starting to ease, little by little.

Meanwhile, Kayla sat stiffly on the floor, shooting daggers at both her and Julie. Her forced smile had long faded, replaced with a glare sharp enough to cut. She looked humiliated, like she couldn’t believe someone had dared to stand up to her.

The last of the introductions wrapped up, and almost right away the freshman party kicked off. Music played from a speaker set up near the wall, colorful streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling. A long folding table sat in the corner, loaded with chips, sodas, and plastic cups.

Isabella kept mostly to herself, staying near the back of the room. She wasn’t dancing or talking as loudly as the others, but she still found herself smiling a few times at the fun games everyone else played. It was nice.

Glancing at the clock, Isabella realized the day was nearly over. She nodded to herself, proud for making it this far.

If she could just keep flying under the radar like this, maybe, just maybe, she could make it through the next four years without too much trouble.