Shyla wasn’t your typical seventeen-year-old she was. Shy, quiet, and expertly invisible, she floated through the halls of Crestwood High like a ghost, only really noticed by her best friend, Jazz. They’d been inseparable since the sandbox days, and nothing not even the chaos of high school could ever change that. Senior year had arrived with all its glittering promises, and Shyla was excited… and terrified. Excited for the last stretch of high school, terrified of the drama she somehow always managed to avoid. That is, until the new guy walked through the front doors on the second day of school.

Justin Walhard. Tall. Muscular. Confident. Every inch of him screamed “I don’t follow rules, rules follow me.” He had that messy brown hair, a smile that made people melt, and an aura of someone who could charm the world without even trying. And Shyla… she saw him. She noticed. But she wasn’t about to make it obvious. Not her style. Shy meant staying in the shadows. Always. Jazz noticed immediately. “Girl,” she hissed as she tugged Shyla toward the cafeteria, “that’s Justin Walhard. The construction guy. Heard he just moved here from… somewhere cool. Don’t tell me you’re gonna faint like you always do.” “I’m… not fainting,” Shyla muttered, pressing her backpack tighter against her chest. “Uh-huh,” Jazz smirked. “Sure you’re not. You’re about to swoon, admit it.”

Shyla rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stop herself from glancing back. Justin was laughing with a group of guys, slinging a basketball effortlessly between them, his smile bright even from across the room. She had no plans to approach him, no plans to talk, no plans for anything. She’d stay invisible, as always. But somehow, he glanced her way. Just once. And in that second, the cafeteria faded. The buzzing of the room, the chatter, the gossip—all of it disappeared. Shyla felt her heart skip, and she quickly looked away, hoping Jazz hadn’t noticed.

Of course, Jazz had noticed.

“You just got noticed by Justin Walhard,” she whispered, barely containing her grin. “You’ve officially entered senior year chaos.” Shyla groaned. Senior year had promised excitement, but she hadn’t meant this kind. Not him. Not Justin. She liked her life in the shadows. She liked staying out of drama. And she definitely wasn’t chasing romance.

But as she walked to her locker later, she couldn’t help thinking: maybe… just maybe… being seen wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Senior year had just begun. And Shyla had a feeling everything was about to change ~unexpectedly~