**The weight of Oakridge had become a routine.**
Aarvin moved through its hallways like a ghost—quiet steps, lowered eyes, a heartbeat that never truly rested. Every day felt the same: survive the stares, avoid the noise, disappear.
That morning, though… something in the air felt different. Softer. Almost gentle.
He crossed the old courtyard, morning light brushing the cracked stone path, books pressed tightly to his chest. His voice trembled in his head:
*"No trouble. No attention. Just reach class."*
The usual shield he wore—silence—felt heavier than ever.
Then it happened.
A laugh.
Soft. Bright. Out of place in Oakridge's cold, metallic atmosphere.
Aarvin turned automatically—
and the world stopped.
She stood near the notice board, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, sunlight catching in her hair like it had been waiting for *her* arrival. Her smile wasn't like everyone else's—no sharp edges, no hidden motives. Just… genuine. Warm. Human.
Aarvin froze.
Not because she was pretty.
Because she made the world feel alive for the first time since he arrived.
Her presence felt like someone had opened a window in a suffocating room he didn't even realize he'd been trapped in. And for a moment—just a heartbeat-long moment—*she looked up*.
Their eyes met.
Aarvin didn't breathe.
It wasn't dramatic or loud. It was a quiet jolt—like touching electricity with wet fingers. He looked away instantly, cheeks burning, chest tightening with something he had forgotten he could feel.
He whispered to himself, barely audible, "What… was that?"
He didn't have an answer. But the moment replayed in his mind like a loop he couldn't stop—and didn't want to.
The bell rang, shattering the stillness around him. Students rushed past, voices rising, footsteps echoing… but inside Aarvin, everything remained suspended around that single glance.
It wasn't love.
Not yet.
But it was the spark.
The first warmth he'd felt in a place built on coldness.
The first person who made him stumble without touching him.
The first moment that felt like the beginning of something dangerous, fragile, and beautiful all at once.
He walked toward class, pulse unsteady, every step carrying an unfamiliar weight—hope.
Aarvin Hale had just experienced the beginning of something that would define everything.
His first crush.
His first spark of light.
The first moment that would lead him forward…
and eventually break him in ways he never saw coming.
**To be continued…**