FIRST PERIOD WASN'T MY CUP OF TEA. IT WAS FAR FROM THAT.

After the haunting morning announcements, silence settled in the classroom, everything and everyone that once showed a glimmer of happiness or interest now faded into quietness and space until it sounded like a graveyard.

Mercedes, once outgoing and talkative, was as silent as a mouse as Mr. Rochester continued to talk on and on, seeming to not realize that everyone was in a frozen state.

It was torture and I was grateful for the shrilling bell that excused us from class. Almost instantly, everyone grabbed their stuff and rushed out, leaving me to balance my binders and scramble to the door. Mercedes brushed past me, offering me a silhouette smile before she walked down the hall and disappeared into the massive crowd.

Frowning but refusing to question, I found my way to my second floor, AP Chemistry. It was on the fourth floor, which had brighter lights and seemed alive compared to the first two floors. I was one of the first ones there so I took a seat in the middle of the class, waiting for everyone else.

My lab partner strolled in five minutes after the bell rang, wearing nothing but black with a hint of silver chain that hung around his jeans. He had piercing blue eyes and jet-black hair that touched his shoulders. He had only a few books in one hand, handing his late pass lazily to Ms. Rosenberg before taking his seat next to me.

"First day and you are already on a bad streak, Phoenix" she glared, throwing the pass on the desk.

All he did was smirk and shrug his shoulders, crossing his arms. "Sorry, but there are more things that require my attention than this watered-down course."

His words were harsh and sharp and seemed to shut her up. He rolled the sleeves of his leather jacket up, revealing several tattoos on both wrists and a wooden bracelet on his right one.

Then slowly, his gaze shifted over to me, acknowledging my existence. For a second, I was lost in his intense glare, feeling my face flush red with embarrassment. After a minute though, I managed to whisper, "I'm Iveline. I just moved here."

"Yeah, I can tell" he replied. "You don't look like you've been corrupted by this town yet."

His words left a hollow sting but somehow intrigued me. But before I could question further, he turned his attention to his opened notebook, took out a pencil, and sketched through the whole forty-five minutes.

When class was over, he shut his books, got up, and walked away. I began to follow him silently, keeping my binders plastered to my chest and my head down when Ms. Rosenberg called out to us. "Can you two please stay for a minute? I need to speak with you."

I stopped and turned around. The teacher was leaning against her desk, shuffling a few papers in her hand. Phoenix looked calm and composed even if impatience radiated off of him. "Listen, I've been thinking about this very cautiously," the young teacher said, running her fingers through her charcoal hair. "Iveline, even though you are new to ShadowHill, your previous report from your old school shows you have a very good record of student involvement and are obviously very intellectual."

I blushed at her words, mustering a smile. "And Phoenix, even though I don't appreciate your late antics and constant smart-mouthing, I can't deny the brain hiding inside that brooding head of yours."

He scoffed, a ghost smile pulling at his lips. "I would smile if I wasn't so dead inside" he retorted back, earning another glare from her.

"Don't push it" she warned.

"Don't trigger me" he said nonchalantly.

An awkward silence filled between all three of us for a quick minute before she sighed and handed us a sheet of paper. "Listen, the principal and I have been talking and he really wants only the brightest and smartest student to help with arranging an official memorial for Caleb in the school.

"Even though you are new Iveline, she has looked over your transcript and is very impressed with your community skills and adaptation and I suggested that Phoenix here would be a good accomplice by your side to not only work together but also teach you a little bit of history of our town and our unfortunate lost."

"But Caleb never did anything to benefit me," Phoenix said, looking at the paper. "In fact, he barely talked to me. Never impacted me in any way. Why should I involve myself with someone I barely knew?"

This time, Ms. Rosenberg crossed her hands over her chest. Her expression had changed from irritated to flat-out angry. "Because I am counting this as a first-semester project for both of you and it is worth half of your grade. So you either do it or risk never getting out of this town."

Her words were threatening and for a while, I didn't look at either one of them. Only the sheet of paper in my hands with words I didn't want to read.

After a long pause, Phoenix sighed and finally agreed to it. "Fine but don't expect any enthusiasm and kind words from my end," he said.

He turned over to me, raising his brow. "That's for little Miss Sunshine over here."

I opened my mouth to hesitate but the teacher gave me no chance. "Great. We start tomorrow after school. Be at the main office by three and don't hesitate to bring some friends along. We need all the help we can get."

And with that, she wrote us both a pass and excused us. A strange feeling fluttered in my stomach as I walked out of that class, holding the paper in my hand.

"But I don't even know Caleb" I whispered to myself, shaking my head.

This all seemed too strange.

"Doesn't matter."

I had forgotten that Phoenix was walking beside me, in slow strides to match my pace. "ShadowHill always has a way of capturing its new victims into its old, rotten web of lies," he said.

He turned over to me and smiled, sending a warm buzz down my spine. "That's how we extend our dearest welcome."

We stopped at the staircase, the new white stairs spiraling down until it collided with the old, wooden one.

"Not exactly the warmest welcome," I said, sighing. He shrugged, humming under his breath.

"You'll get used to it." Passing a curious look over to me, he hummed once again, glancing down at my notebooks and binders.

"I have to go" he informed me, tearing his gaze away. "Have fun in History."

Wait, what?

Looking down at my schedule, I indeed saw that History was my next class.

I looked up again, only to hear a sweet whistle coming from his lips and see his disappearing silhouette down the hallway.

I WAS GRATEFUL WHEN LUNCH CAME AROUND. It was the only thing that seemed normal out of my entire day.

Shoving my binders and notebooks in my bag, I lounged by the cafeteria doors with my phone in hand, waiting for my brother to text me. We had agreed to sit together at lunch, even though we were trying to pretend the other didn't exist.

Students passed by in small, chatty groups without batting an eyelash at me. I should be grateful that I was particularly invisible among the crowd of new people but I couldn't help but feel a little hurt.

I was used to being a bit popular.

Back in Longroad, my brother and I were wildly popular. Evan was the star soccer player and the school president and I was a champion volleyball player and president of the science club.

It was the ultimate definition of brains and beauty when it came to us.

We were invited to every party, hung out in big groups, and never wandered alone. We were used to the attention, the glory of it all. Sure, half of our friends turned out to be backstabbers towards the end but it was fun while it lasted.

So being reduced to the new girl at ShadowHill High was anything but pleasant.

Ten minutes passed by before Evan appeared in front of me. His curls were slightly disheveled and his cheeks were flushed red. His backpack was strapped on his shoulders, only a pencil in his hand.

And yet, there was something different about him. This morning's gloomy and brooding attitude was replaced with a refreshing and illuminating mid-noon happiness.

"Didn't bother to go inside?" my twin teased me, giving me the biggest smile I have ever seen in a while from him. Of course, curiosity sparked my attention but I shut my mouth, choosing to question him later.

"You know I'm not good with huge crowds" I replied.

He made a face, scoffing. "It's the cafeteria, Ivy. Trust me, no one will be paying attention to us" he reassured, ushering me to the door. Together we entered the huge double doors and into the grand cafeteria.

Needless to say, it was truly amazing. High ceilings were paneled with a combination of wood and glass with bright lights dropping from below. Large Victorian-styled columns hid in every corner. The floors were tiled and shiny, the lunch tables large and extravagant.

It was one of the fanciest cafeterias I've ever seen.

"This feels like Harry Potter," Evan said, staring in awe.

I laughed, feeling a weight lift off my chest. "All it's missing is some floating candles, Dumbledore, and the Sorting Hat" I added in as we made our way towards the decreasing lunch line.

"I think you binge-watched a bit too much" my brother retaliated. I rolled my eyes, biting back the profanities I wanted to shout, and instead dug into my bag and pulled out a crisp five-dollar bill. I chose the pasta meal they offered along with a bottle of water while my brother settled for a burger and an energy drink.

We paid for our lunches and sought to find a table to sit down at. As we wandered around, the anxiety of making new friends overwhelmed me. It was never a problem we had to deal with up until now.

Up until our former titles and self-proclaimed popularity were stripped from us.

Seeing a small table far off in the corner, we began to walk towards it, weaving our way through the crowd. From the corner of my eye, I saw familiar faces including Mercedes who sat at a large table with a big group of people, and Phoenix who lounged in the shadows.

Settling into the small, two-seat table with our lunch trays, I watched as my brother chowed down on the burger, giving himself little time to breathe before he washed it down with the energy drink. I had barely gotten two bites out of my pasta.

"So tell me," I asked as I nibbled on my food. "Why the sudden mood change? This morning, you were at the edge of the world and now you are on top of it."

Evan shrugged, speaking in between bites.

"I thought about what you said, Ivy," he said, swallowing his food. "I can't be gloomy forever, knowing I could be missing some great opportunities. So for once, I let myself actually mingle and talk to people."

This time, his eyes lit up like Christmas lights. "I must admit, it's weird being the one to initiate the talking and the introduction but once I got over that initial awkwardness, I actually found myself enjoying the day. Especially in my English class. I found myself sitting next to the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

I scoffed, a hand over my heart as if he had stabbed me. Evan laughed. "Second prettiest" he corrected himself.

"Actually third" I corrected him, chewing on my pasta. "Mom will always be the most beautiful woman in the world."

At the mention of our dead mother, a hint of sadness pooled in his eyes, accompanied by anger and stress. His face flushed red again, his jaw tightening and this time, his eyes strayed to the almost finished burger in his hands.

A frown pulled at his lips, his brows woven together. "Do you really think Dad would have saved her if he had the choice?" he asked in a low voice, not meeting my gaze.

"You and I both know he would have in a heartbeat," I said, reaching over to touch his hand."I know you and Mom were close and her death took a toll on all of us. But Dad has really stepped in when it comes to playing both roles. I know it's going to take some time but he's really trying and it would be great if you would give him some sort of chance. Even a slim chance."

Evan was silent, chewing so hard, that his jaw flexed under his skin. His knuckles were bare white, the grip on his burger so tight, it seemed to ooze all the ketchup right out. "But they were arguing a few weeks before her accident. Remember?"

His voice cracked, clearing his throat so that he wouldn't cry. "They argued for two straight hours before Dad got fed up and went to bed and left her in the living room. She was crying, Ivy. A river of tears. I remember so clearly because I snuck downstairs to wipe them away and then we both fell asleep on the couch."

How could I forget? It was one of the worst fights they have ever been in. While we never figured out what they were actually arguing about, it must have been something very fatal because it left both of them in a wrecked state for a few days.

Evan tended to comfort Mom while I supported Dad.

"And they made up, Evan. Dad loved Mom too much to even lay a single finger on her and vice-versa. Through all their bad times, they still made up and were there for each other. You know that as much as I do."

Even though I could tell he was still uneasy, he finally nodded, taking a deep breath. "I won't make it easy for him but I'll put in some effort," my brother said.

I smiled, squeezing his arm. "Okay."

That was enough for me.

We continued eating our lunch in laughter, stealing each other's food, and discussing our classes. Time seemed to pass by, our laughter drowned out by all the noise that we forgot that we were surrounded by others too.

We were probably the loudest of them all, our voices echoing off the walls and our words getting lost in the crowd. And no one seemed to mind. In fact, no one seemed to pay that much attention.

That is until the doors to the cafeteria opened again and the silence of the morning descended into the room like stars rapidly falling out of the sky.

The loud, heaving voices that were filled with laughter and joy now ceased to whisper. Eyes strayed from the tall, feminine figure that strolled through the door, daring not to make eye contact with her.

Even Evan and I stopped our banter to turn our heads towards the one object of intruigment that seemed to mesmerize the room. She was tall, striking with long blonde hair and slightly tanned skin. Her eyes were a shimmering shade of green that panned over the crowd of students who looked at her. She was dressed in a black checkered knitted sweater that was cropped and tucked into a grey pencil skirt. Her powerful heels clicked against the floor as she paraded her way to the lunch line, a smile on her lips.

"That's the girl I sat next to," my brother said in a dreamy voice, his mood changing drastically once again. A loopy smile pulled at his lips, his eyes fixated on her. "Stephanie Hillard. Isn't she gorgeous?"

Stephanie Hillard. The killer blonde bombshell.

The one who could kill with more than just her looks.

"She's definitely striking" I replied, watching her with disapproving eyes. "Maybe a bit too striking."

Clearing my throat, I tore my eyes away from her, finishing my pasta quickly.

But I could feel it.

And maybe it was my imagination or maybe I was going insane but I could have sworn I could feel a pair of eyes staring at us.

Eyes that shimmered green like envy. 

Are you deranged like me?

Are you strange like me?

Lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?

Do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?

Pointing fingers 'cause you'll never take the blame like me?  

~ Gasoline by Halsey