Chapter 3: Demitri

-October 25th-

Mackenzie's POV. -

A month had passed, and things had settled down for Mackenzie. The "new girl" attention had faded, she could find her classes on her own, and she had become good friends with both Emmy and Aisha. While they didn't all hang out together yet-due to Aisha's trust issues and Yasmine's snobbishness-it was a step in the right direction. Kenzie had even tried inviting Aisha to have lunch with her and Emmy, but Aisha preferred to keep her distance for now. Mackenzie remained hopeful that one day, Aisha would feel comfortable enough to join them.

Currently, she was enjoying a breather during study hall. She and Emmy decided to hang out in the student lounge, soaking up the crisp autumn weather. Fall was Kenzie's favorite time of year-the colorful leaves, the cool breeze, and, most of all, Halloween.

"I hate algebra," she groaned.

"Same," Emmy agreed. "I wish it never existed. So, are you going to the Halloween dance on Friday night?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Kenzie replied. "Why?"

Emmy shrugged. "Just wondering if you wanted to come."

"I'll think about it. If I do go, I'd need to figure out a costume."

As they chatted, Emmy suddenly waved at someone behind Kenzie. She turned to see three guys looking their way. One of them had slick light-brown hair, blue eyes, and a small split on his upper lip. His gaze quickly shifted back to Emmy. She studied the other two boys. The one next to him had tan skin, dark brown eyes, and neatly styled hair. The last boy, however, was still staring directly at her.

Kenzie's heart skipped a beat. He was cute-actually, more than cute. He had raven-black hair with bangs swept across his forehead, piercing hazel eyes, and a complexion that was both milky and lightly sun-kissed. For a moment, she wondered if he was looking at someone behind her, but when she turned around, there was no one else there.

She quickly pushed those thoughts away. Don't even think about it, Mackenzie. You've been hurt too many times before. You don't need to go through that again.

"Who are they?" she asked, trying to keep her curiosity casual.

"The tall guy is Eli, the one next to him is Miguel-he was new in town like you and started here a month before you-and the guy staring at you is Demetri," Emmy explained, lowering her voice to a whisper. "And don't tell anyone, but me and Eli are secretly dating. We're not ready to go public yet, especially since Yasmine only likes people who fit her 'status.' You know what I mean?"

Kenzie nodded, pretending to zip her lips. "I won't say anything."

Emmy stood up and started walking toward the boys but stopped when she noticed Mackenzie wasn't following. "You coming?"

She shook her head. "I'm good." She wasn't trying to be rude; she just felt a bit shy. "I'll head to the library instead."

"Alright, see ya!"

"See ya!"

Kenzie grabbed her things and made her way to the library, where she spent the rest of study hall in peace.

●●●●

When she got home, she followed her usual routine: heading straight to her room, her favorite place in the house. She loved how her mom had helped her set it up-a cozy queen-sized bed, a rustic nightstand, a Mandala tapestry hanging above it, and blue and pink fairy lights that gave the space a magical glow.

After chilling in her room for a bit, she went downstairs, grabbed a couple of chewy red velvet Chips Ahoy cookies, and settled into the leather recliner in the living room. As she scrolled through Instagram, liking her friends' posts, a notification popped up-a friend request on Snapchat.

Curious, she accepted it, and within five minutes, the person messaged her.

?: Hi

She raised an eyebrow. Hmmm... She typed hi back.

?: What's up?

Me: Nm much. Do I know you?

After a brief pause, the reply came in.

?: Oh, my bad, I'm Demetri.

Demetri? The cute boy from school?

You saw me earlier today with Eli and Miguel.

Mackenzie's mind raced. How did he even find my Snapchat? She decided she'd have to ask Emmy about it tomorrow.