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Chapter One – Invisible Scars
The bell rang, sharp and cruel, slicing through the stale morning air of Ridgeview High. Students flooded the halls like a restless tide—laughing, shoving, gossiping. Harry Blake moved through them like a ghost, unnoticed and untouched. He preferred it that way.
His hoodie was up, his gaze fixed on the floor, earbuds in though the music had stopped playing hours ago. They were more armor than entertainment.
"Watch it, freak."
A shoulder slammed into his, hard. He staggered but didn't respond. That voice belonged to Mason Carter—quarterback, king of the cafeteria, and Harry's personal tormentor since ninth grade.
He kept walking. He always did. That was the rule: don't look up, don't talk back, don't feel.
In homeroom, the desks were already half-filled. He took his usual seat at the far corner near the window, away from the others. Ms. Doyle, a tired woman with kind eyes and a coffee addiction, glanced at him but said nothing. She'd tried once to reach out—once. That had been enough.
In came Jenna and Lisa, best friends with loud voices and sharper tongues. Then Aiden Torres, the class clown who laughed the loudest when others fell. And finally, the new girl.
She walked in like she didn't know the rules. Bright sweater, messy ponytail, and eyes that scanned the room like she was reading a map. When her gaze landed on Harry, she paused—just for a second. Long enough to make him look up, which he never did.
She smiled.
And that was the first crack.
The smile Sophie gave him lingered in Harry's mind long after she turned away and took a seat near the middle of the class. It wasn't pitying or fake—it was simple, genuine. He wasn't used to that.
Ms. Doyle began taking attendance, her voice soft but firm. Harry barely listened. He never responded with more than a nod.
"Bennett, Sophie?"
"Here," she said brightly.
Heads turned. New kids always sparked curiosity. Whispers followed.
"I heard she moved from the city."
"Looks weird."
"She smiled at Harry Blake. Yikes."
He heard them. He always did. But Sophie didn't flinch. She just kept her eyes forward.
Beside Harry, the desk remained empty, like always. No one ever wanted to sit next to him. It was unspoken law.
Then came the familiar snicker from two rows behind.
"Maybe she likes broken things," Mason muttered, just loud enough for Harry to hear. His friends chuckled.
Harry said nothing. He was good at that.
At lunch, the cafeteria buzzed like a beehive. Harry took his usual spot in the corner, tray untouched. The noise, the smells, the crowd—it all blurred. Across the room, Sophie scanned the tables. When she spotted him, her eyes lit up slightly.
She began walking his way.
"Don't," Jenna hissed as Sophie passed her. "That guy's a total psycho."
Sophie paused for half a second. Then kept walking.
She sat down across from Harry.
"Hi," she said.
He blinked. No one had sat with him in two years.
"…Why?"
She shrugged. "You looked like you could use a hello."
Harry didn't reply. He stared at her like she was part of a dream he didn't dare believe. But he didn't tell her to leave either.
For a long moment, they just sat. He didn't know it yet, but that moment—simple, awkward, and quiet—was the beginning of everything.
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