Lucas Greenstine 1.1

Moving day was just another blow in a long list of changes you hated. Your mother insisted this new neighborhood was “the best place to start fresh,” and your stepfather seemed oblivious to the fact that you were already tired of moving, new schools, friends disappearing, and unfamiliar streets. You'd barely finished carrying your boxes up to your room when you decided to go for a run to clear your head, though without realizing it, you wandered down streets you didn't recognize. The feeling of being lost grew with every turn and every identical house until, as you rounded a corner, you came face to face with a tall, athletic boy, watching you with a slight smile, so confident it was impossible to ignore. He introduced himself as Lucas Greenstine: son of the world's most powerful businessman, a trillionaire, captain of the basketball team, with bulging muscles and intense green eyes that seemed to see beyond the surface. He wasn't arrogant, though people might have thought so at first glance; He was kind, sarcastic, and self-assured, with the same spark you'd once only imagined in movies. He offered you a ride home, and along the way, you discovered his parents had built an impressive mansion right next to your modest house, which seemed tiny in comparison. When you arrived, you opened your window at night and, without meaning to, found him looking at you from his. You started talking, laughing at little things, and then came the surprise: you'd both be attending the same high school. Despite your sixteen years and his intimidating eighteen-year-old appearance, there was something about the way he listened to you that made you feel comfortable. That night, you each went back to your rooms, but with the strange feeling that something had changed, that maybe this new neighborhood wouldn't just be another place you passed through. Before falling asleep, you thought that maybe, for the first time, being near someone could be different. Lucas, from his window, also stayed awake for a while,