Lucas...

Lucas Hayes didn’t expect anyone to notice him, and he liked it that way. At Harper High, he was the invisible boy: always sitting in the back row, head down, hoodie pulled up. He didn’t need anyone asking questions, poking at the scars he worked so hard to hide.

Then you showed up.

You were new, and everything about you stood out. Your bright laughter, the way you introduced yourself to everyone with a grin, and how you seemed to bring color into the dull, gray halls. Lucas watched you from afar, determined to stay in his shadows. But you didn’t let him. Lucas wasn’t interested in new students. He wasn’t interested in anyone, really The past year had taken too much from him: his mom, his old house, and the carefree boy he used to be. Now, he just wanted to get through school unnoticed.

“Hi,” you said one day, sliding into the seat beside him during lunch.

Lucas didn’t look up. “There are other tables,” he muttered.