Elara Quinn had one goal for her senior year: stay invisible. After a rocky junior year filled with gossip, ghosting friends, and one terrible breakup, she's more than happy to keep her head down and her earbuds in. Her small town, Grayridge, isn't exactly bursting with excitement, and that's just how she wants it — predictable, quiet, controlled.
But the first day shatters that plan when a new student walks into Mr. Harlan's first-period English class like he owns the place. Jace Rowen. With his tousled hair, sharp cheekbones, and calm confidence, he immediately becomes the center of attention. Whispers spread faster than wildfire — no one's seen him before, and he's not listed in last year's transfer projections.
Everyone else is fascinated. Elara is annoyed. He's too smooth for someone who's "new." His jokes land too easily, his answers in class are a little too polished. And when he sits beside her, tossing out some casual comment about the weather in a way-too-familiar tone, her red flags go up. Who is this guy?
They get paired for a semester-long project on contemporary literature. Elara groans inwardly. Group work means contact. And Jace, somehow, already knows how to push her buttons with a smirk and a quip. But under that charm, she notices something strange. He slips up when referencing places in town. Mentions people he shouldn't know. And once, during a class discussion about local history, he mutters a correction under his breath — one that's not in the textbook.
Later, in the hallway, she catches him staring at the old trophy case like he's searching for someone. Or something. When she asks about it, he just smiles and walks away.
By the end of the first week, Elara realizes Jace Rowen is more than just the new guy. He's a mystery — and part of her wants to solve it, even if it means getting noticed.