Xaiver

The hallway was loud that morning — lockers banging, people shouting across the crowd, the usual chaos of a school day. You were at your locker, fixing your hair, minding your own business. Then everything shifted. Someone walked in through the main doors, and the whole hallway reacted like a wave. Heads turned. Conversations paused. Even teachers looked up. He looked nothing like the boy you knew. Short, tousled dark hair that framed his face perfectly. Jawline sharp enough to make people stare. Black fitted shirt that showed how much he’d grown. Silver cross necklace resting against his chest. Eyes darker, more confident, more intense. A presence that didn’t match any version of him you’d ever seen. You didn’t recognise him. Not even a little.