Chapter One – Scene One
Middle Ford High
Monday Morning
The hallway buzzed with teenage noise, shoes squeaking, lockers clanging, bits of laughter and gossip bouncing off the walls.
Patel adjusted his glasses as he walked toward his locker, books clutched awkwardly to his chest. His tie was slightly crooked, his hair messier than usual. He looked every bit the quiet, awkward kid he was known to be.
And then he tripped.
Over nothing.
With a thud, he landed face-first on the floor, books scattering around him.
He sighed. "Gravity: 1. Patel: 0."
The laughter came before he could get up.
"Classic Patel," Jason's voice rang out like a bad ringtone.
Jason walked over with his usual confidence, surrounded by his two sidekicks who copied his laugh like it was rehearsed. Tall, athletic, and charming to everyone but Patel, Jason had made teasing Patel his part-time job.
"You practicing your new yoga poses again?" Jason smirked.
Patel looked up and dusted his glasses. "Nah. Just rehearsing the night your mothers fell for me."
A few nearby students chuckled. Jason narrowed his eyes.
One of the boys in Jason's group stepped forward, clearly not enjoying being laughed at. He raised his hand like he was about to hit Patel.
But the hand never came down. It was caught.
"Not today, genius," came a calm voice behind him.
It was Mira.
She stood with a lollipop in her mouth and a look that said don't test me. Her long hair was tied back, and she wore a hoodie over her uniform shirt. Pretty, but not the kind of pretty you could push around. There was something unbothered and sharp about her.
She gripped the guy's wrist, calmly pulled it back, and gave him a warning look. "Next time, maybe try using your brain before your fists."
He backed off. Slowly.
Jason looked at her, clearly annoyed but trying to play it cool. "You're always getting involved. You think you're tough, Mira?"
She popped the lollipop from her mouth with a small click. "No. I just think your friends are bad at picking fights."
Jason tilted his head. "Careful. I don't hit girls but I know someone who doesn't mind."
That's when Brick stepped forward. Taller. Broader. Silent. Mira didn't flinch.
When he moved to grab her arm, she caught his wrist instead and twisted. He gasped, eyes wide.
And with a simple shift of balance, she flipped him to the ground. Thud.
The hallway went quiet with shock.
Patel blinked. "Okay. Remind me never to get on your bad side."
Just then
"What's going on here?!"
Principal John's voice cut through the silence. Students started walking away like nothing happened. Mira dropped Brick's wrist, Jason stepped back like he was innocent, and Patel quickly grabbed his books.
"You three, my office. Now."
Jason rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"
"Would you like detention and trash duty?" the principal asked.
Jason shut up.
Mira turned to Patel and offered him a hand. "Come on, Einstein. Let's survive another Monday."
Chapter One - Scene Two
Grade 11A– Mid-Morning
Patel and Mira stepped into the Grade 11A classroom. The second their feet crossed the door, a wave of chatter, laughter, and sneaker-scuffing energy hit them like a truck.
Grade 11A at Middle Ford was legendary. These kids were brilliant but had the attitude of retired rockstars. Disobedient? Definitely. Respectful? Sometimes. Loud? Always.
"Honestly," Patel muttered, adjusting his glasses, "this class sounds like a zoo on energy drinks."
"Relax," Mira said, grinning. "You've got me. I'll always have your back when chaos hits. Like your very own bodyguard, just prettier and smarter."
Patel scoffed. "Please. I didn't need help. I was just... calculating the angle of the floor."
Mira raised a brow. "Sure, Professor Clumsy. Tripping over oxygen is totally a superpower now."
Before Patel could protest, three of their classmates joined them:
Mat, the class clown with a man-bun and endless memes.
Nattie, the gossip queen and savage roaster.
Sheldon, the quiet tech guy who secretly shipped everyone.
Mat grinned. "Yo, Patel! Heard Mira bodied a whole linebacker this morning. Is this the Avengers or high school?"
"More like Mira: Warrior of Locker Hallways," Nattie said, tossing her braids over her shoulder.
"I give it a 9.3 out of 10," Sheldon added, barely looking up from his tablet.
Before Patel could reply, the classroom door creaked open. Everyone froze.
There she was, Mrs. Stan. She stood at the entrance, looking like she'd just stepped into a battlefield. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and made the sign of the cross.
Mira whispered, "There goes Saint Stan, praying for strength."
The class snapped into formation instantly sitting up, facing front, pretending like they hadn't been arguing over who had the best eyebrows in the room two seconds ago.
Mrs. Stan smiled faintly. She was elegant but real. Loved by everyone, feared by some, and always seconds away from quitting.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, Mrs. Stan," they chorused like angels.
"Now... before I lose my sanity," she said, half-jokingly, "I'd like to introduce someone new joining us today."
The classroom stirred.
Then she walked in.
She was breathtaking. Jenny.
Sunlight seemed to follow her into the room. Her soft curls bounced as she stepped forward, her skin glowing, eyes shy but magnetic. She wore the school uniform like it had been tailored for a movie scene, and when she smiled, heaven paused.
The boys leaned forward.
Mat whispered, "Bro... did Cupid just transfer schools?"
Sheldon blinked. "My glasses are fogging and I'm not even wearing any."
Fred, one of the big boys in the class sitting at the back, nudged his friend and muttered, "Damn! That girl's lookin' sweet."
Sasha, his girlfriend sitting next to him, narrowed her eyes and whispered sharply, "Say that louder and you'll be lookin' for your two front teeth."
Fred gulped and looked straight ahead.
Mrs. Stan gestured to Jenny. "Everyone, say hello to Jenny. She'll be with us for the rest of the year."
"Hi Jenny," the class said, a little too eagerly.
Jenny smiled, soft and modest. "Hi everyone…"
Patel couldn't move. His heart thudded like a marching band inside his chest. What… who… how is someone that… that…
His brain tried to find words: Stunning? Angelic? Ethereal? Nope. All he could think was "breathe, Patel. Breathe before you combust."
Mrs. Stan scanned the room. "Jenny, take a seat… let's see… ah, beside Patel. Right there."
Patel's heart dropped.
Mira's eyes widened. "Oh no…"
Jenny made her way to the seat next to him. She smiled as she sat.
"Hi," she said sweetly.
Patel turned his head, sweating and smiling nervously, he tried to reply and he fainted.
BAM!!
His head hit the desk with a soft thud. Books flew. His glasses slid halfway down his nose. Silence, then
"OH MY GOD!"
"Did he just…..?"
"Patel?!"
"Is he DEAD?!"
"He saw an angel and ascended."
Mrs. Stan rushed over. "Goodness! Someone get the nurse!"
Mat was already filming. "Nah. This one's going on the class group chat immediately."
Nattie stood over him, shaking her head with a grin. "And that, kids, is what happens when a gorgeous lady sits beside you and your soul isn't ready."
Fred leaned to Sasha and whispered, "At least I didn't faint…"
She smacked his arm.
Jenny sat frozen, unsure whether to laugh or panic. "Did… I do something wrong?"
Mira patted her arm. "Girl, you broke him. That's all. Welcome to Grade 11."