Lunch at J High was a storm of chatter, movement, and overflowing energy. Students crowded tables, laughed too loud, and lived like the day would never end.
Jalen moved through it all like a ghost unbothered, unreadable, drifting through the madness with quiet authority.
He wasn't looking for food.
He was observing the power structure of the school.
Until...
Bump.
A shoulder collided lightly with his. A girl steadied herself with a smooth step back.
He turned his head.
Mary Kim.
Confident. Composed. Beautiful in a way that didn't beg for attention but demanded it all the same. Her presence made everything around her fade.
He blinked, taken aback for half a second not because she was hot. Jalen had seen plenty of beautiful girls.
But she… had presence.
Then...
"Watch where you're walking, punk."
The voice came from beside her.
Vin Jin.
Sunglasses inside. Aggression worn like a second skin.
Jalen glanced at him once.
Then looked back at Mary.
Didn't say a word.
Didn't acknowledge Vin at all.
He just kept walking.
Vin's jaw tensed, caught between confusion and offense.
Mary watched him go, one brow arched.
In the cafeteria, Mary sat with two other girls both good-looking, fashionable, and clearly popular in their own right. They chatted between bites, half-distracted by the noise of the room.
Then a chair slid back.
Jalen.
No words. No request.
He just sat down beside Mary like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The girls at the table froze.
The two friends exchanged glances, suddenly way too shy to speak. One fidgeted with her spoon. The other covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile.
Mary stayed still.
Eyes locked on Jalen like she was trying to figure him out.
"You're bold," she said finally.
Jalen leaned forward, elbows on the table. "You're beautiful."
Her friends nearly squealed but kept it together barely.
Mary raised an eyebrow. "That line's not gonna work here."
"Not a line," Jalen replied. "Just a fact."
"You think you're different?"
"I know I am."
She smirked. Cool, steady. "Not gonna fall for a pretty face. You're not the first."
Jalen's eyes didn't leave hers. "No. But I'll be the last."
Silence settled between them like tension before lightning. Her friends had gone completely quiet now, unable to handle the heat radiating off the table.
Lunch ended with no fireworks.
Jalen stood first, eyes never leaving Mary's.
"I'll see you around," he said, turning and walking off.
Mary didn't respond.
But her eyes followed him.
Longer than she meant to.