The Guardian of Room F

Liraaaa! Hurry up, girl, or we'll be late!"

Mara's voice echoed through the hallway as she grabbed Lira's wrist, pulling her toward their classroom. Lira barely had time to react as Mara dragged her through the crowd of students.

"Chill, Mara! The bell hasn't even rung yet," Lira huffed, fixing her hair as they reached their classroom door.

Mara grinned. "Yeah, but today is a special day."

Lira raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Mara wiggled her eyebrows. "New student, duh. And rumor has it, he's super good-looking."

Lira rolled her eyes and walked to her desk. "You and your obsession with new students…"

Before Mara could reply, the classroom door swung open, and their teacher, Ma'am Rivera, stepped inside. But she wasn't alone.

The moment he walked in, the entire class fell silent.

He was tall, with slightly messy dark hair and sharp eyes that scanned the room lazily. His uniform was neat but slightly undone at the collar, giving him that effortless bad boy vibe. Girls started whispering instantly.

"Omg, he's cute."

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"I hope he sits near me…"

Lira wasn't paying much attention—until his gaze landed on her. For a split second, their eyes met, and something about the way he looked at her made her stomach flip.

"Class, we have a new student," Ma'am Rivera announced. "This is Zayn Monteverde. He just transferred here, so be nice."

Monteverde? Lira blinked. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Zayn, you can sit next to Lira," Ma'am Rivera said, making Lira's eyes widen. What?!

As Zayn walked over, Mara immediately leaned in. "OMG. Lira, this is literally a fanfic moment."

"Shut up," Lira muttered, feeling her face heat up as Zayn casually pulled out the chair beside her.

"Hey," he said, his voice smooth and low.

Lira hesitated before mumbling, "Uh… hi."

Mara, sitting behind them, practically vibrated with excitement. "Liraaa, introduce yourself properly!" she whisper-yelled.

Lira shot her a glare. Why is she like this?!

But before she could say anything else, their other classmate, Jace, leaned forward from the desk in front of them. Jace had been Lira's friend since forever, but he had a reputation for being a troublemaker.

"Yo, new guy," Jace said, smirking. "You play basketball?"

Zayn shrugged. "Yeah, sometimes."

Mara gasped dramatically. "OMG. Are you joining the team? Jace is the captain!"

Zayn smirked. "Guess we'll see."

Lira sighed. Why did she feel like her life was about to get way more complicated?

And then, as if the universe wanted to prove her right, Zayn leaned a little closer and whispered, "By the way, Lira… Have you ever been inside Room F?"

Lira's blood ran cold. How did he know?