The Hidden Truth

Chapter 3: The New girl

Chapter 3: The New Girl

The next day, something unexpected happened.

Liam walked into his first-period class, eyes already scanning the room for the usual suspects—Ryan and his cronies. But when his gaze swept over to the front of the room, he froze.

A new girl.

She stood at the teacher’s desk, flipping through a notebook with a confident, almost defiant air. Her messy black hair fell around her face in soft waves, and her leather jacket looked entirely out of place in the sea of school uniforms. But what really caught Liam’s attention were her eyes—dark, almost challenging. She wasn’t afraid to be different.

As the bell rang and the teacher introduced her, Liam caught her name: Sofia.

Sofia wasn’t like the other girls. She didn’t giggle when Ryan made his usual sarcastic remarks, nor did she flinch when the class turned to stare at her, sizing her up. Instead, she simply gave them a cool smile, as if she could see right through their expectations.

Liam watched her, feeling a sense of unease mixed with intrigue. She was unlike anyone he’d met in this school, and that made him both uncomfortable and strangely fascinated.

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First Interaction

Later that day, Liam found himself sitting in the cafeteria, picking at his lunch, when he heard someone sit down across from him. He looked up. It was Sofia.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, already pulling out her sandwich.

Liam blinked, unsure how to respond. No one ever approached him like this, especially not the new kid. “Uh, sure.”

“I saw you yesterday,” Sofia said, biting into her sandwich with casual ease. “You looked like you could use a friend.”

Liam chuckled, though it felt more like a nervous reflex. “I don’t know if I’m the best company. People usually tend to avoid me.”

Sofia shrugged. “People can be idiots. Doesn’t mean you have to be one of them.”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “You don’t mind the rumors?”

She smiled without hesitation. “Rumors are a joke. You’ve got to ignore them, or they’ll swallow you whole.”

Liam didn’t know what to say to that. The way she spoke, so matter-of-fact, it was like she was already beyond caring what anyone thought of her. He wished he could be like that.