chapter 3

Monday, September 7, 2026

11:15 a.m.

Main Hallway – Las Vegas Elite Academy

The students continued staring at Noah and me.

The silence was suffocating.

No one dared to step in.

Noah ran a hand through his soaking wet hair. His uniform was damp, yet his face remained surprisingly calm.

A faint smile curved his lips.

A smile that sent chills down my spine.

"You're brave, Elina Carter."

I didn't answer.

"Or completely reckless."

The boys around him burst into laughter.

One of them stepped forward.

"Noah, let me teach her a lesson."

"No."

His answer was sharp.

He never took his eyes off me.

"She's mine."

Those three words froze the atmosphere.

I frowned.

"I don't belong to anyone."

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

I had dared to talk back to him again.

Noah took one step closer.

"We'll see how long you can keep that confidence."

He walked past me without another glance.

His friends followed him.

Within seconds, the hallway returned to its usual buzz.

---

11:30 a.m.

Basketball Court

"You're crazy!"

Maya grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the bleachers.

"Do you even realize what you've just done?"

"I defended myself."

"You humiliated Noah Hale in front of the entire school!"

I shrugged.

"He had it coming."

Maya let out a long sigh.

"No one talks back to him. No one."

I turned my attention to the players practicing on the court.

Noah was already there.

As if nothing had happened.

He dribbled the ball effortlessly.

A few seconds later, he jumped.

The basketball soared through the air.

Swish.

The crowd erupted into applause.

Girls screamed his name.

He didn't even glance in their direction.

His attention was somewhere else.

On me.

He was staring at me from the other side of the court.

My heart began to race.

Why?

Why was he looking at me like that?

---

12:45 p.m.

Basketball Team Locker Room

"You don't seem to be in a very good mood."

Ethan Blackwood walked in, closing the door behind him.

Noah slowly pulled off his sweat-soaked jersey.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You've made twenty-eight shots in a row."

"You only do that when something's bothering you."

Noah remained silent.

Ethan grabbed a bottle of water.

"Is it the new girl?"

Noah clenched his jaw.

"Don't say her name."

"Why?"

Still no answer.

Ethan stepped closer.

"Ever since you saw her this morning, you've been acting strangely."

Noah lowered his eyes.

His expression hardened.

"I thought she'd never come back."

"You know her?"

Noah slowly looked up.

A mixture of anger and deep pain flashed across his eyes.

"More than you could ever imagine."

---

1:10 p.m.

Garden Behind the School

I had walked away from the noise.

I needed to breathe.

Sitting alone on a bench, I stared at the flowers lining the pathways.

I pulled an old photograph from my wallet.

It showed my parents and me, taken several years earlier.

A sad smile crossed my face.

"I miss you both so much..."

A tear rolled down my cheek.

Suddenly, a male voice spoke from behind me.

"Do you cry that often?"

I jumped.

I turned around abruptly.

Noah was standing there.

His hands were tucked into his pockets.

His eyes were fixed on the photograph.

For a brief second...

His expression changed.

As if he had recognized something.

Then his face turned cold again.

Very cold.

"Put that picture away."

His voice trembled ever so slightly.

"Why?"

He looked away.

"Because I can't stand looking at it anymore."

I was speechless.

How could he possibly know that photograph?

Before I could ask another question, Noah turned and walked away quickly.

I watched him disappear into the distance.

One thing was now certain.

Noah didn't hate me by accident.

He knew a part of my past.

And he was determined to keep it hidden.