Max's car rolled slowly out of the school parking lot, music playing low in the background. He was behind the wheel, one hand resting casually on it. Bryan sat in the passenger seat, scrolling through his phone, while Ace leaned back in the rear seat, staring out the window.
"So," Max said, breaking the silence, "that was interesting."
Bryan chuckled. "Interesting? That girl nearly passed out right in front of you."
Ace didn't respond.
"You didn't even look shocked," Bryan continued. "Most girls would be shaking just standing next to you."
"She wasn't," Max added. "That's what makes it weird."
Ace shifted slightly, resting his arm on the door. "She talks too much."
"That's a lie," Bryan said, glancing at him. "You're just not used to someone who isn't trying to impress you."
Ace scoffed. "She literally said I should go with her because I'm hot."
Max laughed. "Bold. I'll give her that."
Ace frowned slightly. "She wasn't impressed. She wasn't nervous. She didn't even care if I said no."
Bryan turned around in his seat. "You're thinking about her."
Ace met his gaze briefly, then looked away. "I'm not."
Max smirked. "Sure you're not."
Ace's phone buzzed in his hand.
New message received.
He looked down.
Kira:
I'm okay, by the way.
Ace raised an eyebrow.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kira lay on her bed, phone in hand, staring at the screen as if it might judge her for texting first.
A reply came almost immediately.
Ace:
You sure? You didn't look okay earlier.
She smiled slightly.
Kira:
I've been worse.
Ace:
That's not reassuring.
She laughed quietly and typed back.
Kira:
Relax. You didn't break me.
A pause.
Then—
Ace:
Good. I didn't plan on carrying you again.
Kira rolled her eyes.
Kira:
You caught me because you didn't want people thinking you scared girls unconscious.
Ace:
Maybe.
She sat up, hugging a pillow.
Kira:
So… you're really going to prom with me?
The dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Ace:
I said I would. I don't go back on my word.
Kira bit her lip.
Kira:
Good. Because I don't like last-minute excuses.
Ace:
You don't like a lot of things.
Kira:
True.
Another pause.
Ace:
You're different from what I expected.
Kira's fingers hovered over the screen.
Kira:
And what did you expect?
A few seconds passed.
Ace:
Someone easier.
Kira smiled.
Kira:
Yeah… that's not me.
She placed her phone down. Everything is going well so far,and Damon will sort out Naomi's matter.
Across town, Ace leaned back in the car seat, phone still in hand.
For the first time in a long while, he was genuinely looking forward to prom.
_______________________
THE NEXT DAY
" So class as I pass ur last week test results, I want you to go through it and find your problems...." Mrs Kane said as she passed the students their test sheets but when she gave Simon his she stopped staring at his.
" To be fair,I was busy and did not read for the test, besides it was a surprise test...." Simon said before Mrs Kane said anything
"Sometimes I wonder how you were promoted to my class"Mrs Kane said and Simon smirked relaxing on his chair
" My mom says am special" he replied and the class burst into laughter
" Well, Mr. Louis I would have you know that your mom and my definition of special are very different" Mrs Kane said and Simon just shrugged not caring much. Mrs Kane sighed as she continued sharing the papers.
Lisa felt it before she saw him.
It was subtle at first—a strange tightening in her chest, like the air had shifted without warning. She frowned, adjusting in her seat as the classroom buzzed, she wasn't even listening to Mrs Kane any longer.
Then the door opened.
A teacher walked in, spoke a few words with Mrs Kane and handed her a sheet of paper.
"Well Class," Mrs Kane said, "we'll be welcoming a transfer student today."
Lisa's fingers froze around her pen.
The boy stepped in calmly, hands in his pockets, eyes steady as they swept across the room. He looked normal enough—tall, neat uniform, expression relaxed—but the moment his gaze lifted.
Her heart skipped.
Kira went completely still beside her.
The boy's eyes met theirs, and just for a second, something ancient and familiar flickered between them.
Then he smiled.
Lisa's breath caught.
DAMON
She didn't hear the teacher say his name. Didn't hear the empty desk scrape as he sat down. All she could focus on was the fact that Damon—Damon—was standing in a human classroom at Pearlcare High.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
The bell rang, snapping Lisa back to reality. The room erupted into noise as students poured into the hallway, but Lisa barely registered it. She grabbed Kira's arm.
"That's him," she whispered. "Tell me I'm not imagining things."
"You're not," Kira murmured, her voice tight. "But this makes no sense."
" I know", Kira said as she packed up her book and so did Lisa.Kira immediately walked over to Damon.
"You're unbelievable," Kira said under her breath. "Do you know what you've done?"
Damon's smile widened slightly. "Good to see you too."
Lisa hugged him before she could stop herself. The relief surprised her more than anything else.
"You didn't warn us," she said.
"I wasn't sure you'd want me to," Damon replied easily.
Kira crossed her arms. "I asked you to help us, not enroll in school."
"You said you needed me," Damon said, his tone gentle now.
"Yes," Kira admitted. "But I didn't expect you to actually come to Earth."
"I did," he said simply. His eyes rested on her, steady and warm. "Because it was you."
Lisa noticed the look. She always did. And this time, she didn't flinch from it.
" Kira" Issa said as she and the other girls walked over to them.
" You gonna introduce us" Mira asked winking,by their interactions she knew that they knew each other.
"Guys," Kira said, "there's someone we want you to meet."
Damon stepped forward, smiling politely.
"This is Damon," Lisa said.
Amber's eyes widened. "The Damon?"
"The one you kept talking about?" Mira asked.
Issa stared, then leaned on to Kira," You were right, damn he's hot" She whispered but Damon heared her.
Damon laughed softly. "I hope I lived up to the stories."
"Mostly," Kira said with a small smirk.
The girls warmed to him instantly. He had that effect—calm, effortless, impossible to ignore.
From across the hallway, Cassy noticed him.
She watched the way people unconsciously turned when he passed, the way conversations shifted around him. And for the first time in a long while, someone else—not Ace, not Bryan—held her attention.
That afternoon, Lisa found herself standing beside Damon near the school gate. While Kira was operating her phone.
"You really came," she said quietly.
"Yh" he replied,still staring at Kira.
She smiled, peaceful. "You still like her."
Damon didn't deny it. "I always have."
Lisa nodded. "I know."
There was no bitterness in her voice. No hurt. Just acceptance.
________________
Across the lot, Ace watched the three of them from beside his car.
He didn't know why the sight unsettled him. Damon didn't touch Kira. Didn't flirt. Didn't try to impress her.
He looked at her like he understood her.
And Ace didn't like that.
As the sun dipped lower over Pearlcare High, Kira stood between two worlds without fully realizing it—one tied to normal school drama and prom dates, the other to secrets she could no longer keep hidden.
And Damon's arrival had changed everything.