Adrien didn't speak to anyone for the rest of the morning.
He kept his head low, took notes quietly, and avoided every stare that tried to pin him down.
But Oakridge wasn't the kind of place where silence protected you.
By lunchtime, the hallways were already buzzing with whispers.
"The new kid."
"Riyan looked at him."
"Poor guy's dead."
Adrien ignored it… or tried to.
He slipped into the library—the only place in school that didn't feel like it was watching him.
He chose a corner table, opened a random book, and pretended to read.
For a moment… it worked.
The noise outside faded.
His breathing steadied.
Then someone sat across from him.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just quietly enough to make him look up.
A girl.
Sharp features, calm eyes, and an expression that looked like she had already judged him twice.
**Naomi Crest.**
Riyan's sister.
"Adrien, right?" she said, her tone flat but not unfriendly.
Adrien nodded slowly.
He wasn't expecting anyone—especially someone like her—to know his name.
Naomi leaned back in her chair.
"You should be careful."
Adrien blinked.
"…Why?"
She paused for a moment, studying him the same way people studied cracks in a wall—trying to guess when it would collapse.
"Oakridge breaks quiet kids first," she said.
"People see silence as weakness."
Adrien swallowed.
"I'm not trying to stand out."
"That's your mistake."
Her voice didn't change, but her words hit hard.
"In Oakridge, you don't choose attention. Attention chooses you."
Before Adrien could respond, the library door slammed.
Three boys walked in—loud, confident, and clearly looking for trouble.
Dev and his friends.
They spotted Naomi first… then noticed Adrien sitting with her.
Dev smirked.
"Well, well. Isn't this interesting?"
Naomi's eyes narrowed.
"Don't start."
Dev ignored her and walked up to Adrien's table.
"So you're the new kid everyone's talking about."
Adrien froze.
His heartbeat thudded in his ears.
Dev leaned closer.
"You know whose seat you took this morning?"
Adrien opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"That corner," Dev continued, "was Riyan Crest's unspoken space. You don't sit there unless you want problems."
Adrien felt the blood drain from his face.
Naomi stood up slowly.
"Dev. Move."
Her voice was calm—too calm—like she wasn't asking.
Dev raised an eyebrow but stepped back anyway.
"No need to protect him. Riyan will deal with it."
He left with a laugh, his gang following.
Silence returned… but not the peaceful kind.
Adrien looked at Naomi.
He didn't know what to say.
She sighed, brushing a strand of hair aside.
"You're already in the middle of something you don't understand."
Adrien whispered,
"…I didn't mean to be."
"No one ever does," she replied.
"Especially when it comes to Riyan."
She picked up her bag and walked away, leaving Adrien alone with one terrifying realization—
He had caught the attention of **the one person in Oakridge you never wanted to cross.**