Stay this time

Ch.1 - Impact

Y/N

The uniform didn't feel like mine. It sat too perfectly on my body—too crisp, smelling faintly of dry-cleaning chemicals. It belonged to a girl who naturally fit into the rigid mold of this prestigious academy.

I didn't. Not yet.

I stood before the warped hallway mirror, smoothing my white blouse and adjusting my pleated green skirt. I had changed the standard issue in small, quiet ways: knee-high socks that hugged my calves and black heels that added a commanding two inches. It wasn't a plea for attention; it was a calculated bid for control. If I was walking into a lions' den, I would dictate exactly what they saw first. I would be untouchable.

A heavy glass clinked sharply against marble down the hall, freezing the breath in my throat.

"...Y/N."

His voice carried without effort. It wasn't loud, but it possessed a terrifying certainty that usually preceded a storm.

I rolled my shoulders back and stepped into the kitchen. He was leaning against the granite counter, an amber drink cradled in his hand despite the early hour. His dark eyes locked onto me, heavy and judging.

"That what you're wearing?"

"It's the uniform," I said evenly.

His gaze dragged over me with agonizing slowness. "Looks like you altered it."

"Just fixed the fit. The standard size ran too large."

A dry scoff echoed between us. He took a slow sip. "Trying to get attention already? First day in a decent school and you're already looking for eyes?"

The words hit like a slap, but I kept my face masked. "I just want to look presentable."

His expression hardened as he straightened up, towering over me. "You think you're better than everyone now? New school, new attitude? Don't embarrass me, Y/N."

It was a warning wrapped in a conclusion, spoken as if my very existence was a stain. I swallowed the bitter retort, swung my school bag over my shoulder, and looked away. "I won't."

I walked out before the silence could turn into something louder. Worse. Outside, the air hit my face, lighter and stripped of his suffocating pressure. I lifted my chin and mentally reset. I wasn't the victim of that house anymore. I was someone new. Confident. Untouchable.

And that was the version of me they were going to meet.

Draco

The court made sense. The rest of my life was a suffocating mess of my father's heavy expectations, but the hardwood basketball court had rules. Boundaries.

Dribble. Step. Turn. Shoot. The ball left my fingertips in a clean arc, dropping straight through the net.

"Relax, Malfoy," Theo called out from the baseline with a lazy grin. "You're acting like this is life or death."

I smirked faintly, wiping sweat from my forehead. "For some of us, Nott, it is."

The predictable rhythm steadied my mind, drowning out the noise of my family name. When practice ended, the outdoor courtyard was already overflowing with a noisy sea of rich kids. I walked out of the locker room, spinning the basketball on my finger, barely listening to Blaise drone on about the weekend.

Suddenly, someone from the balcony yelled my name. I turned on instinct and fired a hard chest-pass toward the voice. It was too fast—pure muscle memory.

The millisecond the leather left my palms, I saw her.

Thud. The ball caught a girl flush on the side of the head, the momentum knocking her off balance. She went down hard, her bag spilling across the pavement. The entire courtyard went dead silent.