Chapter 1.

"Noah…"

He pronounced, as he did every morning, a name that always tormented him when he woke up. Seven years had passed since that event, and at the age of eighteen he still could not stop thinking about her; in the beginning, he thought it was something normal, but she never left his thoughts.

The mornings were annoying, remembering how she left without saying a word, without even saying goodbye, and yet still repeating her name like a chant, like a fucking curse. He hated it, he wanted to get rid of that irritating memory. A message made his cellphone vibrate on the bedside table interrupting the wave of curses that he was repeating in his mind. "We'll be there in fifteen minutes. Don't fall asleep or I swear I'll throw dog shit on your precious bed." That was the tender and friendly message Bruno had sent him. These were the disadvantages of being friends with the Headmistress's son, so it was better to get out of bed, the love for his bed was too great to let it get dirty with dog shit, and he well knew his friend was capable of that and more.

He took a shower and dressed to go down and eat something, his father was, as usual, preparing his breakfast, even with those huge bags under his eyes, clear evidence of his tiredness. Working every evening was not easy, even less so for an astronomer, although this was quite ambiguous, whether during the day or at night, his father always worked until exhaustion; this was his only defect since he neglected his health too much.

"Give me that," he took off the spatula. "I will make this. Go finish your tea and go to sleep."

"I have to go back to work soon and…"

"Go to sleep."

"Good, but don't be late for class again."

"Bruno is a snitch."

"I can be understanding," he yawned. "Since it's the first week of your senior year. Can't you get your sleep schedule adjusted yet?

"I'm not a child."

"I know you're not," he ruffled his son's rebellious hair. - "Have a good day."

His father was always like that, looking for every opportunity to continue treating his son like a little five-year-old, the poor man thought he had to make up for the fact that he was growing up without a mother. Alex was grateful, his father was a good man, and his older sister, even though she no longer lived with them, continued to take care of both of them, not that he didn't miss his mother, but he had a good family that never made him feel alone.

He ate and was almost ready when the doorbell started ringing without interruption. He couldn't remember how many times he had told them not to do that because of his father's morning naps. He would hit the idiot on duty.

"Come out already!" Scott shouted.

The door opened and a backpack hit the boy's face, everyone else began to laugh, they had been warned.

"So it was your turn."

"What do you mean by my turn?" He shrieked. "You are cruel to this cute little boy."

"Hey!" Bruno shouted from behind. "Move your fat asses if you don't want to be late!"

"Your mom is the Headmistress" Fidel protested.

"All the more reason to punish us, you, group of idiots. Remember that she can easily retract her authorization for us to share the same class." Immediately everyone started walking. "Alex, come here."

He went over to his best friend's side, both a bit ahead of the group to have some privacy to talk. If Bruno called him that, it was because he was up to no good, which for him meant a huge forthcoming headache.

"Talk"

"I just heard about a surprise for our class today" he commented with joy.

"Gossipy as always, huh?"

Bruno opened his mouth wide - as he always was, the drama queen - to express offense and turned around to run to Travis who was up to the back with Henry.

"Travis! Alex is mean to me again!" He faked a cry. "He has become such a rude guy."

"Let me go or I'll tell your mother you're still spying on the school's files," Travis said.

"Party pooper" Bruno insulted.

"Stop whining and tell me what you fucking found out already" Alex complained.

"Oh no, this 'gossipy drama queen' won't say a single word." He made the gesture of closing her mouth with a zipper. "You will find out on your own later and I'll see you suffer for being a moron."

"Whatever you say."

"And that's another party pooper."

The scene was the routine of every class period. A few days ago it had started the new school year, or rather, their last school year before college. They all attended the general education institute "Lycée Lion du Nord". Except for their clubs and elective subjects they were always together, just like during their childhood.

Bruno was a boy of average height, with black hair and curious brown eyes, you could always visualize his mischievous dimples when he smiled and was plotting something. Bruno was aware of every gossip and secret of the school not only because he was the son of the Principal, but also because he was the leader of the school journalism club and his right hand was Scott, the little redhead, whose slyness and cleverness made them always get the best news. Scott's journalistic abilities were impressive, despite that he was a little shy, the adorable freckles on his nose and cheeks along with his short height gave him a childlike appearance, and his sweetness was only enhanced by the jumble of curls that his hair was made of, which he always tried to hide with a cap.

On the other hand, there was Travis, who was much more serious and calm than the others. He was popular with girls because of his milky skin, shiny brown somewhat long hair, and those cold brown eyes that stood out on his face, but this was just a facade since the truth was that this young man was just a huge nerd for his father's job. The man was the captain of the city's drug and trafficking investigation department, so Travis spent almost every day of his life reading files that he snuck out of his father's office, and even though the boy's intellect was helpful on many occasions, he was often kicked out whenever he became too nosy. The girls would definitely not be interested in him if they knew that the only thing he has a passion for is investigating police cases.

The only person alive who could get Travis's attention and take him away from his hobby was Henry, his best friend. They had been together since kindergarten and their mothers were great friends so they had spent a lot of time together through the years. Travis was incapable of concentrating with Henry around, and the blond young man with his charismatic personality, poise, and 90's-heartthrob-like handsomeness drove the girls crazy, many of them constantly leaving him love-letters and gifts, among other things. Henry could be defined as a playboy, and he was happy with that, the problems always fell on Travis since he often had to put up with one or another obsessed girl who despite being rejected by Henry, thought that would get some kind of advantage by approaching Henry's best friend, something that obviously never worked.

Fidel and the last two boys mentioned are members of the institute's soccer team. Fidel boy enjoyed playing a lot and his suntanned skin was the evidence of the hours he spent training to improve. He was an idiot who loved annoying Bruno, just as much as he was fascinated by his little redhead friend, but that's another story.

For his part, Alex preferred not to participate in anything, he had his hobby at home, besides his treasured naps of course. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up choosing the same path as his father, but it wasn't determined yet. He was good at both studying and athletics, but nothing particularly caught his attention. Unlike the others, Alex preferred not to stand out, he wasn't very conscious of his looks although the girls were charmed by his deep gray eyes, tanned skin, and rebellious boy look, unfortunately, all of them were scared away when they got to know his apathetic personality.

After a short trip, they were already entering the classroom, each one had their own desk and sat in line. Alex already had his permanent seat near the window that faced a corridor and the main courtyard, nobody sat next to him, but the actual best thing was that from back there the teachers couldn't see him and he could sleep and listen to music at ease. Sure, he was not the most attentive student, but nobody could complain about his grades.

The bell indicating the beginning of classes was heard throughout the school, each person was in his or her respective seat waiting for the teacher, who arrived one minute after the end of the hustle and bustle. The older woman left her books on her desk and stood in front of the class.

"Students, before we start the class I have some interesting news for you," she said as her eyes turned to the door. "We have a new member to our group, come in Mademoiselle."

Everyone looked at the door, everyone except Alex, who was more concerned about which song to listen to before the teacher started her lesson.

"She spent seven years living in the city of Bordeaux, currently she is here to finish her studies in her hometown," the teacher wanted to laugh at the reaction of the boys in her class. "I hope you get along with her and make her feel comfortable," she looked at the girl. "Go ahead, you can introduce yourself."

She was a bit nervous, there was almost a whole class looking at her with surprise, one or two girls with discomfort, and those five pairs of eyes resting on her with adoration, they had changed quite a bit but she was still able to recognize each one of them, it would be a beautiful scene if she was not so easily embarrassed in front of the audience. Moreover, the look she most desired seemed to ignore her presence and it was painful.

"My n-name…"

"N-n-n-name," a girl mocked her stuttering.

"Miss Celine, be quiet," scolded the teacher.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, she was shaking slightly, but everything was fine, she could handle it, she had to get his attention.

"My name is…"

"Noah!" shouted a very enthusiastic blond.