Skylar stepped out of her car and onto the familiar grounds of her high school. The first day of senior year had finally arrived, and she couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervous as every child does on its first day. + 

As she made her way towards the entrance, she spotted Liam already seated on a bench, his eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the horizon looking out of the window. It was a habit of his, one that Skylar had grown accustomed to over the years. + 

Noah, their mutual friend, burst out of the entrance, a bright smile plastered on his face. "Hey, Sky! Hey, Liam!" he chimed, plopping down beside Skylar. + 

Skylar returned the greeting, but Liam merely grunted, his gaze still fixed on the distance. It was a response Skylar had grown used to; Liam's aloofness was just a part of who he was. + 

But what Skylar didn't know was that Liam's reserved nature hid a deeper truth. A truth that only Noah was privy to. + 

As the three friends sat together, waiting for the bell to ring, Liam's eyes would occasionally drift towards Skylar. It was a fleeting glance, one that Skylar never quite caught. + 

But Noah did. + 

Noah knew that Liam's tough exterior concealed a heart that was hurting. He knew that Liam's adoptive parents treated him more like a maid than a son. They never loved him like a child. And he knew that Liam's window-gazing habit was a desperate attempt to escape the emotional pain that threatened to consume him. + 

As the morning sun cast its warm glow over the school grounds, Skylar chatted animatedly with Noah, oblivious to the turmoil brewing beneath Liam's stoic surface. + 

But Noah's eyes would occasionally meet Liam's, a silent understanding passing between them. A understanding that only they shared. + 

And as the day unfolded, Skylar began to notice the little things about Liam - the way he'd stare out the window during class, the way his eyes would flicker towards her before quickly looking away. + 

She wondered, briefly, what lay behind Liam's enigmatic smile. But the thought was fleeting, lost in the chaos of the first day of school. + 

Little did Skylar know, she was about to stumble into a world of secrets, one that would change everything she thought she knew about Liam - and herself. + 