Unbroken: A Love That Defies the World – by L.J. Hart – Chapter 1: The First Glance

Unbroken: A Love That Defies the World – by L.J. Hart – Chapter 1: The First Glance

The bell rang, sharp and final, echoing through the halls of Eastbridge High like a call to battle. Students surged forward, chatting, laughing, their voices blending into a chaotic symphony of youth. But for Ethan, it was just another morning in a life painted in muted colors—a daily routine of blending in, of being unnoticed, of breathing but never really living.

He walked down the hall, head low, backpack slung over one shoulder, carefully avoiding eye contact. Every day felt the same: the same faces, the same judgmental whispers, the same carefully crafted masks everyone wore. Ethan wore his mask well—son of the town’s respected pastor, top of his class, polite, obedient. Perfect. But inside, a quiet storm raged, a storm he didn’t dare give voice to.

Then, as if fate itself had grown tired of his monotony, everything changed.

At the far end of the hall, near the front office, stood someone Ethan had never seen before.

He was tall, lean but strong, with dark tousled hair that fell into his eyes. There was something untamed about him, like he didn’t belong here — and didn’t care. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his ripped black jeans, his jacket worn and frayed. He radiated confidence in a way that was almost unnerving. But what truly caught Ethan was the eyes. Dark, intense, scanning the hallway like a predator surveying foreign land.

Their eyes met.

It was brief, only a second or two, but in that moment, the world seemed to still. The chaotic noise of the hallway dulled into a soft hum. Ethan felt his heart jolt—a sudden, unexpected current surging through him, leaving a strange warmth in its wake.

The stranger smirked, almost as if he had caught Ethan looking. Or maybe he had expected him to look.

Ethan quickly turned away, his face flushing. His heartbeat was erratic now, thumping loudly in his ears. What the hell was that? He scolded himself silently. He had never reacted to anyone like that before—not to any of the girls who occasionally batted their eyelashes at him, not to anyone. But this… this was something different. Something dangerous.

By the time he dared to glance back, the boy was already gone.

The rest of the morning was a blur. Ethan sat through homeroom, English, and algebra in a distracted haze. Every so often, he caught himself thinking about that glance—those eyes, that smirk, the strange flutter in his chest. It was unsettling. Was it curiosity? Intrigue? Or something far more frightening that he didn’t dare name?

“Earth to Ethan,” his best friend Zoe whispered, nudging him with her elbow during algebra.

“Huh?”

“You’re zoning out. What’s up with you today?”

“Nothing,” he said too quickly, forcing a weak smile.

She narrowed her eyes, but before she could press further, Mr. Harris barked a question at the class, drawing her attention away.

Ethan exhaled, sinking lower in his seat. How could he explain something he didn’t even understand himself?

Lunchtime arrived, and Ethan headed to the cafeteria with Zoe. As they walked through the double doors, his eyes instinctively scanned the room — and there he was again. Sitting alone at a table in the corner, one foot propped up on the bench, casually eating an apple like he had all the time in the world.

The new guy.

Ethan could feel the pull again, that unexplainable gravity drawing his gaze like a magnet. And once more, as if sensing the attention, the boy looked up and met his eyes. This time, it lasted longer. The smirk was gone. In its place was something softer, more curious. Almost like a silent challenge.

“Hey, that’s the new transfer student everyone’s talking about,” Zoe whispered, following Ethan’s gaze. “Nathan something. Came from the city, I think. Supposedly got into some trouble back there. Total bad boy vibe, huh?”

Nathan.

Even his name sounded dangerous.

“You should stay away from him,” Zoe added, her tone lowering. “Guys like him are trouble.”

Ethan nodded, but inside, his pulse quickened. Trouble. Maybe that’s exactly what scared him. Or maybe it was exactly what he secretly craved.

As they sat down at their usual table, Ethan struggled to focus on the conversation around him. His thoughts kept drifting back to Nathan. There was something about him — not just his looks, but the way he carried himself, unbothered by the stares and whispers. Ethan envied that. Envied the freedom Nathan seemed to embody.

Because Ethan wasn’t free. Not really. Every word he spoke, every action he took was carefully measured to maintain his spotless reputation. His father’s expectations were a noose tightening around his neck, his church’s silent judgments lingering like smoke in the air.

And yet, here was Nathan, unapologetically himself.

For the first time in his life, Ethan felt the unsettling stir of rebellion flickering inside him.

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Ethan walked to his locker, still lost in his spiraling thoughts, when a voice behind him made him freeze.

“Hey.”

He turned slowly.

Nathan stood there, closer than Ethan expected, his head tilted slightly as he studied him. Up close, his features were even more striking — sharp jawline, full lips, those intense eyes that seemed to see right through him.

“You’ve been staring at me all day,” Nathan said casually, his tone neither accusing nor mocking. Just… observant.

Ethan’s face flushed deep crimson. “I… I wasn’t—”

Nathan chuckled softly. “Relax. I don’t mind.”

There was a silence that stretched between them, thick with something unspoken. Ethan’s mouth opened, but no words came. His brain scrambled to find something, anything to say.

Nathan broke the silence with a grin. “Name’s Nathan.”

“I-I’m Ethan.”

Nathan’s grin widened slightly, and for a moment, Ethan felt like he could breathe again.

“Well, Ethan,” Nathan said, his voice dropping into something softer. “See you around.”

And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving Ethan standing there, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum.

See you around.

Those three simple words echoed in Ethan’s head all the way home.

He knew, deep down, that this was the beginning of something. He just didn’t know whether it would be beautiful or devastating.

But as the storm inside him began to stir louder, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his life had just irrevocably changed.

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Unbroken: A Love That Defies the World – by L.J. Hart – Chapter 2: Boundaries Broken >>