Daphne

(Nova High Series)The hallways of Nova High buzzed with the familiar hum of gossip and laughter as I strode through with a confidence that came from years of being the center of attention. I was Nova High royalty, and commanded the hallways like my own personal kingdom. Flashes of designer shoes and glossy hair filled my periphery as I walked, but today, my thoughts were elsewhere. With my latest escapade still fresh in the minds of my classmates—I'd gone joyriding in my father's vintage Ferrari without permission—my stomach twisted at the impending conversation I would soon be forced to have with him. My dad had a knack for turning family dinners into lectures, and I could already picture his disapproving glare piercing through my carefully curated mask of indifference. I tossed my hair back defiantly, pretending the weight of his expectations didn't hang over me like a dark cloud. Who cared if I was a little reckless? It was so much more fun that way.