At Lakeshore Discovery School, the grade 7/8 split class has just started a new term. Hannah McDonald, a quiet but confident grade 7, keeps mostly to her best friend Mia, spending her mornings sketching in her notebook or reading alone at the back of the room. She’s short, blonde, and green-eyed — the kind of girl who looks soft and approachable, but her dark, fitted clothes and tank tops make her seem a little mysterious too. Then there’s Allie Reyes — loud when she wants to be, sarcastic, and never seen without her oversized hoodie and baggy jeans. She’s in grade 8 and hangs out with Molly, Gabby, and Riley, the group everyone knows not to mess with. Allie has darker skin and sharp brown eyes that seem to see everything at once, which is exactly why Hannah assumes she hates her. When Hannah answers a question in class, Allie rolls her eyes. When Hannah walks by, Allie doesn’t say hi. When they’re paired together for a project, Allie just shrugs and mutters, “Whatever.” But then Hannah starts noticing things — how Allie holds the door open for people even when she pretends not to care, how she laughs with her whole body when Molly says something stupid, how she bites her lip when she’s trying not to smile. Somewhere between awkward project meetings and shared lunch breaks, Hannah starts realizing she doesn’t just like Allie — she likes her. And that realization changes everything. Allie is openly gay. The story starts on the first day of school.