Adrian's pov
I forgot to introduce myself earlier and I think y'all would love to know me. By virtue of nomenclature—just kidding. Anyway, I'm Adrian Hardin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hardin, the famous doctors that everybody seems to know around the world. My dad is a neurosurgeon, all about the brain part of humans, and my mom is a dermatologist, all about the skin part of humans. So yeah, they're stinky rich, which makes me rich too. But honestly, I don't just wanna live off their money. I want to make my own money, a whole lot of it, and build wealth that's mine, not just because of them.
I moved to Swellview when I was fourteen, about to start my second year of junior high, so I transferred to Swellview High. From the very start, I've always made sure to be a straight-A student, 'cause I wanted to be a doctor like my parents and also so I can get into an Ivy League after senior year—Princeton College, that's my goal.
I'm not really an introvert, neither am I an extrovert. Sometimes I find the things teenagers my age do so weird and funny, so I just stay in between. I'm also on the basketball team in school, and I'm really good at what I do. I found my best friend Jasper when I was in my third year of junior high—he had just transferred then. And Will, who's also on the basketball team, became my guy too, so we were all cool with each other.
I started developing feelings for Tessa when I noticed how brilliant, bright, and quiet she was. That was in our second year of senior high. Honestly, I never noticed her before 'cause she's more of the introverted type. But later, I found out Jasper and Will were dating her best friends, and they've been together for like a year now. And I can tell those two are totally in love with their girlfriends.
Tess's vibe is just different from other girls. She's smart, intelligent, beautiful, weird in a cute way and all that. I've always hidden my feelings though, and nobody knows except Jasper. Even Will doesn't really know the details—he just knows I like Tess, but he doesn't know how much I like her. Her favorite food is burger with double cheese and coleslaw. And I heard from Jasper that she can't really cook much except spaghetti bolognese, which is her specialty. It's kinda weird that Jasper knows so much about her. Sometimes I even get jealous. She's been driving a car since her first year of senior high at just fifteen. She got her driver's license by mistake—lucky her. I only started driving when I turned eighteen, just a few months ago.
I usually hate parties, but I was so hyped when Jasper told me Tess was actually going to the party Sofia was throwing. I was shocked too, 'cause she rarely attends parties. I couldn't even find her inside that day, so I just waited outside by my car. Then I saw "the Doras" trying to bully her. They were really giving her a hard time, like they've had a beef with her since forever. I couldn't just watch, so I stepped in.
The Doras looked desperate to deal with her, but the moment I showed up, they backed off. Not because they were scared of me, but because their leader Piper didn't want to piss me off. Piper's infatuated with me, and since I'm like the school's hottest guy and on top of the popularity pyramid, they avoid making me mad. Piper even made that stupid "call me" hand sign, the one where you put your hand to your ear like a phone, and she whispered "call me" before walking away like she was in some fashion show. Like, who does that? It's not like I even have her number. She just wants me to notice her, but she's not my type. I don't do bullies. Besides, Piper is obsessed with me and would do anything to hurt any girl she sees me with. Newsflash: we can never be together.
She actually asked me out when I first came to the school, but I wasn't interested. That was even before I noticed Tess.
I've never dated anyone before, so I don't even know what it feels like. But I know one thing for sure: I've got it bad for Tess. She's pretty, beautiful, cute, hot, intelligent, a straight-A student, and has the perfect figure eight shape. Like, have you seen her shape? Man.
After chasing off the Doras, I gave her my jacket 'cause her clothes were wet and her blonde hair was all messy. Knowing she's the quiet type, I suggested we go outside to get some fresh air 'cause I thought it'd calm her down. I was having the perfect time with her. She asked me why I stepped in, and honestly, I wanted to tell her the truth—that I liked her. But I was too nervous, so I just said, "You looked like you needed it." Stupid me.
Then Jasper called me in for some games, so I told her to wait outside for a bit. Turns out he just ditched me for his girlfriend while I awkwardly watched them make out. Such a dick move.
Later, Tess and her besties had a little chat, then they all left. I couldn't stop staring at her though. I was worried about her after what happened with the Doras. I wished I could just hold her and tell her everything was gonna be alright. I think she noticed me staring, 'cause I quickly looked away.
That night, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her voice replayed in my head—it was soft, calm, gentle, almost like music. I ended up drinking too much just from thinking about her and how I couldn't even confess my feelings. Pathetic, right? Jasper and Will stopped me before I went overboard. They drove me home around 2 a.m., tucked me in bed, and ended up crashing in my room too. My bed's huge, so yeah, it fit all three of us.
When I woke up, my head was killing me. I told the chef to make me hangover soup, and after that, I felt a little better. We spent the whole day just chilling, eating, and playing video games until Jasper and Will left in the evening.
Honestly, I think Will's starting to become more like a real best friend too, not just Jasper. Anyway, the next day was Monday—the start of our third year of senior high.
After they left, I napped a little before my parents came back from their business trip. I was so happy to see them. We had some family bonding time over dinner, talking about their trip and how my weekend went. They even know I have a crush on Tess, even though they've never seen her. I didn't tell them all the details, but yeah… they know she's special to me.