Break time was supposed to be peaceful.
For me, it usually meant sitting under the large oak tree behind Riverview Academy, reviewing notes while everyone else wasted time gossiping. Being the top student in school wasn't easy, and I had a reputation to maintain.
But today… peace was impossible.
Because of him.
Adrian stood across the courtyard surrounded by a small group of girls. They laughed at everything he said like he was some kind of celebrity. One girl was leaning so close to him it was almost embarrassing.
And Adrian?
He looked completely comfortable.
His dark skin glowed under the sunlight, his shirt slightly unbuttoned at the top, showing just enough to make the girls around him blush. His smirk was lazy and confident, like he knew exactly what effect he had on them.
It was disgusting.
"Ugh," I muttered, flipping a page in my notebook.
Lisa plopped down beside me. "You're looking again."
"I'm not," I snapped.
She grinned. "Chelsea, you've looked at him like ten times already."
"I'm observing a problem," I said coldly. "Like a scientist."
Lisa laughed. "Sure. A very handsome problem."
Before I could respond, I heard footsteps.
Slow. Confident. Annoyingly familiar.
My body stiffened even before I looked up.
Adrian.
He walked past our table like he owned the entire courtyard, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed and arrogant. A girl followed right behind him, still giggling at something he said.
Then suddenly he stopped.
Right beside our table.
My heart skipped—only out of irritation, of course.
He glanced down at the books spread in front of me.
"So you're the genius girl everyone keeps talking about," he said casually.
His voice was smooth. Too smooth.
I looked up slowly, meeting his eyes for the first time properly.
Dark. Confident. Dangerous.
And unbearably annoying.
"What do you want?" I asked flatly.
Lisa's jaw dropped beside me. No one talked to Adrian like that.
His smirk slowly grew wider.
"Well," he said, leaning slightly closer to the table, "I just wanted to see if the rumors were true."
"What rumors?"
"That you're the smartest girl in Riverview."
My grip tightened around my pen.
"And?"
He shrugged lazily.
"You don't look that scary."
Lisa choked beside me.
My eyes narrowed.
"You don't look that intelligent either," I shot back.
For a moment, silence hung between us.
Then Adrian laughed.
A deep, amused laugh that made the nearby girls turn to look.
"Interesting," he said, straightening up.
Then he leaned a little closer, lowering his voice just enough that only I could hear.
"I think this semester is going to be fun."
Before I could respond, he turned and walked away, leaving that irritating confidence lingering in the air.
Lisa grabbed my arm immediately.
"Chelsea," she whispered excitedly, "Adrian just came to talk to you!"
I glared in the direction he disappeared.
"I hate him."
But deep down… something told me this was only the beginning.
And somehow, Adrian already looked like the kind of disaster that would change everything.