Tess's pov
The cafeteria was as loud as ever. Seriously, it was like walking into a zoo. People were laughing, shouting, moving from one table to another. The smell of fries, burgers, and soda filled the whole place, and honestly, it wasn't a bad smell. Splats and Burgers always had that vibe, and today it felt like literally the entire school showed up at the same time.
I sat at our usual table by the window with Avery and Charlotte, my tray in front of me. Charlotte was already halfway through her nuggets, Avery was sipping her strawberry milkshake like it was a life source, and me? I was just poking at my burger, distracted out of my mind.
"Girl, you're not even eating," Charlotte said, pointing a fry at me before popping it in her mouth. "What's wrong with you? Burger too bougie for your taste now?"
I sighed. "Nothing's wrong. Just… you know, something on my mind."
Avery smirked like she knew exactly what was up and she'd been waiting for this all day long. "Thinking about Adrian Hardin texting you, maybe?"
"Shhh!" I hissed, glancing around. "Do you want the whole cafeteria to hear?"
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Relax, Tess. Everyone's probably already heard. It's Adrian Hardin we're talking about. Word spreads faster than Wi-Fi when it comes to him."
I wanted to bury my face in my bag. "Oh, shut up," I muttered, grabbing my burger.
Avery leaned closer, her eyes glinting. "You know, your face literally gave you away earlier. When Adrian texted, you looked like you won the lottery."
"I did not!" I argued, checking my phone to see what time it was.
Charlotte giggled. "What are you waiting for, Tess? Another message from Mr. Heartthrob? Here we go again."
"Stop it," I groaned, took a fry from Charlotte's tray, and shoved it in my mouth. "It's not that big of a deal. He just wanted my number for the biology project."
Avery raised a brow, smirking. "Sure. Totally just for the project. That's why he smiled at you in class like you were his favorite subject."
I rolled my eyes so hard they almost got stuck. "You guys are reading too much into it. Seriously. Let's just eat."
But of course, Avery and Charlotte weren't the type to drop juicy topics.
Charlotte leaned closer, whispering in a fake dramatic voice, "What if Adrian asks you out for a study date? Like, just you and him in the library?"
"Ohhh, I know, I know, or—" Avery added, wagging her brows, "he walks you home after school, carrying your books like some Prince Charming."
"Stopppp," I said, covering my face with both hands. "You guys are embarrassing me. He's just my project partner, nothing else."
Charlotte and Avery exchanged a look that screamed we don't believe you for a second.
Before I could say anything, a tiny shrill laugh came from behind us. I froze. That laugh—I'd know it anywhere. Piper.
"Ugh, perfect," I whispered under my breath.
Charlotte caught my expression and turned slightly. "Of course, the Doras. Here we go again."
Piper, Molly, and Ronnie walked into the cafeteria like some kind of slow-motion villains with full-on makeovers covering their faces. Trays in hand but eyes locked straight on me. My stomach dropped. I had been hoping to avoid this exact situation.
Of course, Piper had to talk loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear.
The entire table went quiet. Nearby kids started leaning closer, their ears practically stretching.
"Tess Monroe," Piper announced loud enough for the tables around us to hear. "I heard a little rumor about you."
"So, guess who's paired up with Adrian Hardin for the biology project?" Piper's voice was full of fake sweetness. "None other than our little nerd princess, Tess Monroe."
Here we go.
Avery crossed her arms. "Don't you have better things to do than stalk Tess's life?"
Piper ignored her, setting her tray down right across from me without even asking. Molly and Ronnie slid in beside her like backup dancers.
"So," Piper continued, smirking. "Word is, Adrian gave you his number."
Ronnie giggled, sipping her soda. "Adrian must be feeling charitable."
My face heated up, but I forced myself to look at Piper calmly. "Yeah, he gave me his number. So what?"
That made Piper snap. "So what?" she repeated, her voice sharp. Piper leaned closer to me. "You think because you sit next to him in class, got paired up, and exchanged numbers you're special? Newsflash, Tess—Adrian doesn't even know you exist."
Charlotte slammed her tray down. "At least he noticed her. That's more than he's ever done for you."
Molly gasped dramatically. "No way! Adrian? With her? That's like mixing Gucci with garbage."
Laughter broke out around them, and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Charlotte instantly turned. "Excuse me? Garbage? You guys need to get your hearing checked. Tess is smarter than the three of you combined."
Avery added, "And prettier, too. So maybe just worry about yourselves."
The Doras all rolled their eyes at the same time. It was creepy, like they practiced it in front of a mirror or something.
Charlotte smirked. "Yeah, Piper. Don't act like you haven't been chasing him since freshman year. Maybe he's just not into fake blondes."
The girls around us gasped. Piper's face went red.
"You'll regret that," Piper hissed, glaring at me now. "Stay away from Adrian. He doesn't belong to you."
I clenched my fists under the table. My voice shook a little, but I managed to say, "I never said he belonged to me. Maybe you should calm down before you embarrass yourself more than you already have."
Molly snorted. "Embarrass herself? Please. Everyone knows Adrian would never look twice at you."
And of course, right on cue, the cafeteria doors opened. Adrian walked in with Will and Jasper beside him, looking like a scene out of some teenage drama series. The whole cafeteria hushed.
I could have sworn time slowed down. Everyone turned to look. Piper straightened up so fast I thought she'd break her spine. She flipped her hair and tried to act all cute.
"Adrian!" she called out, waving like she was auditioning for a cheerleading ad.
Adrian barely looked in her direction.
My heart stopped when Adrian's gaze swept the room and landed right on our table. For half a second, our eyes met. And then he smiled.
Not at Piper. Not at anyone else. At me.
Then he kept walking like it was nothing.
"Holy crap," Avery whispered, clutching my arm. "He smiled at you."
Will and Jasper followed Adrian across the cafeteria, but not before Will waved at Charlotte and Jasper leaned down to peck Avery on the cheek. Everyone saw it.
"Oh. My. Gawd," Charlotte whispered loudly. "Did everyone just see that?"
"I saw it, I definitely saw it," Avery said to back up the claim.
The cafeteria erupted in whispers. People were staring, pointing, whispering. And Piper? Piper's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"He—he wasn't smiling at her," Molly stammered. "He just… looked in her direction."
"Yeah, right," Avery shot back. "Keep telling yourself that."
Piper's face turned red. "This isn't over, Tess," she spat, standing so fast her chair scraped. "Come on, girls."
Molly and Ronnie scrambled after her, both shooting me dirty looks before they left like angry ducklings.
"Wow," Avery said, shaking her head. "Talk about dramatic exits."
"More like embarrassing exits," Charlotte added, giggling.
Charlotte burst out laughing. "Did you see her face? She looked like she swallowed a lemon!"
Avery grinned. "No, more like three lemons and a rotten orange."
I groaned, putting my head on the table. "You guys, this is bad. So bad. I didn't want attention, and now the whole school's going to think there's something between me and Adrian."
Charlotte patted my back. "Well… isn't there?"
I peeked up at her. "No! He's just my project partner."
Avery leaned closer. "Yeah, but project partners don't usually text each other right away. Or smile in the cafeteria."
"Why does this always happen to me? Can't I just eat in peace without turning into some kind of soap opera episode?" I lamented.
"Because you're the main character," Charlotte teased.
"No, thank you," I muttered. "I didn't sign up for this role."
We sat down, and I kept staring at my burger and poking it, trying to ignore the stares from random people around us.
"So," Avery said with a grin. "Adrian Hardin smiled at you in front of the whole school. Are you still gonna say it's 'not a big deal'?"
"It's really not!" I argued. "He probably smiles at everyone."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. Because Adrian Hardin, the king of stone-cold expressions, just goes around smiling at random people."
I glared at her. "Whose side are you on?"
"Yours, duh," Charlotte said. "But facts are facts."
Avery leaned in. "You do realize Piper is going to make your life hell now, right?"
"Thanks for the reminder," I groaned.
Charlotte grinned. "Don't worry, Tess. We've got your back. Right, Ave?"
"Always," Avery agreed.
For the first time since the chaos started, I smiled. Maybe I was doomed to live in high school drama, but at least I wasn't alone in it.