Chapter 1

Actually, she had several.

Her grades were fine. Her family was fine. Her friends were fine.

But Adrian Blake was definitely not fine.

He was the problem.

Lena sat at the back of the classroom, pretending to concentrate on the mathematics problem written on the board while secretly watching Adrian through the corner of her eye.

He was sitting three rows ahead.

As usual, he looked annoyingly perfect.

His dark hair was slightly messy, his school shirt was untucked just enough to make him look effortlessly cool, and his smile had already made half the girls in the classroom forget they were supposed to be studying.

Lena sighed.

"Stop staring."

She nearly jumped out of her seat.

Her best friend, Maya, was sitting beside her with an amused expression.

"I'm not staring."

"You've been staring at him for ten minutes."

"I was looking at the board."

"The board is in front of you."

Lena quickly looked away.

Maya leaned closer.

"You like him."

"I don't."

"You do."

"I don't."

"You drew his initials in your notebook yesterday."

Lena slammed the notebook shut.

"You saw that?"

"I sit beside you."

Lena covered her face.

"This is embarrassing."

Maya laughed quietly.

"What's embarrassing is that you think he doesn't know."

Lena lowered her hands.

"What?"

"Adrian knows."

Her heart stopped.

"What do you mean he knows?"

Maya shrugged.

"Someone told him."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

Lena's stomach twisted.

She had spent months keeping her crush secret—or at least she had thought she had.

Adrian was the most popular boy in school. Everyone knew him. Everyone wanted to be around him.

And Lena?

She was the chubby girl who usually disappeared into oversized sweaters and sat at the back of the classroom.

She wasn't ugly.

At least, that was what her mother always told her.

But school had a way of making her forget that.

Every day, someone had something to say about her weight, her clothes, her hair, or the way she looked beside slimmer girls.

She had learned to laugh at the jokes before anyone else could.

It was easier that way.

But Adrian was different.

At least, in Lena's imagination, he was.

She had noticed him during her first week at the school. He had helped a teacher carry some books, smiled at a younger student, and then walked away like some character from a movie.

That was when Lena had made the mistake of falling for him.

She knew nothing about him.

Yet somehow, she had convinced herself that there was something special between them.

Maya interrupted her thoughts.

"Lena."

"Hmm?"

"If Adrian really knows you like him, you should prepare yourself."

"For what?"

Maya pointed toward the front.

Lena slowly looked up.

Adrian was staring directly at her.

Their eyes met.

Lena froze.

Adrian smiled.

Not a big smile.

Just enough to make her heart race.

Then he turned back around.

Lena's face became hot.

"Oh my God."

Maya burst into laughter.

"I told you!"

"Stop!"

"You like him so much."

Lena covered her face again.

For the rest of the lesson, she couldn't concentrate.

When the bell finally rang, everyone rushed out of the classroom.

Lena packed her books slowly, hoping the crowd would disappear before she had to leave.

She was almost done when she heard a voice behind her.

"Lena."

She froze.

She knew that voice.

Slowly, she turned around.

Adrian stood there.

Alone.

For a moment, Lena forgot how to breathe.

"Hi," she whispered.

Adrian smiled.

"Can I talk to you?"

Lena nodded.

Her heart was pounding.

Maybe this was it.

Maybe he was going to tell her he liked her too.

Maybe all those little moments she had imagined weren't imaginary after all.

Adrian glanced toward the door.

Then back at her.

"I heard something."

Lena swallowed.

"What?"

He smiled again.

"That you like me."

Silence.

Her entire body went numb.

Lena stared at him.

Someone had actually told him.

She wanted the floor to open beneath her.

Adrian chuckled.

"You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

Her voice came out much weaker than she intended.

Adrian stepped closer.

"I just wanted to know if it's true."

Lena looked down.

She could lie.

She should lie.

But instead, she whispered,

"Maybe."

Adrian laughed.

"Maybe?"

Lena forced herself to look at him.

"Yes."

For a second, Adrian said nothing.

Then he smiled.

"That's cute."

Cute.

Lena's heart fluttered.

She smiled nervously.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

He nodded.

Then he walked past her.

Lena stood there, stunned.

Maybe he didn't reject her.

Maybe he actually liked her.

Maybe—

She turned around.

"Adrian?"

He stopped at the door.

"Yeah?"

Lena smiled shyly.

"Nothing."

He smiled back.

Then he left.

Lena held her books against her chest.

For the first time that day, she felt hopeful.

She didn't notice the two boys standing outside the classroom.

One of them was Adrian's friend.

The other was Ethan Cole.

Ethan had heard the entire conversation.

He looked at Adrian.

"You shouldn't play with her."

Adrian shrugged.

"I didn't say anything."

"You know she likes you."

"So?"

Ethan glanced through the classroom window.

Lena was still smiling to herself.

She looked genuinely happy.

Ethan sighed.

"Just don't hurt her."

Adrian laughed.

"It's not that serious."

But Ethan wasn't laughing.

Something about the way Lena had looked at Adrian made him uncomfortable.

She wasn't just crushing on him.

She genuinely cared.

And Ethan had a feeling Adrian was going to discover just how much damage a careless joke could cause.

Inside the classroom, Lena was still smiling.

She had no idea that her biggest heartbreak had just begun.

And she certainly had no idea that the boy she thought would never notice her...

wasn't going to be the boy who changed her life.

That would be someone else.