11 months earlier
758 Words
11 Months Earlier
The afternoon sun burned over the running track near Westbridge High.
Adrian ran fast.
His shoes pounded against the pavement as music blasted through the earbuds in his ears—some loud, aggressive hype track that pushed him forward with every beat. Sweat ran down his neck, his chest rising and falling as he pushed himself harder.
Faster.
One more lap.
By the time he finally slowed down, his legs were trembling. He staggered toward a nearby bench and dropped onto it with a heavy breath.
“Damn…”
He pulled one earbud out, grabbing his phone to check the time.
His screen exploded with notifications.
Messages flooded the group chat.
— Hey Aid, where the f are you?
— Dude, you’re dead.
— Screw you Adrian! Where the hell are you?
— We’ve been waiting for an hour!
— Marcus is about to lose it.
Adrian blinked.
“Shit.”
He quickly grabbed his tumbler, gulping down water as it spilled down his chin. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he shoved his phone into his pocket.
“They’re gonna kill me.”
Without wasting another second, Adrian jumped to his feet and started running back toward the school—this time not for exercise, but to face four very angry friends.
It was a fine morning, everything is normal.
None of them knew that today would be the day everything started.
(She is here)
—
Julian was already pacing when Adrian appeared at the school gate.
The moment he saw him, his patience snapped.
“Where the hell have you been, Aid?” Julian burst out, his voice sharp with irritation. “You, out of all people, know that today is the day.”
Adrian barely had time to catch his breath before Caleb waved his phone anxiously.
“We have to move,” Caleb said quickly. “The recognition ceremony is starting any second.”
That was enough to send all five of them rushing.
They hurried through the campus gates and toward the main hall where the awarding ceremony was about to take place. Students and teachers were already filling the auditorium, the sound of chatter echoing through the corridor as the program prepared to start.
The five of them moved together like they always did—different in every way, yet somehow inseparable.
Theo walked quietly among them.
He was the top student of the entire school. Every teacher knew his name, every exam placed him at number one. Yet despite his brilliance, Theo was painfully shy. In class, he rarely spoke unless called upon. But around his friends, it was different. With them, his wit and intelligence came alive, sharp and playful.
Then there was Julian.
The undeniable center of their group.
Julian had a natural charisma that made people turn their heads when he entered a room. Confident, charming, and effortlessly cool, he often ended up speaking for the group without anyone questioning it. Girls across campus adored him, drawn to the magnetic ease in his smile and the confidence in his voice.
Marcus followed close behind.
Marcus carried himself like he owned the world—and in many ways, he did. His family was one of the richest in the city, and everyone at school knew it. He had the reputation of a rebellious troublemaker, often arrogant and bossy with people around him. But his friends knew better. They knew the story behind the anger he carried, the reason he kept people at arm’s length.
Then there was Caleb.
The complete opposite of Theo.
Caleb lived on the internet. Whether it was gaming, coding, forums, or obscure corners of the web, he was always plugged into something digital. School barely mattered to him. As long as he passed his classes, he was satisfied. Grades, awards, recognition—none of it interested him.
And finally—
Adrian.
Like Theo, Adrian was also an honor student. But unlike Theo’s quiet intellect, Adrian’s strength was his relentless effort. As a scholar-athlete, he trained constantly, pushing his body and mind to keep up. He ran, studied, competed—always striving.
Yet somehow…
He always ended up second.
Second place in academics.
Second place in competitions.
Second in recognition.
No matter how hard he worked, there was always someone just ahead of him.
Tonight, though, Adrian didn’t care about rankings.
He and his friends slipped into the auditorium just as the ceremony began, unaware that this ordinary day—the day of awards and applause—
- Writer
