Falling for the Carter Heir

Camila's pov I stand in front of Carter Academy, quietly admiring the school's beauty, from its tall buildings to its marble floors and the luxury cars lined up outside. Everything around me was too perfect, and for a second, I felt scared that I would stain the floors just by stepping on them. I adjusted the strap of my bag before finally walking through the large entrance doors, and the school's interior looked even more expensive. I walked calmly through the hallways, trying to find where my first class was held. Suddenly, a pair of hands landed on my shoulders. I jumped and turned around quickly. "Relax, you look like you just saw a ghost." The girl said with a small laugh. "Hi, I'm Isabella Brooks, and you must be new because you look lost, and I've never seen you around before." I let out a small breath and took a second to adjust my shirt's collar before looking at the girl properly. She had brown hair and hazel eyes twinkling with mischief. "Hi, I'm Camila Lawson, and I'm the new scholarship student, and yeah, I'm very lost," I responded. "Nice to meet you, Camila. So which class do you have now? I can take you there and show you around Carter Academy later, if you'd like." "Yes, thank you. I have chemistry class now, and I think I'm late already." "Oh, that's great. I have chemistry too, and yeah, you are late, so am I, so let's hurry!" Isabella squealed, grabbed my hand, and dragged me down the hallway. I tried my best to keep up with her as we hurried through the crowded hallway. "This school is bigger than I expected," I said. Isabella laughed. "You'll get used to it eventually." As we turned the corner, a group of students suddenly moved aside, making space in the hallway. Confused, I frowned. "Why is everyone moving?" Before Isabella could answer, a tall boy walked past us, surrounded by a few other students. The hallway became quiet almost immediately. I managed to steal a glance at him for a second before looking away. "Who's that?" I whispered. Isabella looked shocked. "You seriously don't know him?" She asked in disbelief. I shook my head slowly. She had forgotten I was actually new here and knew absolutely nothing or no one. "That," Isabella said with a dreamy look in her eyes, "is Adrian Carter." "Okay, but why did everyone move aside when he passed? And why did the hallway suddenly go quiet? Is he some celebrity?" I asked with a little interest. He was kinda cute. Isabella chuckled. "Not exactly," she replied, "He is the most popular boy here because he is the son of Richard Carter, the owner of this school." My eyes widened slightly. Well, that explains the last name. "And trust me," Isabella continued, "almost everyone in this school likes him." I raised my eyebrows slightly. "Seriously?" "Some girls fight each other for his attention and embarrass themselves over him." I snorted to myself. "Well, he does seem important." Isabella smirked. "Yeah, important and rude sometimes." "Rude?" "Adrian doesn't really talk to people unless he wants to. He mostly keeps to himself." Before I could reply, Isabella stopped walking. I followed her gaze towards the classroom door, and my stomach dropped to my feet. "We're late," Isabella said as she grabbed my arm, and before I could protest, she pushed the door open. The classroom fell silent immediately, and everyone turned to look at us. I silently wished the floor would open up and swallow me. "Nice of you to finally decide to join us, Miss Brooks," the teacher said, his face stern. "My apologies, Mr. Kent," Isabella smiled awkwardly. "I was assisting the new student." She shoved me in front of her. "And you are?" Mr. Kent asked, folding his arms as he examined me up and down. I swallowed nervously and adjusted the strap of my bag. "My name is Camila Lawson, sir," I said softly. "I'm sorry for being late. I got a little lost, and Isabella was showing me around." He nodded before looking down at the attendance sheet in his hand. "Ah, yes. The new student." I gave a shy nod. "Class, this is Camila Lawson. She's the new scholarship student. I expect everyone to make her feel welcome." A few students nodded while some stared at me. "Now that introductions are out of the way, both of you, take your seats before you miss any more of today's lesson." Isabella nodded and gave my arm a tiny squeeze, then made her way to the other side of the class. I looked around for an empty chair, but the only one was beside him. Taking a deep breath, I made my way across the classroom. The closer I got to Adrian's desk, the more nervous I became. As I sat down and set my books on the table, Adrian briefly peeked at me. Our eyes met for less than a second, then he looked away with a bored expression and continued writing in his notebook. I tried my best to focus on the lesson, but my mind kept wandering. I looked down at my notebook and quickly copied the notes written on the board. A few minutes later, a small piece of paper landed on my desk. Frowning, I picked it up and unfolded it. Girl, are you okay? I looked up and saw Isabella waving. I smiled and nodded, then continued writing. Before I knew it, the bell rang. Students started whispering and packing their bags. I let out a huge sigh of relief. "See? You survived your first class. I knew you could do it." I looked up to find Isabella smiling widely at me. "Yes, I did," I replied, returning her smile, and went to the front of the class to walk with her. "Now tell me, did Adrian speak to you?" Isabella asked curiously. "Not even one word," I said with a yawn. Isabella frowned. "That's strange. He kept looking in your direction all through the lecture." "Really?" I asked, surprised. She nodded. "I thought he was going to talk to you after the lesson." "Well, he didn't." I linked my arm with hers. "He looked at me once. That's all." Isabella laughed. "That's just how Adrian is." I raised an eyebrow. "Is he always like that?" "Pretty much." I glanced towards Adrian's desk. He was already packing his books. A few students stopped to greet him as they passed, but he barely responded. "Definitely not friendly," I muttered under my breath. Isabella chuckled again. "Come on. I'll show you around before the next class." We giggled as we walked towards the cafeteria. As we approached the cafeteria, I noticed a crowd of students gathered around one of the tables. "What's going on over there?" I asked. Isabella glanced in that direction and smiled. "That's Natalie." Sitting at the center of the table was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair. Several girls surrounded her, laughing at something she had said. "Who's Natalie?" I asked. Isabella looked surprised again. "You don't know her?" I shook my head at her, slightly annoyed. "This is my first day here. OF COURSE, I don't know who she is." "I forgot. My bad, my bad," Isabella chuckled awkwardly. "Anyway, she's one of the most popular girls here." Before I could respond, a few students suddenly stepped aside, and Adrian walked into the cafeteria. Without thinking, I glanced between him and Natalie, and I didn't miss the slight smile that appeared on Natalie's face when she saw him. I looked back at Isabella. "Do they know each other?" I asked. Isabella nodded. "Of course. They've known each other for years." Before I could ask another question, she grabbed my arm. "Come on. If we stand here any longer, all the good stuff will be gone, and we'll never get lunch." Laughing, I allowed Isabella to pull me towards the cafeteria line. The cafeteria was larger than any I had ever seen. After getting our food, Isabella led me to an empty table near the window. "So," she said, resting her chin on her hand. "What school did you transfer from?" I told her about my old school, earning an interesting look from Isabella. "Wow," Isabella said. "That must've been a big change coming here." "It is," I admitted. "Everything feels so much bigger." As we talked, I found myself relaxing. For the first time since arriving at Carter Academy, I felt a little less nervous. Then Isabella suddenly stopped talking. I frowned. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?" Instead of answering, Isabella glanced over my shoulder. Curious, I turned to see Natalie walking toward us. She stopped beside our table and smiled sweetly. "Hi, Isabella." "Hi, Natalie," Isabella replied. Then her eyes shifted to me. "You must be the new student." I nodded. "I'm Camila." Natalie smiled politely. "Welcome to Carter Academy."