His Favorite Nerd

The Captain's Seat

Chapter 4

:⁠-[ADRIAN'S POV]:⁠-

It was around 7:20 in the morning when I finished getting dressed. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my tie for the classes that would begin by eight. Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, tying his shoelaces.

Lucas was still lying on his bed.

No... he had just woken up and was probably still half-asleep.

" Are you... guys... dressing up for class?" Lucas asked, rubbing his eyes.

" No, we're getting dressed for the market," Ethan replied jokingly. Lucas scoffed.

" How did I fall asleep last night?" he wondered aloud, running a hand through his messy hair.

I exchanged a quick glance with Ethan.

Lucas had no memory of Ethan knocking him out with a book. The two of us acted as though nothing had happened, and after thinking about it for a while, Lucas decided he must have fallen asleep while pressing his phone.

He dragged himself out of bed and headed toward the bathroom.

" Do you think he remembers what happened last night?" I whispered after finishing my tie.

" Of course not," Ethan whispered back. "He won't remember anything."

I smiled.

" Take a shower and get ready for class," Ethan called toward the bathroom.

" I'm not going," Lucas answered. "I haven't finished Mr. Bradford's assignment, and I'm not letting that man take out his broken-family anger on me."

" We don't even have his class today," Ethan reminded him. "It's tomorrow."

A few seconds of silence passed and Lucas replied, " Oh... then I'm going."

Ethan and I waited for him, and almost thirty minutes later, he was finally ready. The three of us left the dormitory together.

" Are you coming to watch us today?" Lucas asked, throwing an arm around my neck. He was talking about fencing practice.

" No," I replied, adjusting my glasses. "I have lessons after class too."

Lucas wrinkled his nose and wandered off the moment another student waved at him. I couldn't help smiling. Then Ethan and I continued toward the courtyard together.

Immediately we got to the courtyard, we noticed students had stopped walking, which made us stop as well. Almost everyone's attention was fixed on the academy gates.

" What's going on?" I asked, looking around in confusion.

" They're here," Lucas suddenly said, stepping in between Ethan and me.

" Huh?"

" The football team," he replied, a smile spreading across his face. "They're back."

A large academy bus rolled through the gates with Rosewood Academy Football Team written across its side.

The entire courtyard instantly erupted into noise. Students screamed excitedly. Some waved their hands wildly while others hurried closer to the gates.

At that moment, I honestly thought the football team were international players.

The bus doors opened. One by one, the players stepped out, making the cheering grow even louder.

Students stared at them as if they were celebrities.

" Out of the football team," Lucas started, dropping an arm around my neck, "there are three players that are the most popular ones."

I looked at him and nodded, waiting for him to continue.

" Firstly, Tyler Brooks." he pointed at a guy who had just stepped off the bus. Like the others, he was dressed in the football jersey. He casually chewed gum while winking at a few students standing nearby.

" He's your typical academy playboy and also the team's goalkeeper," Lucas explained. "That guy has stolen almost every boy I planned to flirt with."

He folded his arms and scoffed. "He's my greatest enemy."

I blinked. Why would you introduce someone if he was your enemy?

" And to the second person... Jason Donovan." Lucas's expression immediately brightened. "He's the football vice-captain. Popular for his calm personality and the fact that almost everyone likes him."

Just then, I noticed Ethan glaring at Lucas. I swear, that guy looked ready to murder someone whenever Lucas mentioned Jason Donovan.

At that moment, something suddenly became clear to me.

Ethan had a crush on Jason Donovan.

" And to the last person," Lucas continued. I followed his gaze toward the last player stepping out of the bus.

The moment he appeared, some students immediately pushed their way forward just to get a better look.

" Who's that?" I asked softly, my eyes fixed on the tall figure.

" Mason Carter," Ethan answered.

So, that's Mason Carter...

" He's the captain of the team," Lucas explained. "Everyone in this academy practically worships him."

" Idolize him?" I asked and he nodded.

" Some people would probably bow at his feet if they had the chance. But if you ask me, he's just a self-centered person who doesn't care about anyone else."

I wondered if everything Lucas said about him was true.

" Don't believe him," Ethan cut in. "Mason just doesn't let people get close to him. Only his friends and teammates."

I nodded slowly.

Could there be a reason Lucas spoke badly about him?

Before I knew it, the students had already moved aside, creating a path for the football team to walk through. Nobody told them to. They simply did.

The players walked through the middle of the crowd, led by their captain, who carried the tournament trophy in one hand.

Ethan's ears turned slightly pink after he briefly made eye contact with Jason. I pretended not to notice.

" Did you just see that?" Lucas whispered excitedly. "Jason just looked at me."

" Wow," I replied sarcastically, adjusting my glasses. "That's great."

I couldn't believe my two roommates were actually interested in the same person.

***

During our last lesson of the day, the teacher announced that the mid-semester tests would begin in a week and advised everyone to start preparing.

The announcement made me arrive late to the Art Club because I still had some notes I needed to catch up on.

" Why are you just arriving, Mr. Hayes?" the art instructor asked the moment I stepped inside. The sound of the door closing had already drawn everyone's attention to me.

" I'm sorry, ma'am," I apologized with a small bow. "I was trying to catch up on the lessons I missed."

The other students looked at me while I stood by the door.

" Alright," she said. "But I won't accept any excuses next time." I nodded.

" Find yourself a seat."

I quietly walked to an empty chair at the back of the room and sat down.

It was only my second day in the club, but I already enjoyed being there. The instructor paid attention to little details that many people would overlook while drawing or painting.

After about an hour of teaching, she placed her brush on the table and looked around the room.

" I want everyone to draw an animal," she instructed. "Make it look as though the animal is right in front of you."

The first thing that came to my mind was the dog I had when I was younger. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and pictured it. Then I started drawing.

I carefully sketched the shape, added the details I remembered, and shaded every part the way the instructor had taught us.

When I finished, I removed the drawing sheet from the board and walked over to her desk. She studied it quietly.

" Wow," she finally said, looking up at me with a smile. " You did a wonderful job."

" Thank you, ma'am," I replied.

She glanced back at the drawing.

" Even though you're new here, I can tell you took your art classes seriously in your former school." I smiled and nodded.

After she finished checking my work, she allowed me to leave. I looked at my wristwatch. Six o'clock.

I quickly headed back to the dormitory, hoping to get some sleep before dinner. When I opened the door and found that Lucas wasn't around, I quietly sighed in relief. Taking a nap would have been impossible if he had been there.

***

After quarter past eight, I moved to the cafeteria for dinner. Ethan had told me he had something to do inside school, while Lucas was probably somewhere only God knew.

I shook my head off at the thought of thinking about him.

After collecting my tray of food, I moved down to an empty table and sat on one of the seats.

But as soon as I sat down, goosebumps suddenly raised on my skin and just then I noticed different gazes on me.

Some of them whispered among themselves, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

" He must be a new student," I heard one said.

" I pray the football team enters anytime soon."

What the hell are they gossiping about?

Is it a crime for someone to eat alone in this academy?, or am I too ugly?

I ignored their protests and held a splat burger in my hands and took a bite from it. I chewed it graciously, cause tonight dinner was much better than the previous ones.

I almost choked on the food I was eating when I held the students screaming out their lungs. Some even abandoned their meals and stood up.

Just then I noticed the football team had just entered into the cafeteria.

I looked up and saw like eight or ten of them standing tall at the entrance. Even from a distance, it was obvious they spent most of their time training.

My eyes drifted toward the captain. For a brief second, our gazes met. I immediately looked down at my food.

I took another bite from my splat burger. Then i heard footsteps approaching me. Not one, several. They stopped right beside my table.

Slowly, I looked up and my eyes was met with the captain's own.

Why was he here?

" You're in my seat." he said.

I looked around cause I thought he probably meant someone else but not until he spoke again.

" Get your a*s off my seat." he said again, then I confirmed he was actually talking to me.

I swallowed hard and finally replied him.

" There are plenty of empty ones." the words rolled out of my mouth effortlessly.

The room went silent immediately I said so. His eyes were directly sending daggers to mine.

To be continued...