His Favorite Nerd

My Weird Roommates

Chapter 3

:⁠-[ADRIAN'S POV]:⁠-

Two days had passed since I started at Rosewood Academy. With the help of my roommates, I had already adjusted to how things worked around here. Even though Lucas could be a handful, he still helped me with one thing or another.

Yesterday, I received the list of clubs that still had available spots, and I was relieved to discover that the Art Club wasn't full yet.

Out of curiosity, I had also followed Ethan and Lucas to the fencing club.

There, I saw something I didn't expect from Lucas.

The same guy who barely looked serious about anything suddenly became sharp and focused the moment he picked up a foil. Every movement felt natural, like he truly belonged there.

Meanwhile, Ethan was good at everything. His studies. Fencing.

I was currently seated inside the classroom, preparing for the first lesson of the day, English Literature. I sat somewhere in the middle row. Ethan occupied his usual seat near the front, while Lucas had claimed a seat at the back.

Students placed their notebooks on their desks while waiting for the teacher to arrive. Meanwhile, Lucas was busy flirting with the student sitting beside him, his hand casually brushing through the guy's hair.

At this point, I was already used to his behavior.

The moment the teacher stepped into the classroom, everyone straightened up and stood to greet him.

His name was Mr. Bradford, a man in his early sixties. I had attended his class yesterday and quickly learned that he wasn't the type to tolerate nonsense.

" You may all have your seats," he said firmly, dropping his notes on the desk.

He picked up a marker and wrote English Literature on the whiteboard before turning back to face us.

" During our last lesson," he began, pacing around the classroom, " We discussed character development and how experiences can shape a person's personality throughout a story."

He stopped walking.

" So, who can define character development?"

Several students immediately raised their hands. Including Ethan.

" Mr. Hayes," Mr. Bradford said, pointing toward me. " Since you're our new student, perhaps you'd like to answer."

The entire class turned to look at me. I had attended yesterday's lesson, and thankfully, I remembered enough.

" Don't embarrass us, four-eyes," Lucas whispered from the back.

I calmly adjusted my glasses and stood up.

" Character development is the process through which a character changes or grows throughout a story." I answered.

A few students nodded in approval.

" Very good, Mr. Hayes." Mr. Bradford said with an impressed smile.

I shared a small smile with Ethan before sitting down.

" Okay, nerd. I like you," Lucas announced, slapping my shoulder. I chose to ignore him.

Afterward, Mr. Bradford introduced today's topic and wrote Appearance vs Reality across the board. He explained the meaning before diving deeper into the lesson.

Halfway through the class, he suddenly stopped speaking. Everyone looked up from their notes.

" Using your phone is not allowed in my class, Mr. Bennett," he said, lowering his glasses to glare at Lucas. " If you have no intention of following my rules, feel free to leave and take the class over again."

" Sorry, Bradford," Lucas rudely replied. A few students immediately laughed.

Mr. Bradford narrowed his eyes. " What did you say?"

Lucas visibly straightened. " I'm sorry, Mr. Bradford."

" That's better."

Lucas slipped his phone into his bag.

" Any further insolent behavior will not be tolerated," Mr. Bradford warned. " And if it continues, you'll be lucky if you don't end up repeating this class."

The classroom erupted into hushed whispers. Mr. Bradford slammed his hand against the desk. Silence instantly followed.

After what felt like forever, the lesson finally ended. The class looked relieved.

Unfortunately, Mr. Bradford made sure to leave us with a mountain of assignments before walking out.

Two more lessons followed that morning. Thankfully, both were much more enjoyable than the first.

***

" How long have you been in this school?" I asked, turning to Ethan.

We were both heading back to class after our lunch break.

" Three years now, right from my freshman year," he responded, his hands tucked inside his pockets.

I overheard some students whispering as we continued walking.

" The football team are coming back tomorrow," one said, leaning against a pillar.

" I can't wait to have them back," another replied excitedly.

" Especially Mason. I miss him so much," a third student added happily.

I blinked helplessly and quickly looked away from them, causing Ethan to chuckle when he noticed my reaction.

" Don't mind those students," he said. " They never seem to run out of things to talk about."

A small smile curled on his lips.

" What about you?" I asked.

" Hum?" Ethan turned to me, seemingly pulled out of his thoughts.

" The football team," I clarified. "Do you miss them?"

For a moment, Ethan didn't answer.

His steps slowed slightly as his gaze drifted ahead. It was as though he was thinking about someone rather than the football team as a whole.

A faint smile appeared on his face before disappearing almost immediately.

" I suppose..." he finally replied. "Some of them aren't too bad."

I raised an eyebrow and said, " That's surprisingly nice coming from you."

Ethan cleared his throat and looked away.

" Don't read too much into it."

For some reason, the tips of his ears had turned slightly pink. I stared at him for a moment before deciding not to question it any further.

***

That evening, Ethan and I were quietly studying while Lucas lay sprawled across his bed, scrolling through his phone.

The room was unusually peaceful. Which was surprising, considering Lucas was too busy with his phone to cause trouble. Unfortunately, that didn't last long.

Lucas suddenly sat upright.

" Oh no!"

" What's it now?" Ethan asked without looking up from his book.

" I just got the information that the football team is returning tomorrow," Lucas announced, his eyes widening dramatically.

Ethan and I exchanged a look before replying in unison. " We know already."

" Huh?" Lucas blinked. "You do?"

Apparently, he hadn't realized the entire school had been talking about it since morning.

" Why didn't I hear about this?" he complained.

Neither of us bothered answering.

Lucas sat up straighter.

" By lunchtime, you'll see students pretending they accidentally walked past the football building."

I laughed.

" That can't be real."

" Oh, it's real."

Lucas pointed dramatically toward the ceiling. " And Mason Carter is the biggest reason why."

I rolled my eyes.

For the past twenty-four hours, I had heard that name more times than I could count.

" But trust me..." Lucas continued, a devilish grin spreading across his face. "Jason Donovan is the real deal."

"Huh?" I asked, completely confused.

At the mention of the name, Ethan finally looked up from his book. His eyes immediately narrowed.

Lucas either didn't notice or simply didn't care. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his palm.

" One of the things I absolutely need to do before graduating high school is...".Ethan's eyebrow twitched, probably to devour Lucas at any moment. I suddenly had a bad feeling about where this was going.

" ...is to get laid with Jas..." before he concluded, a book flew past my face.

THWACK!

It hit Lucas squarely on the head. His sentence died instantly. So did he.

I gasped and turned toward Ethan, who had somehow already returned his attention to his book.

" Why... did you... do that?" I asked, staring at him in disbelief.

Ethan shrugged.

" I don't know."

He closed his book, climbed into bed, and switched off his lamp. Within seconds, he was lying under his blanket as if nothing had happened.

I looked at Lucas, who was still unconscious from a flying textbook. Then I looked at Ethan, who was pretending to be innocent.

My roommates were weird.

Very weird.

To be continued...