I hated syllabus day. First days of school were only exciting because we could see all of our friends again.

I was counting down the seconds to lunch so we could actually sit down and enjoy our time, instead of having small chats in between classes.

It was my Junior year of high school. I spent this last summer with my family in Florida, so I barely had time with my friends.

As soon as I heard the release bell ring, I packed my backpack with the rest of class.

"I'm going to stop you right there class. The bell does not dismiss you, I do."

Great, she's one of those teachers.

I paid no attention to her wrap up speech as I very quietly finished zipping up my backup so she couldn't hear. Then she finally released us.

"Adelaide!"

I turned around at the sound of my name. Leah was standing with Maylan as they waved me down from their spot in the hallway.

A big smile was plastered on my face as I made my way over to them.

We were walking down the hallway on our way to lunch when someone shoved into my right arm.

"Sorry." The deep voice mumbled as they walked past and time slowed when I realized who it was.

We held eye contact as we walked past each other and then some.

I turned back around before someone else had the chance to walk into me.

That mumbled sorry was the first word he's spoken to me since the summer of fifth grade. I wonder if he would have said anything at all if he knew it was it me in the first place.

"Was that Tristan?" Leah asked, looking back at him.

I took her by the arm and led her forward.

"That was... and he got hot." Maylan added as we entered the cafeteria.

"No no, he's been good looking all his life. Right Ada? Remember when y'all were friends?"

"I do," I said before adding, "I also remember when he ghosted me in the sixth grade."

"To be fair, he ghosted everyone in the sixth grade. If you haven't noticed he doesn't have many friends." Maylan said as we all sat down with our lunches.

"He has friends, just not at this school." I replied, remembering the few times last year I've seen him get picked up from school by boys who looked around our age. Either they went to a different high school in the next town or they've just graduated already.

"I know what friends you're talking about. Those boys go to Anderson High."

Anderson High was our schools rival in football. No wonder Tristan didn't have many friends here. He was fraternizing with the enemy.

"and how do you know that?" I asked Leah before chewing on my celery stick.

She simply shrugged, "I may have had a little summer fling with Tate Pike."

"Tate Pike... as in Andersons quarter back?" Maylan asked slowly.

"I plead the fifth." She ran her fingers across her lip as if zipping her mouth closed.

Speaking of football teams, the boys of our own team appeared and sat around our table.

"babe!" Maylan greeted Riley. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her lips.

I felt an arm sling around my own shoulders and immediately knew who it was.

It took everything in me not roll my eyes and groan out loud.

"Hey Adelaide."

"Walter." I greeted curtly before peeling his arm off of me.

Walter has been trying to get in my pants since last year. He hasn't succeeded yet and he's not going to. I'm not interested in guys with obnoxiously big egos and even bigger heads. I've just been waiting for him to lose interest and move on.

"what, you're not excited to see me?" He asked.

I put on my best smile for him. "Oh no Walt, I'm plenty excited, can't you see it in my face?" I let my face muscles drop as my smile disappeared and my voice dripped with sarcasm.

Walter did not process the hint. He never did.

"I love that sass of yours Adalaide," he leaned over to my ear and dropped his voice to a whisper, "it turns me on."

"You're disgusting." I said as I shoved him away and threw my food down. I suddenly lost my appetite.

Leah got up from her spot and forced herself right In between us.

"move along leech, you reek of desperation." She shooed him away with her hand and he surprisingly obliged.

The rest of lunch ran smoothly. And so did the others the rest of the week. As long as Walter didn't open his mouth, I was happy as can be.

The third week of school, I was exactly 4 minutes late to my first period class.

I thought I could sneak into the room unnoticed, but just as I managed to shut the door quietly, John Quick so conveniently decided to have a coughing fit. He was seated closest to the door and Mr. Pennded saw me shortly after.

"Adalaide! Were so honored to have you join us. And so honored that you will be attending detention, today, after school."

Obviously, I wasn't smiling about it. The light flickered above me in that same second and I shot my eyes up to observe it as it momentarily caught my attention. I quickly moved past that and made my way to my seat when Mr. Pennded spoke up again.

"today and tomorrow then Ms. Beck, do roll your eyes at me again, I can make it three days detention."

"what? No Mr. Pennded, I wasn't rolling my ey-"

"three days for talking back. Keep going, you're on a roll"

I heard some chuckling from a few students around the room as I pressed my lips closed and plopped down in my chair. Dear Lord, please give me patience with this man.

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"three days," I complained to Leah as we walked to her car, "I went through middle and most of high school without one single detention and Mr. pin head gave me three days in one class."

"Everyone knows Mr. Pennded is always anal on Mondays." She replied, unlocking her door and waiting before climbing in.

"Teachers always love me." I grumbled.

"Can't please everyone darling. What time does detention let out?"

I checked my watch that read 3:30 before replying, "In one hour. You meeting everyone at the diner?"

"yes ma'am, I'll come pick you up here when you're done. Love ya, stay out of trouble." She blew me a kiss before climbing into her car and driving away.

I made my way back into the building and found the room specified for detention.

I opened the door and looked around at the sad bunch of people that were accompanying me for the next hour, then froze in place when I saw that the seat in the far corner of the room was occupied by none other than Tristan Presley.

A/N: the MC's name is pronounced Add-uh-laid since I've seen lots of questions about this LOL