The next day, I woke up around 4 AM. Since I was up so early, I decided to jot down everything that happened last night, especially my new friendship with Adam, which had me buzzing with excitement. After that, I took a really early cold shower, even though it was already freezing. Cold water always gets my brain running. I cooked my own breakfast, glammed up like a boss, and waited until it was late enough to leave for school.

When the time finally came, I left the house and drove to school. There's something about driving in the early morning that feels so refreshing, especially when the cold breeze hits you. Or maybe it's just me. As I pulled into the school parking lot, I was surprised to see Xalia's car already there. What was she doing here so early? Then I noticed Noah's car too. This didn't look good.

I parked my car and headed inside to see what was going on. Sure enough, there they were, going at each other like typical exes.

" I didn't cheat on you," Noah insisted.

"Yes, you did, you liar," Xalia replied. "I saw you kiss that dog, and I saw the way you looked at that girl."

I approached them, trying to defuse the situation. "Guys, isn't it too early for this?"

"It's never too early for anything," Xalia retorted sharply.

"Dena, can you tell her to calm down?" Noah pleaded.

"You shut up, you hypocrite," I snapped at him. "How can you cheat on her knowing she really liked you, and with a dog too? That's just gross."

"For God's sake, I didn't cheat on her," Noah protested. "I was just talking to the girl, and I told her I liked her dog. I kissed the dog because I thought it looked cute. Then Xalia broke up with me."

"Really? But why were you even kissing the dog in the first place? Who does that?" I asked incredulously.

"Then he wanted to come lay his mouth on my lips, which made me so mad, and that led to the breakup," Xalia added.

"Everyone loves dogs," Noah said defensively.

"Oh my God, you two need to sort this out," I said, exasperated. "What you broke up over is really stupid, except for the dog part. Well, that's stupid too, but I get why you broke up with him for that. Noah, be a man and take accountability. And Xalia, please hear him out and stop jumping to conclusions."

Xalia sighed, "You're right, Dena."

"Yes, you are," Noah agreed.

They started apologizing to each other, thanks to my intervention, and before I knew it, they were making out. Seriously? Gross. I covered my face and walked away, shaking my head. I headed to my classroom, took a little nap, and woke up to find the girls sitting next to me. Class had just started. They couldn't wake me up? Whatever. At least I didn't miss anything important.

The first class flew by, and so did the second. Finally, it was lunchtime. I didn't feel like dealing with the chaos of the cafeteria today, so I asked the girls if we could eat outside. They agreed. As we settled down to eat, we saw the jocks doing their usual training. While I was minding my own business, Travis decided to take off his shirt while running. My, oh my, he looked hot. I couldn't stop staring. Then came Adam. He's a jock too. He saw me ogling Travis's six-pack and decided to take off his shirt too. It had me drooling. He winked at me and smiled, then bit his lip. I was on fire. What just happened? The girls noticed too and started grilling me.

"So, when did you and Adam start having a thing?" Xalia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? Haha," I replied, trying to play it cool.

"Girl, that dude just gave you a full-on show, and you're telling us nothing is going on?" Karissa teased.

"Spill the tea!" Jaelee demanded.

"Guys, chill. Nothing is going on between me and Adam. We're just friends, and we've been hanging out," I insisted.

"Sure, you say that now," Jaelee said, clearly not buying it.

"Well, y'all won't be 'just friends' for long," Karissa predicted.

"I agree. Damn, I didn't know he was so fine until now. You won the jackpot, Dena. You have excellent taste in men," Xalia added.

"You guys are overreacting. Adam and I are friends and always will be," I protested.

"Maybe, but admit it, he's hot. Even hotter than Anthony and Travis," Karissa pressed.

"I'm not answering that," I said, trying to hide my blush.

Oh my God, they just wouldn't stop grilling me about Adam. I gotta admit, they were right about him being way hotter than Anthony, but that's all I'll confess to. I don't need any more boyfriends right now. I just need friends, and there's nothing wrong with having a really hot guy as a friend, right? So, the debate kept going back and forth until Adam came running in our direction. My heart started pounding, and the girls wouldn't stop giving me those knowing looks, making everything worse.

"What's up, crazy girl?" Adam greeted me with that playful smile.

"Adam, please stop calling me that," I replied, trying to keep my cool.

"Oh, that's what you call her?" Jaelee asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And you said nothing was going on between you two," Karissa added, smirking.

"Adam, please ignore them," I begged, feeling my face heat up.

Xalia jumped in, "Let us know what's going on, Adam."

"What's going on? I'm lost," Adam said, looking genuinely confused. I wanted to cry.

Karissa didn't hold back, "You like Dena, don't you?"

"Karissa!" I exclaimed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

"It's okay, Dena," Adam reassured me before turning to Karissa. "Should I not like her?"

"That's not what I asked," Karissa said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, you did, but alright, I'll answer your question simply. She's nice, sweet, really beautiful, smart, amazing, open-minded, so yeah, I like her," Adam said, looking straight at me.

"I don't like you, but thanks for answering my question, I guess," Karissa responded, clearly taken aback by his honesty.

"Hey, please don't get salty on me," Adam said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

The way Adam answered Karissa's question had me all up in my feelings. He just got way hotter in my mind, and I was blushing like crazy. But I had to snap out of it. Adam and I are just friends, and it's really nothing if a guy says nice things about a girl. I had to get it together and stay cool.

Just as I thought I was regaining my composure, he decided to flirt with me. And oh, he was smooth with it. Meanwhile, he was getting on Karissa's nerves, taunting her with every comment.

Karissa, fed up, finally snapped. "Adam, leave," she demanded.

He shrugged, gave me a wink, and said, "I'll see you later, Dena." My heart skipped a beat, and I was ecstatic.

As soon as he left, Karissa turned to me with a knowing look. "He's a hot jerk," she said, breaking into laughter. It was a little weird, so I laughed back, even though it felt a bit awkward.

"What's up with you?" I asked, still chuckling.

Karissa shook her head, still giggling. "Nothing, it's just... I've never seen you like this before. You're usually so in control, but with him, you're all over the place."

"Am not!" I protested, feeling my cheeks heat up again.

"Are too!" she teased, sticking her tongue out at me. "But seriously, Dena, you sure there's nothing going on between you two?"

"I'm sure," I insisted. "We're just friends."

"For now," she said, winking. "But I'm telling you, that boy is into you. And honestly, it's kind of fun watching you two together."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but smile. Maybe she was right. Maybe this whole thing with Adam was more than just a friendship. But for now, I'd just have to wait and see how things played out.

After a satisfying lunch, the bell rang, signaling the return to class routine. As we strolled towards our classrooms, a tense encounter unfolded between Xalia and a girl rumored to be involved in Noah's supposed infidelity. The air crackled with tension as harsh words flew between them. Xalia, fueled by anger, retaliated sharply, prompting malicious laughter from Deanesh, who seemed to relish the drama unfolding.

Unable to ignore the escalating situation, Xalia delivered a resounding slap to Deanesh, setting off a chaotic scene that drew the attention of everyone nearby. Both were swiftly summoned to the principal's office, leaving a palpable unease in their wake.

Feeling for Xalia, who shouldn't have had to endure such public scrutiny, I rallied with Karissa and Jaelee to advocate for her innocence. Thankfully, the principal sided with us, acknowledging Deanesh's history of bullying behavior. Despite it being Deanesh's first major offense, the principal issued a stern warning about future consequences. The subsequent suspension served as a fitting consequence for her actions.

With that drama behind us, we returned to our classes, where the day progressed uneventfully. As the final bell rang, signaling the end of classes, we parted ways, making plans to hang out the following day instead. Heading to my car, I was intercepted by Adam.

"Dena," he greeted warmly.

"Hey," I replied, curious about his approach.

"There's a party tomorrow night, and I want you to come with me," he invited with a grin.

"Oh, I love parties! Yes, I'd love to go," I replied enthusiastically.

"That's great. I'll pick you up at your house when it's time. Just promise me you won't oversleep this time," he teased gently.

"I promise, no sleeping through this one," I assured him.

"Great. And make sure you look good," he added playfully.

"Excuse me, I'm always the It girl when it comes to fashion," I retorted with a playful smirk.

"Just kidding. Of course, you always look good. Can't wait to see you tomorrow night," he said warmly.

"Oh my God, you play too much," I laughed. "I can't wait to see you too."

After a brief hug, Adam left me with a smile that I couldn't shake off as I got into my car. As I drove home, I couldn't help but wonder: am I crushing on Adam, or what?