Page 1 of His Secret

The Past

CHAPTER ONE

MATÍAS

I watch the door,waiting for him to come in. I find myself in this position quite often now. Adrian and I became friends at the start of the semester six weeks ago, and I’m already at the point of looking forward to his arrival and being disappointed on the days he doesn’t show.

Adrian always comes at the last minute, rushing in here like he had to run the whole way. The guy wouldn’t know punctuality if it punched him in the face. In his stupid, perfect, sculpted by the gods face.

Okay, so maybe I have a crush on my new friend, but the attraction is anything but new. Only the friendship is. Last year we had a class together, but he only stayed in it for two weeks before dropping. I’m pretty sure he never saw me, but I was immediately attracted to him. Well, me and probably half the class.

Adrian Kennedy is the kind of attractive that doesn’t make sense. Sea-green eyes that shine from between dark lashes. A jawline you could cut glass with. Full and symmetrical lips. You see him and wonder why he’s not in movies oron runways. On top of that, he’s funny and charming and nicer than I imagined he would be.

When this class started up, he scanned the room and then took the seat next to me. I looked around to see if all the other seats were taken, but no, there were plenty of others. Hechoseto sit next to me. He also decided to call me by my last name—an athlete thing. It felt like he was already including me in his circle of friends, even though I’m far from athletic.

Since then, he always comes in with a new topic of conversation. He asks about my plans and then tells me whatever he got into over the weekend. We see each other every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and sometimes it feels like we’re not so different after all. Then he tells me about a party he was at, catalogs everything he drank, tells me about the girls that were there, makes jokes about his friends, and reality comes crashing back. We’reverydifferent.

The professor begins talking, and I resign myself to the fact that this will be another day I don’t see Adrian, but then he runs in, his phone falling from his hoodie pocket and crashing to the floor.

He reaches down to pick it up and one of his earbuds falls out. A few people snicker as the professor sighs.

“Sorry,” Adrian says, rushing to his seat. He drops into it and gives me a bug-eyed look. “So, I was thinking?—”

“Mr. Kennedy, can I start the lesson now?”

“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.”

He’s quiet for a little bit, but then my phone buzzes in my pocket, and when I don’t reach for it, he starts making noise.

“Psst. Cruz. Psssst.”

I angle my head over my shoulder and he points to his phone. I shake my head. He knows I don’t get on my phone inclass. Professor Edwards has a strict policy, and one that Adrian ignores.

He sighs and opens his notebook. I go back to listening to the professor, but several seconds later, a paper lands on my desk.

I unfold it and read his chicken scratch while the professor writes something on the smart board.

You should come to a party with me this weekend. Before you say no, I know you don’t have any other plans, so if you say no, you’re just being rude.

I turn and look at him, but he’s acting like the model student now, focused completely on the professor.

I write my response under his.

I’m not a party kind of guy. I’ll just end up being a wallflower. If you make me go somewhere where I’ll be uncomfortable, you’re just being mean.

I wait until I can hand it over without the professor seeing, and as he reads it, I hear him sigh. Then he starts scribbling again. The paper nearly slides off my desk a few seconds later, and I slam my hand down on it, effectively gaining the attention of the professor. After a while, I read it.

I won’t let you feel uncomfortable. You know me. We’ll hang out.

I don’t write back to him once I read it, not wanting to risk getting caught. As soon as we’re dismissed, he starts talking.

“Come on. Why not? I think you’ll have a good time.”

“We’re very different, Adrian. Your friends don’t interact with people like me.”

“What do you mean?”

I give him a look like he should already know. “I’m not under the notion that I’m anything but the quiet, nerdy guy that the athletes only go to for help with assignments. I’m not supposed to be at their parties.”

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