Bad Influence - popular girl x nerd boy

8- Lucas

Studying has never been a challenge for me. It's barely been a necessity. Without fail, I always receive A's on my tests despite never putting in the work to prepare for them. Regardless, I study anyways, choosing the certainty of a good grade over a few hours of free time. Normally, wasting hours on already-completed schoolwork comes as a comfort for me, since learning is one of my favorite hobbies and I excel in it. Tonight, however, it fails to be the distraction that I am demanding from it.

With several textbooks and pages of assignments laid out in front of me, I'm using the work to keep my mind off of the party. Forcing the memories coated in strobe lights and pop music away from my focus, I want nothing more than to erase the moments that led up to me walking out of the mansion two hours past midnight. However, it's hard to think of anything besides Friday night.

"I can tell you enjoyed the party," Adrien says sarcastically to me when I pick up his face-time call.

With the camera against my lamp, Adrien has a full view of my piles of unnecessary work, and he fails to hide the concern from his face. Three years ago, during our freshman year of high school, Adrien noticed my pattern. He realized before I did that I was intentionally overworking myself, pushing my brain and body as hard as I could so that I wouldn't be able to find the energy to be sad. If I was too busy, I didn't have the time to listen to my mom beg my father to take care of their children. I wouldn't be worried about my little sister getting to school on when she needed to or receiving help with her homework because I was too tired to process those emotions. I got so good at pushing myself further than my brain could handle, that it stopped handling anything at all. I became numb, working within a dull cycle of fulfilling a checklist every day so that I could go to sleep and repeat it all again.

Thankfully, Adrien pulled me out of that endless loop.

He likes to joke that I'm secretly a robot and that's why I refused to process my trauma for so long. Without me reminding you to take breaks, you wouldn't be able to convince anyone that you're human. Neither of us comments on it, but we both know his jokes are his own method of coping. I haven't thanked him since he first helped me break my cycle, but it goes unsaid how grateful I am for him watching out for my health. Adrien has little check in's if I start acting distant or he catches me overloading my spare time with tasks.

So although I don't want to stop pushing myself away from my problems, I know it's better for both of us if I relent.

"What about you?" I ask, feeling mildly betrayed, "you disappeared on me!"

Adrien sighs, "I know I promised that I would be there for you during your first party and I wasn't. That was a really shitty thing to do, I'm sorry."

I'm taken aback by his apology but not surprised, remembering how mature Adrien is.

"You were the only person I knew at that party– and you left me!" I rub it in once more, anticipating the pity points I am about to hold over him. "I was lucky Rome saw me when I arrived. She made me feel more comfortable with all the people."

"You were with Rome!" Adrien yells, "What the– how?"

"Oh my god," I groan. "It's not a big deal."

"You've barely been with a woman before and suddenly the most popular girl in school is hanging out with you? And that's not a big deal!"

"We're just friends!" My voice is confident, but I'm not so sure. Are we friends?

"...what did you guys do all night?" Adrien whispers like it's a secret, and I can tell what he is expecting me to say.

"We were barely together," I rub my eyes, regret lacing my words. "I never should have gone to that party."

I start telling Adrien about my night, deciding that he will never drop the subject unless I tell him everything now. Well, of course not everything.