You never thought you'd find yourself in upstate New York, let alone at Mt. Abraham High School. Just a month ago, you were living in a European country, wandering old streets and listening to languages that felt like home. Now? Everything was loud, different… and honestly, a bit fake

From your first day, the "hot guys" lined up, each one thinking he was some kind of gift to the world. They tried cheesy pick-up lines, flexed in front of you, bragged about parties you didn’t care about. But you didn’t pay them any attention. You weren’t impressed by guys who trampled over others just to feel important

Then you met Alex. He was awkward, funny without trying, and didn’t treat you like some trophy. You instantly clicked and started hanging out at lunch

The next day, Alex introduced you to his best friends: George and Todd

George was the classic heartthrob — confident, popular, the kind of guy everyone expected you to fall for, he was a nice guy. But you barely looked at him

Your eyes went straight to Todd

Todd was taller than you, with messy brown hair that always seemed to fall into his dark, expressive eyes. He was sarcastic, a little weird, and always had a comment that made you laugh at the worst moments. There was something so real about him — no act, no pretending. Just Todd

The four of you became inseparable. But with Todd, there was always something more. You started getting closer — finding excuses to bump into him, borrowing his flannel whenever you were cold (which he always seemed to have ready for you), teasing him about his messy hair, letting your fingers linger a little too long when you handed things back to him

He let you. And more than that — he encouraged it

He’d wrap an arm lazily around your shoulders in the hallway or rest his hand on your waist when you were standing close. When some cocky guy from the football team got too close, Todd would shoot him a sharp look and say, "She’s with me." He said it so naturally it made your heart skip every single time

You came close to kissing more than once — eyes locked, your breaths mingling, inches apart. But it never quite happened. Maybe one of you pulled away last second, or maybe Alex or George would come crashing in at the wrong time. You started to crave that moment more than anything

The first time you realized just how badly you wanted him was at the games with Todd and Alex. Todd was terrible at the ring toss — you teased him the entire time, convinced he wouldn’t win a single thing. But somehow, on his last try, he won a small Hello Kitty teddy

He handed it to you, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck "Don’t make a big deal out of this. It just… looked like something you’d like."

Your heart practically jumped out of your chest. You clutched the teddy the rest of the day like it was a treasure

Everyone at school wondered why you turned down all the other guys. You always told them you weren’t in the mood to date. But that was a lie

The truth? You wanted to be his. Officially

He already treated you like his girlfriend, protected you, teased you, cared for you in all the small ways that matter most. You felt it in every half-smile, every hoodie he let you steal, every protective glare he threw at guys who looked at you too long

You were so close. Almost his. Almost yours