Hacking The Relationship Code

Chapter 5: Victory Performance

Over the past few weeks, I carried out many failed and few successful attempts at kicking down Adrian's hard exterior. I wanted to make him believe that he had the right to a normal life like most other children of his age. However, I hadn't made any progress in making him open up to me. He was always reluctant to speak more than a few words. Even those few words were mostly snide remarks directed towards me. He kept all his misery to himself. I couldn't imagine how he managed to go through everything alone. That amount of loneliness and negativity could easily make you a bitter person.

I don't know why his well-being bothered me. Maybe because I had always lived a sheltered life. I hadn't seen much suffering in my entire life which I know isn't too long to go with. I will be honest, my prime reason of wanting to help him out was pity. I pitied him for what all he was going through after seeing him that day. I wanted to help him out to normalize his situation. I wasn't a very emotional person like that but suffering and injustice always tugged my heartstrings. I did not like seeing the people around me suffer.

So, gradually I developed a soft spot for Adrian. Whenever someone was unfair to me, I wouldn't always take their shit. But with Adrian my pity got the better of me and I would give him a free reign. Adrian would sometimes pass his crude remarks in front of my friends. He wasn't very friendly to them either. Needless to say, my group hated him.

Instead of hanging on to my unsuccessful attempts, I decided to make the successful ones count. Like how I convinced Adrian to not move his desk away from mine.

"Let's keep out desks together like everyone around us. Teachers would notice and it also spoils the symmetry of the class."

He stepped his foot down on this one and moved his desk and chair to join with mine. I did my secret victory dance in my head.

My group of friends would often visit my desk between lectures. I knew Adrian would silently snoop into our conversations pretending to be indifferent. I tried to indulge him in our small talk but he was always super awkward. He couldn't figure out what to and how to speak with the others. As a last resort, he relied on his rudeness to chase them away.

Being his desk partner, I discovered that Adrian never bought any snacks with him. He did not even eat in the canteen. Taking into account his dense family situation, I knew he was starving himself. I offered to share my snacks with him. In fact, our group also offered their snacks to him following me; out of courtesy but he wouldn't have any. I had to think of a better idea to coerce him into accepting the snacks.

One day as soon as the bell rang, I offloaded the tiffin box my housekeeper had packed for me and offered some to Adrian.

"If you aren't having it, I might just tell everyone what I saw that day." I blackmailed him. It was a below the belt move, I know; but it was what was going to fill his stomach.

He begrudgingly took some snacks from my box and had them angrily. He was so pissed that he was shooting daggers at me while eating. I had finally scored my second point against him. Yoohoooo....

From that day, I did not have to force him to have some from my tiffin. We had a silent agreement in place. He could take anything from my tiffin box without asking. I did not even have to coerce him anymore. By the end of that week, Adrian Carter started buying his own snacks from the canteen.

Seeing Adrian buy his own lunch because of the trick I pulled over gave me a different kind of satisfaction. My actions were making a positive difference. The kind of happiness you feel when you do a good deed is unparalleled by any other source of happiness.

***

Things between Nick and me were taking its natural course. We texted each other constantly, hung out a few times in a week and also hang out with each other's friends. Our friends gradually started teasing us. Kylie and Joey even made bets about when we were going to start seeing each other. Everyone liked Nick. Hell, even I liked Nick.

I wasn't someone who would wait for the other person to confess their feelings. I was clear with my feelings and I even made the other person aware about them. Nick and I were in that phase where we knew we liked each other. It was pretty obvious. We made no excuses to hide the attraction. He was similar to me in that aspect. He told me he liked me but he wasn't going to jump into a relationship hastily. I was so relieved to hear that. Even I did not want to commit at the moment. I needed my time to carry out my discretion.

Aurelia liked Nick too. We successfully persuaded Aurelia that he was even worse at trigonometry than me and needed her guidance. Aurelia luckily bought our lie and thus began our twice a week trigonometry dates where Nick would pretend that he was terrible at trigonometry when in reality, he aced it. 

***

The other day, I and Andy were staying back to complete our chemistry journals in the lab. Nick was playing football with his friends from the team. We decided we would go home together later. The window of our lab faces the school ground. We could hear a lot of howling and screaming from the ground.

I stood by the window as Andy was performing the experiment to watch the guys playing. In a corner Adrian was watching the game from the stands. I could decipher from the changes in his expression that he was interested in the game too. I think he was might be even yearning to try his foot on the field. I immediately came up with a plan.

Nick texted me that they were taking a break before starting another game. I informed Andy that I would be back in a while. He didn't mind completing the experiment alone. I made my way to the ground to meet Nick. I told him my plan.

"I think Adrian would like to play too. He has been watching your match for quite some time. Why don't you include him too?"

"I don't know. He doesn't look like he can play."

"Just try it out once. I am telling you from personal experience, he's full of surprises. Just don't ask him directly. Challenge him."

Nick returned to his game and I sat down where Adrian was sitting to watch the game. Nick called out to Adrian from the field.

"Carter! Carter! Are you just going to watch us play from there? Why don't you join us and show what you got man?" Nick challenged him.

"Come on Nick, Adrian isn't an athlete like you. He can't handle that game." I played my part.

Adrian was aggravated.

"Actually Matthews, why don't you just answer for yourself. I don't remember appointing you my official spokesperson."

He turned to face Nick and made a gesture that he was coming.

"Watch your dear boyfriend lose Matthews."

Fortunately for me Adrian and Nick ended up being in the same team. I did not want to see either of them lose to the other. Adrian was good at his game. If not best, he was as good as the others. Their team won the game. Nick came to see me where I was sitting and high-fived me.

I caught Adrian smirking with himself, satisfied by his win. For the first time in all these months that I have known him, he was happy, pleased with himself. I could feel my chest being flooded with a gush of content when I saw him like that. Adrian's gaze fell on me and I saw a full U- shaped toothy smile make its way on his face. Ufff, I was going to have a meltdown. Adrian gave me a knowing nod as if he acknowledged my efforts. I am going to consider it as good as thank you. I flashed my brightest smile at him.

I was undoubtedly going to do my victory performance at home.

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