Drake's P.O.V

By the second day of senior year, my reputation as Smoothie Boy was already cemented. Everywhere I went, people snickered or made exaggerated gasping sounds as I passed. My locker? Covered in sticky notes with smoothie recipes, courtesy of Zack and his boundless creativity. 

“Strawberry banana?” Zack read aloud, holding up one of the notes. “Classic choice. But I think you’re more of a mango-pineapple guy.” 

“Do you ever stop?” I deadpanned, ripping the notes off my locker. 

“Never,” he replied with a grin. “Also, you should probably check out the Hayes siblings today. Emma looked particularly pissed this morning, and Ethan—well, let’s just say he looked like he knew exactly what caused it.” 

I paused mid-rip. “What do you mean?” 

“Drama brewing in the Hayes kingdom, my friend. And we mere peasants get front-row seats.” 

As we walked into the cafeteria, it was impossible to miss the tension radiating from Emma and Ethan’s usual table. Emma was glaring daggers at her brother, her jaw tight as Ethan leaned back in his chair, the picture of calm indifference. 

Zack elbowed me. “What did I tell you? This is better than Getflix.” 

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help watching as Emma hissed something at Ethan, her perfectly manicured finger jabbing the air between them. Whatever she said made Ethan laugh, a deep, effortless sound that only seemed to infuriate her more. 

For a moment, I wondered what it must be like to be part of their world. To have the kind of charisma that commands attention without even trying. 

“Drake,” Zack said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. “You’re staring again.” 

“I’m not..” 

“You totally are. Dude, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve got a thing for both Hayes siblings.” 

“Shut up,” I muttered, shoving him toward our usual table. 

The tension from the cafeteria lingered as we settled into chemistry. Ethan took the seat next to me again, his presence as magnetic and overwhelming as ever. 

“Hey, Smoothie Boy,” he greeted, a teasing lilt in his voice. 

“Is that going to be my name forever?” I asked, glaring at Zack, who was snickering behind Ethan’s shoulder. 

“Could be worse,” Ethan said, his lips quirking into a grin. “At least people know who you are now.” 

“Great. Just what I always wanted.” 

As Mr. Miller droned on about equilibrium reactions, I tried to focus, but Ethan had other plans. He nudged my notebook with his pen, pointing to a doodle I’d scribbled absentmindedly in the margin. 

“Is that supposed to be a dog or…?” 

“It’s a wolf,” I said defensively. 

Ethan chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Sure it is.” 

“Maybe if you paid attention, you wouldn’t need to mock my art,” I snapped, though my tone lacked any real bite. 

“Touchy,” he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “I like it, though. Very… abstract.” 

I didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted, but before I could decide, Mr. Miller called on me to answer a question I definitely wasn’t paying attention to. 

“Uh… covalent bonds?” I guessed, wincing as the class erupted in laughter. 

Ethan leaned over, his voice low enough for only me to hear. “Nice save.” 

I glared at him, but the warmth in his smile made it hard to stay annoyed. 

By the time lunch rolled around, Zack was in full prank mode. His latest target? The vending machine outside the cafeteria. 

“Watch and learn,” he whispered, pulling a roll of duct tape from his backpack. 

“What are you doing?” I hissed, glancing around nervously. 

“Improving the student experience,” he replied, grinning as he taped the machine’s buttons into a jumbled mess. 

“You’re going to get us suspended.” 

“Only if we get caught.” 

Unfortunately, Zack’s definition of “not getting caught” involved leaving me as the lookout. As he finished his masterpiece, I spotted Emma walking toward us, her expression icy enough to freeze water. 

“Move!” I whispered urgently, shoving Zack behind the vending machine just as Emma reached it. 

She pressed a button, frowned, then pressed another. The machine beeped in protest, and Emma’s frown deepened. 

“What the—” 

Before she could finish, a stream of soda cans erupted from the dispenser, spilling onto the floor in a chaotic mess. 

Zack was practically wheezing with laughter beside me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Emma’s stunned expression. 

“Who did this?” she demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. 

Zack nudged me. “Say something.” 

“What? Why me?” 

“Because she’s looking right at you.” 

And she was, her piercing blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

“Uh… technical malfunction?” I offered weakly. 

Emma didn’t look convinced, but before she could interrogate me further, Ethan appeared, his gaze darting between the mess on the floor and the guilty look on my face. 

“What’s going on here?” he asked, his tone equal parts amused and exasperated. 

“Your sister is about to kill me,” I said, gesturing to Emma, who was still glaring daggers in my direction. 

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Emma, maybe it’s not that deep. It’s just a vending machine.” 

“Easy for you to say,” she snapped. “You’re not the one covered in soda.” 

Ethan smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Come on, Em. Let it go. It’s not like he set your car on fire.” 

Emma huffed, but the tension in her shoulders eased slightly. 

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, Finn,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she stalked off. 

Ethan watched her go, then turned to me. “You really have a knack for getting into trouble, don’t you?” 

“Apparently.” 

-

That night, I was rummaging through the fridge for a late-night snack when I heard a weird sound coming from the living room. A mix of laughter and...was that a giggle? My mom never giggles. 

Curious, I tiptoed toward the living room and peeked around the corner. There she was, standing in front of the full-length mirror by the couch, holding up two dresses, a sleek black one and a floral red one. She twirled the red one slightly, smiling to herself like a teenager with a crush. 

"Mom?" I called, stepping into the room. 

She jumped, clutching the dress to her chest like she’d been caught stealing cookies. "Drake! What are you doing up? It’s late." 

"I could ask you the same thing," I said, eyeing the dresses. "What’s with the fashion show?" 

She hesitated, her cheeks turning pink, a color I hadn’t seen on her face in years. "It’s nothing. Just trying to decide what to wear tomorrow." 

"For work?" I asked, genuinely confused. My mom had a pretty chill job at a local bookstore, and none of these dresses screamed “organizing book displays.” 

"Not exactly," she mumbled, avoiding my gaze. 

"Mom," I said, crossing my arms. "Spill. What’s going on?" 

She sighed, finally giving in. "Fine. If you must know...I have a date tomorrow." 

A date? My jaw practically hit the floor. 

"Wait, what? With who?" I blurted out, my voice louder than I intended. 

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed, glancing toward the windows like the neighbors might be listening. "It’s just coffee. With a man I met last week." 

I sat down on the couch, trying to process this new reality. My mom...dating? It wasn’t like I’d never thought about it before. She’d been alone for years, ever since my dad walked out on us when I was twelve. But hearing her actually say it out loud felt...weird. 

"Okay," I said slowly. "Start from the beginning. Who is this guy, and where did you meet him?" 

She smiled softly, holding the black dress against herself. "His name is Tom. He came into the store looking for a book for his niece’s birthday. We got to talking, and then...well, I spilled coffee all over his shirt when I tripped over a stack of books." 

I snorted. "Classic meet-cute." 

"Very funny," she said, rolling her eyes. "He was sweet about it, though. He even helped me clean up the mess. We talked and then he asked me to dinner." 

"And you said yes?" I asked, still trying to wrap my head around this. 

"Why wouldn’t I?" she said, a hint of defensiveness in her tone. "Drake, I’ve been on my own for a long time. Don’t I deserve to have a little happiness, too?" 

Her words hit me harder than I expected. She wasn’t wrong. My mom had given up so much to raise me, putting her own life on hold while she worked endless shifts to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. If anyone deserved happiness, it was her. 

"Of course you do," I said, my voice softening. "It’s just...this is new, you know? It’s gonna take some getting used to." 

She smiled, her eyes glistening with emotion. "I get that. But I want you to know that this doesn’t change anything. You’ll always come first, Drake." 

"I know," I said, standing up and giving her a quick hug. "So...you’re going with the red dress, right?" 

"Obviously," she said with a laugh, holding it up again. 

As she went back to debating which shoes to wear, I headed upstairs to my room, my thoughts spinning. Seeing my mom so happy was a weird but comforting sight. It made me realize how much I’d taken her sacrifices for granted. 

But as I lay in bed, a new thought crept into my mind: If my mom could take a chance on something new, maybe I could, too. 

The next morning, Mom was practically glowing as she left for her date, leaving me to fend for myself. I ended up at Zack’s house, where we killed time playing video games and eating leftover pizza. 

"So, your mom’s dating now?" Zack asked, pausing the game to grab another slice. 

"Yep," I said, focusing on the screen. 

"How do you feel about that?" 

"I don’t know," I admitted. "It’s weird, but she seems happy. And I guess she deserves that." 

Zack smirked. "Look at you, all mature and supportive. I’m proud." 

"Shut up and unpause the game," I said, chucking a pillow at him. 

We played for a while longer before Zack brought up something that made me pause. 

"Speaking of dating," he said casually, "any progress with Emma Hayes?" 

I groaned. "Why does everyone keep bringing her up?" 

"Because you’ve been crushing on her since you're seven," he said, grinning. "And now you’re actually talking to her. That’s progress." 

"It’s not like that," I said, even though I wasn’t sure if I believed it myself. 

"Uh-huh," Zack said, clearly unconvinced. "Well, if you ever need advice, you know where to find me." 

"Yeah, because your love life is so inspiring," I shot back, earning a laugh. 

Still, his words stuck with me. Between my mom’s new romance and my confusing feelings about Emma and Ethan, it felt like my world was shifting in ways I wasn’t sure I was ready for. 

Little did I know, things were about to get even more complicated.