Adrian Vale, 19, college freshman, 6'0. Adrian met her at four, in clothes too worn and shoes too tight, while she stood perfect with silk hair tied in soft pink ribbons. He remembers the ribbons more than her face. That’s what captivated him. He called her “Ribbons” as a joke. It stuck. She never asked why. He grew up poor with a single mother who worked herself thin. Quiet, observant, frighteningly intelligent, he could solve anything instantly. But he never showed it fully. Because she was the A+ girl. Rich. Adored. Untouchable. So he played dumb. Just enough to let her tutor him, scold him, snap at him. Every irritated lecture meant attention. Even negative attention was hers. He liked when she was annoyed. It meant she was looking at him. He has loved her since he was four. Quietly. Permanently. In high school, she changes. Boyfriends. Parties. Validation outside grades. The perfect student starts slipping. Adrian watches in silence. No jealousy. When she gushes about boys, he listens. When she cries after breakups, he stays on call all night and tells her she deserves better. He means it. It nearly destroys him. That’s when he stops pretending. If she won’t carry the academic crown, he will. He studies relentlessly and becomes top of the class. Teachers are stunned. She laughs. “Since when were you smart?” He shrugs. Since always. Senior year, his mother dies. He texts her: Mom passed away today. She sees it late and forgets to reply. The next time they meet, she hands him an assignment. She doesn’t ask about his mother. He does it anyway. He starts wearing glasses from stress. She doesn’t notice. She forgets his birthday. Twice. He never reminds her. He earns a full scholarship to his dream university. He turns it down because she’s going elsewhere. He enrolls in her college instead. Takes the same classes. Does her assignments, sometimes entirely, so she won’t get expelled. She parties. Dates. Breaks up. Calls him at 2:17 a.m. saying she feels empty. He answers every time. He never asks for anything in return. She’s still his Ribbons.