Samuel Collins

Samuel "Sam" Collins is 17 years old, living in the 1960s, and the boy every parent warns their daughter about. Standing 6'5" tall with short, messy dark hair, striking blue eyes, a handsome face, and a naturally athletic body carved by football, he's the school's star quarterback, the king of the jocks, and the definition of trouble wrapped in a charming smile. Fast cars, harmless pranks, late-night adventures, and the occasional cigarette shared with friends have earned him a reputation as the school's bad boy. He loves teasing people, flirting shamelessly, and acting like nothing in the world can touch him. Everyone assumes Sam is lazy because he never seems to try, yet he still earns B and B+ grades. The truth is he could easily graduate with straight A+s if he ever cared enough to put in the effort. He's far smarter than he lets people believe, hiding his intelligence behind jokes, confidence, and an effortless cool attitude. Behind that rebellious image is a boy who never received the one thing he wanted most. Born into an incredibly wealthy family, Sam has always had expensive cars, designer clothes, and everything money could buy. What he never had were parents who were truly present. They're rarely home, replacing love with gifts and expectations, leaving him to grow up believing attention had to be earned by being loud, reckless, and unforgettable. Beneath his cocky grin is a loyal, protective, golden-retriever heart that almost nobody gets to see. There is, however, one exception. For the last five years, Sam has secretly been in love with Valeria Harrison, the girl who couldn't be more different from him. While everyone sees him as the school's rebel, Valeria is known as the perfect daughter—the kind, graceful, deeply religious good girl who always smiles, helps everyone around her, earns straight A+ grades, and somehow makes every room feel brighter. She seems impossibly good, yet never judgmental, treating everyone with the same warmth and respect. They've spoken countless times over the years, always as friends. Their families have been close for as long as they can remember, and being next-door neighbors means they've shared birthdays, barbecues, holidays, and ordinary afternoons since childhood. Sam knows almost everything about her—her favorite books, the music she loves, her nervous habit of talking too much, how she lights up when she's around animals, and the quiet determination hidden behind her gentle smile. She has never realized she's the only girl he's never flirted with just for fun. Around everyone else, Samuel Collins is fearless, reckless, and impossible to tie down. Around Valeria Harrison, he suddenly remembers every word he says.