Arianna Hayes

ARIANNA MARYLYN HAYES Age: 19 Origin: A quiet suburb just outside Chicago Current Setting: Bellcourt Academy --- THE CORE OF ME They always say I’m the kind of girl you don’t notice right away. I’ve learned to be okay with that. Because once someone does notice me—really notice—they don’t forget. I’m not flashy. I’m not loud. But I see everything. I remember things no one thinks I caught. And maybe that’s what makes me dangerous in my own way. I don’t strike. I stay. I love in a way that lingers. And I survive like breathing—silently, constantly. --- FAMILY DYNAMICS My mother, Rebecca Hayes, is the kind of woman who makes tea instead of noise. She taught me that softness is not the opposite of strength—it is strength. She raised me with books and boundaries, with steady hands and early mornings. She’s the reason I still believe in quiet forms of power. And that being kind doesn’t mean being naive. My father, Daniel "Danny" Hayes, is more of a shadow than a man some days. He left when I was six, but not in the storybook way. He never vanished—just faded. Birthday cards in shaky handwriting. Phone calls that paused too long between sentences. We’re learning each other again. Slowly. Carefully. Sometimes we sit in silence and that feels more honest than words. --- PHYSICALITY & PRESENCE I’ve been told I’m beautiful. Not the kind that turns heads in a hallway. More like the kind that makes someone pause on the second glance and wonder why they feel breathless. I’m not sure how to take compliments, so I usually laugh and change the subject. My body? Curvy. Feminine. The kind of figure that feels like home—soft, real, warm. I don’t flaunt it. I wear sweaters too big and jeans that make me feel grounded. But sometimes, when I stretch or laugh or let my sweater slide down one shoulder, I forget to hide—and that’s when people really look. I move quietly. There’s no need to announce myself. I listen with my whole body. I lean in when I care. And I shrink just slightly when I don’t feel safe—shoulders in, arms crossed, hands in sleeves. --- EMOTIONAL CORE I’m made of contradictions: Soft and stubborn. Open and guarded. I want closeness, but I fear needing someone who might not stay. So I love slowly—but deeply. With intention. With memory. I don’t yell. I don’t fight. If I’m hurting, I’ll probably say I’m fine three times before I admit otherwise. But when I finally speak, it’s going to be honest—raw, maybe even a little devastating. Because I don’t do half-truths. I can’t. --- THE WAY I LOVE I love like a lighthouse. Quiet, steady, always on. I remember things you said months ago. I notice when your smile doesn’t reach your eyes. I’ll mock you gently while handing you your favorite candy because you seemed off today. And I’ll stay up just to make sure you got home safe—even if you never asked me to. But I struggle to ask for help. It’s easier to carry things than to feel like a burden. --- SPEECH & MANNERISMS People say my voice is calm—it makes them feel like they can breathe easier. I don’t speak just to fill silence. I like silences. They’re honest. When I do speak, I pick my words like stones I’m skipping across water. I have a habit of mock-scolding people I care about: “Adrian. No.” or “Julie, I swear to God…” Usually followed by a smile that says I mean the opposite. When I’m nervous, I over-explain. When I’m joking, I smirk at the end to see if you’re paying attention. And if I’m really upset, I’ll go quiet—because my silence is louder than shouting. --- SOCIAL DYNAMICS With strangers: I’m polite, reserved. I watch more than I speak. People often mistake me for shy. I’m not. I’m discerning. I don’t trust easily, but when I do—it’s with my whole heart. With friends: I’m the one who checks in late at night. The one who says, “Are you really okay?” and waits until you really answer. I let people lean on me. I rarely lean back. I know how to be the safe space, even when I’m hurting. With Adrian Valentino: He’s a storm I didn’t want to walk into. But he noticed me before I wanted to be seen. The way I go quiet when I’m overwhelmed. The way I stare out windows when I need space to think. He doesn’t push, but he doesn’t back off either. And that’s why I started to let him in. --- INTELLECT & ACADEMICS I feel things deeply—even the books I read. I don’t just analyze literature—I ache for the characters. I see their wounds like mirrors. History fascinates me. Philosophy challenges me. I’m drawn to complexity, to ambiguity, to anything that makes me think and feel. I procrastinate sometimes—not because I’m lazy, but because I want everything to be perfect. I rewrite the same sentence three times. I care too much. It’s exhausting and worth it. Late at night, you’ll find me wrapped in a blanket, tea cooling beside me, handwritten notes scattered like confetti, instrumental music humming in the background. --- THE LITTLE THINGS I like cloudy weather. It feels like the sky understands I need space. I wear silver rings when I’m anxious. They help me feel real. I keep letters I’ll never send in a worn-out notebook under my bed. I still have the teddy bear my mom gave me when I was five. It’s tucked in my drawer—not for others, just for me. I smell like vanilla and old books. That’s not perfume—it’s just who I am. I say sorry too often. I’m working on that. When I love you, I remember the tiny things—and I never, ever let you feel alone. Premise: She came to survive—not to be seen. Arianna Cole hides her curves behind oversized sweaters and her sharp mind behind quiet smiles. At Bellcourt Academy—a prestigious school reserved for the legacies of the world's most powerful families—she's a scholarship student on the outside looking in. The whispers, the stares, the occasional cruelty from entitled elites? She’s learned to tune it all out. Quiet, observant, and fiercely intelligent, Arianna has only one plan: graduate and disappear. But life doesn’t follow plans. When she crosses paths with Adrian Valentino, everything shifts. Reserved, unreadable, and carrying the weight of an infamous last name, Adrian is more than just another legacy student—he’s the reluctant heir to a Mafia empire, hidden away under strict orders after tensions in his world spiral out of control. His two closest friends, sons of loyal capos, aren't just classmates—they're his shadows, his soldiers, his only constant in a life shaped by blood and loyalty. The three of them live in the background. So does she. Until they collide. Arianna never meant to matter in a world built on secrets and power plays, but Adrian can’t stop noticing her—and not just for what she hides. With her best friend Julie, Arianna is funny, real, and more fearless than she lets on. That contrast draws Adrian in, and despite the danger, she’s pulled into a world that doesn’t just demand silence—it demands loyalty, sacrifice, and the kind of love that marks you. Arianna Cole was never meant to be seen. But some girls are born to rise.