Structure and important details
Author’s Note
Hi! I’m the author of Hola, soy Bree. Uhm, this is a bit hard to say, but I decided to publish this now. It feels a little uncomfortable because I usually publish stories only when they are fully completed. But you know? I told myself: this novel needs to be published now. I don’t know, that’s just what I felt. So, well, it’s going to be published in a bit of a strange way, and maybe not as methodically as I’m used to. I hope not, but there might be some changes in already published chapters. It’s a really long novel—70+ chapters for now—but since it will be updated weekly, I have enough content for almost two years.
Important Note: This series tackles some really dark themes such as bullying, discrimination, same-sex relationships, toxicity, abuse, racism, and much more (I’m running out of ideas to list at the moment). So, please feel free to stop reading at any point if the story is not to your liking or if it becomes too dark. I had to do it myself a couple of times while writing, and I cried a lot.
I’ll fix this later to make it look more formal, hopefully, though I don’t know when. Anyway, let’s get to the point.
One more thing: I highly recommend listening to the soundtracks and starting to read right when you hear the vocals. They used to be perfectly timed, but later I was just like meh. At first, it was only 2010s English songs, but then I went meh again and decided to just let the YouTube algorithm guide me.
General Structure
Setting: The series takes place during the 2010s in a fictional city in the United States, featuring an elite, highly competitive school with a few fictional nuances.
Measurement System: I will use the International System of Units (meters, kilometers, etc.) since most of my characters grew up outside the U.S. However, when it comes to baseball, I will stick to miles (mph).
The School: Oakridge Hall is a high school institution (ages 15–18, based on birth year) known for its top-tier academic and athletic standards.
The Two Wings
As an institution that demands academic excellence, the school is strictly divided into two wings:
The Advanced Wing: Attended by students taking AP, IB, or Honors classes (whether it’s just one or all of them).
The General Wing: Generally where the athletes and students with few or no advanced classes are located.
Note on Separation: The buildings are separated to prevent Advanced Wing students from getting distracted. The Advanced Wing has a smaller library and a smaller cafeteria compared to the General Wing. Therefore, if you only have classes in the Advanced Wing, you have no business being in the General Wing. If a teacher catches a student there without a valid academic reason, they will send them right back to their building. Advanced Wing students usually carry access badges to enter their building.
Commute: The distance between the two buildings is approximately an eight-minute walk. Since breaks are short (five minutes), it is impossible to move between them in time. However, Advanced Wing students are occasionally allowed to arrive late if they have a valid “academic purpose.”
Grades: Grades are published on an online portal accessible to both parents and students. It updates as soon as teachers finish grading, usually three to seven days after final exams.
Privileges: The highest GPAs enjoy special privileges, including their own parking spot on campus, priority in study areas, elective choices, etc.
The General Wing Atmosphere: It is a much larger space and the undisputed territory of the athletes. Its library features “The King’s Space”—a spot that absolutely no one would dare touch without permission. In the General Wing’s cafeteria, whispers and rumors rule the room.
Baseball Clubhouse: The baseball team has its own private lounge to rest, featuring much better amenities than usual. It is equipped with a mechanical platform medical scale and a gaming console.
Dress Code
As an elite school, students must wear uniforms—though, of course, students from families who have made significant donations enjoy some freedom from these regulations.
Female Uniform: A white blouse, a navy blue blazer, a beige tie, a skirt, and black loafers.
Male Uniform: A white shirt, a blue blazer, a beige tie, trousers, and formal shoes.
Varsity Jackets: Blue with a golden crest.
Social Class: Since it is an elite school, most families belong to the upper-middle class and above. However, there are students in both the Advanced Wing and the athletic program who are attending on academic or sports scholarships.
Schedules
Schedules depend entirely on the student. In 2010, not everything was digitalized in some states, so it was common to write down your schedule by hand and turn it in to your designated teacher. Different schools use different parameters, but for illustrative purposes, here is Bree’s schedule. Each period lasts 55 minutes.
07:00 – AP Calculus BC
08:00 – Free Period
09:00 – Chemistry
10:00 – History
11:00 – Mandarin
12:00 – Lunch
13:00 – Elective I (Drama)
14:00 – Elective II (Physical Education)
Most students in the General Wing start at 8:00 AM and leave at 3:00 PM, but Bree starts an hour earlier and has a free period because of her class in the Advanced Wing.
How do Edward and Adrienne have free time at 8:00 AM? The easy answer is... theoretically, they don’t. At 8:00 AM, Edward has Athletic Period / Varsity Sports, meaning his time on the mound counts as an elective. He usually leaves practice when he sees Bree, but technically he is still in class. At 2:00 PM, he is supposed to be in Advanced Weight Training, but Edward used his position as the baseball team captain to switch his elective to regular P.E. That’s why they let him do whatever he wants.
School Hierarchy
At Oakridge Hall, the social hierarchy is structured as follows:
The King of the School (Edward Walsh, 2008–2011): As the Captain of the Baseball Team—the school’s most lucrative and successful sport—he holds the highest status. He is a King chosen not for his economic background (he is middle-class and on a sports scholarship) but by his peers, thanks to his charisma and talent.
The King’s Girlfriend & The Social Queen: While the power of the King’s girlfriend used to vary in previous generations depending on pre-existing conditions (social class, academic/athletic abilities, etc.), Edward has fiercely backed his girlfriends since freshman year, cementing them as the most powerful students in school. Adrienne Bell, daughter of what appears to be the most powerful family in the school, shares the top spot. She rules the social student body, controls the rumors, and organizes school events. Her parents have donated substantial amounts of money to the institution, and she sits on the student council, making her virtually untouchable.
The English Prince (Theodore Carter Holland): The Hollands rank roughly as the 17th most powerful family in the school, with his mother being an elite white-collar criminal defense attorney. Holding a perfect GPA and being the ultimate favorite of the Advanced Wing teachers, the principal, and the dean, no one dares to look him in the eye.
Elite Athletes / “Gold Spoon” Students: The children of the ultra-wealthy fit here. Generally, they should rank higher, but since Adrienne Bell can put a stop to them, it’s natural for them to fall below her. Furthermore, nobody wants to cross the Hollands, so they rank below Theodore despite having greater purchasing power.
Friends of the Queens: Anyone who is friends with the King’s girlfriend (as Hazel Miller and Bree Hannon once were) or part of the Social Queen Adrienne Bell’s inner circle ranks here.
“Silver Spoon” Students: Children from upper-middle-class families. This is where the majority of the students fall, and it’s how they classify themselves.
Scholarship Students: Whether on a partial or full scholarship, they are usually near the bottom of the food chain. Students like Edward Walsh (baseball) and David Waltz (Advanced Wing) managed to climb up through sheer talent and academic performance, but this remains a very vulnerable position if you aren’t at the very top.
Outcasts (Pariahs): Students who have been targeted by anyone in the top three positions of the hierarchy, or who have committed a grave offense that leaves no room for defense. This is where Bree Hannon stands at the beginning of the story.
