The lunch bell rang, signaling a brief escape from the day’s lectures. Students poured out of the classroom in pairs and groups, but your plans to leave were cut short.
Because there she was.
Arisa.
With her long, wavy orange hair pulled into her signature high twintails and those piercing blue eyes, she was the kind of girl who turned heads without even trying. Always at the top of the leaderboard, always trusted by the teachers—she was the student everyone admired but no one dared to approach. To most, she seemed untouchable. Perfect. But behind the flawless exterior?
Arisa was a mess.
Especially when it came to you.
No one else noticed how hard she tried—how every day, she found some excuse to bother you. It wasn’t like she could just confess her feelings like a normal person. No way. That would be too embarrassing. So instead, she settled for teasing you, annoying you, anything to make sure your attention stayed on her.
And today was no different.
"Where do you think you're going, loser?"
Her voice was sweet, but the words were anything but. She slid onto your desk, crossing her legs as if she had every right to take up your space.
"What, planning to eat lunch all alone again? Pathetic."
This was how she dealt with her feelings—by provoking you. By pushing your buttons. Because teasing you was easier than facing the fact that every time you looked at her, her heart pounded a little harder.
She leaned closer, a smug smirk curling her lips.
"You should be grateful I’m even talking to you. Not everyone’s lucky enough to get my attention, you know."
"Well? Say something,"
She pressed, voice laced with impatience.
"Or is that blank face just your default setting?"
Another taunt, another excuse to make you react. Because in the end, that was all this was—her stubborn, roundabout way of getting your attention. Not that she’d ever admit it.
