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The rest of the classes went by in a blur, my thoughts constantly occupied by Conner’s cheerful demeanor and that damn smile. I tried to focus on taking notes and participating in class discussions, but every time I caught a glimpse of him sitting a few desks away, my mind would immediately start wandering. I found myself stealing glances at him more times than I cared to admit. It was a strange feeling, to be so distracted by someone I had initially dismissed as annoying.

As the lunch bell rang, I gathered my things and followed Isaiah towards the cafeteria. We grabbed our lunches and found a table in the corner, where we usually sat. Isaiah kept casting knowing glances in my direction, as if he knew exactly what was going through my mind.

“So, how’s Operation ‘Pretend You’re Not Smitten’ going?” I shot him a glare, annoyed by his persistent teasing. “I am not ‘smitten.’ Stop saying that.” Isaiah chuckled, clearly enjoying my denial. “Right, keep telling yourself that. But your face gives you away every time. You’re practically drooling over the guy.”

I huffed, trying to maintain my usual grumpy demeanor. “I am not ‘drooling’ over anyone. I just find his cheerfulness annoying, that’s all.” Isaiah raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Sure, sure. That’s why you couldn’t take your eyes off him in all our classes.”

I gritted my teeth, knowing that Isaiah was right. It was infuriating how well he could read me. But I was determined to keep up my act of indifference. “Whatever. Can we just change the subject?”

Isaiah chuckled softly, clearly not buying my act but deciding to drop the subject for now. “Fine, fine. But don’t think I’m done with this topic.”

We finished our lunches, chatting casually about school and random topics. All the while, my mind kept returning to Conner and that irritatingly charming smile.

As we left the cafeteria, I spotted Conner standing near the exit, surrounded by a group of students. His smile was as bright as ever, and his laughter echoed through the hallway. I felt my heart skip a beat as he caught me looking at him. He didn’t acknowledge my presence, but his amused expression gave me the impression that he’d noticed my glances.

I looked away quickly, pretending to be interested in something else. Why did he have to be so damn observant? It was like he could see right through me and knew exactly how much he was affecting me.

Isaiah nudged my shoulder, a knowing grin on his face. “Trying to act cool, huh? But I saw that look on your face. You were straight-up ogling him.” I rolled my eyes, frustrated by his keen observation skills. “I was not ogling. I was just... looking.”

Isaiah chuckled, clearly enjoying my denial. “Right, ‘looking.’ And I’m the queen of England.” I glowered at him, wishing he would drop the topic altogether. But knowing Isaiah, that was unlikely to happen. As we walked down the hall, my eyes involuntarily darted towards Conner’s direction again. He was still surrounded by a group of admirers, his smile never faltering.

As we were making our way through the crowded hallway, Isaiah suddenly came to a halt, a wide grin spreading across his face. I followed his gaze and saw a girl standing a few feet away, her dark hair pulled up in a sleek ponytail and her deep brown eyes sparkling with laughter. It was Isaiah’s girlfriend, Veena.

“Hey, there’s my girl!” Veena turned and smiled at us as we approached, her arms automatically wrapping around Isaiah’s waist in a warm embrace.

I watched as Isaiah leaned down to plant a kiss on Veena’s forehead, their affection for each other palpable. It was a stark contrast to my own stoic demeanor, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. They looked so happy and carefree, effortlessly wrapped up in each other.

Veena released Isaiah from her embrace and turned her attention to me, her smile widening “Hey, Hunter! It’s been a while.” I nodded in greeting, still not entirely comfortable with her open displays of affection. “Hey, Veena. Yeah, it has been a while.”

Isaiah slung his arm around Veena’s shoulders, pulling her closer to him. “Hunter was just giving the new kid a hard time earlier, weren’t you?” I shot Isaiah a glare, not appreciating the reminder of my earlier behavior towards Conner. Veena chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Oh, so you’ve met that charming new boy, huh? I heard he’s absolutely adorable.” I grumbled under my breath, trying to keep my face indifferent. “Yeah, I’ve met him. He’s... too cheerful for my taste.”

Veena’s laughter rang out, soft and melodic. “Oh, I can imagine. But you know what they say, opposites attract, right?” I clenched my jaw, not appreciating the implication. Isaiah snickered beside her, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

“Yeah, Hunter’s just too grumpy to admit it. But I think he secretly admires Conner’s cheerful nature.” I shot Isaiah a withering look, silently warning him to shut up. But he just chuckled and squeezed Veena closer to him.

“Oh, I believe it. You’re just a softie underneath that gruff exterior, aren’t you, Hunter?” I muttered something unintelligible under my breath, feeling my cheeks flush slightly.

Veena giggled again, her eyes twinkling with amusement. I tried to brush off her teasing, but Isaiah’s knowing smirk wasn’t helping. I couldn’t believe they were teaming up against me like this.

“You should have seen him earlier, Veena. He was practically drooling while staring at Conner. Veena placed a hand over her mouth, trying to contain her laughter. I could feel my irritation rising, but there was no way I was going to admit to being attracted to Conner.

“Oh, really? That’s adorable! Hunter has a crush!” I grumbled under my breath, feeling my cheeks heat up even more. Why did they have to be so damn perceptive?

“Oh, it’s more than just a ‘crush.’ He’s practically smitten with the guy.” Veena’s smile widened, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “Now, that’s interesting. I wonder how long it’ll take for them to get together.”

My heart skipped a beat as her words echoed through my mind. Get together? Me and Conner? Was she seriously suggesting that a cheerful extrovert and a grumpy introvert like us could ever be together? Ridiculous.

I tried to dismiss the idea, but the seed was planted in my mind now whether I liked it or not. The thought of being with Conner, his bright smile and infectious cheerfulness, sent a strange flutter through my chest. But it was silly. We were too different. We would never work as a couple.

“That’ll never happen,” I muttered, trying to convince myself as much as them. “We’re too different. He’s too cheerful and I’m too grumpy. We would drive each other insane.”

Veena shrugged, her expression still suggestive. “You never know. Opposites do attract, after all.”

Isaiah chimed in, a devilish grin on his face. “Yeah, and maybe he’ll be the one to bring you out of your perpetually grumpy state.”

I rolled my eyes, feeling increasingly annoyed by their relentless teasing. “Yeah, right. As if anyone has that much influence over my mood.”

Veena gave me a sly smile. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Conner has a secret power over grumpy, broody guys like you.”

Isaiah chuckled, thoroughly enjoying this situation. “Yeah, and maybe you’ll finally learn to crack a smile every now and then thanks to him.”

I muttered under my breath, feeling outnumbered and flustered. “I already know how to smile, you know.”

Isaiah snickered again, not convinced by my protest. “Yeah, once in a blue moon, maybe.”

Veena chimed in, a hint of amusement in her voice. “And it probably looks as grumpy as you are.”

I shot them both a withering glare, feeling like a cornered animal. “Alright, you’ve made your point. Can we change the subject now, please?”

Isaiah and Veena glanced at each other, sharing a knowing smile. Clearly, they were going to keep teasing me about this for as long as possible.

“Okay, okay, we’ll drop it for now,” Isaiah said, although I could tell he was far from done with this topic. “But don’t be surprised if you end up falling for Conner’s charms. He’s got a way of winning people over with that smile.”

I grumbled under my breath, refusing to acknowledge the flutter in my chest at the mention of Conner’s smile.

Veena gave me a wink. “Yeah, I think there’s a hidden romantic under all that grumpy exterior.”

I rolled my eyes again, feeling my face heat up further with irritation. “Keep it up, and you’ll see just how cranky I can get.”

Isaiah laughed, unfazed by my threats. “Oh, we both know you’re all bark and no bite.”

Veena chuckled as well, her eyes still sparkling with amusement. “Just admit it, Hunter. You secretly find Conner adorable.”

I gritted my teeth, feeling my patience wearing thin. “Adorable? He’s irritating, that’s what he is.”

But even as I said it, I couldn’t deny the stirring in my chest from just thinking about his bright smile. Damnit. Why was this getting to me so much?

Isaiah smirked, clearly enjoying my internal struggle. “Denial is not a good look on you, my friend.”

Veena nodded in agreement, a playful smile on her lips. “Yeah, you can’t hide those feelings forever.”

It was the end of the school day, and most students had already left. I was packing up my things, ready to head home, when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Hey, Hunter, can I talk to you for a second?”

I turned to see Conner standing there, a strained smile on his face. He was acting strangely off, not his usual cheerful self.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by this uncharacteristic change in his demeanor. “Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

Conner fiddled with the strap of his backpack, his smile faltering. “It’s nothing, really. I just… I don’t know, it’s stupid. Nevermind.”

I could see the discomfort etched on his face. Despite his attempts to play it off as nothing, I could tell something was bothering him. “It’s not stupid," I said, my grumpy exterior softened slightly by his vulnerability. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Conner took a deep breath, his eyes darting around the empty classroom. “It’s just… some of the guys in my class said some stuff. About me, I mean. It got to me a bit more than I thought it would.”

I frowned, immediately annoyed at the thought of some idiots picking on him. “What kind of stuff? What did they say?”

Conner shrugged, trying to downplay it. “Just some silly nickname they’ve given me. They were saying it behind my back and laughing about it. I shouldn’t let it bother me, but… it did.”

His forced smile had completely vanished now, replaced by a mix of hurt and frustration.

I felt a pang of sympathy for him, seeing that the teasing had gotten to him more than he wanted to admit. “They’re just being àssholes. You don’t need to pay attention to anything they say."

Conner offered a weak smile, appreciative of my words. “Yeah, I know. I just hate how they’re making fun of me for being… well, for being myself, I guess.”

I wanted to comfort him, to tell him that he shouldn’t let their words affect him. But I didn’t know how to express my thoughts without sounding awkward. So I settled for a gruff “Don’t listen to them. They’re not worth your time.”

Conner gave a reluctant nod, his expression still downcast. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks, Hunter.”

He gave a half-hearted wave as he turned to leave, his usual cheerfulness replaced by a lingering sadness. I watched him go, feeling a strange mix of anger towards the ones who insulted him and a pang of concern for his hurt feelings.

As I finished packing up my things and left the classroom, I couldn’t shake the image of Conner’s deflated expression. Despite my initial dislike for his cheerful nature, seeing him hurt and vulnerable made me realize there was more to him than just that annoyingly bright smile.

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