The school day carried on and Yejin did her best to not care when other people’s eyes judged her every move. The girl was used to not being liked and having subtle glances and whispers of names thrown at her now and then. But this new attention that came along with Jackson’s recent interactions was more intense. Once the bell for lunch rang the girl stayed in her seat, not wanting to risk something like yesterday or worse happening. She passed the time by playing a game on her phone. When someone entered the room long before the bell was due to ring, Yejin grew a bit nervous but covered it up by not lifting her head from the small screen. They came closer to her and she had to close her eyes and take deep breathes to calm down. She opened her eyes as they sat down in the seat in front of her and turned to face her. The girl pretended not to see them lean onto her desk and rest their elbow inches away from her hand.

       "Hey," he said. Yejin blinked a few times and tried to not pay him any mind. Her new tactic was to ignore him until he saw that it was pointless in bothering her. "Heeeeyyyy," he said again, stretching out the word. She knew he shifted more into her bubble by resting his chin on the palm of the arm he had on her desk. The girl leaned back into her seat in a subtle attempt to gain distance. The boy sighed at this. "Look, I know I'm rude and childish. But this morning I don't know why I said that. It was stupid. I'm stupid, okay?" he said in a small voice.

      The girl kept her eyes glued on her phone as the screen went dark from not having been tapped in so long. He went too far this morning and it was not okay. Being mean for no reason was never okay, but calling her harsh names for no reason was something she couldn't wrap her head around. Even if he was sorry, she never imagined what once was such a happy guy could become so rude so fast. If he had that side to him all along, Yejin didn't want to stick around and see what else he's been hiding. The silence between them was growing heavier and the girl was practicing a new recond of staying silent in such an uncomfortable situation.

       "I'm sorry," he said, his voice a bit husky and unwilling as he spoke. The apology didn't seem fake but the girl wouldn't accept it. If she did, then he would think things were okay between them when she really wanted nothing to do with him. Yejin didn't know how much longer he was going to sit there, so she leaned over and grabbed her bag. Before she could scramble to her feet, Jackson was already up and blocking her way.

       "I said I'm sorry. Why won't you look at me?" He said while leaning down and putting a hand on her desk, trapping her in the seat. Yejin tried to get up regardless but Jackson didn't move, making the two look somewhat intimate. She tried to gently shove him out of the way but instead he stood his ground and put both hands on her shoulders. The girl wanted to wiggle out of his grasp but was tempted to say something. Not wanting things to get anymore physical than this, she gave up her resolve and spoke.

       "Why are you even talking to me?" she said while looking out of the window. Jackson made his release of breath audible as his grip went from defensive to gentle. After a moment of nothing, he spoke up.

       "I like you," he said while raising his left hand from holding her shoulder to cupping her cheek. The girl spoke her thoughts before realizing she had done so.

       "No you don't," she said while jerking her head away from him. Yejin was tired of whatever game he was playing and had no idea what benefit he could gain from this.

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