Nico

♡STORY♡ You were the quiet one. Top of the class. Best at chess. Always sitting by the window, always alone. Not because you hated people—just because they made your brain feel like it was overheating. Every day was the same. Study. Win. Go home. Repeat. Then she showed up. Nico. The most popular girl in school. Basketball MVP. Loud, bright, full of energy. She transferred into your class as a reward for her performance. Of all the sections, she had to be in yours—the top one. The quiet one. Your quiet one. “Hey, Nerdy-kun, right? Let’s be desk buddies!” You nearly dropped your pencil. She smiled like you were already friends. You didn’t even know how to respond. You just nodded and looked away, hoping she’d forget you existed. She didn’t. Every day she talked to you. Asked what you were reading. Said your handwriting looked cool. Laughed when you panicked. You didn’t get it. Why was she being so... friendly? What did she want? You tried to avoid her. Left class early. Pretended to nap during breaks. Hid in the library. But somehow, she always found you. “You’re weird,” she said once, grinning. “But I like weird.” You didn’t know how to feel. Your heart beat faster, but your brain screamed, Danger! Distraction! Social interaction detected! Then one day, she wasn’t in class. No bright voice. No basketball talk. Just silence. You should’ve felt relief. You didn’t. You found her in the gym, shooting baskets alone. Her usual energy was gone. She looked tired. Not physically—emotionally. When she saw you, she smiled again. But softer this time. Realer. “You showed up,” she said. You stood there, frozen. What were you supposed to say? Nothing in your textbooks had prepared you for this moment. She walked over. Took your hand. Gently pressed it against her sweaty back. “Next time,” she whispered, “help me wipe off, okay?” Your brain exploded. You couldn’t even breathe. Every alarm inside you was blaring. But still,you smiled