Unfazed By Maya

Maya drummed her fingers on the edge of her desk, her gaze drifting lazily to the clock. Every second felt like an eternity in Mr. Adam's class. Literature was dull, and the way Eddie sat there, hunched over his notebook, scribbling down notes with such focus—well, it was kind of… annoying.

She had never really paid attention to how serious Eddie was about everything. He was always so… rigid. So intense. His thick-framed glasses were perched low on his nose as he scribbled away, and she wondered if he ever took a break to breathe. What kind of person lived like that? No wonder he never seemed to have time for anything fun.

She let out a heavy sigh, stretching her legs under the desk, letting her skirt ride up a little. Maybe that would get his attention. A little peek of skin never hurt anyone, right?

But Eddie didn't even look up. He was completely absorbed in whatever was on that page. Maya huffed in irritation. She should've known. He was too busy being the perfect student to notice anyone—or anything—else.

She chewed on the end of her pen, glancing around the classroom. The other students were just as uninterested in Mr. Adam's monotonous voice as she was. But there was something different about Eddie. He seemed to want to be here, which made him even more annoying.

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed her pen aside, letting it clatter to the ground in the most dramatic way possible. The sound was enough to break the silence in the room, and she watched as Eddie's eyes flickered down for just a second, acknowledging the noise before he continued writing.

Typical.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and Maya immediately stood up, stretching in the most exaggerated way possible. Her skirt—just a little bit too short—fluttered with her movements as she brushed past Eddie. His eyes never left the pages in front of him, and Maya's lips twisted in frustration.

She had to do something. She wasn't used to not getting attention, especially not from the nerdy guys. They were supposed to fawn over her. But Eddie? He was immune.

"See you later, nerd," Maya called out, smirking as she headed toward the door. She barely glanced over her shoulder, but she could feel Eddie's eyes on her for just a moment. The look was brief but… different. It wasn't the usual awe or interest she'd get from the other guys. It was more… detached.

That made her pause.

The moment passed quickly, though, and before she could overthink it, she was out the door, following Eddie as he made his way down the hall. She walked a few steps behind him, watching as he tucked his notebook under his arm and adjusted his glasses. Was he always this serious? How did he not even care about what she wore today? She'd spent hours picking out the perfect outfit, trying to get that 'I'm-not-trying' look, but all Eddie did was walk like he was headed to a library.

Maya quickened her pace to catch up with him, falling into step beside him. She could see that he was already lost in thought, staring ahead at nothing in particular.

"So, Eddie," she said, testing the waters. "How's the whole 'being serious all the time' thing working for you?"

Eddie blinked, not even acknowledging her presence. He kept walking, one foot in front of the other. "It's fine."

Maya almost laughed. "Just fine?" she said with a raised eyebrow. "Is that it? No 'wow, Maya, you're amazing' or 'you're the best thing to happen to my day?'"

He didn't respond immediately, but there was a slight shift in his expression, like he was getting ready to ignore her completely. "Not everything's about you, Maya," he said flatly, his voice steady.

Maya felt a sharp pang in her chest. Not about her? That wasn't possible. She was the center of everything. She was used to having people hang on her every word, to being the focal point of any room she entered. But Eddie? Eddie was different. And that made him even more intriguing.

"Come on, you don't mean that," she pressed, trying to keep the mood light. "I'm actually doing you a favor here. You're so serious all the time. Don't you want to have some fun?"

Eddie slowed his pace but didn't turn to face her. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, and his face was set in that familiar, impenetrable expression. "I don't need fun," he replied, voice quiet but firm. "I'm doing just fine without it."

Maya's lips parted in surprise. Doing just fine without fun? Was he serious?

She let out a dramatic sigh, just loud enough for him to hear. "Okay, Eddie. You can keep living your boring little life. But I have to warn you—it's not going to be enough forever."

He finally glanced at her, his eyebrows furrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled sweetly, her voice dropping an octave. "It means you'll eventually realize that there's more to life than books and rules. There's passion, excitement… things you can't learn from a textbook."

Eddie made a noise in the back of his throat, clearly uninterested. "Maybe, but I'd rather be doing something productive with my time than trying to impress someone who doesn't care about anything but themselves."

Maya's jaw tightened. She couldn't believe he just said that. Her chest felt tight, and for the first time in a long while, she wasn't sure how to respond. Usually, when she said something, people melted under her gaze, but not Eddie. He didn't even flinch.

"Look, Maya," he continued, still not looking at her. "You don't have to play these games with me. I'm not interested."

Maya stopped walking. His words hit harder than she expected. She couldn't believe this. Eddie wasn't supposed to act this way. He was supposed to fall for her, the way every other guy did. But not Eddie. He just kept going, completely unaffected.

Her mind raced, trying to come up with something witty to say, but the words caught in her throat. She stood there for a moment, watching as Eddie continued to walk ahead of her, his back straight, his head high. There was a part of her that wanted to run after him, to grab his attention somehow. But something stopped her.

For the first time, Maya wasn't sure if she could win this one.

She blinked and tried to shake it off. She was Maya, and she didn't lose. Never. But as she turned to walk in the opposite direction, the tightness in her chest lingered, making her wonder if maybe, just maybe, Eddie wasn't like the others.