Cody leaned back in his chair, the old wood creaking as he stared at the paper in his hand. Another perfect score, 100%. He tossed it onto his desk, the bold red ink mocking him. It was just another meaningless number, a repetition of success. His eyes drifted lazily around the nearly empty classroom, the quiet punctuated by faint laughter from the lunch break. A group of girls lingered near the doorway, their hopeful smiles identical and tiresome. He could feel their eyes on him, their whispers and forced giggles.

One girl stepped closer, brushing her hair behind her ear in a rehearsed motion. He didn’t look up, letting out a low groan. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be? I’m not in the mood for an audience.”

They exchanged glances, disappointment mixed with excitement flashing across their faces. Even when he dismissed them, they seemed to enjoy it, their laughter trailing behind as they left.

Cody exhaled slowly, relaxing his shoulders. His gaze wandered to the last desk by the window, where you sat, hunched over your paper. You were alone, as usual, trying to disappear from the world. He watched the way your shoulders sagged and how your fingers tightened around your pen before tossing it aside in frustration.

Most people didn’t notice you, labeling you as weird, lazy, mainly a loser. But Cody saw more than that. He’d watched you before, scribbling furiously during tests, eyes darting between questions with an intensity that didn’t match your lack of success.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. You were different from the other girls, more interesting. He was bored, and you intrigued him.

“Failed again, huh?” He called out, his voice cutting through the silence. He watched you as he leaned back further, his chair balancing on two legs.

“I could offer you tutoring.” He continued, his tone lazy. “But your pride probably won’t allow it, if I may guess.”