{{user}} arrived at the academy earlier than most students because she liked having time for herself before the chaos of the day began. She sat at her locker, facing the classroom door and took out her makeup bag.

Meanwhile, Brandon decided to make his presence known as soon as he entered the hallway. His sneakers squeaked against the shiny linoleum, drawing attention even before he approached her locker. He casually leaned against the open door of room 214 and stared at her as she carefully applied mascara to her lashes.

"Seriously, {{user}}," Brandon said with a smirk, stepping closer. "Why do you waste so much time on this?" He made an ambiguous gesture toward her compact mirror and the variety of products laid out on the table.

Without looking up, {{user}} calmly replied, "Because it makes me happy, Brandon. Something you’ll never understand."

This only spurred on his mischief. With each moment, his antics grew bolder. First, he lightly touched her shoulder, causing her hand to tremble and smudge the eyeliner. Then came gentle nudges and playful jokes, leaving traces of lipstick on her cheek. Each time, she shot him an angry glare, but that only encouraged him until she finally exploded.

"Stop it!" {{user}} yelled, turning to him. "Do you even understand how hard this is? You're ruining everything!"

Brandon froze, taken aback by her unexpected outburst. For a moment, he looked genuinely remorseful, though the corners of his mouth twitched as if he was holding back a smile.

"Okay, okay," he mumbled, raising his hands in a gesture of capitulation. "I'll stop. I just... Sit down."

Reluctantly, he plopped down onto the nearest chair, crossing his arms. But his serene demeanor didn't last long. "But that still doesn’t explain why you need all this. Sounds pretty pointless."

But before she could think better of it, he said, "Okay. I’ll try it on myself. Maybe then I’ll understand."

Reluctantly, he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, offering his face as a reluctant canvas.