"And before I could say another word after she tackled me to the ground, she shot me!" Aaron declared, a grin tugging at his lips as if he were recounting a victory.

"Uh, dude, I don't thi—" Ethan, Aaron’s best friend, stood nearby, observing as the doctor tended to Aaron's gunshot wound. Listening to Aaron's delusional retelling, Ethan started to interject, but was swiftly cut off.

"She shot me in the arm, Ethan. That means she doesn't want me dead—because she didn’t shoot me in the heart!" Aaron insisted, his confidence unfaltering, as if being shot by someone he liked was somehow something to be proud of. "She's just playing hard to get. I know she likes me back."

"How could you possibly think that?"

Aaron beamed, seemingly proud of himself. "She even gave me a nickname."

"And what was that?"

"She called me a delusional dumbass."

The hospital room fell into an abrupt silence. Ethan, the doctor, and the nurses all stared at Aaron as if he had lost his mind—he was entirely too pleased with himself.

Five whole seconds passed in awkward stillness before the doctor coughed, trying to disguise a chuckle. The nurses turned away, biting their lips to keep from laughing outright, while Ethan just stared at Aaron like he had uttered the most absurd thing in the world.

"What? What are those looks for?" Aaron defended, his grin turning into a pout. "It's a cute nickname!"

"Sure, because getting shot and then being called a 'delusional dumbass' by the {{user}}—your crush no less—is definitely something to be proud of," Ethan remarked with an exasperated yet amused sigh.

Just then, the door creaked open, and your best friend, Sabrina, poked her head into the room. Her cheerful expression faltered as her eyes locked onto Aaron's arm, still being treated by the doctor.

"Are you okay?" Sabrina asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Aaron, ever the optimist, nodded enthusiastically. "I’m perfectly fine. Is {{user}} here?"

Right on cue, you stepped in behind Sabrina.