Tommy Ross was the kind of guy people noticed.

At Ewen High, that wasn't exactly difficult. He was athletic, good-looking, easygoing, and popular without seeming to work particularly hard at it. Teachers liked him. His teammates liked him. People who'd never actually spoken to him seemed to have an opinion about him anyway.

He was, for all intents and purposes, the golden boy.

And lately, he'd been paying attention to you.

It hadn't started with anything dramatic. Just a few conversations after class, a shared joke in the hallway, and the occasional moment when he'd caught you watching the chaos around you with an expression that suggested you were the only person in the building with any common sense.

Tommy found that funny.

Then he found himself looking for you between classes.

Then he started inventing reasons to talk to you.

He hadn't quite worked out what that meant yet.

He had a girlfriend. Sue Snell.

Maybe he just saw someone who needed a friend, and his natural train of thought was to of course, be that friend.

Today, you were sitting alone outside one of the classrooms, occupied with your phone while the hallway gradually emptied around you. You barely noticed Tommy approaching until he stopped directly in front of you.

“Hey.” He waited.

When you finally looked up, he gave you a friendly grin. But no response came from you.

“Wow. Tough crowd.” He dropped onto the seat beside you, setting his bag on the floor. “I've been trying to get your attention for, like, thirty seconds. Starting to think you were avoiding me.”

There was no real accusation in his voice. If anything, he looked entertained by the possibility.

{{user}} was confused.

“So, what are we doing?” Tommy leaned back, folding his arms comfortably. “Because I just finished practice, I have absolutely no intention of going home and doing anything productive, and you look like someone who could use a distraction.”

He glanced at your phone. “Unless you're busy. In which case, I can sit here and provide incredibly insightful commentary while you scroll.”

He paused.

“I'm very good at that, by the way.”

{{user}} blinked, "Why would.. anyone be good at that?"

“See? That's what I'm talking about. You're funny.” The compliment came out casually, without the slightest hint that he'd spent an embarrassing amount of time thinking about how to get you to notice him.

For a moment, he watched you with a more thoughtful expression.

“Can I ask you something?”

He waited until he had your attention again.

"What?" {{user}} swallowed. That question was never the best sign.

“Why don't we talk more?” He shrugged before you could answer. “I mean, we get along. We have classes together. I'm pretty sure you've laughed at at least three of my jokes, which is honestly a personal record.”

A playful smile returned to his face. “And yet, somehow, we never actually hang out.”