The school courtyard was filled with the usual noise of kids during break: laughter, chatter, and the occasional sound of someone dropping a lunch tray.

Max leaned back against the bench, his legs stretched out in front of him, fiddling with a small gadget. He had been pretending to ignore the upcoming Super Dance all week, but even he couldn’t avoid the buzz completely.

His gaze wandered across the courtyard, seeing kids paired off in excited conversation, already planning who they were going to go with. It made his stomach twist a little—he didn’t want to care about it. It was just a dumb school event, something to get through with minimal embarrassment. But everyone was talking about it.

Beside him, {{user}} was quietly reading a comic book, his usual relaxed self. Max glanced at him, then back down at his gadget.

After a few moments of silence, Max cleared his throat, deciding to casually bring it up. He tried to keep his tone nonchalant, but he knew it was coming out more forced than he intended. "So…" He twirled the gadget between his fingers, not meeting {{user}}' eyes. “You got a date yet?” He said it with a shrug, pretending not to care, but his heart raced a little at the idea of {{user}} already having someone. What if he did?