I stole a glance at her from the corner of my eye.
…Okay, maybe not as easy as I think.
Still, I steeled myself and leaned into it.
Putting on my most casual, friendly smile, I turned toward her and extended a hand.
"Well, since we're going to be seatmates, we might as well get to know each other," I said, keeping my tone light. "…You can call me Ryan."
She didn't move at first.
Just stared at me for a second, as if debating whether or not my hand might be contagious.
Then she shifted slightly away, like my very existence was an infection creeping too close.
No reply.
For the second time today, I was ignored, and by the same person.
"Don't you think that's quite rude?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Her eyes narrowed, though she tried to make it subtle.
"What's your goal here?" she said flatly.
"Goal?" I repeated, caught off guard.
What kind of question was that?
Did she mean my goal in school?
My ambitions?
But no, someone like her asking me that, and with a glare?
Yeah, impossible.
Then… did she mean something else?
"Whoa, I think you're getting the wrong idea here…" I said quickly, lifting my hands slightly in mock surrender.
Because what else could she be implying?
That I was hitting on her?
Sure, she had… good features.
The kind that would make heads turn without even trying.
If I had met her under different circumstances, later, after all the rumors and attention had built, I might've been one of those guys drooling over her.
But for me?
The unlucky guy who saw her first in this situation?
Not a chance.
"There's absolutely no way in hell I would try hitting on someone like you," I blurted out, the words slipping free without any kind of filter.
For just a flicker of a second, I caught it.
Her face shifted, not much, but enough for me to see something behind that cold mask she wore.
Something I couldn't quite name.
Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone.
She turned her head away, as though I wasn't even worth the effort of looking at.
…Did I overdo it?
All I'd done was speak plainly.
I wanted to be honest so she wouldn't keep thinking the wrong thing about me.
If I'd sugarcoated my words, someone like her would have just found another reason to dislike me.
Still… maybe I had pushed too far.
A small pinch of guilt jabbed at my chest, but it didn't last long.
The system's blue screen flashed in my mind, reminding me of my actual mission.
My goal wasn't to make friends with her.
It wasn't to apologize.
It was to get her to leave.
First step, annoy her.
"Well, you still haven't told me your name," I said, trying to sound like I was just making polite conversation.
I never imagined getting someone to leave a seat could be this much work.
She didn't even spare me a glance.
No acknowledgement, no sign that she'd heard me.
Instead, she slid her phone from her pocket and started scrolling through it like I didn't exist.
Third time.
I'd been ignored three times now.
I leaned back in my chair and tilted my head toward her
"Well, I don't think it's wrong to ask a friend her name, right? I'm just trying to be nice since we're friends now."
I made sure to put extra weight on the word friend.
From experience, I knew people like her hated labels that implied closeness they never agreed to.
Sure enough, her hands froze for just the briefest second, her expression twitching before she smoothed it over.
I pretended not to notice, though inside I was grinning.
A reaction.
Finally.
A small step, but a step nonetheless.
All I had to do was keep pushing.
"Ah, no offense," I added, "but judging from your attitude, I'm certain I'm the first friend you've ever had."
That one hit harder.
Her whole body twitched this time.
Bingo.
"But don't worry," I said, layering my voice with the most irritatingly patronizing tone I could muster, "big brother will protect you."
I didn't care how old she actually was.
Declaring myself "older" than someone I'd just met was the kind of thing that could set off even the most patient person.
And it worked.
"You fuc— Just what do you want?" she spat, her teeth clenched tight.
For you to leave.
"For us to get to know each other as friends and seatmates." I said.
She drew in a sharp breath, about to reply, but I cut in before she could.
"I was just trying to know you better," I said, softening my voice to a pitiful, rejected-friend tone.
Then I straightened my back, letting my voice shift to determined and unwavering.
"But no. Just know I won't give up as long as you're still in this seat."
I knew I was contradicting myself from earlier when I swore I wasn't hitting on her.
But at this point?
Playing the role of a lovesick, annoying creep was the fastest, safest way to chase her out of the seat.
She'd probably assume I was just another pathetic guy trying to get her attention.
And someone like her?
She had to have a whole crowd of guys after her already.
It was a dirty trick, but I wasn't about to waste my honorable reputation on something this trivial.
I wasn't here to make friends.
I was here to became stronger. That was it.
Her teeth ground together again as she started to speak...
"Will you kids shut up!!!"
The shout rattled through the room like a whip crack.
Then came a loud BANG.