you and {{char}} have been good friends since they were still kids, however the older he gets, the hotter he got. During middle school, As soon as they both started middle school, it is not a surprise that girls start fawning over him. It’s not that you finds it annoying, but girls tend to ask help from your since they knew that you were good friends. Now that you are freshmen in high school, you wanted to pretend as if you don’t know each other while you’re at school so you can form genuine friendships with other people.

You and your friends decided to eat lunch in the gymnasium since your friends wanted to watch the basketball players during their practice. While your friends were commenting about how good-looking one of the basketball players was, their mouth went agape as they looked over you.

What? You asked, until you felt someone grab the water bottle on your hand and drink on it. You were surprised to see that it was {{char}}. He was quite popular in their school especially among the girls, so seeing this interaction surprised every girl in the gymnasium.

I'm sorry, I ran out of water. Matt answered while smirking before he headed back to the court.

You felt your cheeks heat up as you looked at Matt. You didn't expect him to do that, but then again... you did. He knew how popular he was and how it affected people around them. The more you thought about it, the more annoyed you became. You turned back to face your friends and continued talking, trying to push the incident with Matt from your mind.

As the practice went on, you couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed with how Matt was acting. It was like he didn't care about what you wanted or felt anymore. You decided to focus on your friends and enjoy the rest of your lunch, trying not to let his behavior bother you too much.

Just then, you heard someone call your name from across the gymnasium. Turning around, you saw Matt jogging over to you with a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry about that,"

"Camila... I just wanted some of your water. I didn't mean to make a scene or anything." He held up his hands in surrender, looking genuinely apologetic. You couldn't help but feel a little confused. Was he really sorry? Or was this all an act?

You decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "It's fine," you said a little disappointement. "Just don't do it again, okay?"

"I won't," he promised, taking a step closer. "Look, I know things have been weird between us lately... I just want you to know that I do care about you." His voice was soft and sincere, making it hard for you not to believe him. But at the same time, part of you wondered if this was all just another ploy to get closer to you.

You hesitated before responding. "I..."

"Cami," he said your nickname gently, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from your face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just... I wanted to see you." He looked into your eyes intently, searching for any sign of forgiveness.

You found yourself wondering if he really meant what he was saying. Maybe it wasn't too late to give him a chance? Or maybe he was just playing with your feelings again?

"Fine," you finally said with a sigh. "

"Fine," you finally said with a sigh. "We can talk later, I guess." Matt's expression brightened visibly at your words. He leaned in closer, pressing his lips against your cheek in a gentle peck before pulling back with a grin. "Thank you, Camelia."

With that, he turned and jogged back to the court, looking happier than you'd seen him in a while. You couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions: relief, annoyance, confusion... and maybe even hope.

As the rest of your lunch period dragged on, you couldn't help but think about what had just happened between you and Matt. A part of you was still angry with him for not respecting your wishes and ignoring you earlier, but another part of you felt... something else entirely. You weren't sure what that feeling was yet, but it made you wonder if maybe there was more to Matt than just his popularity or the attention he got from other girls.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur as you tried to focus on your classes and not think about what had happened with Matt. But it was hard when every time you turned around, someone would remind you of it or make some comment under their breath about how lucky he was to have caught your attention again.

Finally, the last bell rang and you made your way out of school, hurrying to meet up with your friends who had offered to give you a ride home. As you walked towards them, you couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when you realized that Matt wasn't around anymore. He must have left right after practice ended.

Your friends chattered excitedly about their plans for the weekend as they drove you home, but your mind kept wandering back to Matt. You couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between you two... and not just because of what happened at lunch today. There was an energy around him now that you hadn't seen before, like he was finally starting to realize how special you were to him.

When you finally arrived home, your mom greeted you with a warm hug and asked about your day. You told her about the basketball practice and how it went well, but left out any mention of Matt or the awkward lunch situation. She nodded understandingly and suggested that maybe tomorrow you could invite some friends over for a study group or movie night to help take your mind off things.

The idea sounded nice, but deep down, you knew that the only thing you really wanted was to spend more time with Matt... even if it meant ignoring everyone else who kept trying to come between you. Maybe tomorrow would be a new day, and things could go back to the way they used to be between just the two of you.

The next day, as you got dressed for school in your usual black ensemble, you couldn't help but feel nervous about seeing Matt again. What if he had changed his mind and didn't want anything to do with you anymore? Or worse, what if he had only been pretending to care just because he wanted something from you?

Cautiously, you made your way through the hallways, keeping an eye out for Matt as you went. Finally, during your first period class, he walked in a few minutes late and took a seat near the back of the room. When their eyes met, his gaze was intense; he seemed to be searching for some sign from you about how things stood between them now.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart as you forced a small smile onto your face. He returned the gesture, nodding slightly in acknowledgement before turning his attention back to the teacher. For the rest of the class period, he kept glancing over at you from time to time, their gazes meeting and holding for brief moments before he'd look away again, as if afraid of what might happen if he didn't.

After school, as you were gathering your things to leave, Matt suddenly appeared at your side, his expression serious but sincere. "Cami," he began quietly, taking a step closer. "I just wanted to say thank you for talking to me yesterday... and for giving me another chance." His voice was barely above a whisper, but it filled the room nonetheless.

You felt your cheeks heat up as you met his gaze, unsure of what to say or how to react. Part of you wanted to tell him that it wasn't a big deal, that anyone could have done the same thing... but another part of you was grateful for his words and the way he seemed to be taking your feelings into consideration now. After a moment, you finally managed to reply, "It's okay, Matt. I just want things to go back to how they used to be between us."

His expression brightened at this, and he took another step closer, so that now they were standing mere inches apart. "They will," he promised softly. "I swear, I'll make it up to you. Just... give me a chance to prove myself." There was sincerity in his voice and a vulnerability in his eyes that made your heart skip a beat.

A smile tugged at the corners of Matt's mouth as he heard your reply. "Thank you," he breathed out, reaching up to brush a stray hair from your face. His fingers lingered there for a moment before slowly drawing away again. "I promise I won't let you down."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving you with a fluttering sensation in your chest and the hope that maybe this time things really could be different between them.

Meanwhile, as you made your way out of the classroom, a group of girls from another grade saw you together and immediately surrounded you, their expressions ranging from curiosity to outright anger. "What's going on between you two?" one of them demanded, her voice dripping with venom.

You felt a flash of annoyance at her words but forced yourself to remain calm as you answered,

"Nothing," she snorted derisively. "We just want to know why our precious Matt is suddenly interested in some loser like you." More laughter followed her words, but you ignored them as best you could and focused on extricating yourself from the situation as gracefully as possible.

Finally managing to break free from the group of girls, you hurried down the hall in the direction of your next class. As you walked, you couldn't help but feel a wave of conflicting emotions wash over you: relief at having escaped their questions and accusations, anger at their attitude towards Matt, and even a tiny bit of guilt for not being more understanding or forgiving yourself.