Maya had a plan. A terrible, brilliant, probably doomed-to-fail plan.
Step one: Sit behind Eddie.
The problem? Jackie was already there.
Maya leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm as she stared at the back of Eddie's head. His dark curls were slightly messy, like he had just rolled out of bed and immediately started thinking about the theory of relativity. His shoulders were tense, his posture stiff—Eddie was always bracing himself, like life itself was an exam he had to ace.
Maya's lips curled into a smile. Oh, this was going to be fun.
"Jackie," she said sweetly, shifting in her chair to face her. "Mind switching seats with me?"
Jackie barely spared her a glance. "Yes, actually, I do."
Maya feigned a pout. "But I need to be close to Eddie for the project."
Jackie scoffed. "You can hear him just fine from there."
Maya let out a dramatic sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Fine, be difficult. I'll just entertain myself with something else."
And with that, she turned to Vic, who was sitting across from her, twirling a pen between his fingers. She tilted her head, her golden-brown hair cascading over her shoulder as she locked eyes with him.
"Hey, Vic," she purred.
Vic's lips curled into a slow smirk. "Hey, Princess."
Jackie stiffened.
Maya leaned in, resting her elbow on the table, her fingers toying with the hem of her sleeve. "I was thinking… I never properly thanked you for helping me out with that history assignment."
Vic's smirk widened. "Oh yeah? And how exactly do you plan on thanking me?"
Jackie slammed her book shut. "Maya."
Maya ignored her, running a finger along the rim of her water bottle. "I mean, you are the smartest guy in class—"
"That's debatable," Eddie muttered without looking up.
Maya barely contained a grin. Oh, he was listening.
Jackie's jaw clenched. "Fine. Take the seat." She grabbed her books and practically threw herself into Maya's chair, glaring daggers at her.
Maya beamed. "Aw, thanks, Jackie. You're such a good friend."
She slid into the seat behind Eddie, victorious.
Step one: complete.
Now for step two—figure out what the hell Eddie liked.
For the rest of the class, she observed him. He barely moved, aside from the occasional page turn. He didn't fidget. He didn't doodle in his notebook. He didn't even react when the teacher announced a surprise quiz—he just wrote down the questions like he'd been expecting them.
By lunchtime, Maya was still no closer to cracking the mystery. Eddie didn't seem to like anything. Not music, not sports, not even food—he just ate whatever was on his tray without complaint, barely noticing when someone bumped into him.
"This is impossible," she groaned, slumping onto the cafeteria table.
Luna sipped her juice. "Maybe he's a robot."
Sally twirled a strand of hair. "Or, hear me out—maybe he's just really boring."
Maya sat up. "There has to be something he enjoys."
Luna arched a brow. "And why do you care so much?"
Maya shot her a look. "Because if I don't understand him, I can't win."
Sally sighed. "This again. You do realize normal people don't turn their crushes into psychological experiments, right?"
Maya ignored her. "We need a new plan."
Luna leaned forward. "What if we go for his best friend?"
Maya frowned. "Zeke?"
Sally perked up. "Oh! I can seduce him."
Maya blinked. "…That was fast."
Sally shrugged. "I'm single, he's cute, and it's for research. Win-win."
Maya smirked. "Alright, Operation: Seduce Zeke is officially in motion."
And just like that, Sally worked her magic. She cornered Zeke after school, flashing her sweetest smile.
"Hey, Zeke," she said, twirling her hair around her finger.
Zeke blinked. "Uh… hi?"
Sally leaned in slightly. "I was thinking… you and I should hang out. Maybe grab a coffee?"
Zeke's eyes darted around like he was expecting a prank. "Why?"
Sally giggled. "Because I think you're interesting."
Zeke narrowed his eyes. "…Are you trying to get information out of me?"
Sally gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "How could you say that?"
Zeke folded his arms. "Because I know you don't like me."
Sally pouted. "What if I do?"
Zeke stared at her. "Is this about Eddie?"
Sally hesitated for half a second too long.
Zeke groaned. "Unbelievable."
"Come on," Sally pleaded. "It's just a little harmless intel gathering."
He sighed. "Fine. One coffee."
And just like that, they were in.
Over the next week, Sally pried as much information as she could. But the results were… disappointing.
"He likes nothing," Sally declared, throwing her hands up.
Maya frowned. "That's not possible."
Sally slumped onto the couch. "No, really. I asked Zeke what Eddie does for fun, and he said, and I quote, 'Eddie exists.'"
Luna whistled. "That's grim."
Frustrated, Maya decided to go straight to the source.
She cornered Eddie after class, falling into step beside him.
"You like books, right?" she asked.
Eddie didn't look at her. "I read books."
Maya rolled her eyes. "Same thing."
"No," he said. "I read books for education."
Maya tilted her head. "So you like education?"
"No."
Maya blinked. "Then why do you study?"
"To be successful."
She huffed. "Okay, so you like success."
"No."
Maya stopped walking. "Then why do you—"
"It's what my parents want."
Silence stretched between them.
For the first time, Maya really looked at Eddie. He wasn't just serious—he was tired. Not physically, but deep in his bones, like he had spent his whole life running a race he didn't even want to be in.
She folded her arms. "So… you don't enjoy anything?"
Eddie hesitated.
Maya narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"…There's one thing."
Maya leaned in. "Yes?"
Eddie glanced at her. "Winning."
Maya froze.
He smirked. "You're not the only one who likes games, Maya."
And with that, he walked away, leaving her standing there, completely thrown.
For the first time since this whole thing started, she realized—Eddie wasn't the one being studied.
She was.