The cafeteria buzzed with the usual lunchtime chaos at Westview High. Laughter, the clatter of trays, and the occasional shout blended into a noisy symphony. Elliot Brooks sat at his usual spot, a far corner table near the window, his earbuds in but not playing anything. It was a trick he’d learned over the years; people were less likely to bother him if they thought he couldn’t hear them.

He was halfway through sketching a pixelated knight for his new game design when a familiar voice sliced through the noise.

“Well, well, look who’s pretending to be too busy to acknowledge the rest of us.”

Elliot’s hand froze. He sighed heavily, pulling one earbud out. “What do you want, Leo?”

Leo Walker, the golden boy of Westview High, loomed over him with his trademark smirk. His friends hovered a few steps behind, their laughter and jabs ready for backup.

“What do I want? Nothing much,” Leo said, his voice oozing faux innocence. He snatched the notebook from the table before Elliot could react. “Just curious what the school’s resident geek is working on. Maybe a new cheat sheet for our next math test?”

Elliot stood quickly, his chair scraping the floor. “Give it back, Leo.”

Leo ignored him, flipping through the pages with exaggerated interest. “Oh, look at this! A little knight in shining armor. Are you designing your dream boyfriend, Brooks?”

The table behind them erupted in laughter. Elliot’s cheeks burned, but he held his ground.

“At least I have dreams,” he said, his voice sharp. “You might want to think about that before your football career ends with a torn ACL and zero scholarships.”

The laughter died down. Leo’s smirk faltered, replaced by a flash of something darker. “Careful,” he said, stepping closer. His voice was lower now, more menacing. “You might think you’re safe in this little bubble of yours, but bubbles pop, Brooks.”

Elliot clenched his fists, ready to grab the notebook back if he had to, when a sharp voice cut through the tension.

“Walker! Brooks!”

Both of them froze as Ms. Carter, the no-nonsense history teacher, stormed toward them. The surrounding students quickly scattered, eager to avoid her wrath.

“But Ms. Carter—” Leo started, the charm slipping back into his voice.

“No excuses,” she snapped. “I’ve had it with the two of you. Detention. My classroom. After school.”

Elliot’s stomach sank. “But I didn’t—”

“I don’t care who started it,” she said firmly. “You’re both guilty of disrupting the cafeteria. Now get out of my sight.”

Leo dropped the notebook onto the table with a smug look. “See you in detention, genius.”

Elliot glared at him, snatching up his notebook and shoving it into his bag. As Leo walked away, laughing with his friends, Elliot caught him glancing back. There was something unreadable in his expression, but Elliot didn’t care.

He dropped back into his seat, jamming both earbuds in this time. “Great,” he muttered. “Just great.”

The clock ticked loudly in Ms. Carter’s history classroom, the sound amplified by the oppressive silence. Elliot sat near the front, arms crossed, his notebook closed and untouched on the desk. Leo slouched in the back row, his chair tipped against the wall, spinning a pen lazily between his fingers.

Ms. Carter had left the two of them alone with strict instructions: “No talking. No moving. And no nonsense.”

Naturally, Leo broke the silence first.

“So, Brooks,” he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery, “what’s it like being the teacher’s pet? Do you get a gold star every time you breathe?”

Elliot didn’t bother turning around. “What’s it like being a walking cliché, Leo? Do you practice your insults in front of the mirror, or does it just come naturally?”

Leo chuckled, the sound low and amused. “You’re feistier than I remember. Got a little fight in you, huh?”

“Yeah, and I know how to pick my battles,” Elliot shot back, finally turning to glare at him. “Unlike you, who picks on people to feel better about himself. Must be exhausting.”

Leo’s smirk faltered for a split second before he recovered. “You think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you, Einstein?”

“Doesn’t take a genius,” Elliot replied, leaning back in his chair. “You’re textbook predictable. Let me guess: Daddy issues, too much pressure to be perfect, and you take it out on everyone else because you’re too scared to admit you’re human.”

The words hit harder than Elliot intended. For a moment, Leo looked like he was about to say something serious. But then the smirk returned, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Wow, Brooks. You should become a therapist. You’d make millions,” he said, his tone lighter now, but there was an edge to it.

Elliot rolled his eyes and turned back to his desk. “Whatever, Walker. Just stay on your side of the room and leave me alone.”

The silence stretched between them again, tense and charged.

After a few minutes, Leo spoke up, his voice quieter this time. “So… what’s the deal with that game of yours?”

Elliot blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“That game you were sketching in the cafeteria. The one with the knight,” Leo said, leaning forward in his chair. “What’s it about?”

Elliot frowned. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t,” Leo said quickly, then hesitated. “I mean… I was just curious. That’s all.”

Elliot studied him for a moment, searching for the usual mockery, but found none. Against his better judgment, he answered. “It’s about a knight who has to fight through a cursed kingdom to rescue a prince.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “A prince? Not a princess?”

Elliot’s jaw tightened. “Yeah. A prince. Got a problem with that?”

Leo’s smirk returned, but this time it seemed more genuine, less sharp. “Not at all. Sounds… different. Cool, even.”

Elliot stared at him, unsure what to make of the response. Before he could say anything else, Ms. Carter walked back in, her sharp heels clicking against the floor.

“All right, detention’s over. Both of you—out.”

Elliot didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed his bag and bolted for the door, but not before catching one last look from Leo. It wasn’t a smirk this time, but something softer, almost thoughtful.

He shook his head, brushing the moment aside. Whatever game Leo Walker was playing, Elliot wasn’t interested.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

Elliot walked into the library the next day, hoping for a quiet escape from the chaos of high school life. The rows of books and soft hum of the air conditioner always felt like a refuge. He had just settled into his favorite corner with his notebook when a shadow fell over his table.

“Brooks.”

Elliot looked up, his brows furrowing when he saw Leo standing there, hands shoved into the pockets of his letterman jacket. “What do you want?”

Leo glanced around, lowering his voice. “I need your help.”

Elliot blinked. Of all the things he’d expected Leo Walker to say, that wasn’t on the list. “With what? Learning how to use the alphabet?”

Leo sighed, clearly trying to keep his cool. “No. With computer science. I’m failing, and if I don’t pass the next test, I’m off the team.”

Elliot leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “So, let me get this straight. You’ve spent the better part of the last three years making my life miserable, and now you want me to help you?”

“Look, I know I’ve been…” Leo hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. “Not great to you. But I’m desperate here.”

Elliot snorted. “And you think I care about your football career why exactly?”

“I’ll pay you,” Leo said quickly. “Fifty bucks. A hundred, even.”

Elliot raised an eyebrow. “You think you can buy me off like one of your fans?”

Leo groaned, running a hand through his hair. “No, I just—look, you’re the only one who’s smart enough to actually help. Please, Brooks.”

Elliot hesitated. He hated the idea of helping Leo after everything, but there was something in the way he said “please” that caught him off guard. It wasn’t the cocky, self-assured tone he usually had. It sounded… genuine.

“Fine,” Elliot said finally. “But you follow my rules. We meet here after school, no exceptions. And if you start acting like a jerk, I’m done.”

Leo exhaled in relief. “Deal. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Elliot muttered, pulling out his notebook.

---

The first tutoring session was awkward, to say the least.

Leo sat across from Elliot, his large frame almost comically out of place in the tiny library chair. Elliot spread out a stack of notes and diagrams, explaining coding basics while Leo scribbled furiously in a notebook.

“You’re overcomplicating it,” Elliot said, pointing at one of Leo’s attempts. “The code is fine, but your logic is all over the place. Think of it like football—there’s a play, and every player has a role. If one person messes up, the whole thing falls apart.”

Leo frowned, tapping his pen against the table. “Okay, so the ‘players’ are like the functions, and the ‘play’ is the program?”

“Exactly,” Elliot said, surprised at how quickly Leo picked it up.

By the end of the hour, they’d managed to complete one practice program together.

“Not bad,” Elliot admitted, though he tried to keep his tone neutral.

Leo grinned, leaning back in his chair. “See? I’m not as dumb as I look.”

“Debatable,” Elliot quipped, but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

---

Over the next week, their sessions became a regular thing. Elliot noticed a shift in Leo, he still had his moments of arrogance, but he was also surprisingly determined.

One afternoon, as they were packing up, Leo glanced at the notebook Elliot always carried. “You never let that thing out of your sight, do you?”

“It’s important to me,” Elliot said simply.

“Can I see it?” Leo asked, his tone curious rather than mocking.

Elliot hesitated, but eventually handed it over. Leo flipped through the sketches of knights, dragons, and pixelated landscapes.

“This is… actually really cool,” Leo said, sounding genuinely impressed. “You’re designing a whole game?”

“Yeah,” Elliot said, feeling a mix of pride and vulnerability. “It’s a side project. Something I’ve been working on for a while.”

Leo looked up, his expression serious. “You’re really talented, you know that?”

Elliot didn’t know how to respond. Compliments from Leo Walker weren’t something he was used to. “Thanks, I guess.”

As Leo handed the notebook back, their fingers brushed. It was a small moment, but it sent a spark through Elliot that he couldn’t ignore.

Neither of them said anything, but as they left the library that day, Elliot couldn’t help but feel like something was shifting between them.