Golden Boy- Pedri

CH 6- Cant even pretend to like you

It had now been a week since the incident at the gym.
When I implied that he was an asshole.
And when he alleged that I was a fangirl.

Since then, I had managed to keep my distance. I didn't look at him once.
Out of sight, out of mind.

I was at the training facility and had a few hours before the players would start to arrive for their daily training, and before I started work.

The establishment (Camp Nou) has every resource you can ever imagine. These athletes are lucky. There's a pool, tennis court, basketball court, cafes, and even a Study Hall space.

I decided to bring my laptop and textbooks and finish up one of my assignments. I was in my zone. My AirPods Max were in. Deeply lost in thought of thinking and typing, flicking back and forth of my textbook pages, when from the corner of my eye I saw the door open.

I looked up and we made eye contact.
The first time since the gym.
It was Pedri.
I tried to not give him a dirty look. I don't know how successful I was, because I looked straight back down at my computer and kept typing. If it's one thing I'm good at, it's shutting people out. If I don't like them, I sure as hell show that they mean nothing to me.

He. Doesn't. Exist. To. Me.

I'm getting quite a bit of my assignment done when through my headphones I hear talking. Loud talking. I look across the room.
Surprise, he's on the phone.
There are signs everywhere saying this is a 'No talking loudly' space, and if I can hear him through my headphones, with my music at a pretty decent volume, it means he is talking loudly.

Now he's laughing.
I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's a short phone call and it'll end soon. I put my head down and focus on my work.

5 minutes pass.
10 minutes pass.
15 minutes pass.

This is getting ridiculous. He's talking and laughing on the phone so loudly to the point where I can't concentrate. I sigh, taking my headphones off and resting them on my neck.
I stand up and walk towards him.

"Hey", I say fiercely.
He looks up.
"Do you mind keeping it down? I'm trying to get my work done, and this is a phone-free area." I point to one of the signs right above his head.
"Hey bro, I gotta go now," he says to the person on the other end of the phone while looking at me. He then hangs up "There you go", he says.
"Thank. You." I say sarcastically. I begin walking off.
"Sorry that some of us actually have a life, and don't study at all the time".
I stop walking and turn around.

Did he just insinuate that I have no life? He doesn't even know me.
"Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say?" I am steaming.
"Calm down, that was a joke." He says, laughing.
"Then don't say anything, don't speak to me. All you do is torment me, and whether it's a joke or not I don't care for it." I say harshly, shooting a dirty look.
"Whatever you say, love."
"Stop calling me that', I say, my teeth gritted.
"Sure thing, princess".

He won't stop.

I take a deep breath, "Listen I don't know who you think you are, but please, just stop." I say strictly.
"Leave you alone? You keep interrupting me. You must like me", he says smirking.

I feel the anger in my veins.
I hate him.
I feel my blood boiling so intensely that it feels like my veins are going to erupt with the amount of disdain I have for him.

"Like you?" I lashed out, my voice rising, "You couldn't pay me your entire salary to pretend to like you."

He starts laughing. He doesn't take me seriously.
He finds this amusing, and I find him arrogant.
I could feel my fists clenching. I turn around and walk to my desk.
I quickly pack up my belongings to try and get out of there as fast as I can.
I cannot stand to be there.
As I walk past him out the door, I hear him shout "Bye love".

I shake my head, but I don't stop, I keep walking out of there.
To say he's the most aggravating person I've ever met would be an understatement. I can't bear him. He is insufferable.
Easily one of the worst people I have ever had the misfortune of being around.

That night, I told myself that was it.
I would never let him bother me again.
I wouldn't respond to anything he said, no matter how much he annoyed me.
I wouldn't look at him.

And I would never ever be around him ever again.