The Racket Quotient

1 - The Awkward Art of Eye Contact

Perched in the pick-up area near the school gates, you absentmindedly scroll through your Instagram feed. Just the usual, celebrities advertising their brands and teenage girls doing weird-ass tiktok dances. 

You see Trey walk past.

Why does he have to be so hot.

Trey Cortez, a senior, exudes undeniable charm. Dark hair, big round eyes, full cheeks, and lips that form a heart when he smiles. You don't know him well, but his magnetic appeal is impossible to ignore.

This crush is really getting out of hand.

You decide it's time to rein in your thoughts, and mentally lock the idea of him away, and shove it into the furthest corners of your mind.

Kiara already said that he isn't even that smart.

Kiara, one of your closest friends, insists he's not that smart. Also a senior and sharing most of her classes with Trey, she is well aware of the fact that you have a thing for cute nerds and how you've always found intelligence attractive. All your past crushes had been cute nerds from your year group, so crushing on the hottest guy in badminton club was unusual. Despite your growing crush, you remind yourself to quit it.

You continue scrolling on Instagram, debating whether to ditch mindless scrolling for reading.

Do something productive, seriously.

The pick-up area fills up as students from football, basketball, volleyball and various other extracurricular activities spill out of the school. It's getting crowded and you aren't fond of people sitting too close.

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice someone approaching.. 

You look up to find Trey come and take a seat next to you. 

He has probably caught you social media stalking him a while back. That sent a weak shiver down your spine. YOUR STALKER PHASE. (I know, each and everyone of you have had it.) 

Your interactions with Trey have been confined to the badminton club, where both of you represent the school team. Beyond knowing each other's names, your encounters have been limited to passing glances in the hallways or in the canteen.

You attempted to avoid eye contact, but as lucky your luck gets, you do end up making eye contact. You try to look away but you can't help directly staring at his face. And...oh.

OH. 

You might be at the brink of a heart attack.

He just smiled at you. 

How unusual. 

Every time you've accidentally made eye contact before (scary times, those), he's looked away awkwardly. He probably (definitely) thought you were creepy.

What do I do? What do I do?

You attempt to smile back, but it comes out awkward and weird. He chuckles. It's not the first time you've embarrassed yourself in front of him, and certainly not the worst. He's seen you play badminton, all sweaty and less than glamorous, so this is a minor blip on the radar.

Breaking the awkward silence, he asks, "Do you train outside of school?" It surprises you. He hasn't ever started a conversation with you.

Your exchanges have mostly been limited to small talk during badminton matches. With him being a year ahead and no shared classes, so small talk is uncharted territory.

"No, I just play for fun. I'm actually looking for a coach," you reply, trying to sound calm and collected. "I really love the game."

"Really? You play quite well. Have you been playing for long?" he continues the conversation.

"Thanks. But no, didn't played for six years, and then picked it up again last year." You answer enthusiastically. "Are you planning to pursue badminton professionally?"

"Nah, not too sure yet. I just love playing," he smiles. "Ever thought about coming to my training center?" He leans over, "I play there, and I can help you find a great coach."

Your heart skips a beat. One, because of that smile. Two, because of the small distance between you.

"Oh really? I'd love that. I'll drive by sometime."

"Ok, I can text you the time and location, so you can visit." Everything was happening so fast, and this was the first time you have ever talked. You were caught off guard, you didn't realize he was waiting for your answer. 

"Oh, uhh, yeah. Sure. But I don't think you know my Insta or anything." You had tried to get him to follow you back (twice) by sending him requests, but he didn't follow back.

"Oh, ok, give me your ID, I'll text you." You were already jumping from excitement. He is finally going to follow you back and you might start talking, maybe you were being over-ambitious but it wasn't everyday a cute guy asks to text you.

You exchanged Insta ID's as a grey car pulled up. You recognized this car as the same one that picks him up every week and realized that he had to leave. He waved goodbye to you and left you smiling.

Well that was something.

Author's Notes
This was just the first chapter and it was a bit rushed but it gets better I swear.
Thank you for reading :]

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