in which you, an aspiring filmmaker,
find the perfect actor for your breakout short film.
casting is difficult for the main love interest,
but once a certain blue-eyed boy comes into your life, you know he's the one...
maybe in more ways than yo...
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CHAPTER NINE
staring contest
the staring contest had begun. maeve implied i was the world's best player, and i mean... i did have a lot of experience. being an only child, i naturally had the little kid urge to annoy my peers. the primary way i satisfied that instinct was by challenging them to epic staring contests. after about a year, i had mastered the art of staring and had developed a multitude of techniques. i was even able to stare for two minutes straight at one point, and without zoning out! it's crazy what i could do when i didn't have something to be passionate about, or something to be stressed out about.
walker and i had been standing there for at least thirty seconds, as we had obviously both tuned out the arguing downstairs. i was impressed with him. most of my opponents didn't last that long. so i decided to pull out the big guns: distractions. they always got me the role of line leader in the sixth grade.
before i initiated the first phase in my plan to win, i took the opportunity to stare at him without it being creepy as hell. the blue light of the room was cast on his face, but it wasn't taking away from his bright eyes. he looked stunning as usual. this felt like cheating... i probably could look at them for hours and forget to blink.
the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, but i tried to ignore it. he was staring at me. i've never had a guy even look at me like this. the moment felt oddly intimate, but i reminded myself that to him, it was probably just a competition. forget about it, i thought. thinking of this situation as more than a maeve-induced game would backfire and i would lose my winning streak for this hidden talent.
phase one: clearing my throat. it's blink-free for me, and it's proven to take people out of the game instantly from my experiences. but not always. i waited for when the moment felt right and i could crash through the sound proof wall built up around us. walker didn't even flinch.
phase two: making strange expressions. i contorted my brows into different shapes, widened my eyes on and off, and managed to resemble a goblin. he just suppressed a smile, his gaze still unwavering. i gave up, also realizing how humiliating making these faces was.
