"Maxuel : Professional Luella's Teaser and Trouble Maker

PART 3

The rest of lunch passed in a tense, but oddly satisfying, silence for Luella. She ate her meal with a determined calmness, all the while replaying the moment in her head. Throwing mashed potatoes at Maxuel had definitely been a bold move — and, okay, maybe a little dramatic. But it had felt so good. In that moment, it was as though the whole cafeteria had become a stage for her mini-rebellion, and Maxuel had been her unsuspecting audience.

Sylixiaa, on the other hand, couldn’t stop giggling. “You really did it, didn’t you? You actually threw mashed potatoes at him.”

“I warned him,” Luella muttered, poking at her food. “He had it coming.”

“But still… you know he’s probably going to take that as a challenge, right?” Sylixiaa teased, giving her a sly look. “Now he’s gonna want to get back at you.”

“Let him try,” Luella said, though her voice had softened slightly. The truth was, as mad as she was, part of her enjoyed the banter. It was... different. And it made her feel like maybe she wasn’t just the quiet, overlooked girl in the hallway. Maybe she could hold her own.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Luella and Sylixiaa gathered their things. Luella was about to head out when she spotted Maxuel again. He was standing with his friends, laughing about something, still looking like he hadn’t a care in the world. But the moment his eyes met hers across the room, his expression shifted — a flicker of mischief dancing in his gaze.

Great. Here we go again, Luella thought, rolling her eyes.

Maxuel started to move toward her, and she could feel the tension rise in her chest. She wasn’t done with him, not by a long shot, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her riled up again. She wasn’t going to let him win.

But when he reached her, Maxuel didn’t immediately start with a teasing remark. Instead, he looked down at her, his grin still there but more subdued.

“You’re kind of intense, you know that?” he said, his tone casual but with a hint of something else — something that made Luella’s heart race for a second.

Luella raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “You’re just mad because I hit a nerve.”

He didn’t deny it. “Maybe.” He glanced at her carefully, then added, “But I’ll admit, you’ve got guts. Not a lot of people would throw food at me.”

“Well, I’m not ‘a lot of people,’” she shot back, trying to keep her voice steady.

“I noticed,” he said, smiling again, this time with a little more warmth than before. “You really don’t hold back. It’s... refreshing.”

Luella frowned, trying to figure out if he was mocking her or being sincere. “What’s your point, Maxuel?”

His grin softened, and for a moment, Luella felt like maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t just toying with her. “My point? I think I respect it. I’ve never had anyone stand up to me like that before.”

She blinked, thrown off by his unexpected response. “Respect? Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” he replied, shrugging slightly. “You’re not like the other people who just laugh it off or try to avoid me. You actually give it back. I can’t say I don’t like that.”

Luella narrowed her eyes. “So you like making fun of people, then?”

Maxuel laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not making fun of you, Luella. I’m just… messing with you. Big difference.”

Her heart skipped a beat. *Big difference?*

Before she could respond, Sylixiaa, who had been quietly watching from a distance, walked up beside her. “Come on, Luella, we’re gonna be late for class.” She shot Maxuel an amused look, clearly aware of the back-and-forth. “Maxuel, stop trying to confuse her. You know you like making her mad.”

Maxuel raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. Guilty as charged.”

Luella huffed, her annoyance returning, but she felt something else underneath — a weird sense of curiosity. Why was Maxuel being so... calm? She was used to him being cocky, a little arrogant, but this was different.

With a final glance at him, she turned and walked with Sylixiaa toward their next class. She could feel Maxuel’s eyes on her, but she didn’t look back. She wasn’t going to let him get into her head — no matter how good his teasing might be.

As they walked down the hallway, Sylixiaa bumped her shoulder against Luella’s. “You two are like a walking soap opera, you know that?”

Luella rolled her eyes. “He’s a pain in my neck. That’s all.”

Sylixiaa just grinned. “Uh-huh. Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

Luella didn’t answer, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe Sylixiaa was right. There was something about Maxuel that made her feel... something. Whether it was frustration or excitement, she couldn’t quite place it yet. But she had a feeling this little back-and-forth was far from over.

And for the first time in a while, she didn’t mind the idea.