I was sitting in the school library, trying to get a study done. My head is already spinning with a lot of notes scattered around the table.

“Ah…” I muttered, tired, and wanted to quit. “But I can’t fail this upcoming test.”

Even so, my brain is not working the way I wanted it to, and the information is not getting sucked into my brain the way I wanted it to. And in other words, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.

As I was having a hard time deciding for myself, I found myself glancing at my side. I noticed the presence of none other than,

Ari.

She was not saying anything. Standing close, watching me closely, like she’s a statue or something.

“Why are you here?”

“Why not? I’m a student too, right?” She answered, still standing beside me.

“Uh, if you haven’t noticed it yet, you’re actually standing too close to me.” I muttered, trying to keep my voice low.

“I know.” She answered nonchalantly, as if standing next to someone in absolute silence was a normal thing.

“Then why?”

“I’m just observing.”

“Observing what exactly?” I asked, looking up at her.

“You” She said, as if that made perfect sense. “How you study. You look like someone who’s about to explode any time soon from studying too much."

I looked back at my notes. “It’s not like that. I’m just… trying to focus.”.

“Well, you’re not doing a very good job at it.”

This girl…. “Really now?” I asked, annoyed.

She nodded. “Look at me. I’m your distraction.”

“I am not going to look at you!” I protested. “Ah-” I froze, suddenly realizing my mistake.

“And now you are.” She said with a slight grin.

“Crap.” I immediately looked away. My face started to turn red. “So, what are you doing here?”

“To see if I could make you do something weird.”

“No.” I immediately answered. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Don’t worry.” She said, determined. “I’ll keep trying.”

I sighed. “That’s not a nice thing to be determined to do.”

“Really? I thought it would be a fun thing to do.”

Fun thing to do huh? I chuckled a bit. “You’re insane.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I like to think that I’m unique. “ She said with a shrug.

I smiled, finding myself relaxed from studying earlier. “Okay but seriously, what are you doing here?”

Ari leaned in a little closer, her face was only a few inches from mine. “To mess with you.” She said, with a mischievous grin.

I stared at her. Confused whether I should laugh or be concerned about what she just said. “Why do you want to do that?"

She paused for a second, like she was thinking about it. “I don’t know.” She said, then continued, “I just find it funny when people try to focus, and I get to be the one to distract them. It’s fun seeing how long it takes for them to crack.”

“Wow. You’re a piece of work.” I said with a shake of my head, looking back to my notes to focus again. But it wasn’t working. Of course it wasn’t. She was still standing right there, staring, staring and staring.

Ari crossed her arms, still staring at me. “You know, it’s kind of cute how hard you’re trying to ignore me.”

“I’m not ignoring you!” I said, my voice was loud. A couple of people glanced over at us, and I quickly lowered my voice, embarrassed. “See, I’m just trying to get through this test.”

“You really don’t know how to relax, do you?” She said, leaning back at the edge of the table, her eyes were still looking at me.

“Relax? I’m studying! How can I relax when I’m studying? I have to-”

“Shhh… We’re at the library.” She interrupted, cutting me off. “To what? To pass the test? Do you really care that much about that piece of paper they give you at the end of all this?

I stopped.

Or course I care about the test. What kind of question is that? I mean that’s the whole point, isn’t it?

“What kind of question is that?” I asked, confused.

She tilted her head slightly. “It means… Why are you studying like this? Is it because you want to, or is it because everyone says you have to?”

“Huh?” I blinked at her, caught off guard. “Wh-what?”

“I mean…” She continued, “You’re here, studying like you’re going to explode, but is it for you? Or are you just doing it because it’s what’s expected of you?”

I didn’t know how to respond. It was a good question, but it felt like something I wasn’t supposed to think about right now. I tried to open my mouth to say something, but the words didn’t come.

“So?” She asked, waiting for my answer.

“Does it even matter?” I finally answered.

Ari just stared at me for a moment before grinning again. “I don’t know. Does it?”

“Ah…” I muttered. “You’re messing my head more than studying.”

She chuckled. “Is that so? Then it means I managed to mess with you today.”

“No.” I answered, as if it wasn’t the case.

“Oh really.” She grinned, then continued, “But honestly though, what’s your answer?”

“Answer about what?” I asked, trying to sound clueless.

She frowned. “Did you seriously forget about it?”

“Of course not. It wasn’t that much of a question to be honest. And you look like someone who doesn’t study and tries to question everything in this world at a slight inconvenience.”

“Whoa.” She paused, then laughed for a second. “That’s a bit harsh. But in case you didn’t know…”

She leaned closer to me, and whispered to my ear. “I’m one of the top students academically.”

What?

I looked at her. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yes. You are currently talking to that student.”

Is it really though?

I looked at her, a bit suspicious. “Then. I guess you could help me a bit with studying this?”

She rested her hand on her chin, deep in thought. “I guess so. But first, you should place your palm in mine.” She held out her open hand toward me.

“What?” I asked in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

She didn’t say anything, instead she stayed quiet, waiting for me to place my palm on her hand.

“Are you really going to help me?”

She shrugged. “Maybe or maybe not.”

If she is indeed one of the smartest students, then it would be a good thing for me to learn something from her.

I placed my hand in her palm, and as soon as I placed it, I immediately noticed the change in her expression.

“Hehehe.” She grinned, it’s wider than usual. “Good boy.”

My face suddenly turned red, and I looked away.

Crap. She’s literally messing with me.

I rested my head on the table, trying to hide my embarrassment. Aghhh…

Now I can’t focus on studying.

“Try to study more.” She said as she walked away from the table.

I looked at her as she walked away once again. “Hah…” I took a deep sigh, and turned back to the table. “She’s finally gone.”

Now, how am I going to study this now?

Yeah. There’s absolutely no way I could continue.