"Whatcha thinking about?"

A yelp escaped your lips as your hand flew up to your chest in surprise. "You scared me,"

Speak of the devil. He leans forward from behind you as he replied, "I didn't think you'd be so preoccupied with whatever you were thinking about,” he replies simply, taking a step forward to face you. “So, what was it?"

You pondered for a moment before thinking 'fuck it' and asked, "Why are you acting so w- uh, friendly around me?"

He frowned, as if the answer was obvious. "...Because I want to be friends with you?"

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Friends with you?"

"As mentioned, yes."

"You're serious?"

"Quite so."

This was beyond anything you could've expected from him. Since when did he ever do friends?

You tried to control your expression but failed miserably as he smiled, sending goosebumps down your arm. "I've seen the look in your eyes when you look at the scoreboard. And I've never met anyone crazy enough to manipulate their own score just to remain 5th- or anyone smart enough to actually pull it off,"

Your eyebrows furrowed. "Wha-"

"I've always wanted a friend."

His statement confused you even more. He was one of the most popular students in the entire school- heck, the entire town- what is he blabbering on about? "You're surrounded by people. There's always a group following you around in school," you scoffed.

His expression soured. "Those people...they simply leech onto me because they want something from me. So, I want you to be my first friend. A real one." As he spoke, the smile on his face grew, his excitement practically radiating off him in waves.

Although your mind was screaming no, his explanation tugged at your heartstrings. You’ve definitely heard people from his group of lackeys say some horrible things about him. So you could understand where he was coming from, sort of.

————————————————————

He was delighted when you finally relented and became his friend. He wouldn’t mess this up. He’ll show you how beneficial it is to be with him, on his side.

Despite you still having your guard up, he gradually proved to you just how useful being friends with him was. All your problems were solved so quickly— that one classmate that used to bother you, the teachers who gave you a hard time, and anyone who stood in your way were all dealt with or quickly got the message after seeing you hanging out with your new friend more. When you asked him what he did to get them to back off, he merely shrugged and said “Nothing illegal. And they’re alive and kicking, so don’t worry about it.” You knew that was a sign to stop prying.

A few weeks pass and things settle down, and the both of you mostly spend time playing all kinds of board games, strategy games and logic puzzles. He insists that you're the only person he can play against without holding back, so more often than not, your lunch breaks are spent with him, competing against him while munching on whatever food you brought that day. If you were being completely honest, it was fun to finally meet someone who could match your love for brain games and keep up with you.

Sometimes he’d even go to you to talk about his troubles. With his father planning to pass his company to him eventually, various ploys have been put against him to change that. Competitors hiring people to stalk his every move, people threatening him or trying to exploit him. He’d tell you his plan on how to bring down his enemies and sometimes you’d help refine them. Or reel him back. “He’s prideful, so you can use that against her,” or “No, don’t do that, your classmates would be terrified of you.” or even a, “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.” What would he do without you?

Emotions were always the hardest part of the equation for him, but with you, everything is much easier. In the past, he studied and analysed the different emotions people can express and feel during various situations. Based on their facial expressions and body language, he could deduce what a person was feeling. Smiling meant happiness, crying meant sadness. That’s all it was—keen observation and logical deduction. Not that he could ever understand the meaning or reason behind such emotions, but he still managed just fine. Nobody noticed. Except you. You had quickly called him out on his biggest flaw just after a few conversations with him, and after listening to a sappy childhood backstory, you had taken it upon yourself to explain the nuances in emotional expression and feelings whenever the opportunity arose.

As the months go by, more and more of your time was spent with him. He even managed to get you transferred to his class. Say hi to your new desk mate! Naturally you only talk to him in your new class, seeing how you barely know anyone else. Even his usual lackeys and followers have started to keep their distance from the two of you. You don’t need to bother with them. Just focus on him. He’s the only one good for you.

If you ever decide to distance yourself from him, he’ll take advantage of your biggest weakness. Your emotions. Just like how emotions are his weakness too. But unlike him, you’re too soft, too weak-hearted and kind. All he needs to do is act depressed, skip a few days of school, barely eat. Naturally, his parents would freak out and call you, his best (and only) friend. And like the good samaritan you are, you’ll come running to him with a panicked look on your face. The guilt would eat away at your resolve to leave him and you’d be chained to him forever. Of course, he wouldn't do any of that as long as you continue being on his side. Being his.

————————————————————

You weren't so dense as not to realise his manipulation and schemes to isolate you in school these past weeks. Transferring you to his class, becoming your desk mate, all of it was just getting too obvious. You let out a sigh as you lay on the bed. How did things turn out like this? In the first place, your actual motive behind maintaining 5th was to not catch his attention, to fly under the radar. Pinching the bridge of your nose, you chastise yourself for obsessing over 5th place when you should've added some variation into your previous rankings. Then again, who's to say that he wouldn't have found out even if you did add in variations?

Another sigh escaped your lips as you massaged the bridge of your nose. At least he doesn't know the real reason to this whole mess. You couldn’t really call it a ‘fear’. It was more like a gut feeling, a warning alarm in the back of your mind. The complete disregard for other people and their emotions, the crazy look in his eyes when he fixes on a new target, and his sheer intellect to manipulate people/outcomes as he desires. You're smart enough to be on par with him when it comes to board games and logic puzzles but beyond that? He was a force to be reckoned with. Thankfully, you were on his good side. For now.

...Maybe it's time to think of a plan to slowly back away from him.

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