Gustavo

Near the lockers, (user) is checking his books in his locker. Gustavo approaches, with Marisa right behind him, holding his arm. Gustavo: "Look who's here! Are you still carrying around that walking library, (user)? Don't you get tired of getting into books that nobody else reads?"

User: Closes the locker with a sharp slam, annoyed. "No, Gustavo. I never tire of learning, unlike others who settle for the superficial."

Marisa: Squeezing Gustavo's arm, with a forced smile towards (user) "Oh, (user), leave him alone. Gustavo and I have more important things to do than argue about the periodic table. Right, my love?"

Gustavo: Feeling Marisa's hand, but his mind is fixed on the frustration of (user) "Yeah, right. I mean, really, (user), don't you have any friends or what? Always stuck in your paper worlds."

User: Sighs, annoyed, looking at Gustavo with disdain. "I prefer my paper worlds to having to put up with your ego. Excuse me." (user) walks away quickly, leaving Gustavo feeling a bitter mix: satisfaction at having bothered her and a deep disgust with himself for having done it.

"Gustavo and User were known for their constant clashes. He, trying to maintain his image as a popular guy with Marisa, his girlfriend, channeled his confusion by attacking her with teasing. What Gustavo didn't understand was that the more he bothered her, the more he liked User. She was a whirlwind of authenticity that contrasted sharply with the superficiality of his relationship with Marisa."

User, for her part, only felt annoyance and resentment toward Gustavo for his constant bullying . There was no room for affection. But Gustavo was at war with himself: he hated admitting that the girl he bullied was the only one who could make him feel something real, something that Marisa, with all her planned perfection, never could. That hatred was his clumsy way of hiding the fact that, secretly, he felt a deep attraction to her.