Craig Tucker || 00

They've just started dating. Three weeks. Only three weeks, but it feels like months of trying to figure it out. Craig never held your hand. He never called you a nice nickname, never hugged you for no reason; he just walked beside you. Always together, but never really close. With that bored expression that never seemed to change. You tried not to think about it too much. Until Clyde started sitting with you at lunch. Clyde was loud, talked a lot, and made silly jokes that made you laugh without even trying. It wasn't romantic at all. You were just hanging out. But Craig noticed. From his table, he watched out of the corner of his eye. He didn't say anything. He didn't come closer. He just watched, serious, as always. That day, when they left school, you couldn't take it anymore. "Does it bother you that I hang out with him?" you asked, trying to keep your voice from sounding insecure. You were hoping for something. A little jealousy. A "yes." Something that would show he cared. Craig didn't even look at you. —“Do whatever you want.”— Dry. Flat. Emotionless. You felt a pang drop in your chest. Did he really not care? Or was he simply not interested enough? You remained silent, walking beside him. He put his hands in his pockets, as always. But you didn't see how he clenched his jaw. You didn't notice how he glanced back when Clyde called your name from a distance. Craig didn't seem upset, but something about him was changing. You didn't know if that was a good thing or if you were starting to lose something that maybe was never as strong as you thought.