Being in Junior High isn't necessarily a bad time. Sure, people are going through awkward phases and sure puberty is slowly getting to everyone, but other than that there really isn't anything to worry about. Unless word gets out about someone having a crush. Then the whole school wants to know who is crushing on who all of a sudden.
"Did you hear who Eren had a crush on?"
"Mikasa, right?"
"No! I heard him say Annie!"
Those were the kinds of conversations that were currently going on during their history period. There was a substitute, someone by the name of Mike? Levi couldn't be any more uninterested. Substitutes for him meant homework period so he wouldn't have to do it at home.
"Hey, Levi," he heard a high voice call. He exhaled loudly and looked away from his math homework that he was concentrating so hard on. He really hated being bothered.
"What is it now, Petra?" he asked in a voice that said I'm busy and you ruined my train of thought, but I'm trying not to seem irritated.
Petra couldn't care one bit that she had distracted him from his work. It was his fault he decided to sit behind her when the school year started.
"I was wondering if you had Mr. Pixis for English?"
He shook his head at her. "I have Mrs. Dawk, remember?"
She gave him a playful pout. "Aw, man. I was wondering if you wrote that "how-to" already. But I think since we have different teachers the assignments might be different, huh?"
Levi nodded. "We're not doing that until next month, I think."
"Well thanks anyway, buddy," she told him as she got up from her chair and went to where Rico was sitting, probably going to gossip about what everyone else was talking about. Who liked who or whatever.
Just as he was about to go back to his work, he felt a tap on his right shoulder. He exhaled louder than the last time and turned to see who decided to bother him this time.
"Did you hear that Connie has a crush on that girl who eats in my elective class all the time? Sasha?" he asked him.
Levi rolled his eyes. Erd couldn't think that he would be interested in hearing all of this "Who are those people again?"
"The bald one and the one with the red hair?"
Vague images of the two appeared in his mind and he nodded, signaling to Erd that he knew who he was talking about now.
He turned back around to face his homework again, but he was still catching himself talking to Erd. "Why would I care about this?"
"Because relationships are about to blossom left and right, Levi," his blond friend told. Levi didn't even have to look at him to know he was thinking about his new girlfriend. They've been going out for two weeks already. Probably the longest relationship he has ever witnessed from his group of friends and acquaintances.
Levi grumbled in response. In his mind, relationships were still icky and gross. Why would people want to show public affection anyway?
"I don't care," Levi told him. He wasn't even planning on doing his homework anymore. He has been bothered way too much for his liking, so he might as well keep talking to Erd.
"Well," Erd continued on, "do you like anyone?" he asked.
"No," Levi replied quickly.
He looked up at Erd again, who was standing tall and scanning their classroom. "Rico?"
"No."
"Bummer. You guys are like almost the same size. Plus you guys hate everything right?" Erd said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Shut up, I do not hate everything," Levi glowered at his friend.
"Historia?"
"No. Why is she even in this class anyway? Isn't she a year younger?"
Erd shrugged his shoulders, "Beats me. Whatever."
His eyes scanned the room again. Levi tapped his fingers on his desk, waiting for Erd to say more names.
"Hanji?" Erd said with a smirk.
"Fuck no," Levi said through gritted teeth.
Erd started laughing, "I thought so. I just wanted to see how you would react! Calm down!"
Levi's glare came back. Nothing was wrong with Hanji, only that Hanji once gave him a stomach ache by feeding him "cool stuff" that was made in the kitchen. And Hanji sent him to the nurses office once because they tackled him during flag football.
Once more, Erd's eyes scanned. His eyebrows raised and his mouth formed a sly smile with one final guess. "What about Petra Ral? You guys seem to talk a lot in this class you know."
The shorter boy sighed, "She sits in front of me. Of course we talk a lot. We almost always have to be partners for projects."
"Didn't you choose to sit behind her, though?"
Levi didn't say anything. He only pursed his lips together. He couldn't deny it because it was true. Everyone in the class knew.
"Well?" Erd urged. "Do you have a crush on her?"
He thought about it. Petra was cool. Whenever she bothered him it was because she wanted to say something to him, not because she felt like torturing him today much like his friends do. The color of her hair was nice. Whenever she graded his papers she liked to write a smiley face and replace the dot in the "i" of his name with a little heart. She was shorter than him.
"Maybe."
