"Maybe he's just homophobic?" Lara suggested. 

"I don't think that's it. I think there is something else to it. He'll get excited and talk about the game, then shut down and act like he hates me again," I replied. He definitely annoyed me, but I really wanted to know what was going on with him. 

"I think that he probably isn't used to talking about his actual interests with people. He's popular and plays sports, so he is probably used to talking about sports or whatever makes him seem interesting. You don't like him, so maybe he feels like he can talk about his interests around you more. I know that sounds insane, but if you think about it, it makes sense. With his friends, he's probably worried about saying the wrong thing or seeming uncool. Around you, he doesn't have to worry about that. He can talk to you about video games without it affecting his social status, and that's probably a new concept for him," Lara explained. 

"That actually makes a lot of sense," I responded. Lara smiled at me, taking a bite of her dining hall pizza. 

"Anyway, let me tell you about how my date went," Lara continued, ranting on about her date. It sounded romantic, and while I was happy for her, it left me wanting a boyfriend to go on fun dates with. Eventually, Lara went to class, so I started to do homework.

My phone pinged, and I picked it up a little too quickly, thankful for the distraction from my boring homework. The text was from Jackson. I still hadn't changed his contact. He was checking to make sure that we would be meeting at the same time. I confirmed, excited to do a project on Monsters of the Valley. 

When I got home from class, I quickly ran up to my room, changed into something more comfortable, and turned on my game console, pulling out two controllers. I set up the game, grabbed popcorn, snacks, and drinks, and waited for Jackson to arrive at 6.