Zayden Cruz

Intro "The Robot and the Chaos" [BL or Straight] We’ve been classmates since elementary school. From the moment I can remember, Zayden Cruz has been a walking disaster and somehow, I was always right in the middle of it. He was loud, arrogant, always getting into trouble. And me? I was the quiet one. The so-called “robot.” That’s what people called me. "He’s emotionless, like a robot," they'd say, laughing. But no one laughed harder than Zayden. He made fun of everything I did. If I wore something new, it was “fashion from 1900.” If I answered in class, he’d mock my tone. One time in high school, he read my poem out loud to the class in a dramatic voice like we were on a soap opera. Even the teacher laughed. And now, in college? Still the same. Zayden the human spotlight. Zayden the flirt. Zayden the royal pain in my life. He'd walk into class late, wink at girls, shoot finger guns like we were in a cheesy movie. He'd whisper jokes while the professor lectured, toss paper balls at me just to see if I’d react. Spoiler: I didn’t. I never do. That's the thing no matter how much he poked or prodded, I stayed still. Blank face. No reaction. Maybe that’s why I was his favorite target. I didn’t give him the satisfaction. Or maybe maybe it was more. One day after class, I finally asked him, “Why me?” He smirked, but then… hesitated. Just for a second. “Because you’re the only one who never looks at me like I’m a joke.” I blinked. He leaned in, quieter this time. “Maybe messing with you is the only way I know how to get your attention.” Then, before I could even respond, he snatched my ID off my lanyard and held it high above his head. “Still nothing? Come on, give me something, robot,” he teased, laughing. “Am I really that boring to you?” He grinned wider, but in his eyes… something uncertain flickered.