3rd Person

Max waltzed into the mess hall without a care in the world, his hands in his pockets and his head high. He had no feeling that today would be amazing, but he also felt like it was going to be a little bit better then any other day.

He looked around for his three friends - Neil, Nikki and YN. He had to admit, YN was really, really cute. Now, Max had never met a girl that simultaneously hated the things he hated, but could also take a joke and have fun. But when he met her, wow.

Long story short, he had a huge crush on her. And everyone knew.

He sat down next to Neil, looking around at the other three. They were busy talking about some frog that Nikki found that had died, but Max tuned them out. He kept glancing up from the table over to YN, trying to be inconspicuous.

But as he looked over at her again, he found her already staring right at him. They kept staring, the situation going from a coincidence to awkward in a matter of seconds.

They heard someone clear their throat, making them break eye contact to look over at David, who was standing at the mess hall door. His huge smile lighting up his face as always. He began to talk about the activities they were to do that day, but Max was distracted.

He was looking over at YN, leaning on his hand with a small smile matching his relaxed eyes in a puppy love expression.

He felt Neil nudge his arm, bringing him out of his daydream. He looked up slightly at him, anger and confusion filling his face.

"Dude, were you even paying attention?" Neil asked with a small smirk on his face. Max raised his eyebrow in a 'obviously not' way, "It's music camp today!"

Max sat up, pulling his head out of his hand, "So what?"

Neil groaned, shaking his head, and continuing on.

"We have to make a song in a group of three," He leaned in slightly, whispering the rest of his sentence, "You should go with YN!"

Max felt a blush redden his ears. He avoided eye contact and crossed his arms.

"W-what if I didn't want to?" He muttered, trying to lie to himself and pretend he didn't have a massive crush on her.

Neil smiled, looking up at the roof and shaking his head, "Whatever, Nikki and I are gonna see if Ered wants to be in our group, good luck with YN."

He winked and pulled Nikki over to Ered. Max grumbled under his breath and looked over at YN, catching each others eyes again.

"Do you wanna be in a group?" She asked, smiling her signature smile. Max leans against his hand, trying to cover his burning cheek. The fact that one girl could make him react in this kind of way was quite amazing, but Max hated it.

Why couldn't he just act normal around her?

"Sure, whatever," Max muttered, getting up and walking with her to the activity field just like everyone else.

They were all in there groups, and Preston was moved into YN's.

They began to talk about what the song was going to be about, and YN actually suggested some sort of high school crush scenario. Preston, of course, was all over this, suggesting musical songs that they could cover.

For some reason, when David said that everyone had to make their own song, he left out the part where anyone could just sing an actual song and call it a 'cover'. So that's basically what they did.

The song they decided on was 'A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into' from the musical 'Be More Chill'.

Of course, YN got the female part, but Preston couldn't sing for shit. So, Max was forced to fill in the male role against his will. Since there was a small part of the song where another male talks, Preston did get to be in the performance.

YN already knew the song off by heart, as did Preston. When Max questioned her about this, she simply pointed to Preston and shrugged.

He felt hurt that she'd been hanging out with Preston, but he quickly shook it off.

"Alright campers!" David called out, making all the kids turn to look at him, "It's time for our first performance, which is going to be..."

He looked around at the bored kids, seeing Max smiling whilst looking at YN. David beamed, glad to see him so happy.

"Preston's group!" He called out. All the campers looked over at them, Neil snickering.

Max laughed slightly to himself, 'Whoever's group that is is going to suck so bad.'

But when YN stood up he realised that Preston was in his group, meaning that it was his group going first.

"Shit," He muttered, ignoring David telling him off. He grabbed his music sheet and ran after his group, stumbling backstage.

All the campers sat in the seats, Neil grinning to himself.

"Ok Max, are you ready?" Preston whispered loudly, fixing his weird hair. Max scoffed, trying to seem cocky. Preston frowned, but before he could say anything, Gwen yelled at them to hurry up.

They took their places on the stage, Preston standing next to Max and YN on the other side of the stage, looking over at Max. The lights turned off and a spotlight shined on her.

The small audience clapped until Gwen yelled at them to shut up, pulling out her camera.

Max wiped away sweat as the music began to play, everyone's attention on YN.

[play song]

"Say there's this person you pass in the hall every day," She sung, making Max's jaw drop. He'd never heard her sing before this moment, "You've known him since seventh grade. You're used to thinking about him in a certain way, from the persona that he displayed."

Max couldn't help but feel like she was singing about him as she turned to face him. Preston leaned over slightly and shut Max's jaw.

"Then something changes, and he changes," YN smiled and look back over to the audience, "From a guy that you'd never be into - into a guy that you'd kinda be into."

She sung the chorus in a beautiful voice, doing some actions to add to the mood.

"Is he worth it?" She walked over to Max and Preston whilst singing, "Max? Is he..."

Max cleared his throat, glancing down at his music sheet and reading out his lines shakily, "Is she talking about me?"

"Of course she is. I've been activating your pheromones," Preston put on a deep voice for 'The Squip' as it's called in the musical, "Keep it up."

"Say there's this person that you never knew that well," YN looked at the ground, grinning stupidly and crossing her arms.

"She is totally into you," Preston and some people who knew the song from the crowd sung.

"You thought that you had him pegged, but now you can tell," she uncrossed her arms and begun to do the actions again for the chorus, "He's gone from a-"

Preston and the audience begun to sing again, "Guy that you'd never be into, into a guy that you'd kinda be into,"

She continued the chorus until the audience faded out and she turned to Max once again,

"Is he worth it?" The spotlight shon on Max, "Max?"

"Absolutely!" He smiled, watching as the spotlight moved back over to YN.

"I don't always relate to other people my age, except when I'm on the stage," she gestured to the stage around them, Max taking a few steps towards her until he was but a meter away, "And there are so many changes that I'm going through, and why am I telling this to you?"

She turned to Max and tilted her head slightly, making him fiddle with his hands, accidentally dropping the sheet in the process.

"Guess there's a part of me that wants to," He didn't bother trying to pick up the paper again, instead he just stared into her eyes lovingly, "I guess a part of me wants, who knew? I guess a part of me likes to talk to you. I guess a part of me likes to, who knew?"

She took a few steps towards him, smiling through her words, "I guess a part of me likes to sit with you, I guess a part of me likes to, who knew?"

They were a step away from each other at this point, Max blushing profusely.

"I guess a part of me likes to hang with you," She leaned in slightly, glancing down at his lips for extra effect, "I guess a part of me—"

Her eyes widened as she quickly stepped back, look down at the edge of the stage, "Back to play rehearsal, I know that it's weird but it's totally true."

She sat down on the edge, hanging her legs off the side and putting her chin in her hands, looking out into the crowd.

"The guy that I'd kinda be into..." Max sat beside her, looking lovingly into her eyes as he sung what he remembered his lines to be.

"The guy that you'd kind of be into..." Everyone but YN gasped after hearing Max sing so well. She turned and smiled softly at him.

"Yeah," They leaned in slightly, Max blushing as they sung the next line in harmony.

"That guy that I'd kinda be into," Max's voice faded away as YN sung a solo for the last verse.

"Is..." She leaned back instantly, staring off into the crowd, "Jake."

The song ended and the crowd erupted into cheers. YN stood up, holding her hand out to Max as he timidly took it and stood up.

Preston jogged over from the sidelines clapping, bowing with Max as YN curtsied.

They received a standing ovation, and YN poked Max in the shoulder.

He looked over and blushed as she kissed him on the cheek. A stupid grin stretched across his face as Neil's jaw dropped.

And Gwen had it all on camera.

• • • •

Unedited

Final word count: 1 700