Operation: Get Him a Girlfriend

I glanced at the empty seat across from me. "Of course, sit." Inside, I gave Alicia a mental thumbs-up.No wonder she'd sworn she was going after William—girl staged that "accidental run-in" like a pro.***Alicia tried hard to keep the convo alive, but William barely said a word. Only perked up when she brought up schoolwork. Eventually, she bailed, tray still half-full.Figured lunch must've sat heavy in her stomach.As I watched her leave, a hand clamped on my head and spun me around.I plastered on a sheepish grin.William. Arms crossed. Face saying, 'start talking.'"I just... noticed the campus queen had a thing for you, so I figured I'd play wingman. What if it worked out?"He gave me a weird look. "Well, that was a waste of time."I gawked. "Seriously? Alicia's gorgeous and you're not even interested? Either you've got no taste, or your standards are nuts."He actually thought about it. "Sweet, gentle types aren't my thing. And I don't like people who waste food."I

I panicked, shoving him back."Okay, okay, I get it. We're both dudes—personal space, man!"And then I bolted.***Two failed tries later, I finally cracked William's type.This time, I dragged someone over to meet him.The second I made the intro, his gaze locked on her face—her eyes, actually. They looked way too much like mine. His jaw tightened, vein twitching.Uh oh.I was about to bail when he muttered a quick "Sorry" to her and yanked me into a corner.I opened my mouth, ready to swear I'd stop meddling—But he beat me to it."Isaac, do you like me?"My whole system short-circuited. Words? Gone. I just stared, frozen, wide-eyed.We were crammed into this corner, barely space between us. His scent hit me—minty, light, too much up close.My face burned. My breath caught hot and heavy, crawling through me."You're always chasing me down," he said. "Dragging me into games, sneaking me out, digging around about my type, sizing up anyone who likes me, even stalking me..

I hadn't even stepped inside when I spotted him—locked in, tinkering with some weird gadget while talking.But what made me freeze? The girl next to him.She was in a sweatshirt that matched his, eyes wide like she was hanging on every word.And yeah, I wasn't imagining it—the way she looked at him? Total heart-eyes. Girl was down bad.Steve caught me staring and leaned in. "That's Christy Neard. Big deal on the team—crazy good with numbers, never screws up the data."Then, lower: "Rumor is she fell for William after his opening ceremony speech. Some say she joined the team just to orbit him."Not far away—William and Christy, deep in conversation. Talented guy, gorgeous girl. They looked... right.And just like that, my mood tanked. Sour as hell."I just remembered something. I'm gonna head out," I muttered, already turning before Steve could ask.***I'd gone too far. Even I almost believed this relationship was real.Time to cut it off before I completely lost myself.I

"I warned you. You two were never gonna last. Two guys together? What a joke. In the end, this is YOUR OWN FAULT."'Your own fault.'The words froze me.***Even if I ran after William now and spilled everything—would he even listen?And if he did... my original motive was still trash. Would he really forgive me?I didn't dare hope.After that day, things between us tanked.Even Jace and Steve could feel it in the dorm.One afternoon, Jace pulled me aside. Asked what was up with William.That one question cracked me wide open. I told him everything—how it started, how it blew up.He just said, "Isaac, maybe he's been waiting for you to find him."Then he mentioned William would be at the student council office tomorrow.So the next day, I showed up. Knocked.Inside, a couple council members looked up. William was there too."Can we help you with something?" one of them asked.I took a breath. "I need to talk to William. Just us."Awkward glances. Then William said, "Yo