Chapter Text
Rey Nieman shifted her textbooks to her other hip, phone precariously wedged between her shoulder and cheek as she navigated the crowded hallway of Alderaan High.
"I'm just saying," she huffed into the receiver, "I'm sixteen years old and I haven't had a single boyfriend yet. Not one!"
Her best friend Rose's voice crackled through with barely suppressed laughter. "Well, that's because you always reject every single guy who bothers asking you out. Everyone's too scared of you now."
Rey rolled her eyes so hard she nearly dropped her phone. "That's ridiculous. I'm not scary, I'm just selective. I'm weeding out the losers so that only the best one will be able left for me. Is that so wrong?"
She was so engrossed in her conversation that she didn't notice the tall figure rounding the corner until—
Thud.
Her shoulder collided with someone's chest, and her phone went clattering to the linoleum floor.
"Oh, for the love of—" Rey crouched down, reaching for it, but a larger hand got there first. Long fingers wrapped around her sparkly phone case and lifted it from the ground.
Rey straightened up and found herself looking at a boy she recognized immediately. Ben Solo. They had AP Calculus together—well, she sat in AP Calculus while Ben basically tutored half the class during study sessions. Complete math genius. Complete nerd, really.
And he looked the part too. All awkward angles and dorky features, with short dark hair that made his ears stick out just a bit too much. He was holding her phone out to her with a formal politeness.
"Here you go, miss," he said, his voice deeper than she remembered.
Rey snatched it from his hands without ceremony. "Yeah, thanks. Bye."
She pressed the phone back to her ear, already turning away. "Rose? You still there? Anyway, like I was saying, I just want someone who isn't a wimp ya know?. He can just come and claim me or something" She sighed dramatically, "Even if he's not perfect, at least I could practice, you know? See what it's like to actually have a boyfriend for once..."
Her voice faded as she continued down the hallway, gesturing animatedly with her free hand.
Ben Solo stood frozen in the middle of the corridor, watching her go. Students flowed around him like water around a stone.
He knew of her, obviously. Rey Nieman. Kind of hard not to notice someone that... well, that pretty. The way her hair flows down her shoulder, the way she moved with this unconscious confidence, like she owned every room she walked into.
She was also kind of a brat, if he was being honest. Nasty attitude at times. But then again, most of the popular girls seemed to be like that. It was practically a requirement.
Still.
She was just... really pretty.
And he was just a boy, after all.
Ben adjusted his backpack on his shoulder, his analytical mind already working through the problem like one of his equations. He'd observed her enough in class, the way she chewed on her pen when she was stuck on a problem, the way she always sat in the third row, exactly four seats from the left.
Variables: Rey wanted a boyfriend. She was "selective." She thought everyone was too scared to ask her out.
Constant: Ben Solo had never been particularly good at taking the safe route.
Maybe... maybe he should try asking her out.
His lips quirked into the smallest smile as he headed to his next class, already calculating his approach.
After all, every complex equation had a solution.
You just had to be brave enough to solve for x.
The next day, Rey sat in the cafeteria with her best friends, the twins Rose and Paige Tico, munching on her salad and complaining about their English teacher's impossible essay requirements.
"I'm telling you, three thousand words on symbolism in Wuthering Heights is actual torture—" Rey was saying when a shadow suddenly fell across their table.
All three girls looked up mid-chew, their conversation dying instantly.
Ben Solo stood there, backpack slung over one shoulder, looking directly at Rey with an intensity that made her stop chewing entirely.
What does this nerd want? she thought, eyebrows furrowing.
Without a word, Ben extended his hand. In it was a small plastic container with what looked like a homemade chocolate chip cookie inside.
Rey stared at it suspiciously before slowly taking it from his hand, turning it over like it might explode. The twins leaned in, equally confused.
Rey blinked up at him. "Uhh... what's this for?"
Ben's expression didn't change. His voice was completely matter-of-fact. "It's for my girlfriend."
The girls all looked at each other, then back at him. "Huh?"
"Rey Nieman," Ben stated, as casually as if he were citing a math theorem, "let's start dating. I want you to be my girlfriend."
There was a long, heavy pause.
Then
"WHAT?!"
Rose and Paige exploded into hysterical laughter, practically falling off their seats. Rose clutched her stomach, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh my GOD, Rey—you got your wish!"
"You have a boyfriend now!" Paige wheezed, slapping the table.
Rey's face flushed red as she whipped around to scowl at them both. Then she shot to her feet, shoving the cookie container back against Ben's chest. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"
Ben caught the container without flinching, completely unbothered by her reaction. He stared at her with the same calm expression. "As I said, we should start dating now. And I will be your boyfriend."
Rey blinked at him once. Twice. Three times—like she was clearly mishearing things, like reality had glitched.
But Ben didn't budge. He just stood there, meeting her gaze steadily.
Then he nudged the cookie container back against her chest. "Let's meet up after school's over. We can go get ice cream together."
Rey snatched the container and slammed it down on the table. "I'm not getting ice cream with you! You can't just—"
"What flavors do you like, by the way?"
"—come waltzing in here and say— I like vanilla— wait, NO!"
Ben nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. I like butterscotch, but vanilla is also an acceptable flavor. It's safe and easy to like."
"That doesn't matter!" Rey's voice pitched higher. "Who do you think you are to just decide like that?!"
Ben blinked once, then said with perfect sincerity, "I'm your boyfriend. And I will see you later after school." He paused, then added, "Have a wonderful day."
And just like that, he gave her a small wave, turned to the twins—who had finally calmed down from their laughing fit—and told them politely, "You both have a good day too."
Then he walked away.
Rey stood frozen, watching his retreating back like she'd just witnessed something entirely impossible. Her mouth hung open slightly. Her brain had fully short-circuited.
Behind her, the twins recovered enough to start singing in unison: "Ooooooh, Rey's got a booooyfriend!"
Rey spun around, face burning. "Shut UP! I do NOT—he's not my—that was NOT—"
But Rose and Paige just grinned at each other, already pulling out their phones.
Rey grabbed the cookie container off the table and stared at it.
What the hell just happened?
After school, Rey spotted Ben standing off to the side of the main entrance, clearly waiting for someone.
Waiting for her.
She said goodbye to the twins, who immediately started making kissing noises and calling out, "Have fun with your boyfriend!"
Rey whipped around, hissing, "He's not my boyfriend!"
Their laughter followed her as she speed-walked across the courtyard, building up a head of steam. When she reached Ben, she smacked his chest with the flat of her palm.
"What's your deal?!"
Ben looked down at this short fury of a girl currently glaring daggers at him, then shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I heard you said you wanted a boyfriend. So why won't we just date?"
Rey's mouth fell open. She stood there gaping at him for a solid three seconds before taking a deep breath. "That's NOT a good enough reason! Do you even like me?" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up.
Ben paused. His hand came up to scratch his chin thoughtfully, like he was working through a particularly tricky calculus problem.
Rey rolled her eyes. Oh, so NOW he wants to think properly about it.
Then Ben shrugged again. "Well, I don't dislike you."
"What the hell?" Rey's voice cracked. "Don't screw with me!!"
Ben stared at her blankly. "Why not?"
Rey rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache forming. She looked at him, really looked at him—this tall, dorky math genius who apparently thought relationships worked like logical proofs.
"I barely know you," she said firmly, "and I've never looked at you or seen you as a guy I'm interested in going into a relationship with, okay? So, sorry, but this isn't happening." She huffed, crossing her arms definitively.
Ben stared at her for a few hot seconds. The afternoon sun caught his profile, making his dark eyes look almost black.
Then he took two steps closer.
Rey watched as he approached, her head tilting upward to maintain eye contact. He was taller than she'd realized—a lot taller. He stared down at her, and suddenly the air between them felt different. Charged.
"What is it you dislike about me then? hmmm?" His voice was quieter now, but somehow more intense. "Think you're better than everyone?"
Rey gulped. She didn't know how he'd gotten so intense all of a sudden—this was supposed to be dorky Ben Solo, the guy who forgot to raise his hand before answering questions in math class.
She took three steps back, needing distance. "Hey, look, I—I wasn't going to say no to every one. I was just... waiting for the right one, you know?"
Ben tilted his head to the side, "Well, you have one right now. So we can just go out then."
Rey's face flushed red. "You can't just decide that!" She crossed her arms tighter. "FINE! Maybe I will finally start looking for someone and ask them out myself!"
She stormed off, her ponytail swinging violently behind her.
Ben stood there, hands in his pockets, watching her go. When she was about ten feet away, he called out, "So, raincheck on the ice cream then?"
She growled—actually growled—and kept walking, refusing to look back.
How dare he decide that on his own, Rey fumed internally, her sneakers slapping against the pavement. Just you wait, Solo. I'll go find someone. I'll show him.
Behind her, Ben allowed himself the smallest smile.
Sassy little girl.