Answer:
Victor pretends to study because he thinks it will hide him from the stares of other students.
Step-by-step explanation:
The given question refers to a short story Seventh Grade written by Gary Soto. It tells about a boy named Victor trying to impress the girl he likes, Teresa. During lunchtime, he realizes she isn't near and thinks she might be outside. He goes there, and while trying to spot her, pretends that he is studying math. He is simply staring at the book while looking around from time to time, attempting to find her. The paragraph that shows us this is the following:
He lowered his eyes, pretending to study, then looked slowly to the left. No Teresa. He turned a page in the book and stared at some math problems that scared him because he knew he would have to do them eventually. He looked at the right. Still no sign of her. He stretched out lazily in an attempt to disguise his snooping.
Based on this, we can conclude that he is pretending to study because he thinks it will hide him from the stares of other students.