Bella sank into her desk in Chemistry, praying for a lab partner who wasn’t Adrian. Anyone but Adrian. Please, universe. I’ll do my homework early for once.
Ms. Tran stood at the front, beaming with the kind of enthusiasm that only teachers and golden retrievers possess. “This semester, we’re doing partner-based lab work. I’ve already assigned the pairs.”
Bella straightened, heart racing. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t—
“Bella Thompson and Adrian Reyes.”
Bella’s head hit the desk with a loud thunk.
Adrian, seated two rows over, glanced at her and raised an eyebrow like it was her fault the stars kept aligning to punish her.
As they moved to sit together at the same lab table, Bella muttered, “Did you bribe Ms. Tran? Is this some kind of twisted revenge plot?”
“Right, because I have time to orchestrate complex seating arrangements,” Adrian replied coolly, setting down his color-coded binder.
Bella glanced at it. “Oh no. You’re still doing the tab system?”
He smirked. “Some of us like organization.”
She pulled out a crumpled folder with gum stuck to the corner. “Some of us like living.”
Ms. Tran handed them a worksheet titled “Bonding: Understanding Chemical Reactions.”
Bella snorted. “Wow. Ironic.”
Adrian grinned. “Fitting.”
They started working, begrudgingly. Bella tried to do the experiment her way, which mostly involved improvisation and instinct. Adrian, of course, insisted on following the procedure to the letter.
“You skipped Step 4,” he pointed out.
“Step 4 is boring,” she muttered, lighting the Bunsen burner with reckless flair.
“Step 4 prevents minor explosions.”
Just as he said it, a small pop! sounded from their beaker, sending a puff of pink smoke into the air.
Bella froze. “That was... probably aesthetic.”
Adrian waved the smoke away, trying not to laugh. “You’re lucky Ms. Tran is at the other end of the room.”
They exchanged a glance. Something electric passed between them—not from the experiment, but something unspoken.
Bella shook it off and grabbed the worksheet. “Let’s just finish this so I can survive the semester.”
Adrian leaned a little closer. “You’ll survive. You just might enjoy it more than you think.”
Bella rolled her eyes, but her cheeks betrayed her with the faintest blush.
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