The universe had terrible timing. Just when Aiden thought things were finally getting better with his mom, school decided to create a brand-new problem. Monday morning started normally enough. Aiden arrived half asleep, carrying a coffee he definitely wasn't supposed to have. Mia was already waiting near their lockers. The moment she saw him, she smiled. Aiden smiled back automatically. Unfortunately, Noah witnessed the entire thing. And Noah, being Noah, immediately decided to make it everyone's problem.
"Disgusting."
"Good morning to you too."
"You smiled."
Aiden frowned.
"So?"
"You only smile like that around her."
Mia laughed.
Noah pointed dramatically.
"See? Disgusting."
Before Aiden could respond, Sophie appeared beside them.
"What's disgusting?"
"Them."
Sophie looked at Aiden and Mia.
Then nodded.
"Fair."
"THANK YOU."
Aiden groaned.
The first bell rang before Noah could continue his attack, and everyone headed to class. For a while, things seemed normal. Then third period arrived. Their teacher walked into the classroom carrying a stack of papers and the kind of smile teachers only wore when they were about to ruin someone's day. The moment everyone saw it, a collective feeling of dread settled over the room. Nobody liked that smile. Nobody trusted that smile. They were right not to.
"Good morning, class."
Nobody answered enthusiastically.
The teacher ignored that.
"As many of you know, your final semester project is approaching."
Several students immediately complained.
The teacher continued.
"This project will count for thirty percent of your final grade."
More complaining followed.
Then came the real disaster.
"You'll be completing the project in pairs."
The classroom instantly filled with whispers. Aiden glanced toward Mia. Mia glanced toward Aiden. Neither said anything, but both had exactly the same thought. Please let us be partners. Please. Just this once. The teacher began reading names. One pair after another. Students relaxed. Others panicked. Then suddenly
"Aiden Scott and Emily Parker."
Aiden blinked. Absolutely not. Across the room, Mia looked equally shocked. Then
"Mia Anderson and Ethan Walker."
The silence somehow became worse. Aiden slowly turned toward Mia. Mia slowly turned toward Aiden. Neither looked happy. Not even a little. The teacher continued assigning partners, completely unaware that two students were currently experiencing a personal tragedy.
Lunch was a disaster. The moment everyone gathered around their usual table, the tension was obvious. Aiden looked annoyed. Mia looked annoyed. Noah looked delighted.
"This is hilarious."
"It is not."
"It absolutely is."
"Noah."
"I'm serious."
Aiden dropped his head onto the table. Meanwhile, Mia stared at her lunch. Sophie looked between them.
"You know it's just a project, right?"
Neither answered. Because technically, she was right. But emotionally? She was very wrong.
Before anyone could continue, Ava somehow appeared beside the table. Nobody knew where she came from. Nobody ever knew. She simply existed whenever chaos was nearby.
"You're both jealous."
Aiden immediately sat up.
"I'm not jealous."
Mia crossed her arms.
"Neither am I."
Ava pointed at both of them.
"Lying."
Noah nearly choked from laughing.
The next few days only made things worse. Emily was perfectly nice. Ethan was perfectly respectful. Neither of them did anything wrong. Which somehow made the situation more annoying. Every time Aiden saw Mia working with Ethan, he felt irritated for reasons he couldn't explain. Every time Mia saw Emily laughing at one of Aiden's jokes, she felt exactly the same way. Neither wanted to admit it. Neither had any reason to be upset. Yet somehow, they both were.
By Friday afternoon, the frustration had reached dangerous levels. Aiden was heading toward the library when he spotted Mia sitting at a table with Ethan. The two were laughing about something on a laptop screen. It was harmless. Completely harmless. Aiden knew that. Unfortunately, knowing it didn't help. At the exact same moment, Mia happened to look up and spot Emily walking beside Aiden while discussing their project. The look on her face changed instantly. Not dramatically. Just enough for Aiden to notice.
That evening, they met outside the school gates as usual. For once, neither seemed eager to start a conversation. The silence felt strange. Not awkward. Just... different.
Finally, Aiden spoke.
"How's the project?"
Mia shrugged.
"Fine."
"Mine too."
Silence returned. Longer this time. Then Mia casually spoke.
"Emily seems nice."
Aiden blinked.
"What?"
Mia looked away.
"Nothing."
Aiden immediately understood. Unfortunately.
"Ethan seems nice."
Now it was Mia's turn to blink.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Both stared at each other.
Neither looked impressed.
The worst part was that they both knew exactly what was happening. Neither wanted to admit it. Neither wanted to be the jealous one. Yet somehow, they were both failing miserably.
"You know I'm not interested in Emily."
Aiden finally said. Mia folded her arms.
"I didn't say you were."
"You implied it."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Mia looked offended. Aiden looked offended. Neither had any right to be offended. Which made it even worse.
For several seconds, they simply stared at each other. Then, completely against their will, both started laughing.
Because honestly? The situation was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. And yet somehow, it still bothered them. A lot. Unfortunately, judging by the way this conversation was going, the group project disaster was far from over.