PROJECT HEART

--- The last bell rings, and half the class bolts for the door. Ariana Brooks leans back in her seat, flipping her hair over one shoulder as Mr. Keller clears his throat. “Before you all leave,” he says, “I’m assigning partners for the science fair. Remember, this counts for a quarter of your grade.” A collective groan ripples through the room. Ariana shoots her best friend, Mia, a grin. “Bet we’ll crush it again,” she whispers. Mr. Keller starts reading names. “Liam and Zoe… Mia and Jordan…” Ariana’s smile fades as her name doesn’t come up. Then— “Ariana Brooks… and Eli Turner.” She blinks. “Wait—what?” Eli looks up from his notebook. He’s sitting in the back row, glasses slipping down his nose, surrounded by neat stacks of notes. He doesn’t even look surprised. Just… calm. Mr. Keller continues calling pairs as Ariana stares at him. “No offense,” she mutters to Mia, “but the guy spends lunch with a calculator.” Eli’s head tilts slightly. “You know calculators don’t eat, right?” he says quietly. Her cheeks heat up. “I wasn’t talking to you.” He shrugs. “You were talking about me. Same difference.” A few students snicker. Ariana huffs, gathering her bag. “Whatever. Just text me or something about the project.” “I don’t have your number,” Eli says, looking almost amused. She rolls her eyes. “Obviously. Here.” She scribbles it on a sticky note and tosses it onto his desk. It lands halfway on his open notebook. He stares at it for a second, then looks up. “You could’ve just waited until after class.” “Then it wouldn’t have been dramatic,” she says, smirking. Mr. Keller calls out, “You two good?” Eli: “Yes, sir.” Ariana: “I guess.” The teacher smiles like he knows it’s going to be entertaining. “Good. I expect great things from Project Brooks-Turner.” Ariana sighs. “This is going to be… interesting.” Eli adjusts his glasses, his mouth curving just slightly. “Interesting,” he repeats, “is one word for it.”