Across the divide

Chapter 2: A Forced Partnership

Everything changed when their history teacher, Mrs. Caldwell, announced the upcoming class project—a research paper on any historical conflict of their choice. The catch? It had to be done in pairs, and partners were assigned which everyone didn’t like, they all groaned in anger when they heard they had to do a group project.

Liam and Mateo were paired together.

When their names were read aloud, the class erupted into whispered gossip, and both boys exchanged cold glares. They had never willingly worked together, and now they were being forced to collaborate on something that would determine a significant portion of their grade.

After class, they stood awkwardly at the door, both trying to hide their frustration. “Let’s just get this over with,” Liam muttered, crossing his arms.

“Trust me, I’m not thrilled about it either,” Mateo shot back, rolling his eyes. “But we’re stuck together, so we might as well figure this out.”

They agreed to meet after school at the library to start working on the project. Neither was looking forward to it, and both were determined to keep their distance, only engaging as much as was necessary to get a good grade.