Project Trouble
935 Words
The next day started out quiet.
Too quiet.
Ava walked into school hoping maybe people had gotten bored. Maybe they'd found something else to talk about.
No such luck.
By the time she reached her locker, someone had already whispered, “There she is,” like she was a ghost come to life. A few kids laughed. Others just stared. Even when she kept her eyes on the floor, she could feel the heat of their looks.
She sighed and slammed her locker shut.
“Okay, what did lockers ever do to you?” Zara’s voice came from behind.
Ava gave her a tired look. “They don’t talk. That’s what I like about them.”
Zara leaned against the lockers, chewing her gum. “Everyone’s still talking about you and Ethan.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “There is no ‘me and Ethan.’ There never was.”
“Sure,” Zara smirked. “But he did look at you like you surprised him. You sure he doesn’t like you a little bit?”
Ava ignored her and started walking to class.
But as soon as she stepped into English, her stomach dropped.
There, on the whiteboard, was a list of paired names for the upcoming literature project.
Each name was written clearly in black marker.
Her eyes scanned the list quickly—then froze.
Ava Morales – Ethan Thompson
She stared at it like it would suddenly change.
But it didn’t.
Zara gasped behind her. “Oooooh no way. This is fate.”
“More like a sick joke,” Ava muttered, her face burning.
She could feel eyes on her again. And worse—she could feel his eyes.
She turned her head slowly.
Ethan was sitting at the back of the class, his arms crossed, expression unreadable.
He met her gaze.
Then shrugged.
Like it didn’t matter at all.
After class, Ava waited until most of the students had left. Then she marched up to the teacher’s desk.
“Mr. Carter,” she said quickly, “Is there any way I can change partners?”
Mr. Carter looked up from his laptop. “Nope. Random draw. No switching.”
“But—”
“You’re both smart. You’ll be fine,” he said, already turning back to his screen.
Ava clenched her fists.
Fine?
This was not fine.
Later that day, she found Ethan by the lockers. She didn’t want to talk to him, but if they were going to be stuck working together, she needed to say something.
He saw her coming and smirked before she even spoke. “Here to plan our romantic reading sessions?”
Ava rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. “Here to tell you to stay out of my way.”
“Too late,” he said, grabbing a notebook from his locker. “Looks like fate wants us to be besties.”
“Can you be serious for one second?”
Ethan shut his locker and leaned against it. “Okay. What do you want?”
“We’ll do the project. But let’s keep it simple. We split the work. We don’t have to talk.”
“That sounds boring.”
“It’s not supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be finished.”
Ethan studied her for a second. “You always this uptight?”
Ava frowned. “You always this annoying?”
A silence fell between them.
And for just a moment, something shifted.
Ava thought he might say something honest. Real.
But instead, he gave a lazy grin. “Fine. I’ll text you tonight. What’s your number?”
“I’m not giving you my number.”
“Then how are we gonna plan this?” he asked with a smirk.
Ava hesitated.
He had a point.
With a loud sigh, she scribbled it on a paper and shoved it into his hand. “Don’t use it unless it’s about the project.”
“No promises,” he said.
That night, he actually texted.
Ethan: Hey. What book are we doing for the project?
Ava: You pick. I’m tired.
Ethan: Let’s do “Of Mice and Men.” Lots of people die. Seems your vibe.
Ava: You’re not funny.
Ethan: I was being serious.
She stared at her screen for a moment, then let out a small laugh—just one.
She hated that he made her laugh.
The next day, they met in the library after school to start the project. Ethan was already there when she arrived, leaned back in the chair, looking like he owned the place.
She sat across from him, pulled out her notes, and kept her head down.
“We’ll split the work evenly,” she said. “Half and half.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
For the first ten minutes, they worked in silence. The library was quiet except for the sound of pages turning and pencils scratching.
Then Ethan spoke.
“So... why do you hate me?”
Ava looked up, startled. “What?”
“You clearly hate me,” he said. “Figured I’d ask why.”
“I don’t hate you,” she said slowly. “I just don’t like people who act like the world belongs to them.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “I don’t like people who assume I do.”
Their eyes met again.
This time, it wasn’t awkward.
It was real.
Like maybe, under all the sarcasm, they both understood something deeper.
Ava looked away first. Her heart was beating faster than it should.
Why?
She didn’t like him.
Not really.
Right?
- Writer
