Chapter 26: After School
772 Words
By the third week of the project, something strange had happened.
Ava and Ethan had stopped trying to kill each other.
Not completely.
Just a little.
The arguments were still there.
The sarcasm was still there.
The competition was definitely still there.
But somehow, working together had become... easier.
Neither wanted to admit it.
Of course.
That would be embarrassing.
---
Tuesday afternoon arrived with a mountain of work.
Their presentation outline was due soon, and despite all their progress, there was still a lot left to do.
Which was why, while most students rushed out of school when the final bell rang, Ava and Ethan headed for the library.
Again.
"Tell me something."
Ava dropped her bag onto a chair.
"No."
"I haven't even asked yet."
"The answer is still no."
Ethan sighed.
"This is why people find you difficult."
Ava sat down.
"This coming from you is hilarious."
The next two hours disappeared surprisingly fast.
Research notes became outlines.
Outlines became drafts.
Drafts became arguments.
Then became drafts again.
Outside, the sun slowly began to disappear.
Inside, the school gradually emptied.
Students left.
Teachers went home.
Voices faded.
Doors closed.
Until eventually, Kingsley Academy became unusually quiet.
Ava looked up from her notebook.
The silence felt strange.
Almost peaceful.
Most days, Kingsley was filled with noise.
Today it felt completely different.
Only the occasional sound of pages turning broke the silence.
And Ethan.
Unfortunately.
---
"Your handwriting is terrible."
Ava looked up.
"My what?"
"Your handwriting."
She frowned.
"There's nothing wrong with it."
Ethan turned the notebook toward her.
The page looked like a battlefield.
Words leaned in different directions.
Letters crashed into each other.
Even Ava had trouble reading some of it.
Still.
She wasn't about to admit that.
"It's perfectly fine."
"It looks like you were running from a bear while writing."
Ava stared.
Then rolled her eyes.
"That's the dumbest thing you've ever said."
"No."
"It is."
"No."
"You compare my handwriting to wildlife attacks and somehow think you're funny."
Ethan looked thoughtful.
"I am funny."
"You really aren't."
A few seconds passed.
Then Ethan pointed at another page.
"This word."
"What about it?"
"What does it say?"
Ava looked down.
Paused.
Looked closer.
Paused again.
Then—
"I have no idea."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
For one second, silence filled the room.
Then Ethan laughed.
A real laugh.
Not the annoying one.
Not the smug one.
A genuine laugh.
And before Ava could stop herself...
She laughed too.
The sound surprised both of them.
Immediately.
Ava froze.
Ethan froze.
The laughter died almost instantly.
The silence that followed felt ten times louder.
Ava looked down at her notebook.
Very interested in her notebook.
Extremely interested.
More interested than any human being had ever been in a notebook.
Across the table, Ethan suddenly became fascinated by his laptop.
Neither acknowledged what had happened.
Because acknowledging it would mean discussing it.
And discussing it would make it real.
Absolutely not.
---
"So..."
Ethan cleared his throat.
"So."
More silence.
Ava wanted to disappear.
How had she laughed?
At Ethan?
Voluntarily?
The thought was horrifying.
They returned to work.
Or at least pretended to.
Concentration was suddenly much harder.
Every few minutes, one of them would remember the moment and immediately look away.
It was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Yet somehow impossible to ignore.
Outside, darkness settled over the school grounds.
The library lights reflected softly against the windows.
For the first time since they'd started the project, neither seemed eager to leave.
Not because they wanted to stay together.
Obviously.
That would be absurd.
They simply had work to finish.
That was all.
Eventually, Ava packed her things.
"We should go."
Ethan nodded.
"Yeah."
Neither moved right away.
The moment stretched.
Quiet.
Comfortable.
Strange.
Ava stood first.
Then Ethan.
They gathered their bags and headed toward the exit.
The hallways were empty now.
No students.
No teachers.
Just the distant hum of lights and the sound of their footsteps.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Then they reached the main entrance.
---
"See you tomorrow."
The words left Ethan's mouth before he could stop them.
Ava blinked.
It was such a normal thing to say.
Yet somehow it felt different.
"Yeah."
A small smile threatened to appear.
She immediately suppressed it.
"See you tomorrow."
They headed in opposite directions.
Neither looked back.
Neither mentioned the laughter.
Neither mentioned how natural the conversation had felt.
Neither mentioned that, for a brief moment, the rivalry had disappeared completely.
But the memory followed them home anyway.
Lingering quietly in the back of their minds.
Refusing to be forgotten.
- Writer
