CHAPTER TWO: Unwanted Partnership
882 Words
Monday afternoon on campus was nothing like Monday morning. The air shifted from tense urgency to a restless buzz. Cafeterias hummed with chatter, basketball courts echoed with shouts, and lecture halls exhaled the leftover heat of packed classes. Somewhere in all that noise, the smallest exchanges planted the seeds for weeks of drama.
Maria didn’t think of herself as a part of that noise. She thought of herself as a constant—calm, efficient, deliberate. But right now, even she was off balance.
It started with the email.
Subject: Project Assignment – POL 302
She clicked it open while sipping hibiscus tea at her favorite library table.
> “Dear students, for your mid-semester project, you will be working in assigned pairs to prepare a policy proposal presentation. Partnerships are final. Due date: 6 weeks from today. – Dr. Brown.”
Her eyes slid to the attachment list.
Pair #7: Maria White – Rueben George
The tea nearly went down the wrong way.
Her first thought was that it had to be a mistake. Dr. Brown was meticulous—he didn’t make careless errors. But this pairing? This was like putting a match inside a petrol tank and expecting “teamwork.”
Asha reached for her phone and dialed Mary.
“Guess who my partner is?”
Mary didn’t even hesitate. “If you say Rueben, I’m buying myself lunch for predicting chaos.”
“It’s Rueben.”
Mary laughed so loudly Asha had to hold the phone away. “Girl, that’s the universe saying you need more fun in your life.”
“I don’t need fun. I need efficiency.”
“And maybe a little drama. Don’t lie, you like the challenge.”
Before Maria could respond, a shadow fell across her table.
Rueben.
He leaned against the edge, no permission asked, no greeting offered, holding a half-eaten meat pie in one hand.
“So,” he said, “it looks like we’re stuck together.”
Maria shut her laptop. “I don’t believe in being ‘stuck.’ I believe in finishing tasks as quickly and cleanly as possible.”
He grinned. “Good. I believe in making things interesting.”
“That’s not a strategy.”
“It is if you win.”
Maria sighed. “Meet me here tomorrow, 4 p.m. We’ll plan the work.”
Rueben took a slow bite. “See, that’s where you’ve got me wrong. I don’t do library meetings.”
“Then how do you expect to—”
“Coffee shop,” he interrupted. Off campus. Better vibes.”
Maria stared. “This is not about vibes.”
“It’s always about vibes.”
She stood. “Four o’clock. Here. Or we’re done before we start.”
He chuckled, already walking away. “You’re going to be fun, White.”
The next day, Maria arrived early. Not because she expected him on time—she just wanted control of the space. She spread out notes, outlined deadlines, and drafted a timeline with color-coded sections.
At exactly 4:12 p.m., Rueben strolled in, a chilled Coke in hand, wearing sunglasses indoors.
“You’re late.”
“You’re predictable.”
They sat.
Maria spoke first. “Our topic is urban youth unemployment policy. I’ve already broken it into research, data analysis, and presentation prep. If we each take—”
“I want a presentation,” he said.
“You don’t get to pick. We split everything equally.”
“I’m telling you now, I work better when I talk, not when I read.”
Maria tapped her pen. “Do you even know how to research policy?”
“I know how to get people to listen. That’s more important than your twenty slides.”
She closed her eyes for a second, silently counting to five.
“Fine,” she said. We’ll both do research. Then we both do presentations. But we do it my way—organized, consistent.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So, your way or nothing?”
“Yes.”
Rueben grinned like that was exactly the answer he’d wanted.
As they began, Maria noticed something she hadn’t expected—when Rueben actually focused, his ideas weren’t just good; they were creative in ways her structure didn’t allow. He suggested interviewing recent graduates working in motorcycle riding instead of office jobs. He knew slang and cultural angles that could make their policy pitch relatable.
But just when she started to respect it, he’d c***k a joke or drift off-topic.
“Stay with me,” she said for the fifth time.
“I am. I’m just imagining you smiling for once.”
“I smile.”
“Not at me, you don’t.”
She gave him a flat look. “Earn it.”
He leaned back, sipping his Coke. “Challenge accepted.”
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By the time they wrapped up, they had the skeleton of their project. Maria hated that it wasn’t as far along as she’d planned. Rueben loved that it wasn’t as stiff as it could’ve been.
As he left, he tossed a line over his shoulder.
“Careful, Miss White. Work with me long enough, you might start having fun.”
She muttered, “Unlikely.” But for reasons she didn’t want to admit, she wasn’t entirely sure.
- Writer
