UNWANTED PARTNERS
817 Words
Chapter 2 – Unwanted Partners
By Monday, Kaira hoped the basketball incident had been forgotten.
She kept her hoodie up all day and avoided eye contact with anyone remotely athletic. Her nose was still tender, though thankfully not broken. The swelling had gone down, and with a little concealer, it was almost like it never happened.
Almost.
Unfortunately, high school had a way of keeping memories alive far longer than necessary.
“Yo, Lennox!” someone shouted from the hallway. “Watch out for flying balls!”
She didn’t even flinch. Just kept walking, clutching her sketchbook to her chest like it could shield her from idiocy.
Selena, her best friend since middle school, jogged up beside her. “Ignore them. They’re morons.”
Kaira sighed. “I don’t even care. I just want this week to disappear.”
“Well, bad news,” Selena said, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “You’ve been drafted.”
Kaira blinked. “What?”
“For the mental health campaign. Remember? I signed us up.”
“You what?”
“I told you about it! Like... two weeks ago. Okay, maybe you had your headphones in. But it’s perfect. You’re artistic, I’m outgoing, we care about burnout—bam. Dream team.”
Kaira stopped walking. “I have a math quiz, an essay due Thursday, and a lingering fear of public speaking. Why would you do this to me?”
Selena grinned. “Because I love you. Also, the school is pulling some big names into it. Like student council people. Athletes. Even teachers are getting involved.”
Kaira didn’t like where this was going. “Wait. Big names?”
Selena nodded, excited. “And guess who’s in our group?”
Kaira didn’t want to guess.
“Zion Reynolds,” Selena said, biting her lip like she was delivering juicy gossip instead of devastating news.
Kaira groaned. Loudly. “No. No way. There are thirty-five hundred students in this school. Why him?”
Selena gave her a gentle shove. “Maybe the universe is giving you a chance to punch him back. With ideas.”
Ten minutes later, Kaira found herself sitting in the school library at a long table surrounded by unfamiliar faces. There were seven people total, including her and Zion, who, of course, strolled in late with a bag of chips and zero shame.
“Sorry,” he said, sliding into the seat directly across from Kaira. “Had to grab brain fuel.”
She looked at him, unamused. “You do realize this isn’t a joke, right?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like I’m laughing?”
“Yes.”
The teacher supervisor, Ms. Halpern, cleared her throat before they could continue. “Let’s try to keep this productive, everyone. We’ve been given a green light to create a student-led campaign about stress, burnout, and healthy coping. Think posters, a short video, maybe even a speech at the winter assembly. It’s a real opportunity.”
As ideas were tossed around, Kaira tried to focus. She jotted down notes, mostly to avoid looking at Zion, who kept leaning back in his chair and throwing out suggestions like, “Let’s make it funny,” and “What if we used memes?”
Kaira finally set down her pen. “This isn’t about going viral. It’s about being real. People are actually struggling.”
Zion held up his hands. “Whoa. I’m not saying we turn it into a joke. Just... people our age don’t like being lectured. Humor can help.”
Kaira opened her mouth to argue, but Selena cut in, ever the peacemaker. “Maybe there’s a way to balance it? Real facts, serious tone, but with parts that are relatable.”
Zion nodded. “Exactly.”
Kaira narrowed her eyes but didn’t say more.
By the end of the meeting, they’d agreed on a rough concept: a three-minute video highlighting common student stressors, with a mix of interviews, narration, and visuals. There’d be a presentation during lunch hour the following week and a social media page to keep things going.
It was ambitious. And apparently, Kaira and Zion had been paired to work on the storyboard and script.
Kaira walked out of the library in a daze. “This is a nightmare.”
Selena looped an arm through hers. “Or a blessing in disguise.”
“You realize this means I have to spend actual time with him.”
“Maybe he’ll surprise you.”
Kaira doubted that. But as she walked toward her next class, she realized she didn’t actually hate Zion as much as she had last week. He still annoyed her. He still smiled too much and acted like nothing was ever serious. But there was something—just a flicker—that made her curious.
Not that she’d ever admit it.
And definitely not to him.
- Writer
