Number one and only. [Nicholas &team]

Chapter 16 - The Assignment

Monday’s first period had the sleepy haze of a day that hadn’t yet woken up. The smell of chalk dust lingered in the air, sunlight streaming in thin, slanted beams through the high windows of the classroom.
Miss Lia stepped in, her heels clicking against the floor. She set her files on the desk and scanned the room with a faint smile. “Alright, everyone. For the next two weeks, you’ll be working on a paired project for the history unit. Your partner will be assigned at random, so don’t bother asking for changes.”
A soft ripple of chatter moved through the class — groans, quiet laughs, and whispered hopes of good partners.
Nicholas sat near the back, pen in hand, expression unreadable. Ava leaned lazily against her desk in the middle row, spinning her pen between her fingers while Christine whispered something beside her.
Miss Lia began calling names. The pairs took shape — students murmuring to each other, some thrilled, some groaning. Then—
“Ava Thompson and… Nicholas.”
Ava’s head turned almost instantly, eyes locking with his from across the room.
Nicholas’s pen paused mid-note.
Christine smirked beside Ava. “Well, isn’t that convenient?”
Ava ignored her, gathering her notebook and walking toward the back. She dropped into the seat beside Nicholas, resting her elbow on his desk. “Looks like we’re stuck together.”
Nicholas glanced up, his expression calm, almost bored. “We’ll just divide the work.”
“No ‘hi, nice to be partners with you’?” she teased.
“Hi. Nice to be partners with you.” His tone was flat, but there was the faintest tug of amusement at the corner of his mouth.

When class ended, Ava lingered near her desk, flipping through her notes. Maki appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame, hands in the pockets of his sports jacket. His gaze swept the room before settling on her.
“Ava. Can we talk?”
She followed him a few steps into the hall. The noise from other classrooms was muffled here.
“What’s with you and Nicholas?” Maki asked, his voice low but laced with something sharper — curiosity, maybe, or something heavier.
Ava tilted her head. “We’re partners for a project.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
She crossed her arms. “Then what are you asking?”
Maki hesitated, as if weighing his words. “You’ve been… spending time with him. At the party. After school. People are talking.”
“So let them talk.”
“Ava—”
She cut him off, her voice calm but firm. “Maki, Nicholas is my friend. That’s all.”
For a moment, neither said anything. Then she gave him a small, almost dismissive smile. “I’ll see you at practice,” she said, and walked away — leaving him leaning against the wall, watching her go.

Later that afternoon, Ava and Nicholas ended up at their usual table in the library, the history books stacked between them. The quiet here was a world away from the buzzing hallways.
“Do you always make your partners work in silence?” she asked, flipping through a page.
“Do you always talk this much when you’re supposed to be working?” he replied without looking up.
She smiled faintly. “Guess we’ll find out in the next two weeks.”
Somewhere behind them, the clock ticked softly, marking the start of something neither of them was ready to name.