a little bit of black with a little bit of pink

36 steps to heaven

There's a theory that you can fall in love with someone in 36 questions.

Jennie's psychology teacher puts the study to the test, by pairing her with none other than Lisa Manoban. The girl she hasn't been friends with for years.

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Jennie quite liked her psychology class. It wasn't an overwhelming favourite, she didn't get lost in the works of Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf alike as she did in English, but nor did her head drop to the desk in sheer boredom. She felt content, analysing the mind and the theories behind it all, her chin resting in her hand as her eyes glazed over the whiteboard.

"Everyone listen up."

Jennie opened her class notebook, writing a swirly title at the top of the page before settling further into her seat. Her teacher, Miss Hwang, was interrupted when the door swung open, revealing a very late, very flustered, Lisa Manoban.

Jennie barely contained the rolling of her eyes as the girl dropped into the seat next to her, the only empty one left. She ignored the rustling of Lisa's bag as did Miss Hwang, the latter carrying on with her announcement.

"A 1997 study by Arthur Aron has just been re-popularised and tested with the public. The experiment is to see if they can make two people fall in love in a matter of hours. You are given a set of 36 questions to ask your partner, the study's intent is to lead to a stronger connection. So, I will pair you up and I want you to take a stance on this. Build your hypothesis, are you aiming to debunk or prove this theory. I want an 800-word analysis on your findings."

Groans resonated throughout the classroom, but Jennie found herself remaining silent. It sounded intriguing, she'd already seen the study appear on her twitter timeline, but never did she think she'd be putting it into practise.

"Now, I don't expect you to fall in love with your classmates, but I am interested to see whether anything develops, platonic or otherwise. To make this easier, you will be paired with whoever you are sitting next to. You've got two weeks to complete it."

Jennie froze, her gaze flickering left towards Lisa. There was no one sat next to the other girl, situated against the wall, meaning...

"Guess you're stuck with me then."

A voice interrupted her internal ramblings and Jennie twisted in her seat to see a sardonic grin placed upon Lisa's face. She scoffed, not bothering with a response and watching Lisa shake her head.

There was a time, years ago, when Jennie would've been overjoyed to be paired with her. But they were different people now, too stubborn to get over their history. A pang of sadness hit Jennie as she thought about those times, as she remembered the bond between them. There were moments when she missed that friendship more than anything, but too much water had passed under the bridge, and Jennie didn't have the confidence nor the energy to build things back up.

The class passed as usual, with Jennie putting extra effort into not glancing at Lisa. She focused on her notes, scribbling frantically until the bell rang. Her initial plan was to pack everything away and leave without a second thought, but that all went out the window once Lisa stepped in front of her, casting a shadow over her desk. It forced her to look up, to catch her eye, and she observed as Lisa's stance shifted weight until she spoke.

"Right, I kinda want to get this over and done with. You free this evening?"

It took Jennie a moment to gather herself together, standing up so she was even height with Lisa. "Um, yeah... yeah I am."

Lisa nodded, unsure of how to proceed. Jennie noted the slight hesitation and took control.

"My parents are out this evening; you could come round to mine?" She suggested with a shrug of the shoulders.