Young Royals: What...now?

Chemistry.

Simon

The class groaned when the chemistry teacher announced their next lab assignment.

"All right, class. As you know, all last week we studied diverse reactions of solvents among reagents. Throughout the next week, this will be your task: classify these three reagents and discover their properties, including how they react to the nine chemicals on the board."

He continued, "This will be a task requiring productive struggle. I have made a point to choose chemicals that are not commonly studied, meaning you will not be able to find the answers online. So don't try. And even if you do somehow find it, your lab reports will make it very clear whether you found the answer or you observed the process. This is my only and final warning."

Simon looked at Wilhelm. "Well, fuck. Do you have any idea what a reagent is?"

Wilhelm looked at him with a blank expression.

"Well, this will be fun. I'm telling you I listened, but it's like I'm taking Advanced Chemistry with the stuff he expects everyone to already know. It's impossible!"

They looked over at Johan and Sofia whose noses were pressed to their textbooks as they flipped pages rabidly.

Wilhelm commented, "If it helps, it looks like Sofia and Johan are just as lost."

Simon grinned. "Actually, it kind of does."

As Simon surveyed the room, it was clear that no one was going to be testing anything today. Each group was scrambling to find their notes and figure out what they were supposed to be doing.

He inhaled deeply, shaking his head. "Ok, let's crack the books and figure out something, sound good?"

"On it," replied Wilhelm.

For the next 50 minutes, each of them went through their textbooks, taking notes and deciphering together the Rosetta Stone that were reagents.

Wilhelm looked at the page number in the corner of the pages. "p. 182."

Simon sighed, "We got through four pages. We're not even close."

Wilhelm thumbed through the book, realizing that there were at least another 40 pages to dig through before they could even begin to touch the reagents. They had barely begun the part on solvents and catalysts.

"Nope, not even close," Wilhelm agreed.

"Wanna continue during workies today?" asked Simon. "I was going to do my math homework, but I can do that at home."

Wilhelm looked up at Simon, "Um, sure. Yeah. Library, Forest Ridge Commons, um, my room?"

Simon looked down and shrugged his shoulders. "Um, Commons maybe?"

Apparently realizing the inappropriateness of his suggestion, Wilhelm touched his chest to steady himself. Simon noticed the change in how he held himself, but decided to not react. That would be weird.

However, as Simon walked to his next class, he realized how much he was looking forward to their after-school study session.

It's nothing, he told himself.

Now if only he could convince his heart of that.

--

Simon walked into the Forest Ridge Commons right as workies were to start, and already all of the tables were filled with other groups of friends and classmates studying or chatting.

He looked around to find Wilhelm, searching the sea of blonde hair, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Hey," he heard from behind him. He turned around to see Wilhelm sidling up to him, a quiet smile playing on his lips as he held his books in his arms.