SOURDOUGH - A.ARLERT

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special thanks to arlerting who encouraged me to publish this by telling me they wanted to read it.  I probably wouldn't have finished this if you didn't ngl

    The first couple of days back from Marley were always hard to get used to.  The culture is so different it could be disorienting.  Every time I come back, everything is different.  The one thing that never changes is my family's rivalry with the Arlert family.  Both of our bakeries are successful.  My grandparents immigrated to Elydia, and our bakery gained a concrete following.  They've been competing with the Arlert bakery for the top spot ever since.

    This time, however, the climate seemed to be much more relaxed.  It could be because it was finally senior year, or because I have Pieck now, my new girlfriend who unfortunately lives in Marley.  It's most likely because I spent all of last night on face time with Jean, Sasha, and Connie, trying to catch up to all of the drama that happened over the summer, so I know what to expect. 

    I felt very confident finishing my morning routine and choosing jewelry to go with my outfit.  I decided on a chunky chain necklace I bought secretly in Marley.  My parents don't like it.  They think that wearing stuff like that drives our customers to the Arlerts.
"Do you need a ride to school, baby?  Your dad or I could take you." 
"Nah.  Jean's giving me a ride."  Since Jean's the only one out of the friend group with a car, he drives us everywhere. 
"You two would make such a cute couple, you know!  I'm tired of seeing you guys always working.  Y'all should go out and enjoy yourselves sometimes.  Make some memories, "  her smile disappeared, and her face turned dead serious as she pointed at me, "Don't you dare make babies, though."

    The car rides to school with Jean have never been very safe.  This day, in particular, had to be the worse.   Jean allowed Connie to have the AUX, which meant that Ashnikko's entire DEMIDEVIL album blasted over the speakers.  On our way to pick up Sasha, we stopped by our usual cafe.  Since my parents let me officially work at the bakery, the extra money fed my caffeine addiction.

    Drinks in our hands and song in our heart, we screamed the lyrics to "Drunk With my Friends."  
"Calm down, goddamnit!  You're going to make me crash."  Jean was pissed while Sasha, Connie, and I attempted to dance in our seats.  The song ended right as we pulled into the senior parking lot.
"Wait,  guys!  Where should we park?  We have to claim a good spot for the rest of the year."  The group seemed to ponder my question.
"That one's literally perfect!"   Sasha pointed out an open spot by the corner of the parking lot.  It wasn't too far from the entrance and shaded by a tree.

    English with Mr. Zacharius was just how I imagined it'd be.  It was dull but straight to the point.  I respect that in a teacher.  He explained he was testing something new with his senior class.  This year, he split the class into partners and wants us to analyze a genre of classic novels.  The thought was kind of exciting!  Out of everyone in the class, I'm friends with most of them.  Of course, if I got to choose, I'd partner with Jean since we spend most of our time together anyway, but I'm okay with anyone here.

    I could partner with Marco, who also does his portion of the work and more, or Mikasa, who I've always wanted to know better.  There's also Annie and Historia, who both seem like hard workers.  The only person who I wouldn't want to partner with is Armin.  The Alert family's only child.  There's nothing wrong with him personally, but spending that much time with someone from my family's greatest rival?  It couldn't end well.

    "Now I know you guys want to choose your partners, but that takes away the fun."  Mr. Zacharius flashed a mischievous grin.   "I will be assigning each of you a partner based on your previous teachers' assessments of you and your personalities."  I could feel my heartbeat as he started reading off the list of partners.  First was Annie and Hitch, then Jean and Marco, Mikasa and Mina.   The list dragged on for what felt like an eternity until I finally heard my name.
"For our last pair, it will be Y/n L/n and Armin Arlert."  All of my excitement was immediately lost.  How did I get so unlucky?  My partner is the only person in this classroom that I can't work with.

    It weighed on me for the rest of the day.  And since I couldn't focus on Mr. Ackerman's class, I now have a shit ton of Algebra I homework to grade for him by tomorrow.  Before any of that, I still need to make the sourdough.  I fed tomorrow's starter, then put the dough I'm working with now in a pan.

    While shaping the dough, I let my mind wander.  What would working with Armin be like?  Does he hate my family as much as my family hates his?  Would he even be cooperative?  Who knows?  Maybe this project could help end the two generation-long rivalry and start a more prosperous partnership.  I couldn't help being anxious for the next day while my bread was baking.

thanks for reading! I'm going to try to publish at least once every other week.