Along The Lines

2| Rival

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𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖆𝖑

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Chapter 2: Rival (Leilani's POV)

My face went white. Out of all my years in high school, Aaron had never been in any of my classes. Our rivalry was limited to outside the classroom, and he had never affected my studies in any sort of way. He was simply Aaron Levine, my academic competitor. 

I stared at him. He stared back at me. 

"God, fuck my luck. Out of all the classes, I had to be in yours," He remarked, sitting in the only empty seat in the classroom. The desk next to mine. 

"You know that big yellow thing in the sky?" I retorted. "The world revolves around that, not you." 

"Wow, I'm hurt," He said, fake punching his chest. "Abril, you have got to step it up with the insults. They are seriously like down there, just like your grades." He flashed his trademark smile. 

My blood started boiling. If I punched him right now, would I get into trouble? 

Right I was about to reply back, with a killer insult, Mr. Edwards gathered our attention.

"Good morning, guys. I'm so happy to welcome all of you into the class. Before we begin, I will acknowledge that this is a difficult course. Therefore, I advise all of you to take notes, pay attention, and reach out to one another. Moreover, the person you have chosen to sit next to will be your partner for the rest of this semester, for our major group project and more. " He stated, with a warm smile on his face. 

My ears shut down. I stopped listening to whatever he was saying. Wait. My partner was the one I was sitting next to? No. No, no, no, no. God no. My partner, for the rest of the semester, was Aaron Levine? I'm screwed. My life's over. 

When I looked over at Aaron, he seemed to be having the same reaction. His eyes met mine, and I worded, I'm gonna kill you. He worded back, Calm down, let's talk to him about it. He'll understand. I cooled down a bit. Mr. Edwards would understand, right? 

OK, I worded back. I got through the rest of class, zoning out the thoughts about the partner thing. If there was one thing I was sure of, there is no way in hell I'm letting Aaron affect my academics or participation. This class was supposed to fun, a class I enjoyed. I'm not letting anything get in the way of that. 

When the bell rang, I slowly made my way up to Mr. Edwards' desk. Aaron followed right behind me. 

"Um, Hi Mr. Edwards. I-I- just wanted to ask if, um, I could, uh-" I stuttered, getting cut. 

"Good morning Mr. Edwards, I hope you're having a good day. I wanted to express how the discussions and lectures have been incredibly engaging, and it's been a pleasure learning from your expertise. However, I do have one small request regarding Ms. Abril," Aaron conveyed, in the most polite, respectful voice ever. 

I rolled my eyes. The 360 character switch was crazy. How could someone go from annoying asshole to  gentle, studious boy that quick? No wonder teachers rave about him. 

"Ah, I already know Mr. Levine." He interjected, cutting Aaron off. 

"You do?" We both replied, confused. Huh, I knew I would like Mr. Edwards, but wow, it's like he can read my thoughts. I smiled wide. 

"Of course, I do! You two are the best students in the school, you think I don't know that? Everyone in the whole school is aware that both of you are in the same class for the first time ever.  It's natural both of you want to take advantage of this opportunity." He replied, with a wide smile on his face. 

"Um, what?" I blurted. What was he talking about? 

"I'm the head of Aldridge's interdisciplinary research competition. After careful consideration and evaluating the exceptional academic prowess both of you possess, the school has decided that you two, our top students, will be joining forces for a monumental undertaking." He proclaimed, grinning from side to side. "You'll be representing our school in the prestigious Interdisciplinary National Competition. Your intellectual dexterity, coupled with your potential to synergize, makes you a formidable duo. I believe your combined brilliance will not only elevate our school's standing but also showcase the power of collaboration in academia. Make us proud, and let this partnership redefine what it means to excel as a team."

What. The. Actual. Fuck. No, no, no, no. No, and I mean, NO. God, this couldn't be real. This isn't real. It's a prank. Mr. Edwards was going to say, Haha, I got you, any second now. Right?

My face turned all the shades of white. No, actually. I swear, my childhood dreams about becoming Frosty The Snowman came to life. 

"Um, What? Excuse me Mr. Edwards, but with all due respect, you have like completely, no, totally misread the situation here. Like, absolutely not, sir." I blurted out. This could not be happening right now. 

I smacked Aaron in the ribs. He chimed in, "Exactly, sir. I say this with utmost respect, but me and her, yeah no. It's not going to work. 

Mr. Edwards paused, surprised by our refusal. "I see," he replied, with a hint of disappointment.  "Imagine the impact of being part of a winning team, the doors it could open for scholarships, internships, and opportunities beyond your imagination. This is more than a competition; it's a chance to craft your future, to make an indelible mark that extends far beyond our school's walls. I suppose I'll need to extend this rare, life-changing opportunity to someone else.?

"I guess you will," Aaron shrugged. 

"No!" I blurted, "No, I mean we'll do it, sir. You can count on us." I gave him my biggest smile. 

"Perfect. I knew both of you would step up to the mark," he replied, heading back to his desk. 

"What the fuck are you doing," Aaron whispered, grabbing my arm and dragging me outside the classroom. "Have you gone mental?" 

"Shut up. I know what it looks like, alright." I replied, yanking my arm out of his grasp. 

"Holy shit. Your an actual psycho. Like, an actual freaking psycho." Aaron said, leveling his head with mine. 

"Shut up, Levine. Think about it. It's our school's biggest competition. Hell, it's the country's biggest academic competition. Winning this means big things, like I mean big things." I said, looking him dead in the eye. 

"Yeah, no shit. I know what that competition means, and I know exactly how to win it. And, nowhere in hell does it involve you," he huffed. God, this boy was annoying. 

"Yeah, you think I want to do this with you too? Hell no. But if I have to, I will, alright? I have to win this, Levine. No matter what." 

He paused. He leveled his big head to my head, and looked me in the eyes. He sighed, "Alright, Abril."

"Wait, like alright as in you'll do this with me?" I asked slowly, excitement building up. 

"Yeah, whatever. Don't make me change my mind, Abril." He said lastly, walking away. 

I grinned widely. People probably thought I was an actual weirdo, creepily smiling to herself in the middle of the hallway. Eh, they already do so fuck it. 

Huh, how my life has changed. I'm going to be doing probably the biggest competition in my life with no one other than my biggest rival. Though he's the biggest annoying asshole, there was probably no one better in this entire school to be my partner. Even though he's annoying, I can't lie, he's equally as smart. I just hope I get through this competition alive and with all pieces. 

Authors Note

Hi guys! I don't know how I feel about this chapter, tbh. I feel like the story's moving too fast then intended and really rushed. Let me know how you feel about that and the story, characters overall. 

Thank you so much for reading, love y'all!