Academic Hearts

3.Defeated By Desire

The day after after school

Emily's POV

As I entered the library, my eyes scanning the room until they landed Cole, who was already seated at a table near the back, flipping through a textbook with apparent interest.

"Cole" I greeted tersely, taking a seat opposite him, the tension between us was palpable, think enough to cut with a knife. 

"Emily" Cole replied, barely looking up from his book.

We fell into an uneasy silence, each occupied with our own thoughts and reservations about working together. I couldn't help but wonder how I ended up in this predicament, partnered with him of all people.

Breaking the silence, I cleared my throat. "So, I guess we should get started on this project. Mrs. Thompson said it's worth a significant portion of our grade."

Cole nodded, reluctantly closing his textbook. "Yeah, I guess we should figure out what we're doing."

Over the next hour, we begrudgingly began to brainstorm ideas, each tentatively offering suggestions while carefully avoiding stepping on the other's toes. Despite our initial animosity, we found a surprising level of cooperation emerging as we bounced ideas off each other and debated different approaches.

" Tomorrow same time?" He asked 

"Okay, i guess"I responded.

As I gathered my books and papers from the library table, my eyes caught sight of a graded math test amidst Cole's belongings. The bold "C-" at the top, scrawled in red ink, was impossible to miss. Despite my best efforts, a laugh bubbled up within me.

Cole glanced up, a look of confusion crossing his face. "What's so funny?"

I attempted to suppress my amusement, but it burst forth despite my efforts. "It's just... I never imagined the great Cole Scott getting anything less than an A. A C-? That's... unexpected."

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but he chuckled along with me. He took my test from my book. I tried to stop him but couldn't.

"I still got better than you, a D?" He shrugged.

" THAT'S unexpected" He said.

" Yeah well math isn't exactly my strong suit" I responded.

"I won't tell anyone about your less-than-stellar grade," I offered, a mischievous glint in my eye, "as long as you promise not to tell anyone about mine."

He grinned, extending his hand in agreement. "Deal."

Together, we exited the library, the echoes of our laughter lingering in the air. Though we may have started as rivals, I couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps, in the end, we could become something more – friends.

The day after in first-period

The next day, as I walked into first-period English class, I couldn't shake the awkwardness that lingered between Cole and me after our unexpected camaraderie in the library. The memory of our laughter seemed distant as we took our seats on opposite sides of the room.

As Mrs. Henderson launched into her lesson, I tried to focus on the words on the page, but my mind kept drifting back to Cole. I couldn't understand why our brief moment of connection had dissolved so quickly, replaced by an even thicker layer of tension than before.Glancing over at Cole, I caught his eye for a fleeting moment before he quickly looked away. His jaw was set in a familiar hard line, and I could sense the animosity radiating off him in waves.