My rival. (GXG)

Family dinner

"As this is your second year here and, sincerely, biology doesn't matter to you all, I have decided to give you a project to grade you all." The teacher raised her hand when all the students cheered. "But." She hissed for a moment. "You shall be paired randomly to socialize more with each other." The class groaned, and the teacher sat down.

She took the catalog and opened it randomly. "Ives." She said it loudly, and Jane looked nonchalantly at the wall behind her. She spun her pen between her fingers without giving any attention to anyone.

The teacher then flipped a few pages. "And Mayfield. That's a first team." Jane and Mayfield exchanged glances, both feeling a sense of dread at being paired together. They both knew they had nothing in common and dreaded the forced socialization. Jane sighed, and Mayfield shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering how they would survive the upcoming assignment.

"You can go home now. I ain't staying an hour in here. You've got to bring the project tomorrow. Choose whatever the hell you want." The teacher took her purse and left the classroom. The students were happy that they were going home. They quickly gathered their belongings and chatted excitedly about their plans for the evening as they made their way out of the classroom.

Beverly didn't come to school today. Max's eyes were saddened when she looked at the empty seat. She missed her friend and hoped everything was okay. Max decided to text Beverly after school to check in on her.

All the students left, except for the shadow in the doorway. Leaning against the wood frame, with her arms crossed, Jane was gazing at her figure, her brown eyes holding something eerie in them.

"What?" Max shrugged her shoulders and frowned cutely. Jane raised an eyebrow, checking her watch and sighing deeply.

"My house or yours?" She asked, raising her hand to look at her nails, her voice a bit hoarse as Max neared her with her backpack on one shoulder.

"However you want it." She smiled warmly at her, her teeth poking through her pale lips. Her eyes were dizzyingly beautiful, maybe that's why Jane's gaze was fixed forward, to the wall instead of her ocean waves.

Jane tilted her head to the side, watching her amusingly. "However I want." She cooed ironically, seeing how Max pouted slightly in confusion. "Yeah." She shrugged her shoulders, and they slumped slightly.

"Your house." Max nodded and passed her, taking her hand and making Jane tug it back, but to what use when Max was so stupidly strong without even fucking acknowledging it? Fuck. Her hand was almost double the size of Jane's.

She was forced to keep it between her fingers, but at some point, it...took away some of the numbness in her palm. It melted the ice in her veins almost completely, and she could feel her fingers again. With a sigh, she closed her fingers around Max's warm hand, walking by her side.

Max was literally touchy with anyone. She was stupidly energetic, and Jane was ironically tired.

It was a normal thing for her to hug all people, to hold hands with anyone, and to ramble about her day. But to Jane, it really wasn't. It wasn't a privilege she had. But she listened to her rambling. She listened more than she spoke. Her ears perked up involuntarily, maybe because her voice was just so soft and... fuck, pleasant and gentle. Jane found herself drawn to Max's warmth and energy, despite her own exhaustion. She realized that maybe, just maybe, having someone like Max in her life wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"What will the project be about?" Max licked her lips as she gazed at Jane, offering her a small smile. Jane couldn't help but feel a flutter in her chest. She looked forward, putting her other hand into her pants pocket.