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He was weirded out by vance.but does'nt think much of it. Bruce then arrived at his locker. He grabs all his stuff needed for english class. The bell rings. Bruce goes to class. He sits at his normal seat, and the atmosphere in English class is thick with anticipation. Their teacher, Mrs. Bennett, has just announced that they'll be implementing a new seating chart. The room buzzes with whispered complaints and excitement as everyone waits to see who they'll be stuck sitting next to for the rest of the semester. Vance is sitting at the back, slouched in his seat, not paying attention. He's already in a bad mood-he hates being told what to do, and even more, he hates sitting through class when he'd rather be anywhere else.

Bruce, meanwhile at front, notebook out, ready to take on whatever assignment is coming. He doesn't mind change and figures the new seating arrangement won't affect him too much. After all, he gets along with pretty much everyone.

Mrs. Bennett starts calling out names, pairing students together. Some groan, others smile as they get seated with friends. Then she pauses dramatically before calling the next pair.

"Bruce Yamada and... Vance Hopper."

Bruce's stomach drops, and he feels the eyes of the class turn toward him. He shoots a glance over his shoulder and catches Vance's cold, narrowed gaze. For a split second, he swears he sees something flicker in Vance's eyes-maybe annoyance, maybe something else. But it's hard to tell. Vance doesn't break eye contact, just clenches his jaw and glares harder.

The room goes quiet, everyone waiting for some kind of reaction, but Bruce doesn't give them one. He keeps his cool, standing up and gathering his things. There's no use making a scene. He walks over to the back of the room where Vance is already leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, staring straight ahead as if he's daring anyone to say something.

"Let's get this over with," Vance mutters, barely looking at Bruce as he drops into the seat next to him. He taps his pen against the desk, clearly agitated. The whole thing feels like a sick joke to him-of all people, he had to get stuck next to the one person he can't stand.

Bruce, ever the calm one, slides into his chair and places his books on the desk. He doesn't say anything for a minute, letting the awkwardness settle between them. After all, he's been in enough tense situations to know that pushing Vance isn't going to help. But this close, he can sense how angry Vance really is-not just at him, but at something deeper.

Mrs. Bennett, oblivious to the tension simmering at the back of the room, begins explaining the next project. It's a group assignment, of course. They'll be paired off with their seatmates to analyze a poem and present their findings to the class.

"Great," Vance mutters under his breath, just loud enough for Bruce to hear. "Stuck with Mr. Perfect for a week."

Bruce turns to him, keeping his voice low so they don't attract attention. "Look, I don't like this either, but it's one assignment. We can just get it done and not make this harder than it needs to be."

Vance snorts, finally turning to face Bruce with a dark look. "You think it's that simple? Just like that, huh?"

Bruce raises an eyebrow. "What's your deal, man? I'm not trying to get in your way. It's just schoolwork."

"That's exactly the problem," Vance snaps, his voice sharper than before. "You don't get it. You think everything's just about getting by, don't you? That's why you've got it so easy."

Bruce is taken aback by the bitterness in Vance's voice, but before he can respond, Mrs. Bennett interrupts them, handing out the poems for analysis. Bruce glances at the paper in front of him, but he can't focus. Vance's words are still ringing in his ears.

For the rest of the class, Vance keeps his distance, barely speaking unless absolutely necessary. Bruce does his best to ignore the icy silence, but he can feel the tension like a weight pressing down on them both. Every time he glances over, Vance is either staring at the clock or scribbling furiously in his notebook, his body rigid with frustration.

As the bell rings and everyone begins packing up, Bruce finally speaks up, tired of the weird energy between them. "We'll figure this out," he says, shoving his books into his bag. "It's just a project. You don't have to make this a bigger deal than it is."

Vance doesn't respond right away. Instead, he stands up slowly, his movements deliberate. He towers over Bruce for a moment, eyes flashing with something Bruce can't quite read. Finally, Vance smirks, but there's no humor in it.

"You keep telling yourself that, Yamada," Vance mutters before walking out of the classroom, leaving Bruce standing there, confused and a little more curious than he'd like to admit.

As Bruce watches Vance's retreating figure, he realizes that this project-and this seating arrangement-is going to be a lot more complicated than it seems

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866 words
CLIFFHANGER AGAIN SORRY
ITS SHORT IK
IK NO ONES GONNA READ THIS BUT THANK YOU IF YOU DO

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