Between Us

A New Seatmate

Chapter 1: A New Seatmate

Jayden's heart pounded in his chest as Juni's car rolled to a stop in front of the school. He glanced over at her, giving her a tight-lipped smile as she turned the engine off.

"Thanks for the ride," he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No problem," Juni said with that familiar spark in her eyes. "I'll see you at lunch, alright? Don't let anyone mess with you in chem, okay?"

Jayden chuckled softly, though it was more out of habit than amusement. Juni was always looking out for him, always ready to jump in if anyone even thought about picking on him. She was like his personal bodyguard.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her, even though he wasn't sure if he believed it. Chemistry was one of the few subjects he actually understood, but the thought of sitting next to someone new made his palms sweat. He wasn't exactly the most outgoing person, and making small talk with a new classmate wasn't exactly his idea of a good time.

"Alright, but if anyone gives you trouble, just text me," Juni said with a grin before leaning over to ruffle his hair.

"Juni..." Jayden groaned, but she was already out of the car, waving at him as she jogged off toward her own group of friends. With a soft sigh, he grabbed his backpack and followed her out of the car.

The school hallways buzzed with the usual noise, students chatting with each other, laughing, and rushing to their classes. Jayden kept his head down as he walked through the crowd, the familiar knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach. It wasn't that he hated high school. It was just that it was easier to disappear in the background. Being unnoticed was safe.

He stepped into the classroom, just as the bell rang, and quickly scanned the room for an empty seat. He always sat at the back, as far from the teacher's desk as possible. But this time, his eyes landed on something different.

A new seating chart.

He scanned the list quickly, his eyes catching on his name. Jayden Lennon – Seat 5.

A sinking feeling dropped into his stomach as he looked to the other side of the room. Seat 5 was in the middle, and right next to it, in Seat 6, was the name Konner Levine.

Great.

Jayden had heard of Konner, of course. Who hadn't? He was one of those guys who always seemed to be in the middle of everything, whether it was a joke, a prank, or just a casual comment that made everyone laugh. He was funny, confident, and always seemed to know exactly what to say to make people like him. The opposite of Jayden, really.

Jayden hesitated for a moment before he walked toward the desk. Konner was already sitting there, messing around with a pencil, tapping it rhythmically on the desk. He didn't even look up when Jayden sat down next to him.

Jayden adjusted in his seat nervously and opened his chemistry notebook, trying to focus on anything other than the guy next to him. He could already feel the weight of Konner's presence—he was always so loud, even when he wasn't saying anything.

"So..." Konner's voice broke through the silence, the casual tone of it making Jayden flinch slightly. "Are you any good at this stuff? Chemistry, I mean. I'm kinda hopeless." He chuckles nervously.

Jayden's eyes darted to Konner, who was now looking at him with a wide grin. The guy was already trying to make small talk. It was almost... endearing, in a way. But Jayden wasn't sure how to respond. He wasn't exactly used to people talking to him, especially not in such a friendly, casual way.

"I'm alright," Jayden muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Chemistry's... not that hard."

Konner chuckled, giving him a sideways glance. "Yeah, right. It's a nightmare. You're probably one of those born smart people, huh?"

Jayden froze, suddenly feeling like all eyes in the room were on him. "I wouldn't say that..." he stammered, his cheeks heating up. He could feel his self-consciousness creeping in, as it always did when someone pointed out his academic abilities.

Konner laughed again, this time more softly. "I don't know, man. You're giving off major I'm-good-at-this vibes. It's cool, though. Maybe you can help me when I really fail this test."

Jayden didn't know how to respond to that, so he just nodded awkwardly. For a moment, he thought Konner would drop it, but the boy just kept talking, asking questions about the lesson and making jokes about how much he didn't understand.

It was strange. Jayden wasn't used to this—having someone talk to him like they actually cared. The more Konner joked, the more Jayden found himself easing into the conversation. Konner had this way of making everything seem a little less draining, even if Jayden wasn't quite sure how he did it.

The bell rang, signaling the start of class, and the teacher stepped in, beginning the lesson. Jayden tried to focus on the notes, but every time he looked up, he found Konner's easy grin or his relaxed posture, and something about it made the tension in Jayden's chest loosen just a little.

It wasn't much, but for the first time in a long time, Jayden didn't feel so alone in the classroom.

And that was a weirdly nice feeling.