Unspoken

Dilemma

Friday arrived in a rush of tension and excitement as every student scrambled to complete their assignments. By nightfall, most of the groups were deep into their preparations, with varying degrees of stress and enthusiasm.

Group 1 (Rafael's Group)

"Alright, let's confirm the answers," Rafael said firmly, his voice steady despite the pixelated screen of the video call. His serious demeanor set the tone for the meeting.

"Ugh, Rafael, why do you always sound like a teacher?" Olivia teased, rolling her eyes.

"Because he's actually good at math," Ana interjected with a smirk, glancing at her own neatly written notes.

"I've cross-checked mine twice," Alex added, his casual tone contrasting with the stacks of papers behind him. "But hey, if there's a mistake, don't blame me!"

"Olivia, did you finish your part?" Rafael asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Olivia hesitated, her hand hovering over her camera. "I... tried," she admitted sheepishly. "But Ana helped me, so it's good now!"

"Thank goodness for Ana," Rafael muttered, but his expression softened. "Okay, tomorrow at my place. Be on time."

"Can't wait to get this over with," Alex said with a laugh.

Group 3 (Marco's Group)

"Listen, Natalia, you don't have to take all the hard questions!" Marco groaned during their call. "You make us look bad."

Natalia raised a brow, her tone firm. "If I don't, who will? Certainly not you, Marco."

Pablo chuckled from his side of the call. "She's not wrong."

"Whatever," Marco said, flopping onto his bed dramatically. "Just don't forget to have snacks tomorrow, Natalia. We'll need fuel for all this suffering."

Elena chimed in, her voice light. "I'll bring cookies. No one's failing on my watch!"

Group 5 (Daniel's Group)

"Alright, so we're meeting at my place tomorrow," Daniel announced, leaning back in his chair. His eyes flickered toward the little icon showing Selena on the call. "Selena, do you want me to pick you up? It'll save you the trouble of walking."

Selena blinked, caught off guard. "Oh, um... that's okay, Daniel. I can get there myself."

"Nah, I insist," Daniel said smoothly, his grin unmistakable. "I can't have my teammate arriving late. Besides, it's on the way."

Lucia raised a brow. "Wow, Daniel, such a gentleman."

"Don't make it weird," Daniel shot back, though his smirk remained.

Mateo chuckled. "He's just making sure our star player is in good shape to solve those equations."

Selena sighed, feeling the weight of everyone's teasing. "Fine, but only if it's not a problem," she mumbled.

"It's never a problem," Daniel replied, his voice dropping just enough to make her heart skip.

Alejandro, distracted by his calculations, muttered, "Can we get back to work now? I don't want to fail because you two are flirting."

Selena's cheeks turned red. "We're not—!"

Daniel cut her off with a laugh. "Relax, Alejandro. We'll get everything done."

Group 6 (Valeria's Group)

"Okay, I'm the leader, so everyone better show up tomorrow ready to work," Valeria declared, pacing her room during their call.

"Anything for you, boss," Sebastian said with a cheeky grin.

"Ugh, save it, Sebastian," Gabriel groaned. "We've got a lot to do."

"Just saying, our group has the best leader," Eduard added, his tone playful.

Valeria rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Flattery won't get you out of solving your questions. Be prepared!"

Group 2 and 4 (Video Call Chaos)

The groups meeting on Sunday were equally busy but frazzled. "Why do graphs have to be so complicated?" Laura whined, glaring at her screen.

"It's not that bad," Julian said, his voice faintly amused. "You just don't like math."

Meanwhile, in Group 4, Cristina was doing her best to keep her team focused. "Guys, stop arguing! We can't afford to mess this up."

Samantha sighed dramatically. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss P.E."

After the video calls ended, Selena closed her laptop and leaned back in her chair, letting out a deep sigh.

The thought of Daniel offering to pick her up tomorrow lingered in her mind. It was kind of him, but it also felt... unexpected. She brushed the thought away, convincing herself it was just teamwork.

Her gaze drifted to the small pile of books on her desk. She thought about her group dynamics—how Daniel had taken the lead and seemed so at ease. His confidence was undeniable, and while his flirty remarks caught her off guard, she wasn't sure what to make of them yet.

Shaking her head, she reminded herself that tomorrow was just about finishing the assignment, nothing more. The butterflies in her stomach could wait.

Will tomorrow's study sessions spark collaboration—or light a fire of emotions that Selena isn't ready to face?