*REQUESTS NO LONGER ACCEPTED* Minecraft Story Mode: One-Shots (Red Edition)

XI: We'll call it equal, reincarnated and remastered again (M. Jesse x Petra)

[Jesse]

Nothing can describe the horror on my face as I briefly scanned over the homework sheet laid on the table before me. Lines and lines of mathematical problems so complex it felt like I was trying to read another language. Perhaps what made it worse was that exams were just around the corner and I still felt helplessly unprepared.

When class was dismissed, I immediately chased after Tommy who was murmuring and chuckling at the paper.

"Oh c'mon, s'not half bad. Reckon we can get this done in say, a half hour?" Tommy thought.

"Half hour or not, you've gotta help me do this!" I pleaded, ignoring his boastfulness.

"Well I would but I'm real preoccupied right now. My computing coursework ain't gonna finish itself now is it?" replied Tommy, causing me to sigh in defeat. But my eyes lifted back up again when Tommy spoke. "Though I s'pose y'could try askin' that one girl in our class that outperforms like 70% of the class... ah crap what's 'er name again?"

"You mean Petra?" I quickly jumped in.

"Yeah her! Why don't y'ask her for help? I'm sure she wouldn't mind helpin' y'out." My skin started to feel slightly prickly and a prolonged droning sound escaped between my lips, confounding Tommy. "Unless...  ye ain't scared o' her are ya?"

"What? No! That's stupid!" I blurted out, making Tommy take a step back.

"So it's settled then, ye can ask Petra for help!" answered Tommy, opening the door leading into the always crowded common room and taking a seat by a table to continue work on his project.

Odd part is, I just sat there next to him for twenty minutes without budging or saying a word to him, and he didn't pay me any mind. I just stared in horror at the paper we were given, yet another reminder that I was going to fail unless I did something.

Eventually Tommy took his eyes off his project and turned to me.

"Y'gonna ask her for help or y'pussied out?" he asked, confused that I was still sitting there. I chose to say nothing, and he sighed, closed his laptop, and got up and walked away. I watched him walk up to a circle of girls, one of whom I noticed was Petra enjoying the banter or whatever it was they were doing, then begin speaking to her normally. As I watched them converse, I noticed the two of them laugh, and I immediately asked about it when he came back.

"Oh, she asked me why y'didnt ask her yourself, so I told her y'were too much of a pussy to do it," I scowled at him, he chuckled and quietly went back to coding, and I went back to staring at the damned worksheet.

The bell rung to signify the end of break. Tommy got up and left for Computing, and I got my stuff ready and exited the common room. Suddenly, a familiar female voice called to me.

"Jesse, isn't it?"

I froze and stood on the spot, still and stiff, for I knew who that voice belonged to. I swiveled round on my foot and there she was, bag and books in tow.

"Oh!" I yelped, managing to drop all the books in my arms onto the floor. "Bah!" I snapped as I crouched down to frantically pick them all up, it had to be made worse that Petra was watching me. Then she giggled and crouched down to help me. I reached out for my last textbook, but her hand landed on it first, then mine on hers, then we caught each other in an awkward stare.

"Oh!" she exclaimed.

"Oh!" I exclaimed.

After a moment of blankly staring at each other, I noticed my hand was still on hers and quickly retracted it.

"Oh I- I- I- I-" I stammered hopelessly while Petra just laughed. "S- sorry..."

"*giggle* It's alright," she said, handing me the textbook. "So you want me to help you with the maths homework?"