The next day, I woke up feeling lighter than I had in days. The fever and asthenia had finally subsided, and I was looking forward to seeing Eva. She'd been out of town visiting family, and I hadn't realized how much I missed her until I saw her walking up to the school gate.
I ran up to her, pulling her into a hug. "Oh my god, I missed you! These two days felt like forever without you."
Eva laughed, squeezing me back. "Missed you too! are you feeling better now?"
"Much better," I said as we made our way to the cafeteria for breakfast. We spent the next half-hour catching up, gossiping about everything we'd missed and sharing funny stories. It was like no time had passed, and by the time we were done eating, I was in a much better mood.
We walked to class together, chatting excitedly about the upcoming week. But as soon as we sat down, our teacher entered the room and began discussing a new project that would shift my good mood into something more complicated.
"Today, we'll be starting a new project," she said, glancing around the room with a serious expression. "You'll be researching the ecosystem of the local forest. You'll need to document plant species, animals, and the relationships between them. The goal is to understand the importance of biodiversity and how different species depend on each other to thrive. Take it seriously, cuz it has cash prize"
A wave of excitement rippled through the class, including me. I'd always loved being outdoors, and the idea of spending time in nature for schoolwork sounded perfect. I was already thinking about the kinds of plants and animals we might encounter. It sounded like an adventure.
"And of course," the teacher continued, "you'll be working in pairs."
That's when my excitement flickered with nerves. I shot a glance at Eva, hoping we'd be paired together, but the teacher quickly dashed those hopes.
"We'll be pairing you based on your roll numbers. The first name will be paired with the last, the second with the second-to-last, and so on."
I froze in my seat. I was the first roll number. And the last roll number was.…..
Zayn.
I turned around quick, my eyes searching the back of the room. There he was, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smirk on his face, as if he'd known this was going to happen all along. The moment our eyes met, his smirk deepened, like he was enjoying this way too much.
I narrowed my eyes at him, refusing to show any more emotion than that.
Great. Just great.
The teacher continued calling out the pairs, but I barely heard the rest of the names. My mind was too busy calculating how I was going to handle this. Spending extended time with Zayn alone, in the forest, doing a project that required teamwork and focus? How was that going to work?
Eva nudged me, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You okay?" she asked, her voice low.
I nodded,thinking deeply about what's going to happen next.
---
After the teacher's announcement, the class began to disperse, and I quickly packed my things, my mind racing. I had to talk to Zayn, set some ground rules before we started this project. I wasn't about to let him mess it up with his usual antics.
I caught up to him just as he was about to leave the classroom. "Hey, Zayn," I called, my voice sharp. He turned around, his usual smirk plastered on his face as if he had been expecting me.
I took a deep breath and walked up to him. "Listen, let me do my job. I want to win this project no matter what, so don't try to interrupt me or play around. I'm warning you." I narrowed my eyes, trying to convey just how serious I was. This project mattered to me, and I wasn't going to let Zayn's laid-back attitude ruin it.
But, of course, my words didn't seem to faze him. Instead, he just raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing wider. "Sweet pie, we're on the same team. I'll help you, trust me."
I glared at him. "Stop calling me that."
He ignored my demand and kept talking, leaning in slightly as if to drive his point home. "You don't need to stress. We'll do this together. And who knows, you might even enjoy my company."
I crossed my arms, unimpressed. "Fine," I said through gritted teeth, knowing that arguing with him any further was pointless. "Let's just get this over with. We can start today."
Zayn nodded, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Sure thing, sweet pie."
I clenched my jaw. "I said stop calling me that."
But he just grinned, clearly enjoying how much he was getting under my skin. "Whatever you say, sweet pie."
I groaned, exasperated. This was going to be a long project.