The class filed out of homeroom, students already discussing weekend plans. Lila breezed past Noah with an oddly bright "Morning!" that made him do a double-take. He glanced at Kelvin, still absorbed in his tablet, fingers dancing across the screen with disturbing intensity.
"Another social experiment?" Noah asked dryly.
Kelvin's lips quirked. "Nothing so dramatic. Just optimizing the cafeteria queue algorithm."
Noah decided he didn't want to know what that meant.
The sight of Sophie's Clexus hovering outside instantly lifted his mood. The pearlescent vehicle hummed softly, its anti-grav field creating subtle ripples in the air. Sophie herself was perched on the hood, her dark hair catching the morning light.
"There's my favorite junior," she called out, sliding gracefully to her feet. Before Noah could respond, she'd pulled him into a kiss that left him slightly dazed.
