Connection

The rest of the school day dragged on painfully for Logan. Every second felt like an eternity as he tried to stay focused on his classes and avoid bumping into Barron or his goons again. The crack in his glasses made everything slightly distorted, giving him a constant headache. But he endured it, pushing through the day as if nothing had happened.

By the time his next class, science, rolled around, Logan was exhausted.
He considered skipping entirely and finding a quiet place to sit outside, but he knew it would only make things worse. Skipping class wasn't an option.
At least not for a nerd like him.

So he grabbed his notebook from his locker, and made his way to the classroom.
When he arrived, the teacher was already standing at the front, holding a stack of papers and a clipboard. The students were buzzing with energy, some more enthusiastic than others.

"Alright, everyone, settle down," the teacher called out. "We're starting a new project today, which means .. new assigned partners!"

A groan rippled through the room.
Assigned partners were always a gamble. Logan sank into his seat, already dreading the possibility of getting paired with someone who didn't care about the work—or worse, someone who would make him do all the work.

The teacher began reading off the names, and Logan listened with half an ear, his anxiety growing with each pairing.

"Ashlynn and Ben."

Logan felt a small pang of disappointment when he heard Ashlynn's name paired with Ben's. He'd gotten used to being her partner for most assignments, and she always made things easier for him since he came to this school,

"Logan .. and Tyler."

Logan's heart sank. He blinked, certain he'd misheard. But when he glanced over, he saw Tyler sitting a few rows away, his expression unreadable.

"Of course," Logan muttered under his breath.

Tyler didn't react immediately. He stayed seated, arms crossed, until the teacher finished calling out the names and started explaining the project. Only then did he glance over at Logan and gesture for him to come over.

Logan grabbed his notebook and shuffled over, feeling awkward as he sat down beside Tyler.

"Well, this should be fun," Tyler said dryly, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Logan forced a smile. "Yeah, Fun."

They sat in silence for a moment as the teacher continued explaining the details of the project. It was a hands-on experiment that would require teamwork and creativity—two things Logan wasn't sure he and Tyler had in abundance together.

When the instructions ended, Tyler turned to him. "Alright, so how do you want to do this?"

Logan hesitated, unsure how to respond. Tyler's tone wasn't exactly inviting, but at least he wasn't being outright hostile.

"I guess we can split the work," Logan offered cautiously. "You can do the research, and I'll handle the setup?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm going to sit around while you do all the hands-on stuff? Nice try, new guy."

Logan blinked. "I didn't mean it like that. I just thought—"

"Relax," Tyler said, cutting him off. "I'm kidding. We'll figure it out."

Logan let out a small sigh of relief when Tyler didn't press him any further. So far, things were going better than he'd expected, even if Tyler's sarcasm was sharp enough to keep him on edge.

Logan glanced at the clock, knowing they'd have to start planning soon if they wanted to finish this project on time. It was a big part of their grade, and Logan didn't intend to let a bad partnership ruin his GPA. He steeled himself, knowing what he had to do.

"Well," Logan began hesitantly, "if we want to make real progress, maybe .. you could come to my house after school?" The words tumbled out awkwardly, and Logan inwardly cringed.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Your house?"

"Yes, my house," Logan said quickly, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "It's quiet, and I have all the supplies we'll need for the experiment. Plus, it's .. just easier that way."

Tyler leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Sure, why not?" he said with a half-scoff. "But don't think I'm staying all night or anything." He joked.
Which in, Logan did not laugh.

Logan nodded, relieved that Tyler hadn't flat-out refused.
"Great." He awkwardly said, clearing his throat.

"cool, What's your number?" Tyler asked casually, pulling out his phone.

Logan froze. His number? He barely knew Tyler, and there was no way he was giving him that.

"Uh .. actually," Logan said, fumbling for an excuse, "it'd be easier if we just walked there together, After school." He requested, "my house isn't very far from here."

Tyler blinked, clearly caught off guard by the response. "You serious?"

"Yeah," Logan said quickly, hoping Tyler wouldn't question him. "It's - it's better that way. No need to text or anything. We can just go straight there."

Tyler stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to figure him out. Finally, he rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Whatever, new guy. We'll walk."

Logan nodded again, his stomach unclenching slightly. He wasn't sure why he felt so strongly about keeping his number private, but something about Tyler's overly confident demeanor made him nervous.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Logan gathered his things and gave Tyler a small nod. "I'll meet you by the front doors after school."

"Yeah, yeah," Tyler muttered, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Don't make me wait."

Logan couldn't help but let out a small laugh under his breath as Tyler walked away. He'd survived the first hurdle of their partnership, and so far, it wasn't as bad as he thought.

But as he watched Tyler disappear into the hallway, Logan couldn't shake the feeling that this project was going to be more challenging than he'd expected—in more ways than one.

Logan also noticed something else—Tyler wasn't as harsh as he seemed. Beneath the sarcasm and short temper, there was a surprising amount of focus and determination.

Maybe, Logan thought, this partnership wouldn't be so bad after all.