Garson's voice cut through the noise of students.
"Miss Coffee, go to the classroom. Class is about to start."He said it with a calm smile, but his eyes said enough of this nonsense.
Grace scoffed loudly, drawing stares from half the cafeteria."You're siding with this bitch instead of me?" she snapped, loud enough to silence half the nearby chatter.
The room went dead for a second. Forks paused mid-air.
Garson blinked, annoyed now."Oh, please, Grace. I'm not siding with anyone. You just don't know how to treat people."
He didn't wait for a reply. Just turned and walked off, shaking his head.
Danna gave Grace one last look — cold, steady, the kind that made your spine tingle. Natalia followed silently, both girls walking out like queens exiting a scene they didn't have time for.
Grace stood there, cheeks flushed, breathing heavy.
Behind her, the cafeteria murmurs picked back up like a wave. But now, all eyes weren't on lunch anymore — they were on her.
The mood in the classroom was a whole shift.
It was quiet, almost sacred compared to the cafeteria chaos. Students sat upright, a little more aware than usual — the drama still lingering in the air like static.
Miss Loren stood at the front of the class, papers in hand, her usual elegance on full display. Her voice was calm, but there was an excited spark in her tone.
"Students, I'm proud of each one of you. You worked hard, and it shows. But today, I'd like to shine a light on some of the rising stars in this class."
Everyone leaned in just a bit.
"In third place... Mr. Keller."
Polite claps.
"Second place... Miss Woods."
A few impressed whispers rippled.
"And taking the top spot... Mr. Monroe. Brilliant work."
Louder claps. A few turned to look at Grace — her jaw tight, hands clasped under the desk. Her eyes didn't blink as she stared straight ahead.
A small smile crept onto the faces of Aiden, Danna, and Garson as Miss Loren spoke again.
"I would like to request Garson and Danna to sit together from tomorrow," she announced, clearly excited. "I'll be giving you both a few tasks and discussing new activities. You two will make a great team."
All eyes shifted.
Danna turned slowly toward Garson, visibly unamused.Garson, on the other hand, looked way too pleased with the decision. He shot her a smug little smirk, like this was the best news he'd heard all day.
Danna narrowed her eyes and let out the softest sigh, rolling her eyes hard enough to give herself a headache."Of course," she muttered under her breath.
Garson leaned back in his chair slightly, still smirking, like he just loved how annoyed she was. He didn't say anything — he didn't have to. His face said "you're stuck with me now."
Meanwhile, Miss Loren turned to Aiden."Aiden, you'll need a partner too. Someone reliable who can help you."
Without hesitation, Aiden glanced at Natalia.
She met his gaze and smiled — soft, sweet, just a little bit shy.
"Ma'am?" Aiden raised his hand. "Can I partner with Miss Natalia?"
Miss Loren beamed."Absolutely. You two should work well together."
Natalia looked down, hiding a smile. Aiden leaned back with a satisfied nod, trying to play it cool — but his ears were definitely turning a little red.
Back in the corner, Garson looked over at Danna again, still clearly enjoying her discomfort.Danna crossed her arms and stared straight ahead, thinking:"Why do I feel like this is going to be a disaster?"
But somewhere deep down… maybe just maybe... she wondered if it might not be that bad.
The library was hushed, lit by warm afternoon light filtering through tall windows. The air smelled like old books, wood polish, and just a hint of espresso drifting from the corner study tables.
Danna stepped inside, her boots tapping softly against the tiled floor. She scanned the rows of shelves — and there he was.
Garson.
Sitting alone at a table near the window, a black jacket draped over the back of his chair, a paper cup of coffee in hand. He had one leg crossed casually, his notes spread out in organized chaos. That sharp blue gaze of his was locked on a book — intense, unreadable, almost like he was studying the universe itself.
Danna rolled her eyes.
Of course he looks like a moody dark-academia Pinterest board.
She walked up to him, arms crossed, standing just close enough to cast a shadow over his textbook.
"Hey, Mr. Whatever," she said coolly."Tell me which parts of the presentation you've done, so I can figure out what I actually have to fix."
Garson looked up slowly, eyebrows raised like he wasn't sure whether to be insulted or entertained. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Nice to see you too, partner," he said, sipping his coffee like this was a rom-com instead of a group project.
Danna didn't smile. Just blinked.
"Cut the charm. I'm here for the work, not the ego trip."
He leaned back slightly, folding his arms, clearly amused.
"Relax, Miss coffee. I've done the intro and the first two sections. They're on the shared doc.
"Okay, let's see how much of this actually makes sense," Danna said with a sigh, sliding into the chair beside him.
She opened his part of the project, ready to be annoyed — but as her eyes scanned the screen, her expression subtly shifted.Wait... this was actually good?She wouldn't admit it, obviously. Never.
"Huh," she said, trying to sound unimpressed."Finally. Your brain decided to function."
Garson smirked without even looking up from his coffee."You're lucky it did," he said smoothly."And by the way... you're stuck with me now. So how are you feeling about that?"
He took a slow sip of his coffee, watching her over the rim of the cup — all calm, cocky, and completely entertained.
Danna rolled her eyes so hard it looked like it hurt."Not lucky at all."
Garson just smirked, watching her with a glint in his eyes. He knew exactly how annoyed she was — and he loved it. Suddenly, Garson lost focus.
One second, he was smugly sipping his coffee, teasing her like always — and the next, everything sort of… paused.
Danna reached up and tugged the hair tie from her ponytail, letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders. The movement was casual, effortless. But the way the sunlight spilled in through the library window and lit up the golden flecks in her hazel eyes?
Yeah. That did something.
A soft smile appeared on her face as she leaned over the laptop again, completely focused, completely unaware of what she'd just done to him.
Garson blinked.
His heart thudded once. Then again — harder.He looked away for a second, tried to breathe like a normal person. No big deal. It's just Danna. It's Danna.
But for the first time, teasing her didn't seem quite as fun.
Now he couldn't stop looking at her. Just as Garson was about to snap out of whatever strange trance he was in, his phone buzzed loudly on the table.
He glanced at the screen.Dad.
He sighed and answered, voice low."Yeah… okay. Got it."
A moment later, he hung up and stood, grabbing his jacket.
"Miss Coffee, I've gotta go," he said, slipping back into his usual teasing tone as he started walking off."Just let me know if there's anything else to add."
"Okay," Danna replied calmly, not even looking up.
Garson walked toward the exit, trying to act chill — but his thoughts were spiraling.
What is wrong with me?Why did I even notice her smile? Or her eyes? Or her hair?Why do I only see her like that?No. Stop. Don't be weird. Ignore it, Garson. IGNORE IT.
He shook his head and kept walking, muttering under his breath.
"This is crazy… my brain is actually going insane."