The universe had a cruel sense of humor.
After days of tension and distance, Brielle thought maybe, just maybe, fate would give them a break.
Instead, the school handed her a shared presentation.
With Elijah Carter.
"You've got to be kidding me," Brielle muttered, staring at the paper her teacher handed her.
Elijah stood beside her, jaw tight, avoiding her eyes like she was a fire he didn't want to feed.
"I guess we're partners," he said, voice low.
Brielle managed a stiff nod. "Guess so."
At Elijah's House – Later That Day
His home was quiet. Warm.
The kind of place that smelled like clean linen and cinnamon tea. Nothing like the chaos swimming in Brielle's chest.
"I figured we'd work in the living room," Elijah said, not looking at her.
She dropped her bag, glancing around. It was too tidy, too… perfect. Just like him. Or at least, how he used to be before everything spiraled.
"Cool," she said, voice flat.
Footsteps padded down the stairs.
Then came the softest voice.
"Is this her?"
Brielle turned and saw a girl with soft curls and even softer eyes, maybe twelve or thirteen; smiling at her like she already knew all her secrets.
"Elijah's always grumpy," the girl whispered, walking right up to Brielle. "You must be Brielle. I'm Grace. His little sister."
Brielle blinked. "Oh. Hi."
Grace tilted her head. "You're pretty. And taller than I imagined."
Brielle laughed, a real one, for the first time in days.
Elijah, from behind the counter, mumbled something about Grace minding her business, but his voice was gentler than usual.
Two Hours Later
They sat on opposite ends of the couch, laptop open between them, notes scattered across the coffee table.
Brielle tried to focus on the slides, but her brain wouldn't stop replaying the locker incident… Ariana's venom… Zane's smirk.
And Elijah?
He was trying too hard not to look at her. His fingers were clenched, jaw tight.
"This isn't working," she finally said.
He blinked. "The slides?"
"No. Us. Sitting here pretending like nothing happened."
Elijah looked at her then. Really looked.
"You acted like it didn't," he said, quietly. "So I followed your lead."
Silence.
Brielle dropped her gaze. "I didn't know what else to do. Everything's been so… messy."
Elijah ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "It's not just the kiss. It's the cheating rumor. Zane. Ariana."
"Do you think I told anyone?" she asked, voice small.
He paused. "No."
"But you doubted me for a second."
"I doubted everything," he admitted. "I'm not used to this, drama, emotions, you."
Brielle swallowed the lump rising in her throat. "Then why haven't you walked away?"
He looked at her like the answer was obvious.
"Because even when everything feels wrong… you're the one thing that makes sense."
Her breath caught.
Just then, Grace peeked in from the kitchen with a sly smile. "You guys done fighting or should I make popcorn?"
Elijah groaned. Brielle laughed.
The tension cracked, just a little.
And maybe, just maybe, the space between them didn't feel so wide anymore.