Chapter 5: Study Session Showdown
The Crestwood Public Library was a place of reverence.
Sunlight streamed through tall windows, the kind that seemed to touch the ceiling, filtering golden light onto the polished wooden floors. Dust motes drifted lazily in the glow, catching in the air like tiny flecks of magic. The place smelled faintly of old paper and lemon polish, the kind of scent that wrapped itself around you the moment you stepped inside. Shelves rose like towering sentinels, lined with books that carried entire lifetimes inside their spines. A steady hum of whispered voices filled the background, softened by the occasional shuffle of feet or the muted thud of a book being returned.
For Ava Martinez, it was sanctuary. Quiet, orderly, and perfect for productivity.
Unfortunately, it was also the scene of her impending doom.
Because today, she had to work with Jace Carter.
Ava chose a table tucked into the far back corner, away from distractions, where the light from a nearby window spilled onto the glossy surface. She spread her materials with military precision: her planner in the top left corner, three highlighters lined like soldiers beside it, two color-coded binders stacked neatly, a fresh pad of sticky notes fanned out in pastel colors, and her laptop powered on with the project folder already open.
She checked her watch. Four o'clock sharp.
Jace was late.
Of course he was late.
By 4:07, Ava had reorganized her notes twice. By 4:10, she was dangerously close to drafting the entire project solo. She could already imagine herself presenting while Jace leaned back in his chair, grinning, doing nothing. The thought made her pulse quicken in irritation.
Then, as though summoned by her growing frustration, he appeared.
**********************************************************
He strolled in with his hoodie half-zipped, basketball tucked under his arm like an extension of himself, earbuds dangling from his neck. His backpack sagged on one shoulder, bulging suspiciously as if he had packed snacks instead of school supplies. And sure enough, the crinkle of a chip bag peeked out of the zipper.
"Sparkle Queen!" he announced, far too loudly for a library.
A chorus of hisses followed. The librarian at the front desk jerked her head up and glared at him over her glasses.
Ava closed her eyes briefly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're late."
"Seven minutes," Jace said cheerfully, sliding into the chair opposite her. "That's practically early for me."
"That's unacceptable for me."
"Relax. You already had time to color-code the table."
Her cheeks prickled with heat. She straightened her pens defensively. "It's called being prepared."
He tipped his chair back on two legs, grinning. "It's called overkill."
Ava inhaled slowly, reminding herself that she was in her sanctuary, not on a battlefield. "Okay. Let's focus. We need to decide on our book."
Jace dug into his backpack and pulled out… a comic book.
Ava's jaw dropped. "Please tell me you're joking."
"What? Graphic novels are literature too."
"This isn't Spider-Man 2099, Carter. This is English class."
He shrugged and flipped open a page, the glossy sound loud in the silence. "Spider-Man's full of conflict and resolution. Fits the assignment perfectly."
"You're impossible."
"And you're predictable."
"Predictable gets A's."
"Boring gets A's. Fun stories."
Ava's eyes twitched. "Mrs. Bennett didn't assign us to tell stories. She assigned us to analyze them."
Ignoring her, Jace popped open his chip bag, the crinkle echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room. Several heads turned in their direction, glares sharp enough to slice. He shoved a handful into his mouth and chewed loudly.
"Don't eat over my notes!" Ava yelped, sliding her binders out of range.
"Relax. I'm careful."
As if fate wanted to spite him, a crumb tumbled down onto her sticky notes. Ava let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a shriek, snatching the notes up and brushing them frantically.
Jace chuckled. "You're cute when you're panicking."
Her hand froze mid-brush. "I am not…" She caught herself, cheeks flaring red. "Focus, Carter."
Determined to wrestle back control, Ava opened one of her binders and slid a neatly typed list across the table. "Here. I narrowed down our options: Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, or Of Mice and Men. Take your pick."
Jace skimmed the page with exaggerated boredom, lips twitching. "This is like choosing between broccoli, broccoli, and broccoli."
"Broccoli is good for you."
"Doesn't mean I want to eat it."
Ava clenched her teeth. "Fine. Which one sounds least painful to you?"
He tapped his chin, drawing out the silence just to watch her squirm. Then he jabbed a finger at the middle of the list. "Scarlet Letter. At least it's about scandal."
Her eyes widened. "You actually picked the most thematically complex one."
He smirked. "Told you. I've got layers."
"Like an onion," she muttered.
"Like a parfait," he corrected, straight-faced. "Everyone loves parfait."
Her lips twitched traitorously before she could stop them. She ducked her head quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed the almost-smile.
For the next half hour, Ava scribbled an outline while Jace chimed in with commentary that was equal parts useless and unexpectedly insightful.
"Central conflict is society versus individual," Ava explained, writing neatly. "Hester Prynne against the rigid expectations of her community."
"Basically everyone hates her for being herself," Jace said, leaning over her notes. "Classic high school energy."
She paused, blinking. "That's… actually not wrong."
"Of course it's not wrong. I'm brilliant."
"Don't push it."
Still, she found herself jotting his words down. Maybe he wasn't entirely hopeless.
But progress derailed when he pulled out his phone.
"Carter," Ava hissed, "are you seriously scrolling TikTok right now?"
"Multitasking."
"You can't even unitask."
"Relax. I'm looking up quotes."
She snatched the phone, glaring at the glowing screen. "This is a video of a guy teaching his dog to skateboard."
"Research," Jace said solemnly. "Man versus society, Martinez. Dog versus gravity. It's all connected."
Ava slapped the phone face down on the table. "I can't do this. You're going to tank my grade."
"And you're going to stress yourself into an early grave."
Her voice rose despite the librarian's warning cough. "Do you even care about this project?"
"Do you even care about having fun?"
"It's not supposed to be fun!"
"Yes, it is!"
The two of them locked eyes, the silence between them sparking like static. Ava's pulse hammered in her ears, a wild mix of anger and something she refused to name. She wanted to scream. Or throw his chips across the room. Or maybe both.
Instead, she forced a breath through her nose. "I'll just do it myself," she muttered, shoving papers into her bag.
Before she could bolt, Jace reached across the table and lightly caught her wrist. His grin was gone. His voice was lower, steadier.
"You don't have to."
She froze, startled. His eyes usually full of mischief held something else. Something that made her chest tighten, a tug she hadn't expected.
For a second, neither of them moved.
Then Ava pulled her hand back quickly, clearing her throat. "Fine. But if we fail, I'm blaming you."
The smirk returned, softer this time. "Deal."
They packed in tense silence. Books zipped away, papers stacked, pens capped. When they stepped out of the library, the evening sun had dipped low, streaking the sky with orange and lavender.
Jace slung his basketball under his arm, looking far too relaxed. "Same time tomorrow?"
Ava adjusted her backpack, exhaling sharply. "Only because I don't trust you to remember the assignment."
He leaned closer, voice light. "Admit it you'd miss me if I didn't show."
"In my nightmares."
"Best nightmares you'll ever have."
Her cheeks heated, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of a reply. Instead, she walked ahead briskly, pretending her heart wasn't racing.
Behind her, Jace chuckled softly, like he knew exactly what he was doing.