The hum of morning chatter filled Classroom 2-B like a swarm of restless bees. The air was thick with the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, chalk dust, and the faint sweetness of strawberry candies someone had smuggled in. Students clustered in groups, exchanging notes, gossip, and yawns as the first period bell threatened to ring.
Elena Li sat primly at her usual seat near the window, her books neatly stacked, pens aligned by color. Sunlight spilled through the glass, illuminating her tidy corner like a spotlight on perfection.
She let out a small sigh of relief. Here, at least, I can breathe. No smirks. No helmets. No trouble.
But trouble had a habit of finding her.
The classroom door slammed open.
Adrian Cole strolled in, late as always, his jacket slung lazily over one shoulder. A ripple of excitement ran through the room—girls whispering, boys elbowing each other. Adrian ignored them all, sauntering down the aisle with that same swagger, the infamous smirk tugging at his lips.
Elena ducked her head, praying he wouldn't notice her.
Please. Just keep walking. Go sit at the back like you always do.
"Class, settle down!" The sharp voice of Ms. Park, their homeroom teacher, sliced through the chatter. She clapped her hands once, her glasses flashing under the fluorescent lights.
Adrian leaned casually against the wall, feigning boredom. Ms. Park's gaze narrowed.
"Mr. Cole," she said sternly, "you're late again."
Adrian stretched, running a hand through his blond hair. "Traffic," he said smoothly.
The class chuckled.
Ms. Park's eyes glinted dangerously. "You think this is amusing? Since you clearly need closer supervision, I've decided to rearrange the seating chart."
Groans and gasps filled the room.
Elena stiffened. Rearrange?
Ms. Park began calling out names, moving students around like chess pieces. With each announcement, desks scraped noisily against the floor. Elena clutched her pen tightly, dread pooling in her stomach.
And then—
"Elena Li."
Elena shot to her feet. "Yes, Ms. Park?"
"You'll be moving from the window seat to…" Ms. Park's gaze swept the room, then landed squarely on Adrian. "There."
The class erupted.
"No way!"
"She's dead!"
"This is gold."
Elena's mouth fell open. "Ms. Park—"
"No complaints," Ms. Park snapped. "You're one of my top students, Elena. Perhaps you'll be a good influence on Mr. Cole."
Adrian's smirk widened like a cat who'd just cornered a mouse. He leaned back in his chair, patting the empty seat beside him with mock chivalry.
"Welcome to hell, sunshine."
The room buzzed with laughter as Elena reluctantly gathered her books and marched toward him. She sat stiffly in the chair, keeping as much distance between them as humanly possible.
Adrian leaned over, his voice a teasing whisper.
"Careful, bookworm. If you sit any farther, you'll fall off the edge."
She glared, snapping open her notebook. "Don't talk to me."
"Too late," he said with a lazy grin.
The lesson began, Ms. Park scribbling equations on the board. Elena scribbled notes furiously, determined to ignore the boy beside her. But Adrian had other plans.
Every few minutes, he leaned in with some comment—
"Do you always write that neatly? Looks like a robot."
"You're really taking this seriously, huh?"
"Don't frown so much. You'll get wrinkles."
Finally, Elena snapped, slamming her pen down.
"Do you ever shut up?"
The class tittered. Ms. Park turned, glaring.
"Is there a problem, Miss Li?"
Elena's face flushed crimson. "N-no, ma'am."
Adrian bit back laughter, whispering, "Seatmate from heaven, huh?"
She wanted to strangle him.
Halfway through class, Adrian leaned over again. This time, he stole her pen right from her hand.
"Hey!" Elena hissed.
He twirled it between his fingers, examining it like it was a toy. "Purple ink? What are you, five?"
"Give it back!"
"Make me."
Her eyes flashed. Without thinking, she snatched his pen from his desk.
The class erupted into muffled laughter as the two of them exchanged stolen pens like squabbling children.
Ms. Park slammed the chalk against the board, making everyone jump. "If you two don't settle down, you'll both be writing lines after class!"
Elena glared daggers at Adrian. Adrian, unfazed, leaned closer, his voice low enough for only her to hear.
"Relax, sunshine. I'll let you copy my notes."
"You don't even take notes!"
He grinned. "Exactly."
Gossip Spreads
By lunch, the entire school knew about the new seating arrangement.
"They're seatmates now?"
"She's doomed. Absolutely doomed."
"Or lucky. Imagine sitting next to Adrian Cole every day…"
Elena sat with her best friend Mia in the cafeteria, stabbing her rice with unnecessary force.
"I hate him," she muttered. "I hate him."
Mia giggled. "Hate or not, you two looked awfully cozy. Pen war in class? That's basically flirting."
Elena choked on her water. "Flirting?! That was warfare!"
Mia shrugged, her eyes sparkling. "The line is thin, Elena. Very thin."
Elena buried her face in her hands. "Why me?"
Across the cafeteria, Adrian lounged with his friends, half-listening to their chatter about basketball tryouts. His gaze kept flicking toward the corner where Elena sat, scowling into her lunch tray.
He chuckled to himself. She was fun to provoke—like a tightly wound spring, ready to snap at the slightest touch.
One of his friends smirked. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
Adrian leaned back, stretching lazily. "She's entertaining."
"She hates your guts."
"Good," Adrian said, his smirk curving deeper. "Makes it more interesting."
Because boredom was Adrian's greatest enemy. And Elena Li? She was anything but boring.
Back in class, Ms. Park handed out a paired assignment.
"Seatmates will work together," she announced.
Elena's stomach dropped. "No."
Adrian grinned. "Yes."
The assignment was simple: prepare a joint presentation on a historical figure by next week. But to Elena, it felt like a death sentence.
She slammed her notebook shut, turning to him. "We are dividing the work. Evenly. No slacking."
Adrian leaned in, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Sure. I'll handle the talking, you handle the boring research."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're not talking. You'll just make jokes."
"Exactly. That's my charm."
Her patience snapped.
"You're the seatmate from hell."
Adrian chuckled, leaning back in his chair, his infamous smirk firmly in place.
"And you, bookworm, are my personal heaven."
Her cheeks flamed. She turned away, furiously scribbling notes, refusing to let him see the way her heart stuttered at his words.
But Adrian saw. Oh, he definitely saw.
As the day ended, Elena stuffed her books into her bag, her mind a storm of frustration.
Seatmates. For the rest of the semester.
She clenched her fists, muttering under her breath.
"I'll survive this. I have to."
Across the room, Adrian watched her leave, his smirk softening into something unreadable.
"Seatmate from hell?" he murmured to himself. "We'll see, sunshine. We'll see."
The war had just escalated. And neither of them had any idea how dangerously addictive it was about to become.