We Go Beyond History (Solangelo)

Ch 3

Song: Agora Hills by Doja Cat
Will pov

1 month later
___

Will had begun to notice a change in Nico's behavior. Since their first greeting wasn't great, Nico had been a little kinder. Not just giving a dry hello, which made Will happy, though he didn't know how he felt about that.

They had even held a conversation. One day, after the bell had rung in Mr. Brunner's class, Will had started to pack up and leave when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, Will," Nico spoke softly. His voice was deeper than Will remembered. He changed over the summer since sophomore year.

"What's up?" Will responded, keeping his voice friendly.

"We should probably give each other our numbers if we have to work on these assignments after school," Nico stated. That was smart, and Will didn't think of that.
"Oh! You're right!" Will grabbed his phone from his back pocket, the bright yellow phone case contrasting with the black phone Nico had already been holding.

Will noticed Nico had gone into the contacts app, so Will stopped him.
"Wait, there's an easier way." Will placed the top of his phone on Nico's and waited for the familiar vibration of his contact to jump to Nico's phone.

"What was that?" Nico asked, looking at his new contact that had been placed in his phone.

"My friends and I call it 'Touching Tips'." Will smiled. Nico looked at him like he was crazy.

"Absolutely not."

"We do! Hey if you think about it, we just touched tips!"

"No, we did not."

"We touched tips!"

___

That sparked a small, blooming friendship between them. In the hallways, if they passed each other Will would smile at Nico, earning a nod in return.

'I wonder if I can ever get him to really smile.'

___

Mr. Brunner had just finished, to Will's horror, assigning the biggest assignment Will had seen in his life. They had to research how Greek influenced the English alphabet, write an essay, and present a slideshow to the class. All in a month.
How was he even supposed to get started? He rushed out of the class, not noticing Nico had tried to get his attention before he left.

"And, get this." Will swallowed a bite of his lunch. "You have to work with the person next to you. That's Nico."
Cecil groaned while Lou Ellen laughed at his predicament.
"Looks like you're gonna work with your favorite person for a month!" Lou giggled.
"Can you ask for a new partner?" Cecil suggested. Will shook his head.
"Mr. Brunner is exactly the type of guy to listen to the situation and call it a 'bonding experience'. " Will sighed.

His phone buzzed, and Will was surprised to see a notification from Nico.

Nico: (12:56 pm)

Hey, Will

We should probably work on our assignment sometime, Mr. Brunner said we don't have much time in class to do thorough research, and I really need to pass this class. Would you be free sometime after school?
Take care,
Nico

Will may have snorted at his formality. He immediately wrote him back, ignoring Cecil looking over his shoulder.

Will: (12:57 pm)
For sure!

Will: (12:57)
Meet me at my house after school

"Woah woah woah," Cecil interjected. "Pause. I thought you hated him?"