pseudonyms and sarcasm

1.2

Catt head towards Spanish. Hana to art and Solux to history. He didn't necessarily like it all that much, he was just good at it. Which were essentially the same thing when it came to grades. 

The students filed into the classroom slowly while their teacher bounded in cheerfully behind them. "Morning everyone!" She beamed.

Solux liked Mikumo a lot. She was passionate about her subject and had a bit of a soft spot for him when it came to meeting deadlines or lack thereof. 

"Alright," she clapped her hands together, "I know it's basically the start of the school year but this first assignment is going to be a real doozy. So I'm giving you two months to complete it."

A unanimous feeling dread shot through the students and almost every one of their smiles disappeared.

   "Guys, come on! It's not even that bad, you're in groups!"

The disappointment was now audible as most people either sighed, groaned or tsked. 

It then occurred to her that nothing she said would lift their spirits and so she just continued. "I want you to make a presentation on the importance of regional history under the British Empire." She clapped her hands again, this time proudly, despite the sea of confused faces looking up at her blankly.

   "Most fun/entertaining presentation wins!"

A boy in the front row's hand shot right up, "What do we win?" He asked, without waiting for her to acknowledge him.

   "The respect and adoration of your peers!" She cheered, "...and maybe like, a fiver or something." She added when the dejected expressions reached her eyes. 

   "Alrighty then, partners!"

Solux's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head,

The girl beside him whipped around to make eye contact with another sitting behind them, there eyes met and they raised there eyebrows at each other in unison.

   "I'll be choosing them this time!" 

Group assignments broke him. Despite his seemingly easy going nature, he got pretty uptight when it came to getting things done. There's no way he'd accept being paired with someone lazy. It wasn't that he didn't want to do all the work but them but he didn't want to do all the work for them. Not anymore, at least.

Please, he thought loudly, trying to communicate with her telepathically, just someone decent. 

She walked around the room, informing everyone of their partners and pointing hem in their general direction so that they could move. 

Finally, she settled on him.

   "I think you'd do best with Rekken on this one." She winked.

It took a while for her words to settle in. The initial shock to his body rendered him dumb for a few moments so he didn't even notice when she had moved in, he was still staring at the spot in front of him where she had been standing.

No. Oh god no!

Solux didn't hate him, he just didn't talk to him. And for a good reason to. That loud, arrogant, obnoxious class-clown could be heard from 20 rooms away. No way would they do best together. Rekken just didn't know when to shut up, which was quite difficult for Solux as he believed it to be always.  

He was so deep in thought that he didn't noticed that Rekken had already sat next to him and had been trying to start a conversation for a decent amount of time.

   "O-Oliver?" He touched his arm shyly to get his attention and Solux prayed he  Rekken didn't notice him jump. 

Everyone had started to shove stationary in their bags in an attempt to leave the room as quickly as possible, most likely to go and cry. It was basically just him. And Rekken, unfortunately. With his stupid, poofy brown hair and his stupid grin and- Solux stopped the thought the moment they surfaced.

   "Uh-" Rekken began again, tentatively, "I think we should exchange numbers. So we can talk about the assignment?" Rekken smiled sideways.

Solux frowned deeply, but agreed. "Okay."

And so they did.

   "Do you want to meet up outside class?" Rekken didn't add the 'to discuss work' but it was there. Probably. 

   "Sure." And then he remembered. "But I'm uh... busy, this weekend. I have..." he paused, "stuff... to do." 

Well done, Solux.

   "Yeah," Rekken whispered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "I have... something to do this weekend too. Monday afternoon?"

   "Ok." Solux replied, not really thinking about it. 

   "Text me if you have any bright ideas!" Rekken said, waving at Solux behind him. He jogged towards a group of girls who had been waiting by the door this entire time.

Solux let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

He just got so tense around Rekken.

Because he was just so... so... annoying!

Yeah.

That's why.