Study group

As the group of friends settles in to begin their study session, Romeo sits lazily in front of his PS5, controller in hand, completely engrossed in his game. His friends, sharing the room with him, are surprised to see him gaming instead of studying for their upcoming exams.

"Isn't it time to study for the exams, Romi?" Alex asks a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"I'm good, man. I don't need to spend hours slaving over books," Romeo replies nonchalantly, not even bothering to look up from his game.

"But you said you'd study with us," Maria adds, her tone clearly showing her dismay.

"I said that huh? I don't remember agreeing to study for hours on end," Romeo says.

Anna, who has been quietly observing the exchange, couldn't contain herself any longer. "How the hell did you top our school?" she exclaims, her voice tinged with a hint of admiration and confusion.

This comment caught Romeo's attention, and he pauses his game. Standing up, he walks over to his friends and picks up a pencil. "Okay, let me show you what I'm capable of. Is there anything you need help with?"

Anna eagerly hands Romeo a sheet of paper with a particularly challenging math problem on it. "This one has us stumped. It's impossible to solve," she says, a hint of defeat in her voice.

Romeo examines the problem, his face scrunched in concentration. "This number is way too high. Let's work on it without the exponent first," he says.

As he keeps working through the problem, Romeo explains his thought process to Anna, who listens intently. "The factorial of any number higher than 10 will always end in 00, because of the 2 × 5 × 10 combination. This means that all numbers greater than 10 will have a remainder of 0 when divided by 100. So, we're left with 0!+1!+...+9!", Romeo says, his eyes flicking back and forth between the problem and his notes.

Anna's eyes widen in understanding. "Oh, that makes sense," she exclaims.

Romeo hands her back the calculator and says, "The remainder when dividing by 100 is 14. Now we need to find the remainder when dividing 14^2021 by 100, and we'll have the answer."

Anna quickly punches the numbers into the calculator and her eyes widen in surprise. "It's closer than ever! I still can't find an opening though!" she said, a hint of frustration in her voice.

Romeo stuns the girl even more with his quick thinking. "The number is 14, right? And 14=15-1. So now we have (15-1)^2021. Do you see it now, Anna?"

Anna nods excitedly. "Newton's binomial! That's it!" she exclaims.

Romeo takes the calculator and punches in the final numbers. "The answer is 64," he declares, a hint of triumph he's showing off to all of the pals.

Anna can't contain her excitement and she runs to her phone, contacting their math teacher to verify the answer and it turns out to be correct. She comes back to Romeo and the others, "How did you pull this off!" she exclaims in amazement.

As the group celebrates Romeo's success in solving the math problem, Alex couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. "You guys are really dangerous," he says, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you really in the same school as us?"

Romeo turns his attention to Lina, who has been quietly observing the exchange. "Lina, you said you couldn't understand the atomic nucleus last time, right? Which part?" he asks, showing off curiosity and the will to help his friend.

Lina hesitates for a moment, before answering. "The disintegration of an atom using a neutron. I just can't seem to get it," she says, a hint of frustration in her voice.

Without a word, Romeo grabs a nearby physics textbook and flips through the pages until he finds the section on atomic nuclei. After skimming the text, he then reaches for a chocolate bar and a knife on the table. As he gets closer to Lina, He begins to explain his idea.

"I always like to make things clear by leaving the scientific side behind and focusing only on the principle," Romeo begins, a playful atmosphere joining the show thanks to the way he's explaining right now. "Okay, think of this chocolate bar as an atom, and this knife as a neutron. Alright?"

Lina nods, her interest piqued.

Romeo takes the knife and begins slicing the chocolate bar into small pieces. "The knife slices the chocolate just like that, and the chocolate is now divided into little pieces, right? It's disintegrated, right? Now try and imagine it with atoms and stuff instead of chocolate," he says, his words accompanied by the sound of the knife cutting through the chocolate.

Lina's eyes widen in understanding. "The atom is the chocolate and the neutron is the knife. OH! The neutron can disintegrate the atom into nucleons! I get it now," she exclaims, her voice filled with excitement.

As he takes the chocolate crumbs and puts them in his mouth, he adds, "And if you're wondering about the lost mass..."

"It's a consequence of the reaction that just happened, which means....an energy loss!", Answers the girl, a thankful look written all over her face. He then pats her on her head, "That's my girl. You get it now?"

Lina couldn't help but be grateful for Romeo's help, She smiles and says "Thank you, Romeo."

The scene was too perfect for Maria and Alex, They couldn't resist taking a picture of the two of them. Romeo noticing this, rolls his eyes, "Was it really necessary for you two to take a picture?"

Maria and Alex, grinning from ear to ear, replied in unison "Yes it waaaas!"

Sara sitting at her desk, staring at those two as they work tirelessly on their studies. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as she watches them work together, helping each other understand difficult concepts and problem-solving. But what's bugging her is the way they treat one another, "They look so close and comfy around each other", she thinks to herself, "I wish I was there instead of her."

As she tries to focus on her studies, Sara can't shake the feeling of inadequacy. She knows she needs help, but she is hesitant to ask. After a few moments of internal struggle, she masters up the courage to speak.

"R-Romeo," Sara stammers, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can you help me with the binary system in computer science?"

Romeo, who was currently helping Anna with a problem, looks up and says. "Sure thing," he says, standing up and making his way over to her. "Maria, I'm borrowing your laptop," he adds, grabbing the device from his friend's bag.

As Romeo sits down next to Sara and begins to explain the concept of binary numbers, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her. For the next several hours, Romeo dedicates himself to helping his friends, using creative examples and a patient approach to ensure they fully understand the material.

As the group worked, the room grows increasingly quiet, with the only sounds coming from the scratching of pencils on paper and the occasional sigh of frustration. Eventually, after several hours of intense studying, the group puts down their pens and slumped in their chairs.

Lina and Maria, who have been sitting near the back of the room, stand up and make their way to the kitchen. "I'm going to grab some juice for everyone," Lina says, her voice tired but still cheerful.

As the girls returned with glasses of juice for everyone, Alex leans back in his chair and lets out a sigh of exhaustion. "Man, that was exhausting," he says, rubbing his eyes. "I think we should call it a day. Romi, is there anything that you're incapable of solving?"

Romeo, who had been helping them tirelessly throughout the session, answers his friend. "I'll tell you once it crosses my path," he says, closing Maria's laptop and standing up.

As they begin to pack up their things, Maria couldn't help but stare at Romeo in amazement. "You're actually saying that you solved every task that crossed your path?" she asks, her tone filled with disbelief as she didn't even realize that she spilled her juice.

"And here's Lina's money going to waste," Romeo says, referring to the juice getting all over the table.

As Lina and Romeo work to clean up the remnants of the party that took place after Sunday's session, Lina couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt for imposing on Romeo's time. She knows he has been helping them hella hard for the upcoming exams, and she doesn't want to cause him any added stress.

"Sorry for troubling you like that," Lina says, "You should return to your house and get some rest before it's too late."

Romeo, however, was unfazed. He has a relaxed, easygoing demeanor as he moves around the room, gathering empty cups and plates. "It's okay," he reassures her. "I'll head home once we clean up this mess."

As they work, Lina couldn't help but bring up the topic of Alex's smoking. "I didn't know that Alex smokes though," she says, sounding surprised. "That wasn't expected."

"He's not a heavy smoker, to be honest," Romeo explained. "He only smokes when he gets a little stressed."

Lina shakes her head and chuckles, "Maria's reaction after finding out about it was something else though. She almost killed the man!"

Romeo adds, "She's just worried about Alex. She cares about him a lot. He's her boyfriend after all."

Lina admires Romeo's ability to solve problems and easily understand complex concepts as they continue cleaning. "As for you, Romeo," she begins, her tone filled with admiration. "You're really out of our league! You help us overcome our lacking and the tasks that you solve, are hard and you cover them like they are nothing! You're gifted!"

Romeo says, making it feel like he's used to such compliments "Yeah, whatever." he says, "I think we're done cleaning this way."

As Lina looks around the now-tidy room, she couldn't help but feel grateful for Romeo's help, not just with cleaning up, but also for his constant willingness to help his friends. She knew that his intelligence and problem-solving skills would take him far in life, but what she admires most about him was his humble and selfless nature.

As the two finish cleanings, Lina suddenly realizes the time and how dark it has become outside. "Wow, it's already dark," she exclaims, her voice filled with concern. "And it's pouring rain out there!"

Romeo looks out the window, he says as he watches the rain coming down in sheets. "Can I borrow your umbrella?" he asks Lina. "I'll give it back to you tomorrow."

Lina shakes her head, her worry growing. "You can't go out in this weather," she says firmly. "It's pouring rain and your house is quite a ways from here. You'll catch a cold and next week is not a good time for you to get sick."

Julien considered this for a moment before pulling out his phone. "I'll make a call then," he said, dialing his neighbor's number. As Lina listened in, she heard Julien explaining that he would be sleeping over at a friend's house tonight, asking Miss Winston to give dinner to his mother and assure her not to worry about him.

As he hung up, Lina couldn't help but get the urge to ask him a question, her brows furrowed as she spoke, "Why didn't you call your mother directly?"

"The phone might not be next to her," he replied, putting the phone on the table, and making Lina remember his mother's condition by doing so. "Miss Winston knows how to talk it over with her better than me, I'm not that good with words after all." Continued Julien apathetically, while Lina's heart ached at the thought of his mother's well-being.

Feeling guilty for not being able to do more for him, Lina offers, "Hey, Romeo... Do you... Maybe... Need some money?"

Romeo looks at her and exclaims right away, "Where did this come from?"

"I mean you're a part-timer and all...", Adds the girl, starting to feel a bit off since she's thinking about how life has been treating Romeo, "So I thought maybe I could lend you some money, you know..."

"Thank you for your concern", He says, "But I'm afraid I'll be turning it down."

"But why?", Says the girl, showing out her concern, "You need that money don't you, consider it payback for all the things you've done to me."

"I can't accept it", Answers the boy, "sorry. I'm not taking something unless I deserve it, or at least sweated to gain it. I may have financial struggles, but I don't want to take advantage of our friendship or take something for granted. I need to earn and work for what I have."

"But I want to return the favor...",

Since she was well aware that Julien wouldn't get any financial help, Lina's hands started fidgeting nervously as she got closer to Julien, standing right in front of him. Feeling helpless because she didn't know how she could help him, she looked into his eyes, it felt like she wanted to say something, her mouth opening for a moment then shut right away as she couldn't help but move her eyes away so they wouldn't lock with his anymore.

Feeling her growing worry, Julien put his hand over her head, "Thank you, Lina," He said, taking her aback as he kept gently patting her head. Surprised by his words, she raised her head, finally deciding to muster up the courage and look at him, "For what..." She muttered, her eyes slightly watering, "I'm well aware I didn't do anything to deserve your thanking... It's totally the opposite."

"I keep giving you such pain," Continued Lina, lowering her hands as she lightly clenched her fists, while Julien kept gently stroking her hair, "Despite how gentle you act, I couldn't help but assume that you're a freak, taking only your cold demeanor into consideration..."

"I get mad at you, even though I'm well aware that I'm the problem, not you…" She added moving slightly away, making him unable to touch her head anymore, "And yet, I keep blaming you, simply because I don't know how to compose myself…"

"So… Don't thank me," Lina's eyes watered, and she wiped them off with her arms right away, her voice shaking as she finished her piece of mind, "If anything, there is no need for you to thank me… At least for the time being…"

He rendered her silent by patting her head gently as he closed the distance between them, leaving her with a blush running wild on her cheeks, immediately forgetting about her tears, "Thanks, Lina," He said once more, "for keeping up with me..."

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, not with tears, but with genuine comfort and admiration, "Why..." She thought to herself as Julien seized patting her head, her heart beating too loud he might hear it, "Why does it feel like you're always, one step ahead of me? Why do I get this lingering feeling... A feeling that keeps asking me to keep you for me and only me..."

"Just... Just go easy on my heart, damn it!" She yelled in her thoughts, the butterflies growing stronger in her chest, "Let me figure out my emotions at my own pace!"

"Okay, I understand." She spoke up, her features softening with her smile as she walked closer to the door, "But if you ever need anything, just let me know, okay?"

"Okie dokie," Replied Julien, raising his thumb up as he opened the door, letting Lina get out first, "So... I suppose we're going to have dinner now, right?" He asked, closing the door behind them before they could start walking down the stairs.

"Oh... You're reading my thoughts now?" She teased, nudging him with her shoulder, her worry finally dissipating, "That's scary, really scary!"

Lina got to the kitchen and started getting some work done, this was the finest moment for her to thank Julien by making a decent dinner meal for him. After looking around the kitchen, and discovering the ingredients she got access to by doing so, Lina settled on making fried rice.

"Dinner is ready!", Said the girl as they settled on the table, the smell of the food reaching their brains, "Thank you for this food", said Julien before taking a spoonful of the dish and savoring the flavor. He closed his eyes, letting the combination of the savory sausage, the slightly spicy peppers, and the rich soy sauce dance on his taste buds. He couldn't help but let out a satisfying sigh, "It's delicious..."

Lina couldn't help but chuckle at Romeo's reaction, "I'm glad you like it," she said, filling her spoon, "Just so you know, I'm quite an excellent cook, got it?"

"So... I guess that would make you a great wife," Commented Julien, his eyes were on his plate before he heard Lina's sudden coughing. He raised his head, finding her enveloped in a deep shade of red as she reached the glass of water, drinking it slowly so she could breath properly.

"W... W-what's this wife thing all of a sudden!" She stammered, slamming the glass on the table as she glared at him, her embarrassment evident, "Don't go teasing me like that!"

As he was her like that, Julien couldn't help but notice something, "You know..." He started, causing Lina to flinch on her seat once more, trying to prepare herself for the upcoming, "Looking up close, you're kinda cute..." He said, his face emotionless as ususal.

As they finished dinner, Lina clears the dishes and Romeo offers to help. As they worked together in the kitchen, Lina couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart. She had always seen Romeo as a friend and a confidant, but she couldn't help but notice the way he made her feel at ease and how she enjoyed spending time with him. Buzz, that chill is becoming something usual for her when she's around him. As she starts heating up, switching to that clumsy personality, Lina keeps talking to herself, "What's going on all of a sudden? Why am I feeling so joyful all of a sudden?", She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew she enjoyed having him around, "What the... What's going on here..."

"Thanks for dinner Lina", Says Romeo, interrupting her thoughts, "it was really delicious."

"No... No problem! I'm glad you enjoyed it, " she answers while trying to stealth her clumsiness.

As Lina enters her room, she finds out that her mother sent her a message:

"Hello sweetie. I'm sorry to inform you that your father won't be coming home this month. Something urgent came up at his work and he'll be returning after three days. We'll be staying at your uncle's house for that period. I'm sorry but you'll have to stay home alone a little longer"

She is visibly upset, her movements are slow and deliberate, and she sits on her bed, after changing her clothes. She takes out her phone and reads the message from her mother again, disappointment and frustration are written all over her face. She sighs and mutters, "Seriously, this really sucks! And I thought that I'll be meeting dad more than two months for the first time!"

"Hold on a minute", Lina's face turns bright red as the realization hits her, "If mom isn't here... Does that mean that me and that brainstorm are..."

"Oy Lina, could you lend me those clothes...", Romeo enters the room, interrupting her moment of solitude. Lina, still processing the fact that she's home alone with Romeo, snaps at him and starts yelling while throwing everything around her at him "Get out of here you perv."

Romeo, taken aback by Lina's sudden outburst, keeps dodging those pillows and stuff while slowly getting closer to her "Lina, you've been acting really weird lately", He says, "Is there something bothering you?"

As she keeps staring at him without action, she can feel the heat spreading across her cheeks and she can feel her heart racing, "Why the hell...", She says, talking to herself, "Why do I start behaving this way, when I'm around you when we're alone?", She starts fidgeting, twisting her fingers together and looking down at her feet, unable to make eye contact with him. Both of them sit down calmly on her bed.

"Care to share it with me?", Asks Romeo a second time.

The embarrassment she feels is palpable, and she can feel it emanating from her in waves. She starts to stammer, " R-Romeo!", her voice trembling as she tries to find the words to explain, "S-Say, Romeo! W... What do you... SARA! WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SARA???"