Chapter 3: The Shared Class

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Chapter 3: The Shared Class

Liam and Maya walked into their English classroom the next morning, their conversation from the day before making the air between them feel familiar, not awkward. As they took their seats again, Maya leaned toward him, whispering, "So, did you start the essay?"

Liam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kind of. I wrote a sentence. Then deleted it. Then wrote another. Then deleted that too."

Maya grinned. "Classic overthinker move. Want me to look at what you have?"

He hesitated. His writing always felt too personal to share, but Maya's offer sounded genuine, not judgmental. "Maybe later. I need to figure out what I'm actually trying to say first."

"Fair enough," she said, flipping open her notebook just as their teacher, Mrs. Callahan, began passing out papers.

"Before we dive into today's lesson," Mrs. Callahan announced, "we're going to be working on these essays in pairs. I've already assigned partners."

Liam tensed, glancing at Maya, hoping—

"Liam and Maya, you'll be working together."

He exhaled in relief. At least he wouldn't be stuck with someone who made him feel even more self-conscious.

Maya grinned. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

As the teacher continued down the list, Liam found himself surprisingly okay with that.

They spent the next class period bouncing ideas off each other. Maya suggested starting with something simple—an important memory, a moment that changed them in some way. Liam mentioned playing music alone in his room, hesitant to share more, but Maya's enthusiasm pushed him to open up slightly.

"That's perfect!" she said. "You should write about why you play. What it means to you."

Liam hadn't really thought about it like that before. He played because it felt natural, because music was easier than words. But maybe Maya was right—maybe that was exactly why he should write about it.

By the end of class, Liam had more ideas than he expected. As they packed up, Maya nudged him lightly. "Told you, you're just the main character in your own story."

He chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try not to overthink it."

As they left the classroom, Liam realized he wasn't just looking forward to finishing his essay—he was looking forward to the next time he'd get to talk to Maya.