If there's one thing Ava Carter hates more than pop quizzes, it's seating charts.
The bell rings, the hallway noise fades, and Ava slips into her second-row, third-seat-by-the-window spot—the only place in school where her brain feels quiet.
But today?
No quiet.
Mrs. Lane, their English teacher, claps her hands like she's about to announce something life-changing.
"New semester, new seating plan!"
The whole class groans.
Ava freezes.
Her old seat was perfect:
Not too close to the board.
Not too close to people.
Just... safe.
Around her, everyone reacts in typical morning-chaos fashion:
• Lily Morales, Ava's best friend, rolls her eyes dramatically like the universe has personally offended her.
• Jax Turner, the class clown, is trying to trade seats before the teacher even finishes speaking.
• Priya Patel, the straight-A perfectionist, is already organizing her pens by color in her new desk.
• Ethan Brooks, the quiet science kid, looks like he's mentally calculating escape routes.
Ava's heart starts doing backflips inside her chest.
What if she ends up in the front row?
What if she ends up next to someone who talks?
Mrs. Lane starts calling names, dragging kids around the room like puzzle pieces that don't want to fit.
"Ava Carter... seat 14."
Ava stands, clutching her sketchbook like a shield.
Seat 14 is...
Right in the middle.
Of everything.
Of everyone.
And worse—there's already someone sitting next to it. Someone she doesn't recognize from last semester.
He's tapping a pencil on the desk like the beat exists only in his head. Hair slightly messy, hoodie sleeves rolled up, sneakers too clean for a Monday morning.
He looks up.
Smiles.
A friendly, unbothered, daylight-bright smile.
"Hey," he says, like they've known each other forever. "Guess we're seat-mates."
Ava's brain crashes like a glitching computer.
She was supposed to blend in.
Disappear.
Be invisible.
But now she's stuck next to this human thunderstorm—
Noah Reed.
And just like that, the seating plan ruins everything.
Or maybe... starts everything.
Ava's first day in her "new" seat had been a full-on sensory overload.
She thought maybe things would calm down today.
Spoiler: they did not.
The classroom smelled like pencils, cafeteria breakfast, and the faint panic of a hundred fifteen-year-olds trying to survive second period.
Ava sat quietly, head down in her notebook, doodling absentmindedly.
Lily Morales leaned over from the row behind her, whispering:
"Hey... bet you ten bucks he's gonna drop something today."
Ava ignored her.
She didn't want bets, she didn't want predictions, and honestly, she didn't want attention.
And then it happened.
A pencil.
Tumbling off the desk.
Slow-motion style.
Ava's pencil.
It rolled across the floor like it had a mind of its own, stopping just short of the teacher's desk.
Without thinking, a hand shot out.
Not hers.
Noah Reed.
He picked it up with a grin. "Whoa, careful there. That's some high-level pencil physics you've got."
Ava froze.
Her brain short-circuited.
Her cheeks got hot.
Her pencil case might as well have exploded for all the noise it made in her head.
She stammered, "Th-thanks."
Too quiet.
Too flustered.
Exactly what she didn't want to happen.
Noah smiled again, this time like it was no big deal.
"Your desk is officially safe now. Consider me your pencil bodyguard."
Ava blinked.
Blinked again.
Then she whispered, "Okay."
Because... what else do you say when someone is somehow completely casual and slightly chaotic at the same time?
Lily snorted from behind her notebook. "Yup. Told ya. Ten bucks, Ava."
Ava's hand shook slightly as she wrote down the notes for the lesson.
But instead of focusing on the teacher's words, she kept sneaking glances at Noah.
He was tapping his pencil again—softly this time—and humming a beat she couldn't place.
Her mind decided it was extremely important to notice that he also had a doodle on the corner of his notebook.
It wasn't much, just a small lightning bolt with a smiley face.
But somehow it made her chest feel a little warmer.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period.
Ava packed her things slowly, careful not to trip or drop anything else.
Lily nudged her. "Mission accomplished. Pencil saved. Next challenge: survive math without speaking to anyone."
Ava nodded, cheeks still pink.
And somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized—maybe new seats weren't so bad after all.
Maybe.
"Alright, everyone," Mrs. Lane announced, holding up the lab manuals, "today you'll be working in your assigned partners. Make sure you cooperate."
Ava's stomach flipped. Assigned partners. Of course. She stole a quick glance at the boy sitting next to her. Noah Reed. His messy hair fell in his eyes as he grinned down at the instructions like he'd just discovered a hidden level in a video game.
Ava tried to focus on the lab manual. Step one: mix vinegar and baking soda. Step two: observe the reaction. Simple enough, right?
"Vinegar and baking soda? Ohhh... this is going to be epic," Noah whispered, leaning closer than necessary.
Ava's pencil paused mid-note. "It's a lab, not a volcano show," she muttered, not even looking up.
"Nope," he said with a sly grin. "Science is supposed to be epic."
Ava rolled her eyes but felt a smile tug at her lips despite herself.
Around them, the classroom buzzed. Students whispered, nudged each other, and carefully—or not so carefully—handled their own experiments. A paper cup overflows on one table. A small giggle echoes from a row behind. But Ava blocked it all out, her focus shifting entirely to the boy next to her.
She carefully measured the baking soda into the cup, while Noah dumped his like it was confetti.
"Are you... careful with that?" Ava asked, biting her lip.
"Nope. Chaos is part of the experiment," Noah said, clearly proud of his approach.
The reaction happened instantly—a little fizzing volcano spilling over the cup. Ava jumped back slightly, startled, while Noah laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"Okay... that's actually kinda cool," Ava admitted, a small warmth spreading through her chest.
"No kidding," Noah said. "See? Science can be fun."
Then disaster struck. Noah's elbow nudged the vinegar cup, tipping it dangerously. Ava grabbed a paper towel just in time to stop a spill.
"You are officially a hazard," she muttered, trying not to laugh.
"The most fun kind of hazard," he said, grinning.
For the next twenty minutes, they worked together, Ava meticulously measuring, Noah cracking jokes that made her snort quietly. He whispered things like, "If this fizz doesn't explode, we should get medals," or, "We survived! Lab heroes!"
By the end, the small cup had fizzed, bubbled, and overflowed like a tiny chaos storm. Ava laughed quietly, and for the first time that day, she realized she was actually enjoying working with him.
"See?" he said, pretending to bow. "I'm an inspiration."
"You're something," Ava corrected, smirking.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Ava felt a strange little spark of excitement. Maybe working with Noah wouldn't be the worst thing this semester. Maybe... it could even be fun.
Next day...
Ava had barely survived math class when her phone buzzed.
She peeked at the screen.
Noah: Did you get the homework?
She blinked. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Texting with Noah felt... different. Unexpected. Slightly terrifying.
Ava: Yeah. You?
Almost immediately, another buzz.
Noah: I... maybe? Not really sure. Wanna compare answers later?
Ava hesitated. Her mind raced:
He wasn't supposed to notice her outside class. He didn't even have a reason to text her. And yet... here he was.
Ava: Sure. Send them?
Noah: Hold on...
Five minutes later, a picture of his messy handwritten answers appeared. Scribbles, doodles, and a tiny lightning bolt drawn in the corner.
Ava's chest warmed. He had doodled the same little symbol she had seen in his notebook during lab.
He notices the small things too.
Ava: Nice doodle.
Noah: Thanks. Yours is better, obviously.
Ava rolled her eyes... then smiled.
Her fingers typed faster than her brain could keep up:
Ava: You're ridiculous.
Noah: And you secretly like it.
Ava froze.
Delete. Delete. No... maybe not. She left it.
The nervous excitement bubbling in her chest was impossible to hide.
For the next thirty minutes, they shared homework notes, memes, random observations about teachers, and even a silly debate about whether cats or dogs would survive better in space.
Every text made Ava feel... lighter, like she wasn't the quiet, invisible girl anymore.
And through it all, one thought kept creeping in:
He wasn't supposed to be her lab partner.
But he had asked for her.
Somewhere between the emojis and bad science jokes, Ava realized something dangerous: she liked that he had noticed her, that he had chosen her.
By the time her mom called her to bed, Ava had a cramp in her fingers from texting and a smile she couldn't shake.
She slipped her phone under her pillow, her heart still buzzing.
It was late. Too late.
And yet, she was already looking forward to the next text.
Something told her that this semester, quiet and predictable weren't in her vocabulary anymore......
Ava didn't mean to be late to the library, but somehow, time had slipped past her while doodling in her sketchbook.
She slid into her usual study corner, headphones in, music on, world off.
The quiet hum of students flipping pages and typing on laptops was perfect—just her and her thoughts.
Then she noticed him.
Noah Reed.
Sitting two tables over, headphones in, clearly lost in his own playlist—but looking exactly as chaotic as ever.
He was tapping his pencil on the table, occasionally bobbing his head to a beat only he could hear.
Ava kept her gaze on her sketchbook. She didn't want to make eye contact. Not yet.
Not when her heart was already doing somersaults.
And then... he looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a full second, it felt like the library had shrunk to just the two of them.
Ava blinked. He grinned. Not a smirk, not a tease—just a warm, friendly grin that somehow made her insides flutter.
She quickly looked back at her notebook. Smooth. Totally normal.
Noah, of course, wasn't done.
He leaned slightly across his table and whispered, "Hey, you hear this song?"
Ava froze. "Uh... no."
He pulled one earbud out and held it toward her. "Trust me. It's perfect. For... studying?"
Ava hesitated. Her brain screamed: Don't. Don't do it. You're going to embarrass yourself.
Her heart screamed: Yes. Do it.
Carefully, she pulled her own earbud out and placed it in her ear.
The song filled her—soft, warm, calm.
They sat like that for a while, earbuds shared, occasionally bobbing their heads or humming along.
Neither said much; neither needed to.
Then, inevitably... their eyes met again.
Ava's cheeks heated. She wanted to look away but couldn't.
Noah noticed, smiled, and quickly returned his gaze to the notebook in front of him, pretending nothing had happened.
It was simple.
Quiet.
And awkward.
But Ava felt it. That tiny spark of connection.
The kind you notice in small, perfect, impossible moments.
When the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, they didn't speak.
Just packed up. Just left.
Ava walked back to class, headphones back in, sketchbook clutched like armor.
But even with the music blasting, she could still feel the echo of that shared song, and the weight of Noah's eyes on her.
For the first time all semester, Ava didn't mind being slightly off-balance.
Everything going well.....
It started with a loud ding from Jax's phone.
"Guys! New TikTok trend! Classroom edition!" he announced, practically bouncing in his seat.
Ava groaned, trying to hide behind her notebook. "Please tell me this doesn't involve me."
Too late. Noah was already laughing, leaning toward her. "Come on, it's harmless. We just... follow the steps. I swear."
Before she could protest, Jax had set up his phone on a tripod facing the classroom. A few brave students volunteered—or were coerced—to be part of the video.
Noah turned to her with a grin. "C'mon. You've got rhythm... sort of, right?"
Ava's heart raced. She didn't have rhythm. She didn't do public. She definitely didn't do TikTok in front of everyone.
But Noah reached out, lightly nudging her arm. "You're doing this with me, whether you like it or not."
Ava sighed, muttering, "I hate you."
"You love me," Noah said, already starting the first move.
And somehow... it wasn't terrible.
They followed the trend, hands flailing, feet moving awkwardly but in sync. Ava caught herself laughing—not at the dance, but at Noah's ridiculous energy, the way he exaggerated every move and winked at the camera like a pro.
Then disaster.
Noah tripped slightly, knocking the tripod. The phone wobbled precariously—then captured the perfect shot of Ava trying to catch him while still trying to look coordinated.
The bell rang. Students gathered around to watch.
"OMG, look at this!" Lily shouted, pointing at the phone. "Ava! Noah! You guys are hilarious! Post it!"
Ava shrank into herself, mortified. Noah, however, was grinning, waving like a star on stage.
"Hey, don't worry," he said softly, leaning toward her. "This is us. A little chaos, a little... cute. That's all."
Ava flushed. Cute? Him? Really?
By the time the video hit social media, half the school had already seen it. Memes, jokes, and "ship" comments appeared within minutes.
Ava wanted to disappear into her hoodie.
Noah? He just laughed and shrugged.
"See?" he whispered, "Everyone's gonna remember us. But we know the truth. It's fun. Don't overthink it."
Ava glanced at him. Somehow, his calm, chaotic confidence made the embarrassment sting a little less.
And just like that... their friendship—awkward, chaotic, and full of accidental TikTok fame—took on a life of its own.
Next day....
Ava tried to keep her head down all morning.
It wasn't working.
As soon as she stepped into the cafeteria, whispers and stifled giggles followed her like a cloud. Every glance felt heavier than the last. And then she saw it—her face staring back at her from a phone screen.
The TikTok.
Except it wasn't just the video anymore. Someone had added text:
"Ava & Noah: The New Power Couple?"
Ava froze.
Her cheeks burned.
She wanted to delete the internet. Burn it. Vanish from social media forever.
Noah slid into the seat across from her, grinning, completely unbothered. "See? You're famous now. Congrats."
"Famous?" Ava whispered, clutching her tray. "No. Infamous."
He laughed. "Same difference. People talk about you either way. Better to be memorable than invisible."
But Ava didn't feel better.
Lily nudged her gently. "Ignore it. It's stupid."
Easy for her to say. She wasn't the one whose cheeks were on fire every time someone smirked in the hallway.
Noah leaned closer. "You know what?" he said softly. "I don't care what they say. We had fun. That's what matters."
Ava blinked. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to brush it off.
But even as she tried, she noticed classmates pointing, whispering, and laughing.
Her sketchbook offered a safe escape. She opened it, doodled furiously, trying to focus on something that wasn't everyone staring.
Then, to her surprise, Noah reached across the table, gently nudging her sketchbook toward him. "Show me," he said.
Ava hesitated. Then slowly, she lifted the cover so he could see her doodles—tiny details he'd never notice.
He grinned. "Wow. You're amazing."
Ava swallowed, caught off guard by the sincerity in his tone. For a moment, the cafeteria noise disappeared. Rumors. TikTok. Social media chaos... none of it mattered.
"You're ridiculous," she muttered, hiding a smile.
"Maybe," he said. "But at least we're ridiculous together."
And just like that, Ava realized something important: rumors could be loud. But laughter, shared moments, and genuine connection? Those were louder.