The classroom was half-empty after school, desks cluttered with project materials. Eli and his group had been assigned a history report, and papers, markers, and reference books were scattered everywhere.
"Ugh, I can't write anymore," Mina groaned, flopping dramatically across two chairs.
Jace laughed, tossing a crumpled scrap of paper at her. "That's because you've been doodling flowers instead of helping."
Caleb, leaning back lazily in his seat, added, "Just let Eli finish the timeline. He's the only one with neat handwriting."
Eli rolled his eyes but picked up the pen anyway.
As Eli sketched the last arrow on the chart, Kai's voice came quietly from across the table.
"You missed a date."
Eli blinked. "What?"
Kai leaned closer, pointing at one section. "This battle happened three years earlier."
Eli checked the notes and realized he was right. "Oh… good catch."
The others had already started gathering their things—Mina chatting with Leo, Jace and Caleb bickering over who had to carry the glue sticks—leaving Eli and Kai to tidy the rest.
Eli hesitated, watching Kai gather stray papers with methodical care.
"You don't have to help," Eli said softly. "You could've gone home."
Kai shook his head. "It's easier when we do it together."
Together. The word echoed strangely in Eli's chest.
They walked out of school side by side. The hallway buzzed with other students rushing home, but Eli noticed the small space between them—close enough that their shoulders brushed now and then.
And for once, he didn't step away.