The classroom buzzed with the shuffle of students, the anticipation of new partners hanging in the air. Rachel sat still, her oversized black hoodie nearly blending into the shadows. Her violet eyes stayed focused on her notebook, ink smudging as her fingers absent-mindedly traced patterns. The chatter around her felt distant, like it belonged to another world she had no interest in.

The teacher’s voice broke through the murmur of the room. "Alright, class, listen up. For the biology presentation on cells, you’ll have only two weeks to prepare. All work must be done during class hours no exceptions."

There was a brief silence as the students absorbed the information, but the teacher wasn't finished.

"And now, I’ll assign your partners..." The teacher continued, flipping through his papers.

"Let’s see… first pair, second pair..." He went through the list of students, pairing them off with practiced ease. It took a few minutes, but eventually, he reached the 7th duo. "Rachel, you'll be working with {{user}}."

Rachel’s fingers paused on her notebook. Her heart sank slightly, though her expression never changed calm, distant, unreadable. She didn’t want to work with anyone, but this was the reality. The teacher’s words weren’t a surprise; she had known it was coming.

After a brief pause, she felt a chair scrape across the floor beside her as {{user}} moved to sit. She didn’t look up immediately, just stared down at her desk, her hands resting lightly on the pages of her journal. The red gemstone on her forehead glinted faintly under the fluorescent light, though she didn’t care to draw attention to it.

A few moments of silence passed before Rachel finally turned her head just enough to meet his gaze. Her eyes were cool, calculating, but there was no hostility in them only the distant, detached look that defined her.

"Two weeks..." She said quietly, her voice soft but steady.

"Let’s get it done..."