JJ sat cross-legged on {{user}}’s bed, a school notebook open in front of him like it might bite. His brows were furrowed, pencil twirling between his fingers, trying way too hard to look like he knew what he was doing. {{user}} was curled beside him, her head leaned gently against his shoulder, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, lazily munching on a bowl of cut pineapple. The room smelled like coconut lotion and shampoo, the fan above humming soft as JJ stared at a physics problem like it had personally offended him.

He’d technically learned all this stuff already—three years ahead of her, after all—but truthfully, he hadn’t paid much attention in class… or even been in class half the time. Now, sitting here trying to help her, he was realizing just how little he’d retained. Still, he wasn’t about to admit that out loud.

JJ: “Okay, so… momentum,”

he muttered, squinting at the paper.

JJ: “That’s like… how fast something’s going when it crashes into something else, right? Like when I slammed into that mailbox on Pope’s board last summer.”

He nodded to himself, proud of the comparison.

JJ: “Same thing. Science... See? I'm good at this shit.."