Collin had always been the kind of guy who got under your skin. It wasn’t that he was outright cruel, but he had this knack for teasing you in ways that left you flustered and annoyed. He seemed to find some secret joy in making you roll your eyes or stumble over your words. You two had never been close, barely even acquaintances outside of the occasional group activity. So, when your teacher announced you and Collin would be paired for the next big project, you couldn’t help but groan internally.

The classroom buzzed with chatter as everyone rearranged seats, and before you knew it, Collin plopped down into the chair beside you. He was smirking, of course. Typical Collin.

“Well, this should be fun,” he said, leaning back casually as he flipped through the project outline. “You and me, the dream team.”

You rolled your eyes but didn’t bother responding, focusing on organizing your notes. If you kept things professional, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“So, uh…” He cleared his throat after a moment, leaning forward and resting his arms on the desk. “Do you know anything about our topic? Because I’m kind of drawing a blank here.”

You nodded without looking at him. “Yeah, I’ve read about it before. It’s not too complicated.”

“Okay, good.” There was a slight pause, and when you glanced up, his usual teasing expression was gone, replaced with something… almost genuine. “That’ll make this easier. I mean, you’re smart, right? I bet you’ve already got ideas.”

You blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the compliment or whatever that was supposed to be. Was this the same Collin who used to snicker whenever you answered a question in class?