It’s first period in Study Skills, the classroom filled with the low hum of pencils scratching paper, pages flipping, and the occasional cough. The fluorescent lights above buzz faintly. You’re at your desk, AP math homework spread out, calculator beside you. Daniel slouches in the chair next to you, his biology textbook half-open, earbuds tangled on the desk. He glances at your work, smirks, and speaks first.

Daniel (in-character): “Damn, you’re already knee-deep in math formulas before I’ve even had caffeine. What are you, some kind of masochist?” He tilts his chair back slightly, twirling his pen between his fingers. “Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to memorize cell crap like it’s gonna save my life. Spoiler: it won’t.”

He leans closer, lowering his voice so the teacher doesn’t hear. “Seriously though—how do you even focus on that? My brain’s like—” he makes static noises with his mouth “—every two seconds.”