Layla above ^^^
Song: Closer by Chainsmokers

Layla's POV

Oh God, if I have done something wrong, please forgive me. I will pray every Sunday. 

No, scratch day, I'll pray every day.

"- and finally, I've explained all the instructions. Get your work started." Mr. Gosling, our lab mentor, motions us to get started on with this disaster.

Justin kept looking at my face, so I decided to ask.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked, touching it.

"Huh? Uh no. It's nothing. Let's get this started, shall we? Pass me the watch glass." He said while shaking his head.

"Uh.." I stare at the different types of stuff in front of me.

All look the same. Why bother naming it? 

I'm so clueless right now that I don't even know what a watch glass is.

Justin suddenly comes closer and grabs something beside me.

Oh, so that is called a watch glass.

"This is a watch glass," he says, pointing at a small plate.

It looks nowhere near a glass or a watch.

"Yeah, I know what a watch glass is." Of course, I didn't but will I ever admit it to Justin. Never in a million years.

"Sure you did, sweetheart," He said amused.

"What should I do now?" I ask, still as clueless as a deer.

"Nope, you just sit still and look pretty there. Let me do this cause they are explosive if you mix or add more than required." He said still amused while chuckling.

Oh, so this guy thinks I don't know Chemistry. I'll show him the Chemistry I know.

He tries to grab a bottle. I grab it before him and start pouring it into a test tube. "See, I'm totally fine. I can handle mixing things." I say, proudly.

"Shit, Layla that's Ag3N. It can explode if you pour it all together." But when he said this, it was too late.

A rocketing sound was heard and I closed my eyes as someone dragged me back

But when I opened them, I was under a table with Justin.

"Yeah, you're safe and sound. I just dragged you seconds before the explosion."

"Thank you so much. " I said sincerely. I really meant it.

The second time this guy is saving me from something.

I saw Mr.Gosling approaching us."Layla? Justin, are you two fine ?" He asked.

"Safe and peachy," I said with a sheepish grin while looking at our lab desk which was covered with ashes. "I really do suck at Chemistry," I say.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner." Justin rolled his eyes.

'Mr. Woods and Ms Adams, please report to the Principal's office." The intercom stated in a monotone.

Everyone turned to look at us and laughed.

"Satan has spoken," Justin said and with that, we left the classroom together, hand in hand like old buddies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Justin's POV

Walking hand in hand with Layla to the principal's office felt oddly right. It was supposed to be just a bet, but she was different—real. She didn't put up with my crap, and I liked that.

"So, how many times have you been to the principal's office?" Layla asked, her tone lighter now.

"Lost count," I shrugged, grinning. "But this is definitely one of the more interesting trips."

Layla chuckled. "Glad I could add some excitement."

We entered the principal's office, and he glared at us over his glasses. 

"Care to explain the explosion?" He asked, staring at me pointedly like a hawk.

"Chemistry happened," I said.

Layla snorted. "We had a little mishap with the chemicals. Totally my fault."

"Our fault," I corrected.

Principal Stevens sighed. "You two are cleaning up the lab after school. No arguments."

"And Ms. Adams, I did not expect this from you." Her eyes widened and she kept on tapping her foot against the floor constantly.

She looked so nervous.

There was something about her that couldn't make me resist. With that pale skin and long brown hair, she looked like a porcelain doll. So fragile and precious.

But what I did next surprised both of us. I kept my hand on hers and squeezed it, trying to comfort her. 

"As a punishment, you have to tutor Justin."

We stared at each other in shock. Not wanting to get into more trouble, we nodded and left the office. As we walked back to class, Layla nudged me. "Thanks for not ratting me out."

"Anytime," I said, smiling. "You owe me though."

"Oh really? And what do you suggest?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How about a study session at your place at 6? I promise no explosions this time."

Layla laughed. "Deal. Just don't bring any chemicals."

Layla's POV

As we sat in my living room later that day, I couldn't help but feel a weird sense of deja vu. The last time Justin was here, we discovered our dads had worked together. This time, the air was charged with something else.

We spread out our textbooks, and Justin started talking about how molecules bond. I tried to focus, but my mind kept wandering.

"Are you even listening?" Justin asked, amused.

"Yeah, sure. Molecules, bonding, blah blah," I said, waving my hand.

He laughed. "You really do suck at Chemistry, don't you?"

"Hey, I never claimed to be a science whiz. My strengths lie elsewhere," I said defensively.

"And where might those be?" he asked, leaning in.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased.

Justin shook his head, smiling. "You're something else, Layla."

As we worked, I caught him staring at the photo on the mantle again. He seemed lost in thought.

"What's on your mind?" I asked gently.

He hesitated, taking a deep breath. "Just... thinking about stuff."

"I'm sorry, Justin. I can't imagine how hard it must be," I said, reaching out to touch his arm lightly. I didn't know how he would react.

Surprisingly, his eyes softened. "Thanks, Layla. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who remembers the past."

" He must have been an amazing person, and you're keeping his memory alive," I said, trying to offer some comfort.

We shared a moment of silence, the weight of our shared histories hanging between us. For the first time, I saw Justin not just as the school's notorious bad boy, but as someone with depth and struggles, much like mine.

"Hey," he said softly, breaking the silence. "Umm...  I know we started this project as just another assignment, but... I'm glad we got paired up. It's nice to talk to someone who gets it, you know?"

I nodded, feeling a strange connection. "Yeah, me too. It's nice to see the real Justin, beyond the reputation."

He smiled, and it was different this time—genuine, warm. "Maybe we're more alike than we thought," he said.

"Maybe we are," I agreed.

As we wrapped up our work for the day, the awkwardness from earlier melted away. There was a new understanding between us, a budding friendship that felt real and promising.

"Thanks for today," Justin said as he packed up his things. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I replied, smiling back at him.

And for the first time, I was genuinely curious to learn more.

Hey guys, so wassup?

I will update in a few days.

Q) Do you love Chemistry?
A)Of course, I do.  😏😏
Comment below
Until next time,

Bye!!!