Monday came around once more. Robin was determined to not let Yohan get to him. Ashley's words ringing in his ears as a constant reminder. Walking into form, he tried to not even give Yohan a second of his attention. Sitting next to him like he was some stranger on the bus. Not exchanging words, not even glancing at him as he focused on the announcements in the form room.

     Yohan appeared to do the same. He didn't feel his piercing eyes on him like usual, and his chair seemed to be shuffled as far away as possible from the table. Robin noticed Jemma, who sat near the front of the class, turning her head on several occasions, trying to lock eyes with Yohan. Yohan seemingly ignoring her attempts to capture his attention left Robin with a slight sense of hope.

      Maybe... What I saw on Friday didn't actually... happen?

      First-period psychology went by as usual. Jemma appeared to be staring off into space through most of it; a pink tinge seemed to be plastered on her face as she dreamily looked out of the window, not paying attention to the class.

      Did Yohan have something to do with that?

      His next period was free, and his feet began to take him down the usual corridors to the politics classroom, until he stopped himself in his tracks.

      Where the fuck am I going?

      Spinning around, Robin began walking in the opposite direction. He didn't want to submit himself to another painful second with Yohan if he didn't have to. Robin couldn't control that they sat together in form or in English, but at least he had a choice to avoid him during free periods. Though he could maintain that control by removing himself as much as possible, the fact that Yohan was being such an arsehole towards him still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

      Making his way towards the library, Robin trudged up the several staircases up to the top floor of the school where it was located. He had only been to the library once or twice to grab some text books for his school work, but it wasn't like a usual library that the public would attend. This was a secondary school library.

     Pushing his way through the double doors, Robin was met with a disappointing sight. Although the librarian attempted to keep a quiet atmosphere, it looked as though she often appeared to fail. The majority of the sixth formers used the library more for socialising than for studying. The library was packed. Quiet whispers being exchanged amongst students, with the occasional loud laugh piercing through the hushed voices.

     Before finding a seat, he made sure to get a copy of Wuthering Heights from the library for English class. There was no way Yohan would be sharing his book with him now.

     Slinking his way past the rows of shelves, stacked with books of all different genres and topics, Robin made his way to the far end, where he knew the computers were, only to find that every single one was occupied. Tutting, he scanned the room and spotted a free seat on a table of guys. They seemed to be in a heated conversation huddled around one of the boy's phones, and though Robin didn't recognise any of their faces, their lack of school uniform signalled that they were sixth formers too.

     Making his way over to the table, Robin sat down and pulled out his notebook. He had planned to continue to research the concept of the 'Triple Shift' for a sociology essay, but as he tried to read the textbook and make notes, the boys sitting at his table continued to distract him. He tried to ignore their constant laughter and their throwing of paper at one another, but they were just overall being a nuisance.

     I get why Yohan is so precious about that classroom now—this is a nightmare...

     The bell to signal the end of his free period was a welcome noise. As chairs shuffled and students began to rise from their seats to make their way to lunch. Robin made his way down to the playground to his group's usual spot outside.

     As he walked to the table, Jemma seemed to speak in a rushed, hurried voice, her arms flailing as she spoke to the rest of the group. Isha's eyes appeared wide in shock, similar to Amber's. Lucy appeared slightly disinterested, rolling their eyes at whatever was being said.

     "Omg Robin I have soooo much to tell you!" Jemma said enthusiastically, bouncing on her seat as Robin slipped in next to her on the bench. "You won't believe what happened over the weekend!"

     "God, do we have to hear this story again now?" Lucy muttered, taking a large gulp of her smoothie, disinterested.

     "Just because you don't care about the straights' Lucy, you can't stop us from having our fun!" Jemma snapped, shooting her a glare. She turned back to Robin, her face immediately shifting back to excitement—like an excitable puppy, unable to sit still in her seat as she grinned from ear to ear.

     "So... you'll never believe what happened to me after school on Friday, Robin!" Jemma exclaimed, grasping both of his hands with hers and squeezing them with excitement.

     Hmm, that Yohan the sleaze bag was flirting with you.

     Robin tried to muster up his most enthusiastic smile. He knew what was about to come. And he didn't want to hear it. But he couldn't let Jemma see that.

     "What happened then?" He spoke, and he felt his fake smile twitching slightly as he tried to keep up his facade of enthusiasm for his friend.

     "Yohan, asked ME out on a date! Can you believe it?" She let out a girlish squeal, stomping her feet slightly on the ground as she said it with excitement. "On Sunday! We went to a coffee shop! It was sooo cute. I always thought he just saw me as a hookup! And yanno with the band and everything, maybe didn't want to complicate things. But I think he actually likes me, Robin! Like, he is always so quiet and reserved; maybe he's just been waiting for the right moment to tell me! Omg, I've had a crush on him since I joined this school. I can't believe it's finally happened! I'm so excited!" Her squealing continued as she rambled on and on about the date, what they talked about, and every tiny detail that occurred.

     Robin tried his best to contain the anger he felt bubbling up in his stomach and showing on his face. Was it anger? Or was it a sense of jealousy? His whole stomach seemed to twist, and he felt sick with how excited Jemma was about it all. He didn't want to hear it. He wanted to run. He wanted to tell Jemma to shut up. He wanted to ignore every word she had just said. But he hung onto each detail, knowing how badly he wanted to be Jemma in this situation. Seeing her excitement and how angry he was for her to express it, added a sense of guilt.

     "And then..." Jemma paused for dramatic effect, looking around the table to await the others' reactions. "When we left the coffee shop and he walked me back to mine, he kissed me!" Her screeching continued, the high-pitched sound burrowing into Robin's skull. "He. Kissed. Me! He initiated! He was so sweet about it—like a proper gentleman! I assumed he just wanted to have sex with me again, but no, just a kiss! And then he said he enjoyed the date and wants to do it again! Omg, I might be getting a boyfriend! Isn't that so exciting, Robin?"

     "Awww, I'm so happy for you, Jemma," Robin managed to say, trying not to grit his teeth as he spoke. Giving her a hug to congratulate her, but also to hide his face from her for a split second.

     She continued to go on and on about Yohan for the rest of the lunch period. Robin tried his best to seem enthusiastic and interested, but he felt his whole body stiff with tension. His hands balled into fists under the table, squeezing so hard that his fingernails dug into his palms, the pain causing a slight distraction from the jealousy he felt radiating through his entire body as Jemma spoke.

      He knew it wasn't her fault. And he really wanted to be happy for her. Seeing her so excited about the date and talking about the possibility of a relationship with Yohan, he should have been excited for his friend. But he couldn't; it only confirmed what he already knew. Yohan could never, and would never, be his.

     In the corner of his eye, Robin saw Lucy across the table staring at him. Looking up, he met their eyes and noticed a look of puzzlement and curiosity across their face. As if they knew something. He starkly looked away, fearing they may have caught on to his anger.

      The pit in his stomach quickly shifted from anger and jealousy to a cesspool of anxiety when he heard the bell ring. Remembering what class he had next.

     English.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

     When he walked into the English classroom, Yohan was already there, sitting at the back of the class. His rucksack was conveniently placed on Robin's usual seat.

      What kind of passive aggressive shit is that?

      Robin was about to give in and take one of the free seats at the front of the class. But no, Yohan had already stopped him from using the quiet, peaceful politics classroom. He wasn't going to take the back seat from him now as well and force him to sit right at the front. No way. He wasn't putting up with this shit.

      Nah... fuck him. If he's going to be passive aggressive, so will I.

      Robin walked over confidently to his usual seat and, without even saying anything, picked up Yohan's bag and dropped it on the floor with a thud next to him. The sound seemed to shock Yohan as he jumped slightly in his seat and turned to look up at who had made the sound. His eyes turned to slits, scoffing as he turned away. "I told you, I don't want to fucking see you."

     "Well, tough," Robin said, spite in his voice as he sat down next to Yohan. Retrieving his copy of Wuthering Heights, Robin placed it on the table before crossing his arms in defiance. He was trying to keep his cool, but internally, he was screaming. His heart was going a million miles an hour at the act of defiance he had just committed. He couldn't even believe he was ballsy enough to remove Yohan's bag.

      Yohan just scoffed once more, mimicking Robin's actions by crossing his arms. They must have looked like two children who had just gotten into a fight, slightly pursing their lips as they sat there, staring forward.

     Mr. Baker fumbled his way into the classroom, addressing the class. He had become slightly more confident as the weeks had gone on, but it was still agonisingly obvious that he was still new to the role.

      "Right, today's class, we're going to start planning out a practice question that may come up in an exam!" He grabbed a whiteboard marker and turned his back, writing something on the board. Robin read it.

     'By exploring the writer's methods, compare ideas about conflict in relationships in the text'

      "In this case, the text will be Wuthering Heights, which I wish you to explore! Really delve into the conflicts that Catherine may be experiencing. I would like you to spend thirty minutes writing and planning some ideas, and then we will discuss it with the class."

     As Robin turned to reach down to his bag to retrieve his notebook and pencil case, Yohan did the same, causing the pair to bump elbows. Sitting upright, Yohan snarled, "Watch it."

     "That was just as much you as it was me!" Robin retorted, opening up his notepad and selecting a pen from his pencil case to begin making notes.

     Robin tried desperately to focus on the task at hand, but Yohan seemed to be adamant about making it incredibly difficult. The sound of his pen incessantly tapping on the table as he read through excerpts and scratching it loudly across the page as he scribbled down his notes infuriated Robin.

     Though he knew it was petty, Robin retaliated, trying to take up as much space on the table as possible and ripping out pages from his notebook to place side by side on the desk. He even began humming slightly as he read through what he had written.

     "Can you not? I've got no room." Yohan said, pushing the paper that was crossing over his side towards Robin.

     "I'm sorry that I'm just trying to learn; can you stop tapping your pen on the table? It's really distracting."

     "Only if you stop humming."

     "Hmmm, no, it helps me concentrate," Robin said, turning his head up to look at Yohan with a scowl.

     "Well, so does tapping my pen!" Yohan made eye contact with Robin, glaring at him.

     "Right, that's thirty minutes up!" Mr. Baker broke their conversation by saying, "Robin, Yohan, it looks like you've been having an interesting discussion; why don't you share some of your ideas?"

     Yohan removed his glare from Robin's direction and shuffled through the pages of his notes as he appeared to bite his cheek slightly in concentration.

     "I believe it is clear that within Wuthering Heights, there's a society where the main conflict is how people can and should relate to each other." Yohan spoke as he looked up from his notes to address Mr. Baker. "Exploring what is 'proper' and what is not. In particular, Catherine's choice of who she marries. She marries Edgar over Heathcliff due to social and societal norms. She knows her soul belongs with Heathcliff, with the quote itself," He looked down to refer to the text, "'In my soul and in my heart, I'm convinced I'm wrong' when referring to marrying Edgar. Suggesting she is having an inner conflict with herself and not just an external one."

     "Excellent analysis, Yohan!" Mr. Baker exclaimed, "Anything else to add, Robin?"

     He pondered for a second, consolidating his notes. "Well, later in the story, Heathcliff decides to get revenge by marrying Edgar's sister. While Catherine continues to suffer with the inner mental struggle of still loving Heathcliff, Both Catherine and Heathcliff use defence mechanisms to protect their feelings. But it doesn't make either of them happy; in fact, they both just end up being miserable. Catherine regrets not following her heart, and Heathcliff uses revenge due to losing the person he loves, causing his own misery."

     "Very good, both of you! Does anyone else have anything else to add?"

      As the rest of the class continued to speak about their notes, Mr. Baker made different notes on the whiteboard based on their answers. When the class ended, Yohan got up swiftly, striding out of the classroom. Robin was left pondering, as he packed up his belongings.

     So Yohan can analyse other people's actions, but not his own... huh?