The following weekend, their group gathered at Mina's house. The living room quickly turned into a battlefield of books, notebooks, and snack bags. Mina's mom had gone all out, setting a tray of sandwiches and glasses of juice on the coffee table. On top of that, everyone else had brought chips, cookies, and candies—so much junk food that it looked more like a sleepover than a study session.
"Okay, rule number one." Mina raised her pen like it was a gavel in court. "No one touches the chips until we finish at least one subject."
A collective groan filled the room.
"That's torture," Jace whined dramatically, letting himself slide halfway down the couch like his soul was leaving his body.
"Exactly why it works," Mina shot back without missing a beat.
The group burst into laughter, the tension breaking instantly. Soon, the room was filled with the rustling of pages, the scratching of pens, and the occasional outburst when someone forgot a formula or got a practice problem wrong.
Eli sat between two of his friends, quietly jotting down answers as the others chatted and debated around him. He wasn't the type to jump into every conversation, but he didn't mind listening. Every so often, his gaze wandered—drawn, against his will, toward Kai.
Kai was sitting near the wall, his long legs stretched out comfortably as he explained a tricky math problem. His tone was calm and steady, his patience almost endless. Even their most restless friend, who usually gave up after the first wrong answer, leaned in and listened carefully.
"Wow, Kai, you're like a tutor," Caleb commented, half impressed and half exasperated.
"Seriously, maybe you should just replace the teacher," another joked, throwing a pen in his direction.
Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't mind helping. As long as we all pass, it's worth it."
The hours slipped by in bursts of laughter and scribbled notes. At one point, Jace balled up a piece of scratch paper and tossed it across the room. His aim, however, was terrible—it landed squarely on Eli's shoulder.
"Hey!" Eli frowned, picking up the crumpled paper.
"Sorry, sorry!" Jace raised his hands in mock surrender, grinning shamelessly. "I was aiming for Kai!"
"Why me?" Kai asked, smirking as he glanced up from his notebook.
"Because you're too perfect at this. Let the rest of us mortals breathe."
The whole room cracked up, and even Eli couldn't hold back a smile. The noise, the teasing, the warmth—it all made the weight of finals seem a little less suffocating. For once, studying didn't feel like punishment.
By the time the sun dipped lower in the sky, they'd managed to cover half of their subjects. Their notebooks, however, were decorated with doodles, scribbles, and inside jokes that would probably confuse anyone else.
"Good work, everyone!" Mina clapped her hands, standing like she was a commander dismissing her troops. "Same time next week, okay?"
"Do we really have to?" Jace groaned, though his grin betrayed that he'd enjoyed himself.
As the group began packing up, Eli slung his bag over his shoulder. He felt unexpectedly warm, as if the laughter and chatter had seeped into his chest and stayed there.
Finals still loomed, but… maybe they weren't so terrifying anymore.
Outside, the air was cooler, the faint scent of dinner drifting from nearby houses. As Eli stepped out the gate, he realized Kai had fallen into step beside him. Their friends were ahead, their voices fading, but Kai lingered, his hands in his pockets, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"So," Kai began casually, though his eyes flicked sideways toward Eli. "What do you think?"
Eli blinked, caught off guard. "H-Huh? Think about what?"
Kai's lips tugged at the corner, the faintest smile. "What if we study together. Just us."
Eli's heart skipped, his steps faltering. His mouth went dry. "…J-Just us?"
"Yeah," Kai said easily, as if it were nothing, though his gaze was steady. "Might help us focus more."
Eli didn't know what to say. His heart was pounding far too loudly, drowning out the rest of the world. He managed a shaky nod, his voice barely above a whisper. "S… sure."
Kai's smile lingered—calm, unreadable, and yet somehow reassuring.
And that thought—just us—echoed in Eli's mind long into the night.