“Man…” Bryce muttered under his breath, feeling the lead of his pencil snap between the pressure of his hand and the paper in front of it.

Bryce couldn’t help it. He couldn’t even concentrate on whatever chemistry formulas he was supposed to be writing—and chemistry was his favorite subject!

The class lab partners had been chosen at random, meaning he didn’t get to pair up with Anon. Instead, Anon had been paired with another student and the two of them sat at the table in front of Bryce and his lab partner.

So no, he couldn’t focus, because Anon was right there. He found himself wishing he was the one making Anon laugh. What were they talking about?

Bryce felt a bit embarrassed by his own staring. He loved Anon and simply wanted to be the one by their side.

Suddenly, Anon looked up and caught him. Bryce’s cheeks burnt red and he quickly looked down at his—completely blank—notebook. He hoped he hadn’t made it too obvious how much he missed being their partner.