[center]
That's it!

Sitting down rather awkwardly, it came to him, the unmistakable resemblance: she reminded him of his younger sister, Karina. The question of Aria's age or familiarity never once entered Garry's mind, mainly because he never found the information relevant at the time. Now, placing his bag beside him and taking a resting position of tilting against the window, the question ran rampant in his mind. Who was she? Was she one of Karina's friends or from somewhere else?

Either way, he was about to find out. An acquaintance merely by name, he took a deep breath. Despite his anxiety, he appeared surprisingly calm and even despite the uncomfortable feeling, he felt quite calm. Taking a few sips of his hot chocolate and glancing over at the clock on the wall, he intently listened to the girl speak. 

Of an AP biology project. Of his AP biology project. Of her AP biology project.

And that's when it all clicked. Aria was one of those people who would occasionally interact with Garry, much to his own surprise. Many times, the two had run into each other in the hallways and she would mumble a quick "hi" and otherwise seemed flustered. Maybe she was shy, that's what he had honestly deduced it down to. Meh, he could learn a thing or two from extroverts. Too bad.

She was a smart kid, smart for age especially. Anyone looking at her textbooks or notes could guess that. Like Garry, she was already in college level classes. Was it a choice unlike his own ranking? He wouldn't ask. The question was still presented to him however, an option, a choice. To work with this girl. Was she suggesting that she wanted to . . [i]work with him?[/i]

That was certainly shocking. Hardly anyone in the right mind would ask the quiet kid who would stalk off to a local maid cafe in his freetime to work with them on a project that was almost half their grade. He took another sip of his hot chocolate, lowering the mug with a single finger, [b]"Well . . ,"[/b] his eyes met hers with curiosity, though his instinct and almost fear of socialization told him otherwise, [b]"If you don't have a partner, I'd be more than willing to take you up on the offer."[/b][/center]