Tiana Carter

“Okay, okay,” Lucas laughed then, raising his hands defensively. He briefly studied Tiana’s face as if he were very skeptical. “So you’re gonna be really strict with me?” he asked, even wiggling his eyebrows jokingly for a second. “I’d like to see that... whether I really wouldn’t manage to distract you completely whenever we take those breaks! If I really put some effort into it, you won’t even notice when twenty minutes are over. Bet?” he challenged her, lifting one eyebrow slightly provocatively. For now, though, Lucas focused on loudly and shamelessly crunching his chips instead of actually starting to study. Unfortunately, he was still constantly busy keeping both himself and Tiana from being productive.

When he raised his hands defensively and asked if she’d be strict, she narrowed her eyes at him in exaggerated suspicion. “Oh, I can be strict,” she said, tapping her pencil against the table like a gavel. “Don’t test me, Sinclair.” But then he wiggled his eyebrows, that stupid eyebrow wiggle, and Tiana’s composure cracked. She snorted, covering her face for a second.

“Please,” she said, trying to sound unimpressed even as she laughed. “You distracting me? You can barely distract yourself.” She leaned in a little, lowering her voice like she was accepting a challenge. “But fine. Bet. Try your best. I’ll still drag you through this homework.” He kept crunching his chips obnoxiously, and she nudged his knee under the table. “Loudest eater in Hawkins,” she muttered, but she was smiling.

When he finally pulled out his notes, or the half‑notes he managed before giving up, she scooted closer, their shoulders brushing as she looked at the page. “This is where you stopped?” she asked, eyebrows lifting. “Lucas… this is like ten minutes into class.” But there was no judgment in her voice, just fond exasperation.

Still, Lucas was skeptical about whether he’d actually manage to get much done today. That was also why he doubted Tiana’s twenty-minute plan. But when she explained it again, he gave a crooked grin. “Alright, that actually sounds pretty reasonable...” he admitted, the corners of his mouth tugging upward slightly. “But it’s gonna take us forever that way, isn’t it?” he worried anyway. “We’ll have to make sure the breaks don’t end up getting too long...” Like so often, a million thoughts were running through Lucas’ head, and his rational side was struggling a little against his desire to just not work too hard right now.

But when he worried about the breaks getting too long, she rolled her eyes in a playful, exaggerated way. “Sinclair, I’m not gonna let you wander off for twenty minutes every time we stop,” she teased. “I’ll keep you in line.” Then he reached for the chips, loudly, and she snorted, shaking her head. “Wow. Real academic energy right there,” she said, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. “At least you’re fueling your brain.”

When Tiana nudged his foot under the table, he immediately nudged back, obviously not hard enough to hurt her. “School’s annoying anyway,” he said. Even though, honestly, Lucas didn’t think school was that bad. A lot of the time he actually enjoyed learning stuff, especially in certain subjects. But right now he just had too many things and worries on his mind.

When he questioned her twenty‑minute plan, she raised an eyebrow, amused. “Wow. Suspicious much?” she teased. “You think I’m gonna trick you into doing the whole project while I nap on my couch?” She leaned forward, elbows on the table, chin propped in her hand. “Here’s the actual plan, Sinclair: twenty minutes of focus, then a break. Then another twenty. Then another break. We’ll keep going until it doesn’t feel like your brain is melting.”

Lucas rode his bike over to Tiana’s place, where they’d agreed to meet up and work. He rang the doorbell and waited for a second until she opened the door. “Hey,” he said casually, giving her a slightly awkward smile. “You good?” Lucas asked, as he stepped inside.

“Oh, I know you don’t feel like doing this,” she said, sliding into the seat across from him. “You’ve been whining about school since third period.” She nudged his foot under the table, gentle, teasing, but enough to get his attention.