We all have that one subject in school we hate. For me, it was science. It's not like I care about how Earth formed, or how our body functions, or what's it the air we breathe. Why should it matter?

Unfortunately, my science class had to be one full of fucking nerds. Bored out of mind, I absentmindedly doodled on the sheet of paper our teacher had passed out. Mostly dicks and boobs, along with other obscene things. What else can a kid do?

"Ok class!" Our teacher clapped her hands together, sounding way too enthusiastic about this. I rolled my eyes and tuned her out.

A few minutes later, everyone started murmuring excitedly and standing up. My head snapped up, completely clueless to what was going on. I stood up with them, not wanting to look like an idiot. I noticed everyone getting into pairs. Smirking, I tried to get some girls to pair with me. Somehow, they already had partners, and I was left by myself. "Aw, shit..."

"Does anyone not have a partner?" the teacher asked sweetly. I sighed and held up a hand. She caught sight of me and grinned. "Ah, Kenny, you're in luck! Leopold doesn't have one, either."

Some of the kids in class snickered at the name. I heard someone clear their throat and mumble, "Uh, actually miss, I go by-a Butters."

She ignored him and continued talking. "You all have two weeks to work on this project..."

Wait, project? I glanced down at the paper I was drawing on. To my surprise, I saw it was a rubric. I stifled a groan. "A project?" I muttered to myself.

"Yeah, she's been talkin' 'bout it since last week," someone replied. I jumped and looked over to see it was just Butters. With an annoyed sigh, I sat back down in my seat. The other blond took a seat next to me.

"So..." I tried to sound casual. "What are we doing the project on?"

I watched him raise an eyebrow. "What we've been learnin' for the past month."

I blinked, confused. "What did we learn about...?"

He shifted so he was facing me. "Rock formation?"

I stayed silent.

"The rock cycle? Mechanical and chemical weathering?"

When I still didn't answer, he sighed quietly and shook his head. "Ya haven't been payin' attention, have ya?"

"To be honest, no."

He laughed drily, pulling out his science notebook. "We've been talkin' 'bout minerals and how they form. The project can be anythin' relatin' to that."

I nodded slowly. "Ok... When's it due?"

The shorter boy chuckled, shaking his head. "Read the rubric, Ken!"

I ignored the nickname for the time being and read over it. The more I learned about this project, the more I disliked it.

"Great..." I thought, frustrated. "Not to mention I have to work with a person who probably hates me. The universe is not on my side today, is it?" I glanced over at Butters, seeing him flip page after page in his notebook. "On a lighter note, he is more tolerable than most people here..."

"A-ha! Found it!" he said cheerfully, pointing at some writing in his notebook. Written in it were instructions. I leaned over to get a better look. "Alum... Hot water... String... What the hell is this for?"

He seemed startled when I swore. "It's a recipe for a crystal," he murmured. "Crystals are minerals, right?"

"I think so..." I really didn't know, but I wasn't going to admit that. I noticed Butters' eyes sparkle and his smile widen. "Perfect! When do ya wanna start on it?"

"Um... Tomorrow, maybe?"

"Works for me!" The boy chirped, slamming the notebook shut. His cheerful smile was still there, and I couldn't help but return it.

Shortly after that the bell rang, signalling for us to switch classes. Relieved, I grabbed my shit and took off, towards a slightly more bearable class.