These Monstrous Ties Unsainted 1

Marco Ricci tapped his pencil against his chemistry notebook, stealing another glance at Ellie Lia across the lab bench. She was focused on their titration experiment, her dark hair falling forward as she carefully measured drops of solution into the flask. The blue liquid swirled and Marco forced himself to look away before she caught him staring. Again.

"You're supposed to be recording the color changes," Ellie said without looking up, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Right. Sorry." Marco quickly scribbled down the observations they needed for their lab report. Chemistry was usually his best subject, but lately, he found his attention wandering whenever they worked together.

Ellie had transferred to Westlake High just last semester, but she'd quickly risen to the top of their class. Marco had been paired with her for the spring semester project, something about acid-base equilibrium that would count for thirty percent of their final grade. He wasn't complaining.

"I think we're seeing the transition now," Ellie said, her voice dropping to an excited whisper. "Look."

Marco leaned in as the solution changed from blue to a pale violet. Their heads nearly touched over the beaker, and he caught the faint scent of her shampoo-something citrusy and clean.

"Perfect," he said, noting the exact number of drops. "We should get an A on this for sure."

Ellie smiled, a rare full smile that transformed her usually serious face. "You sound surprised."

"With us? Never." Marco grinned back. "Science dream team, remember?"

The bell rang, signaling the end of seventh period. Around them, their classmates hurriedly packed up their materials, eager to start their weekend. Mr. Brennan called out reminders about the lab report due Monday, his voice barely audible over the shuffle of backpacks and closing textbooks.

"You want to work on the analysis section this weekend?" Marco asked, trying to sound casual as he packed his notebook away. "I could come over to your place, or you could come to mine."

A shadow passed over Ellie's face. "I can't. Family stuff all weekend."

"Everything okay?" Marco asked.

"Just my dad. He's... strict about family obligations." She hesitated, then added, "Maybe we could video chat Sunday night? Around eight?"

"Sure, that works." Marco nodded, hiding his disappointment. In the six months they'd been lab partners, he'd never been to her house, and she'd always declined invitations to his. He'd begun to wonder if maybe she was embarrassed-not that she had any reason to be around him.

The Ricci house was impressive by anyone's standards-four bedrooms, pool in the backyard, and a view of the hills from the kitchen window. His father had worked hard to provide for them, often traveling for business with his insurance company. Marco never wanted for anything material, though sometimes he wished his dad was around more often.

As they cleaned up their lab station, Ellie asked, "Did you find your birth certificate? For the genealogy project in History?"

Marco groaned. "Not yet. My mom swears it's in my dad's office somewhere. I'm supposed to look tonight."

"Better you than me. My family history is... complicated." Something in her tone made Marco curious, but before he could ask, she continued, "Text me if you want to chat before Sunday."

She shouldered her backpack and was gone before Marco could respond, slipping through the crowd in the hallway with practiced ease.

Outside, Marco spotted his best friend Javier waiting by his locker.