The bell rang, echoing across the yard as the group shuffled back into their homeroom. Just minutes ago, they had met by the half-finished treehouse. Now, by coincidence, they were back in the same room.

On the board, the words Group Presentation – Due Friday were scrawled in chalk.

The teacher clapped their hands for attention. “Listen up, class. Since we’ve got an uneven number of students this year, not everyone can work in pairs. Some of you will work in groups of six. You six—” she pointed toward Colin, Stephanie, Chloé, Nina, Tristen, “—will be one group.”

A few students snickered at the back, but the six only exchanged awkward glances. Desks scraped as they pushed them together, the sound louder than their voices.

Colin immediately pulled a small tin of screws and scraps from his bag, his hands busy assembling the pieces into what looked like the start of a toy boat. Stephanie opened a little box and slid two cupcakes across the table.

“They took our food again,” Tristen muttered.

Nina kept her eyes on the desk. “We’ll be fine.”

But their stomachs gave them away. Stephanie shook her head with a warm smile. “You’re not fine. Eat.”

The two hesitated, then gave in, the first bites softening the edges of the silence.

Across from them, Chloé sat bent over her beads, threading them into a necklace with sharp focus, every movement precise. Nina fidgeted with the pins on her bag, clicking them back and forth. Tristen tugged at his shoelaces, pretending to tie them again just to keep busy.

Finally, Chloé looked up. Her voice was quiet but steady.
“You’re welcome here anytime,” she said. “And if anyone bothers you… remember, we’ll stand by your side.”

Around them, the classroom buzzed with chatter. But at that desk of six, something different was forming — not just a group project. A beginning. 

From across the room, two boys leaned back on their chairs, smirking as they watched. They hadn't heard every word, but they heard enough.

 "Looks like the misfits found each other," one of them whispered.

The other one snorted. "Let's see how long they last."