Teasing

More often than not, Blair would sneak in candies, completely unaware that the crunching sound of their plastic wrappers had started haunting Cadmus's dreams every night.

She would also drop her garbage wherever she pleased - his desk, her desk, the floor, the seats, and even the windowsill. All were fair game except for the garbage can - which was only five steps away.

Apart from that, she had a habit of groaning out complaints whenever they're having a seatwork or quiz. Blair was only an inch short of being a total dunce, after all, especially in science, which just happened to be Cadmus's favorite subject. No matter what, she always had to state her stream of consciousness out loud.

'What was the teacher thinking by putting her beside me, anyway?'

Blair was a huge, huge distraction to Cadmus.

Sometimes, he would be forced to doubt his own answers because of her ramblings. Her miserable test scores were the same with or without that blasted muttering. But of course, she was enough of an idiot to not see this obvious fact.

Her current favorite obsession that caused him to debate shooting his brains out was tapping on the table with her pencil. The level of fervor rivaled that of a music band performing for an audience of ten thousand people at a sold-out concert of their world tour.

Tap, tap, tap.

The rhythm of her pencil had gone unperturbed for almost an hour. For every class period, he had tried his best to endure it, but he couldn't stand it any longer. Today was the day the line was crossed.

Blair would definitely bawl in regret and beg Cadmus for forgiveness this time.

"Hey, tapping your pencil on the desk isn't going to make you any smarter, you know."

His voice was laced with venom. Her ears perked up in surprise.

Just the reaction he'd desired.

"Maybe you'll knock some sense into yourself if you use it to hit your head instead of your desk."

The scowl she made had sent him a fragment of thrill. He had to hold back his laughter at such an incredibly funny sight.

"Oh, wait, nevermind…" Cadmus went on, much to Blair's annoyance.

"Forget the pencil. You probably need a hammer to get the job done."

He let out a chuckle when he got her to respond the way he had wanted. She had cringed slightly. The smirk she was only starting to put on had quickly faltered to take in the taunt.

"Shut your mouth, jerk. I'm working here."

It was comical to see her keep a straight face while spitting an obtuse lie. With a sneering grin, he mocked, "You don't look like you've worked a day in your life, though."

"That's not true! I work very hard, for your information!"

Her eyes stared him down, almost at the brink of sadness. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, searching for a perfect comeback.

"You're the one here who's always relying on your parents' money," Blair muttered.

"At least they have money. Your parents are essentially broke," Cadmus retaliated.

She was so dumbfounded she couldn't say anything back. Damn, he'd outdone himself. He hadn't even allowed her a second to relish in her retort.

He was able to witness her expression shift from surprise, to anger, and to defeat. Her gaping mouth and raised eyebrows soon angled downward. She attempted to raise an insult at him, but she shut her mouth quickly.

Blair was at a loss of words, making it Cadmus's win.