Chapter Three

Thirty-four-year-old Andrew Jenkins eyed the pairings he had made for the marriage project, flipping through them in a bored manner until he came across one entitled Tatibana and Granger.

A slight smile touched his lips as he flipped through the notes he had taken on the two students while he observed how the students interacted with each other before making the parings.

Their personalities clashed completely.

Hilary Tatibana was a straight A student who loved school, while Tyson made Ds and Fs and couldn't care less.

He chuckled as he remembered the reaction from the two when they realized that they would be working together for the next three months.

Hilary---who also happened to be one of his favorite students---had nearly blown a gasket, demanding why she had to work with a "no good, lazy idiot who never did any work".

And Tyson---another one of his favorite students, even though he was lazy---had retorted saying that he didn't want to work with a "bossy, know-it-all like Hilary".

He shook his head as he closed their file. "Don't worry, Tyson and Hilary. One day you'll understand why I placed you two together. You might even thank me for it later."

"Tyson," fourteen-year-old Hilary Tatibana grumbled as she sat up in the bed. "Tyson, get up."

The fifteen-year-old just grumbled and turned over, pulling the covers further over his head. "Five more minutes…"

The brunette, who did not like to be left waiting, glowered at her so called husband. "No! You need to get up now…or else you won't be getting any breakfast."

The bluenette opened a brown eye and glared at her. "How could you keep me from eating?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm the only person, besides Ray, who knows how to cook. And I can easily persuade Ray not to make anything for you," she slipped out of the bed and placed her bare feet on the cool rug. "Gee, and I was planning on making pancakes for breakfast too…"

Tyson scrambled out of the bed and followed his partner to the bathroom. "Did you say pancakes?"

The brunette just smiled. Works every time.

"Why do you care, Tyson. It's not like you like my cooking anyway. Remember? What was it you said about it?" she pressed her finger to her chin and took on a thoughtful look. "Oh, that's right! You said that it tasted like charcoal."

"Hey," Tyson cried indignantly. "That's only because you said that I have the intelligence of a drop of water!"

"Well it's the truth, Tyson. I know it sounds mean, but sometimes the truth just hurts."

The bluenette scowled, but before he could reply crying came from the baby monitor sitting on top of the toilet.

Hilary lifted both eyebrows at him. "Can you go get her please?"

Tyson frowned. "Hilary, you know that I'm no good with kids."

Her eyes narrowed. "I also know that you haven't been trying to get any better," she pointed towards the door. "Go get her or no breakfast for you, buddy."

A soft smile touched the brunette's face as she watched the scowling boy head towards the nursery across the hall.

She was determined to make him work for his A if it was the last thing she did. She wasn't going to make it easy.

Once she was done with him, not only would he be a good student, he would also be a great kid and, maybe, boyfriend material…not that she'd ever want to go out with him or anything.

Tika rolled over and found herself leaning against something very…solid. She wondered what it was, because everyone knows that pillows aren't rock hard. They're soft and fluffy.

Well, this may not be soft and fluffy, but it sure is comfortable, she thought as she began to rub the rock hard object up and down.

The object immediately stiffened, but Tika, being half asleep, didn't seem to notice until the object made a weird noise.

Her eyes flew open and she found her hand to be lying on top of someone's stomach…someone with great abs.

This someone obviously worked out a lot…or played a lot of sports. Maybe even both.

Her eyes slowly traveled from the stomach of this someone to the well chiseled chest(yes, this someone must work out), to the firm chin, to the very kissable lips pressed in a firm line, to the cute nose and, finally, to the grey eyes that were staring coolly down at her.

Her own green eyes began to widen in surprise as she realized just who this someone was. You see, this someone was not just any someone. Oh no. This someone was her longtime crush Kai Hiwitari…But what was he doing in her bed?

Without changing the position that they were in, Tika cocked her head to the side and smiled sweetly up at the fifteen-year-old boy. "Morning, Kai," she said sleepily. "How'd you get in my house and why are you in my bed? I really don't think that my father would like it if he were to walk into my room and find me sleeping in the same bed as a boy."

She noticed a flicker of surprise flash across his face before it was, once again, unreadable. "Do you really not remember what is going on?"

It was her turn to blink in surprise as she brought a finger to her chin and tapped it in thought. "Hmmm. I can't say that I do," she smiled up at him again. "Maybe you can fill me in."

"The project…" he said slowly, trying to help her remember.

Tika's face once again to on a look of thoughtfulness as she tried to remember what project he was talking about.

Project, she said silently. Project. Now what project could he be talking about? Hmm…Oh! That project.

She once again smiled brightly at the fifteen-year-old boy that she was currently resting against. "Do you mean the project where you and I are married and have a two-year-old son named Pierson?"

Kai just blinked. Couldn't she have just said that yes, she did remember? Why did she have to talk so much?

After a few seconds, the two-tone haired boy grunted a "Yes" as a reply to the girl, causing her smile to widen.

She lifted her eyebrows suggestively. "So, do you know what that makes me?"

He narrowed her eyes. "No. But I have a feeling that you're going to tell me."

She grinned. "That makes me Mrs. Hiwitari."

His eyes only got narrower.

"Fine," she said with a dramatic roll of the eyes. "You can be Mr. Matthews. It doesn't really matter to me."

Before she had time to react, she found herself being pushed off of the older boy and onto her back.

As she realized that her longtime crush was headed for the bathroom, it wasn't long before she was on her feet and following closely behind him. "So, which one will it be?"

He didn't turn around. "Neither."

"What do you mean neither?"

Silence.

"You have to pick one. I mean, we're supposed to be married here, we can't have to different last names. It just wouldn't work. Either I am going to be Mrs. Kai Hiwitari, or you are going to have to be Mr. Tika Matthews. Personally, I prefer the first one because Mr. does not sound well with my name. And besides---"

Kai cut her off as the reached the door to the bathroom. "Do you ever shut up?"

"Sometimes."

"What do I have to do to shut you up?"

She shrugged and smiled sweetly at him. "Just choose one."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. You can be Mrs. Kai Hiwitari. Happy?"

She smile widened. "Very. Now, let's talk about PDA. You know, occasional hugs and kisses…"

"Don't push your luck," he told her as he shut the bathroom door in her face, not letting her see the small smile that began to grace his lips.