(3) Hate is a strong motive

*Chapter 3: Late Night Library*

Dean Torres had one rule: “If you’re not progressing by Friday, I’m assigning you new partners.”

Neither Lily nor Zach wanted that. Losing looked worse than working together.

So at 9:47 PM on Thursday, they both showed up at the Saint Augustine Library. Separately.

Lily took Table 4 by the window. Stacks of journals, a laptop, headphones in. No-nonsense.

Zach took Table 7 by the printers. Hoodie on, feet up, one notebook. Completely empty.

They didn’t speak for an hour. The only sound was the AC and Lily’s pen scratching.

At 11:02 PM, the librarian, Ms. Cruz, did her rounds. “Library closes at 11:30, kids. Everyone out after.”

Lily’s head snapped up. “11:30? The draft is due at 8 AM.”

Zach groaned. “Great.”

Ms. Cruz left. And at 11:29, the lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then the main doors locked with a heavy _click_.

“Are you kidding me?” Lily was already at the door, tugging. Locked.

Zach tried his phone. “No signal. The building’s a dead zone after hours.”

“We’re locked in.” Lily’s voice was tight. Not panicked. Just… furious. “With you.”

“Wow. The feeling’s mutual, Princess.”

“Don’t call me—” She cut herself off. Breathed. “Fine. We have 8 hours until security opens at 8. We’re not wasting it.”

She dragged her stuff back to Table 4. “You. Sit.”

Zach raised an eyebrow but moved. He dropped across from her. “What’s the plan, Boss?”

She pushed a blank paper between them. “Truce. For 8 hours only. We combine our ideas or we fail. Your choice.”

He looked at the paper. Then at her. Dark circles under her eyes she was trying to hide. Hair coming loose from her bun. She looked… tired. Not perfect. Just human.

“Fine,” he said. “Truce.”

They started messy. He threw out ideas, she shot them down. She defended her data, he called it “textbook.” At 1 AM, they were arguing over profit margins in whispers so they wouldn’t wake the security guard.

At 2:14 AM, Zach’s stomach growled. Loudly.

Lily didn’t look up. She just slid half her granola bar across the table.

He stared at it. “You brought snacks?”

“I prepare.”

He took it. “Thanks.”

Silence. But it wasn’t hostile anymore.

At 3 AM, Lily’s head started dipping. She caught herself on her laptop.

“Hey,” Zach said softer. “Sleep for 20 minutes. I’ll watch your stuff.”

She blinked at him. Suspicious. “Why would you—”

“Because if you pass out and drool on the draft, we both fail. And I hate losing.”

That made her huff a laugh. Small. Real. She put her head down on her folded arms.

Zach didn’t work. He just… watched. The way her shoulders finally relaxed. The way she muttered something about “route maps” in her sleep.

At 4:30 AM she jolted awake. “Did I— how long—”

“20 minutes turned into an hour and a half. My bad,” he lied.

She rubbed her eyes. “We should finish.”

By 6 AM, they had something. It wasn’t drones. It wasn’t just farmers. It was a hybrid: _EcoRoute._ AI-optimized delivery using electric bikes for rural areas, scaling to electric vans in the city. Low cost. High impact. Scalable.

Lily read it over. “This… this could actually work.”

Zach leaned back. “Told you. Loud _and_ smart.”

She looked up and, for the first time, didn’t roll her eyes. “Thanks. For… staying.”

He shrugged, but his ears were red. “Truce, remember?”

At 7:58 AM, security unlocked the doors. They walked out together, messy, exhausted, with one shared USB.

Outside, sunlight hit. Lily paused. “Don’t tell anyone we were locked in.”

Zach smirked, but it was smaller now. Less sharp. “Your secret’s safe with me, Reyes.”

She walked away fast. But she was smiling. Just a little.

*End of Chapter 3*

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