2.1 | No Sparks Required

03 | activation

IMPORTANT

Welcome back, my loves!

I know this took ages — believe me, my other ongoing story, Killer Instinct, has also been paused for months and I apologise for that. I recently came down with a pretty bad case of covid (my first time, actually) which took a lot out of me, and along with house renovations and catching up with work... Long story short, life hasn't been easy. But, as is always the case with my stories, I always like to finish what I'm working on.

So here is the next chapter of No Sparks Required! Now this chapter is actually not like the others – it's both new and old, at the same time. Back in 2016 when I intended to rewrite No Sparks Required, I retitled it Had to be You and revamped the plot.

Looking back on my drafts, I found the plot very solid — I personally like it a lot! Which isn't something I say often about my stories. And I want to share it with you, because it's very unique compared to my recent works.

So in this chapter and moving forward, I will be combining both the original version of No Sparks Required and the revamped plot of Had to be You, written in my current style of writing. I sincerely hope you like it, and thank you so much for your patience!

x Noelle

  

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T H R E E

a c t i v a t i o n

The process of making a substance chemically or catalytically active.

AS MUCH AS it pains me to admit, avoiding Shane isn't as easy as it should be. Apart from the occasional run-ins we have at school, our moms make us bring food over to each other's houses every weekend. They have a strange, long-lasting friendship that I like to call a 'barter trade'. One week Shane will be over with a casserole made by his mom Vicky, and the next it's my turn to visit with a box of éclairs bought by my mom.

This Saturday isn't any different. It's Shane's turn this week to bring his mum's food over, while I'm supposed to be at the mall with Tamara. But since he doesn't show up, Mom makes me bring a cheesecake over and find out if Shane's fallen ill or something.

Highly unlikely, if you ask me. If he truly has fallen ill, then it's probably to a bout of laziness.

Still, I find myself heading across the road to his house anyway. Better safe than sorry, I guess. I might not be the biggest fan of Shane freaking Corelli, at least I care enough to make sure that he's not on his death bed or something. But as I draw near to the front porch, I stop short in my tracks.

Oh, boy. Is that Delilah Reynolds?

I have to suppress the urge to sigh. Every school comes with a cliché of the hot, blonde cheerleader with a flair for the dramatic and a condescending attitude to boot, and Delilah Reynolds currently holds the title for that. I don't hate her or anything, but I really don't want to go through the trouble of having a conversation with her. It's ten in the freaking morning, and she's standing outside Shane Corelli's house. That could range from anything between a simple friendly visit to a weekend date.