Later when I enter the class, I don't look at any of my friends. Ashton comes and sits down beside me.
"I was saving the seat for Grace," I tell him.
"I know," he says. He doesn't ask me anything. So it's either he heard us talking or not interested in my love life in the first place. Though I'm glad he didn't.
"Then why are you here?"
To give me a hard time?
"Look behind."
I turn around and find Miles is sitting beside Owen while Asher is sitting with a random girl, leaving the seat beside Nyako empty.
I look at Miles and he shrugs.
"What is this?" I ask Ashton.
He shrugs. "What does it look like?"
Are they trying to play Cupid here?
The bell rings and Grace runs in the room. When she looks at the only available seat she pauses. The seat arrangement is the same since Grace and I convinced the class to help with mission Milton and so, there's only one seat left in the class.
The one beside Nyako.
She looks between me and Miles. We shrug. To her luck, Mrs. Roth walks in right then.
Mouthing me 'we'll talk about this later,' she moves to the seat beside Nyako and sits down. He doesn't even bother to look at her.
"Is there something going on that I should've been informed about?" I whisper Ashton.
"I didn't know either until Owen told me this morning. He said he saw Grace sneaking glances at Nyako every once in a while," Ashton whispers. "Miles confirmed it too."
My eyes go wide. "You mean to say that Grace is-"
Ashton nods. "Nyako hasn't been dating in a while. So Owen thought it would be wise if we set them up."
Ashton turns to the front of the class as Mrs. Roth starts her lecture, while I take my sweet time to process the newly found information.
The fact Grace has a crush and she didn't tell us about it isn't bothering me. It's not unlikely of her to have a crush and not tell anyone about it. Though Grace is very bold and outgoing,' when it comes about boys, she's as brave as a mouse. This might be the only reason why she never dated anyone in her four years of high school life.
I'm not upset with her for not telling me. But the fact I didn't notice it until Ashton told me made me furious at myself. I feel like the most horrible best friend on the planet.
I've been so busy with the committee's shits and college applications that I barely gave my friends the time I was supposed to give them.
It's then I realize I haven't heard a word Mrs. Roth has been saying.
'That's it,' I tell myself. 'I'm officially doomed.'
Ashton was wrong. I need to follow my survival theory to keep myself together. Because as long as I've followed the rules of it, my life was pitch-perfect. For the last three years, I've worked so hard, sacrificed all my dreams to focus on school, and build a good career. I can't let it all go to waste now.
I glance at Ashton when Mrs. Roth turns around to the blackboard. "What did she say?"
The corner of his lips turns up. "Miss goody two shoes wasn't listening to what the teacher was saying?"
I stomp on his foot. "Just say!"
But Ashton crosses his arms and turns away. This boy is so annoying!
"Say the magic word." The nerve of this-
'Stay calm Kiara, you want the answer,' my subconscious mind says.
Right. Even though Mrs. Roth runs our committee and I'm reputed to be her favorite student in the class, I don't think she'll let my tardiness pass.
"Please," I grit out.
"Not sincere enough."
I'm going to-
Mrs. Roth turns around.
"P-leaseee Ashton?" I whisper as sweetly as possible.
"She was saying how quickly we finished our first novel of this semester," Ashton explains quietly, trying not to get caught by her.
What? Just that?
"And now time for your first project of the semester," Mrs. Roth says.
"And that."
Oh, that's good. I always love her projects.
"You have to write an essay about the book we finished. It'll be in pairs," she explains to us. "And your partner will be the person sitting next to you."
Hearing that, some cheers, a few other groans. I'm stuck somewhat in the middle.
I notice Ashton fist-pumping under the table. Definitely not because he's partnered with me. Because now Grace and Nyako have to work together. Their plan will definitely work now.
As for me-
"Have to start reading the book yet?"
Ashton furrows his brows. "What book?"
"The Great Gatsby," I say. "The book Mrs. Roth assigned us to work on?"
"We were reading the Great Gatsby?"
Is he fucking me right now?
"But I thought-" Ashton shakes his head. "Never mind, I'll buy the book on my way home today. Give me till Thursday."
Is he going to start reading it only today and- "Then what about our essay?"
"What about it?" He asks. "We'll start working on it as soon as I'm finished reading it. We'll still have more than five days to complete the essay. You can prepare the presentation until then."
Mrs. Roth has given us till next Tuesday to complete the project and then we have to give a presentation on it. I know it's more time than we need still- and that's more than enough but-
"You never read the book before?"
Ashton raises a brow. "Do I look like that type to you?"
I look at him up and down. "Not necessarily."
"And have you read the book before?" Ashton asks me.
I gulp and look at him. "Classical isn't exactly my type."
"That's what I thought," Ashton mumbles. "Well then it's all set, you can start working on the presentation while I finish reading it."
"And where will we work?"
"Geez you ask too many questions," Ashton mutters. "Your place or where?"
But why always mine?
"Your house can be an option too," I say. I noticed that he and Miles had worked on the whole project at Miles' place. "I mean your house can't be that bad." I joke.
But Ashton doesn't share my humor. He glares at me with a murderous look, his eyes have gone all red. It's the same look he gave me when he thought I published that article about him.
Ashton slams his fist on the table and I flinch. Everyone if the class hears it and turns their head to us.
What have I said wrong?
"My house will never be an option!" He says roughly.
I shake in fear. This is not the Ashton I know have come to know
Ashton doesn't wait for the bell to ring before walking out of the class. Mrs. Roth doesn't try to stop him. Neither does Owen and Nyako. But they follow after him once the bell rings, after telling me not to worry about it and that he'll come around.
Grace presses a hand on my shoulder as I sit in the place numbly. Other students start to head out of the class.
I have no idea what came up to him but making him mad at me was not my intention.
Maybe Ashton doesn't like to talk about his family in general, except for his sister obviously.
"It'll be all okay," Miles says.
I shake my head and leave the class with my friends, with no Ashton or his friends tagging along. Just like old times.
I thought everything was going back to the way it used to be once
until Cora calls my name. I turn around and find her running towards us.
"Kiara," she says holding a paper out for me. "It's all fucked up."
ð¸
Thoughts?