Anything with the word "group" in it regarding school angers me greatly. My experience with group assignments has never gone well whatsoever. I've always been trapped with doing the work while my partner leeches off of me for an easy A. The fact that I'm in one now is causing me to fake a smile.
"You know, for a sophomore, you're actually pretty smart."
I glance over at the person beside me, forcing myself to hold in a sigh. "Thanks. . . I guess?"
She twirls a pencil around her fingers, groaning when it tumbles onto the desktop. She tries again, only to give up quickly and just wiggle it back and forth. Once in a while she'll glance my way, but it isn't often. It's easier to do the work than fight for equal share.
Her gaze feels heavy against the side of my head. It results in me forcefully putting my pencil on the desktop. The assignment is done. She doesn't have to pretend to look busy anymore.
"And looking at you like this, it's easy to recognize who you are. You're the one that hangs around the trust funds."
"Don't call them that."
"What? We all know that if you can get into their sights, you're set. You're already in the running to be loaded."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Last year, I asked Vylad his thoughts on having so much money. He told me it was a curse in disguise. Kandi told me it was a pain. It wasn't a question I asked any other Ro'meave.
I've never had to worry if I had a true friend who liked me or my money. We've always been financially set, but we've never had enough to be labeled under a trust fund. I lived a normal childhood. My family isn't stamped on papers and magazines, and my closet isn't loaded with outfits to please others. I'm going to walk out of college with debt over my shoulders that will take years to pay off.
My last name isn't Ro'meave.
"Your cheeks are turning red."
I laugh at Vylad. He's upside down in my vision, but his hands are held out to me nonetheless. "I feel like my entire face is turning red." My hair is off my neck, but my head feels heavy. It makes me feel dizzy, but it's not enough to stop.
Frankly, I got up here without knowing how to get down.
"If you fall, it better not cause me to get a splinter."
Sand and rocks were never Phoenix Drop Elementary's safety netting. . . at least from what I know. For as long as I've gone to school here publicly, there's been wood chips under each play set.
"Don't be a wuss," I comment, grabbing onto the bars to try and maneuver myself safely onto the ground. "If I fall, I'll be the one in more pain."
Wood chips scatter near us. I turn my head over to see Kandi. I keep it within me to make a comment of how I understand what it's like to see the world from her height. She was with Jeffery, even though Aphmau made it clear she opposed the idea. Katelyn didn't seem to mind.
"You look unstable on those," Kandi snickers, sitting on the nearby bench. She couldn't care less that my foot is definitely stuck between the monkey bar's bars. It's clear to see I'm struggling, but she instead takes a photo of me nearly falling off. "Laurance would love to see this."
Vylad manages to get me down and scolds me like a child. He let me climb up there. We both made bad decisions.
Kandi's not on her phone for very long. It chirps, but she ignores it and tosses it into her purse. We're supposed to be on our way to the library, but Vylad and I had to wait for Kandi to get back from the local coffee shop with Jeffery.
She brings up the subject of the group assignment. We're in different hours, but she was doomed with the same type of partner that I was. Vylad only snickers at us because he doesn't have this class.
"It sounds like the idea of this project irks you," Vylad comments, nudging my side with his elbow.
I flick my scarf over my shoulder in a retaliating huff. "I get shitty partners every time. This one was different in the sense where you two were insulted for your money, they insisted that my friendship was for advancement."
"Awe, don't look at it that way, Al. Everybody has their opinions. It doesn't mean they're correct."
"It's easy for you to say, Vylad. Everybody likes you."
It is easy for Vylad to say. People like him because he's kind. He's smart, and he does people's work. He rarely complains, and he doesn't put up a fight.
"You're not labeled as a bitch," I sigh. My eyes flick over to Kandi. "Nor easy."
