Redamancy [Heart to Heart #1]

chapter three

Katherine

The amount of times I looked at myself in the mirror this morning to make sure I look presentable is embarrassing. Wearing my new, light purple, short skirt with tiny white flowers on it and a white, knitted crop sweater, I stand in front of the class presenting my project.

Ms Johnson, our History teacher, gave us a last-minute project on Friday and we only had the weekend to prepare. Α PowerPoint presentation on historical figures in revolutions. It was really random.

I decided to do my presentation on Manto Maurogenous, one of the few female figures of the Greek Revolution. She was named lieutenant general by the Prime Minister. However, her devotion to the Revolution wasn't appreciated enough by others. She donated the entirety of her wealth and in return, she was exiled and left to die in poverty on Paros. There were also a lot of gossip about her and her love life, thanks to a misogynistic politician, who also managed to ruin her engagement to a descendant of a powerful family, so she was belittled and judged for that as well.

During the weekend, I was so stressed. I finished the 15 slides of the powerpoint filled with pictures and bullet points, then I made my flashcards and started practising. I presented to my little brother, Orpheas, and my parents. Then, I facetimed both of my grandmas and my cousins in Greece as well.

Last night was restless, I couldn't sleep at all. The only thing on my mind was the presentation and eventually, I got up in the middle of the night and opened my laptop to check it again.

I managed to get around four hours of sleep, so getting up in the morning was difficult. To hide the dark circles under my eyes, I put some concealer on. Running late, I just plaited the front two pieces of my hair and held them together with a butterfly clip at the back.

And now, as I finish my presentation, I regret wearing a knitted sweater. My hands are very hot and a little sweaty from the nerves. I tightly hold my flashcards and thank everyone for paying attention.

No one slept, so I think that's a good sign. Especially, after 15-something presentations. For the life of me, I don't understand why the teacher always makes me present last, even though my surname starts with an A. It only makes my anxiety worse.

She hates me.

The bell rings as I go to my desk and leave my flashcards on top of my history book. I look at Hero, who's looking up at me, and play with my long sleeves.

"Cute presentation, Kitty Kat. Really empowering." He winks at me and I sigh shakily, rolling my eyes.

"Hardly. I stuttered all the way through it. And my slides were done poorly and the whole thing was just a mess." I run my hands over my face and avoid his piercing gaze.

He gets up from his chair. "You need to work on your confidence, Kitty Kat. The presentation was great," he comments and I narrow my eyes at him, putting my hand on my hip.

"Are you being nice? Why are you being nice?" I raise my eyebrow and he smirks, glancing back at William who walks up to him and taps him on the shoulder.

"Don't get used to it, love." Before I can answer him, he walks away with William. Paige comes closer to me, waving a hand in front of my face to grab my attention.

"Your presentation was fire. And so is this skirt. Lord, look at you. Your ass looks amazing," her reaction makes me laugh and I cover my face, feeling my cheeks heat up.

She puts her arms around me and we make way to my locker for our daily dose of biscuits. Sofia is nowhere to be found, she didn't show up for the first two periods.

"Fancy going shopping with me on Saturday?" Paige suggests and I raise my brows at her.

"I'll try. Is Sofia coming as well?" I ask and she shrugs her shoulders, unsure. I'm getting a bit worried about her. She's been smoking a lot and skipping class and her grades are slipping. She didn't even turn in the history project.