Next to Each Other

First Day at Smarty-Pants School

"Aahhhhhh, Rei!!! I can't believe you actually got into that smarty pants school!!!" I was on the phone with one of my closest friends, Eva. "Now I have to graduate from boring normal high school all by myself." Her voice was sulky now. I laughed a little as I told her I would miss her, and that I had to get my bus now.

As I sat down for form class, I looked around to see if I could recognize anyone, 'as I thought, the only one in my grade with the brains to pull this off.' Then the teacher started taking attendance. My brain temporarily froze in shock at the second name on the roll, Ethan Brooklyn, one of the only kids from my school who had brains, but he was such a dick about it all the time. So naturally, he was taking his sweet time to get to class. Everyone had already been marked as present by the time that arrogant fuckface walked in.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Ethan. Please don't be late to class any more than three times, otherwise, we may have to re-evaluate your place here." The old crone we now knew to be Mrs. Dodds said in a high-pitched, fake-sweet voice.

"My apologies miss, won't happen again." That was all he said in reply. Which is what he said every time. God, he's already on my last goddamn nerve and school hasn't even been going for 15 minutes. Can't he just disappear? Maybe if I just ignore him-

"Because you were late and everyone else has already taken a seat, you have to sit next to Rei for the rest of the year." Curse that stupid fucking mummified witch disguised as a teacher. Why did I have to be such a loner? The only free seat just had to be next to me. Great. We made eye contact as he made his way over to my desk in the middle row and smirked at me. The audacity he has to tease me all of last year for being a 'nerd' because I get better grades than him and then smirk at me? God, I hate every single molecule in his stupid body.

The rest of my school day went swimmingly.  That is what I would say if Ethan wasn't in every single one of my classes. Every. Single. One. Why? Why have I been cursed with this?

___________________________Period 3________________________

"To start this year, I would like everyone to get a partner and create a slide show about a shared interest the two of you have." No one moved. I've come to realize that me and Ethan are the only two people in these classes that know each other. "Fine then, work with the person sitting next to you." Oh, thank God, I can just work with the person sitting next to m- it's Ethan. I have to make a slide show about a shared interest between a sophisticated person such as myself and an absolute hooligan like him. Great, as if my day couldn't get any better.

"You doing anything this afternoon?" An attractive voice snapped me out of my disgruntled thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You doing anything this afternoon?" This time my brain registered the voice as my idiotic new partner and I silently cursed myself for thinking his voice was attractive.

"Uh, No, why?" Why do you care? Why are you talking to me? Why am I paired with you for this stupid project? Instead, he answered a completely different 'why' question.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house this afternoon and complete this project now?" Wow, he actually had a competent thought, good for him.

"Sure." No harm in getting an assignment over and done with. I hope.

"Cool, I'll meet you just outside the school gates after hell ends for the day, okay?"

"Ok" I cannot believe I just agreed and made plans to go to Ethan fucking Brooklyn's house. I am a complete and utter idiot.