The Election Connection

Chapter 5

"Attention, class!" Mrs. Bodér says after the last student has filed into the classroom.
"We will be starting a new project, due next Friday, on famous chemists..."
I tune out, leaning my head against the desk.
Great, more work to do besides the tons of homework and campaign planning. Mrs. Bodér wraps up her little speech.
"To complete this project, you will be working in pairs," she says.
Everyone begins to whisper to each other, but Mrs. Bodér cuts them off.
"Before you ask, you will NOT be able to choose your partners. The list of partners is..."
She begins to list off names. As she keeps talking, I realize the pattern. Everyone's partners are... the people they're sitting next to.
Please don't be Noah, please don't be Noah, I silently pray.
"Beck... and... Noah," Mrs. Bodér reads.
Of course. It's like the universe hates me. First I have to sit next to him EVERY DAY, then I have to run against him in the election, and NOW, I have to spend time with him. Give it a rest, universe.
The bell rings, usually signaling my freedom from Noah. But not today.
"Hey, do you want to meet up at Legendairy Creamery later? It's that ice cream place downtown," I ask, leaning over to his desk. "We can get a headstart on the project."
"Sure!" he says. "You'll probably need my number, so..."
He pulls out a pen and writes down the 10 digits on my arm.
"No paper," he explains with a lopsided smile.
"Sure," I respond sarcastically, letting out a laugh.
I leave the classroom with a smile, a little less nervous about working with Noah.
~~~~
I push open the door to the ice cream parlor, and there's Noah, sitting at the table by the window.
"Hey!" I say with a wave.
I walk up to him, unsure if I should give him a hug, a high five, or a handshake. We settle on a fist bump, and we both laugh at the unusual greeting.
"I was waiting to order 'till you got here," he explains, as we walk up to the counter displaying all the different flavors.
After we're served, we sit back down at the table by the window.
"Y'know, I haven't been here in a while. Last time I was here, actually, I was on a date with my neighbor," Noah points out.
I nod along as if I didn't already know this. I mean, when the most popular kid in your grade goes on a date, everyone's bound to know.
"How'd it go?" I ask, knowing full well what happened.
"I guess it wasn't the worst date I've ever been on. He was nice and all, but kinda boring."
We sit in silence for a second, eating our ice creams.
"Can I confess something?" I ask him. "I heard all about this date through the school rumor mill last year, though they made it sound worse than it was, apparently. They kept saying that there was some sort of fight between you two."
"Of course," he says with a chuckle. "There's always rumors. Well, what about you?"
"What about me?"
"When was the last time you went on a date?" he says as if the question was obvious to me.
"Oh, I guess... I've never really been on a date," I tell him, feeling my face redden.
"What?" he says, genuinely surprised. "There's no one in school you've liked?"
"No," I lie, not feeling like telling him that I was too scared to ask any of my crushes out.
"And no one's ever asked you out?!" he asks with false indignancy.
I shake my head no.
"I don't believe you! Smart, funny, not that bad looking... those are all pretty good traits to me," he says playfully. "C'mon! Your hazel eyes, that head of cinnamon brown hair. You're lying to me!"
I laugh, taking the last spoonful of my ice cream. Noah goes to take a lick of his, but suddenly the ice cream falls off the cone and all over his shirt. I burst out laughing, and so does he.
"Just my luck," he says, after our laughing fit ends. "What am I gonna do about this?"
He tries to wipe his shirt with napkins, but it just leaves a huge stain.
"You see that house down the street?" I ask, pointing out the window. "The brown one with the front porch? That's my house. You can borrow one of my shirts."
"I guess I can't really walk around like this," he says, gesturing at his ice cream-soaked shirt.
"Then let's go!" I grab his hand and pull him out the door.