Defender's Heartbeat 2

Chapter 39

Ava

For this year, we were supposed to do a project based on the marine life we saw during the school trip at the end of last term. We had to use the details we learned there, and we could add more information if we wanted. I dedicated most of my summer vacation to preparing my school project and even took real photos to include. We were supposed to make a book. I was pretty sure I'd get the best marks for this project.

When Mr. Franco came into the classroom with the project marks, I eagerly waited to hear how well I did.

"Okay, everyone, I've given marks for your projects, and some of you did really well. Ava, I didn't find your project. Didn't you submit it?" Mr. Franco asked, and I was shocked to hear that.

"I gave it to you. I was the first one to submit!" I said, completely in disbelief.

"But I didn't find your project," Mr. Franco said, looking at me, clearly confused.

"That's not possible! I definitely gave it to you," I insisted, on the verge of tears. Was he joking? But Mr. Franco wasn't the type to joke.

"Maybe I misplaced it. Can you check my cupboard during the break?" he asked, and I nodded, though I was fuming inside.

I was so mad at Mr. Franco for misplacing my project. He was the one responsible if it was missing.

"Oh no, we all got our marks, except for Ava. Looks like she didn't submit her project and is pretending she did," I overheard Enzo say.

"I did submit my project, and it's the best one in the whole class!" I yelled at him, but he and his dumb friends just laughed. My eyes locked on Enzo, as usual. I hated that, despite his rudeness, he somehow looked sexy. Why couldn't I just hate him without these confusing feelings?

"I'm pretty sure she's lying," I heard Elijah add. The others agreed with him, like they always did.

"Don't pay attention to them, Ava," Tristan said, trying to comfort me. But I didn't care about the others—I only paid attention to Enzo. And honestly, I didn't like Tristan anymore. He was too soft compared to Enzo.

After lunch, as soon as I finished eating, I went with Tristan to search for my project in Mr. Franco's cupboard, but it wasn't there. I couldn't believe it was actually missing.

"Ava, are you sure you gave it to me?" Mr. Franco asked again.

"Yes, I did," I said, tears streaming down my face. I wished I could yell at that stupid Franco, but I wasn't the kind of student who caused scenes. I wanted to maintain my image in front of the teachers.

"Maybe you forgot," he suggested, making me even angrier.

"No, I didn't. I would never make such a mistake," I said, my voice shaking with anger and frustration as I cried. Tristan held my hand to comfort me, but I quickly pulled it away. The truth was, I didn't love Tristan. I only kept him close because he was one of the smartest kids in the class, after me. I wanted smart kids to study with, not those other idiots. Tristan thought I loved him, which was why he did everything I asked like a fool. I planned to dump him right before the exams. I was already fed up with him.

"Sometimes people make mistakes. It's normal. Maybe your project is still at home, even though you thought you handed it in. There's no way I could've lost it, Ava," Mr. Franco said. I had no idea how to prove I was telling the truth. The way he looked at me, it was clear he thought I was lying.

"Did you see his face? He thinks I'm lying," I said angrily to Tristan as we headed back to the classroom.

"Are you sure you gave it to him? Maybe you actually forgot," Tristan said.