My Other Half

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Very few of us are what we seem."

« VALERIA' S POV »
CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I watched in boredom as the clock ticked. Home Economics class would begin in two minutes and Toby has yet to grace me with his presence, as he'd so humbly call it. My phone buzzed and I open my text application, beginning to scroll through the contacts in hopes to find an interesting person to talk with. My finger hovers over the number that Nova gave me but I shake my head my head and continue scrolling. From my periphery, I see a lean figure sit in Toby's unassigned chair and assume it's him.

"What took you so long?" I ask without looking up. The bell rung just as he plopped down.

"I didn't expect you to be so happy to see me."

I tense, realizing that the voice sounds nothing like Toby's flamboyant one. I set my phone down and whip my head in Grayson's direction, a scowl plastered on my face."Why are you sitting next to me?"

"Because I can." Grayson replies cheekily and my eyes narrow. Right when Mrs. Gonzalez's mouth opens, so does the door, revealing an exhausted Toby. He fumbles for a lame excuse as to why he's late and Mrs. Gonzalez waves him off with an eye roll. Toby weasels his way into our row and halts when he sees that Grayson is laxly in his place. Toby turns to me with a betrayed look, as if it's my fault that his seat is taken, and then goes to the next row so he's seated to my left.

"As I was going to say before Mr. Callinn rudely interrupted me, I'm assigning a project."

Nobody groaned in annoyance nor squealed in happiness because we were all used to receiving projects from Mrs. Gonzalez, it's practically what her whole class consisted of. Mrs. Gonzalez pulls out a container filled with index cards. "Each of these contain different responsibilities that everybody will have when they become an adult, or most of you anyway."

Grayson's phone pings and he curses under his breath after reading the text.

"You can also move to a different seat." I snap, remembering how he got the last word. Grayson's brows furrow slightly only to part when he realizes what I'm talking about. 

"You're very rude, you know that?" Grayson says rhetorically.

"Only to you." I inform dryly, thrumming my manicured nails on the desk with my chin plopped on my hand, facing Grayson.

"Wow, I'm honored." Grayson says sarcastically, frowning in my direction.

"You should be." I shrug and flip my brown hair behind my shoulder. I turn to the teacher just as she sits down in her pleather chair.

"And time." She announces and I then notice how some people have switched chairs. I scrunch my nose up in confusion, what's going on?

"Does anybody not have a partner?" Mrs. Gonzalez asks and my eyes widen. I stare at Toby helplessly and he returns it with a poke of his tongue. I roll my eyes and slyly rake my fingers through my hair when I'm sure he's looking at me, my middle finger sticking out as my hand slides through the edges. Toby scoffs and I glare when he turns back to his partner.

I raise my hand, as does Grayson, and one other student. I bring my hand up to beckon the other student over when Mrs. Gonzalez opens her stupid mouth and says something that makes me despise her."Since Grayson and Valeria were having no trouble flirting while people were finding a partner, you two will be partners."