TROUBLE (HaydenChristensenxNataliePortman)

Chapter One

That fall morning, a few weeks into school, it was cool outside, the leaves falling and the gusts of wind carrying them through the air above Hayden Christensen as he walked to his high school.

Once he had sat through an English seminar (college-level, obviously), an advanced journalistic writing class, and a speech in public speaking, he was in fourth period. English 12.

This semester, Hayden had all English classes.

Exactly his specialty, and his focus for his college major.

As he sat in English 12 (which, not to mention, he had been dreadfully accidentally put into a regular-level period), he switched his gaze back and forth between the power point on the screen at the front of the room and his notebook, scratching the notes down quickly before finishing his essay he had started last night for homework.

The girl was staring at him, grinning, half-covering her mouth as if she were laughing at him.

Again.

Hayden looked back down at his notebook paper, adding the last couple of words with an exclamation point at the end, and underlining it a few times to make sure to remember it was an important point. He pushed up his big glasses, organized his papers, and took out his essay, ready to write the rest and turn it in.

But before he could even rest the tip of the pencil down on the paper, he was interrupted.

"Hayden. Hayden Christensen, look at me. Hey," someone whispered.

Hayden sighed, and looked up, just to meet eyes with Natalie. "What. What do you want this time?"

She giggled, and her friends all looked back at him and joined her with a series of girly giggles as well. "Hi," she said, her eyes sparkling. She smiled flirtatiously, laughing her adorable --

Stop it, Hayden. She is so immature, Hayden thought to himself. He rolled his eyes and looked down at his paper again, letting out a long breath.

"Hey, if you don't like me, why don't you just put your earbuds in and listen to music to block me out?"

"I don't like music," Hayden replied, gritting his teeth as his pencil led poked through the paper on the period ending the last sentence. "I wouldn't be able to focus on my work then, would I, Natalie?"

"Oh. No, I'm so sorry." She and her friends exchanged glances, and the majority of the group turned back around, looking down at their work for the first time the whole period.

Hayden shook his head, then getting up to turn his paper into the teacher. When he got back to his seat, Mr. Smith stopped everyone.

"Alright, kids, I'd like to give you an assignment with a partner. It'll take a week or so at the most, so...."

Everyone exchanged glances, most of the friends looking at each other and raising their eyebrows.

"Now, don't get too excited, everyone. These partners are assigned partners."

Everyone groaned, all except for Hayden. He smiled. Good. This time I don't have to be the last one left without a partner and work with the teacher instead.

"Alright, I'll be assigning them now." Mr. Smith took a sheet of paper off of his desk. "Now, when I call your names, you'll go sit together somewhere in the room. Ready.... Julia and Vinny, go sit in the back. Charlie and Summer. Andrew and Dennis. Desiree and Starr. If you girls could come in the front, that would be great.... Michael and Percy. Logan and.... Beatrice, you pair with him. Who else do I have.... Amelia and Christopher. Jeremy and Christian. And lastly, Ashley P. and Ashley S, and Jacob, you can all be a group."

Hayden looked around him. Everyone had a partner but him. Again. And the teacher had even assigned the partners!

Mr. Smith looked up from his paper. "Does everyone have a partner?"

Hayden looked around him again and slowly raised his hand. "I don't."

"Alright, Hayden. Let's see who we can put you with. Does anyone else not have a partner?" Mr. Smith asked, scanning the classroom.

Natalie raised her hand right away. "I can be his partner. I wasn't put with anyone."

Hayden's stomach dropped. This was just his luck.

If he had to work with Natalie everyday for over a week....

His life was about to turn into a nightmare for over a week.

Mr. Smith smiled. "Very well. Alright. Now, the assignment is.... over the next week and a half or so, you'll be writing a dual satire, in class. Pick a topic, and do it. Good luck, everyone. This will count as a summative grade."