MPHFPC HIGH SCHOOL AU

2

When English was over, I complained to Ricky. "She said idiots," I said. "In plural! I'm not an idiot, they are!"

"Mmm," agreed Ricky with his nose stuck in his phone.

"You're not even listening," I said, offended.

"Sorry dude." He put his phone in his pocket and turned to me. "You were saying?"

"I was telling you about the Holy trio," I told him.

"Oh you mean the mean dude that you still can't get over, the girl who broke your arm and the annoying Bloom?" (Just to make it clear, we were wrestling in P.E. and naturally the Coach had to pair me up with the bodybuilder.)

"Exactly." So I repeated my story to him and this time he listened.

"You know what dude," he said, stepping into the Chemistry lab. "I think it's time for you to get over them. You'll never win. You can only make them hate you more or leave it like it is." He sat down in the left corner, far away from the Holy Trio. "For now, just pray you won't get stuck with him as a science partner for the year."

Now let's skip the part where my phone crashes because I played too much Candy Crush and go to the part where our chemistry teacher arrived. She was German and her last name was incredibly hard to pronounce or even remember. All I knew was that it started with Ratten-something, because it reminded me of rats and because she looked like a rat. She had a weird rat-like face with a lot moustache for a woman and weird eyebrows. She had a squeaky voice and every once in a while she started babbling in German, forgetting where she was.

"Chemistry....." she started and breathed in all the oxygen in the classroom. She exhaled dramatically and continued, "is all around us."
She dragged her small feet to Ricky. "yOU YOUNG MAN!" Ricky jumped on his chair and his phone fell to the floor.

"SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!" He hurried to the phone and started sobbing. Those tearless painful sobbs that resembled the sounds an overweight animal made when it slept. "M-m-my p-phone!!!!!!"

I could hear Enoch's laugh so loud as if he was screaming into my ear. Ricky turned to me. "MY SCREEN IS CRUSHED DUDE!" Ricky broke his phone every few months so I was used to it.

While he was mourning over his phone screen, Miss Ratten(...) started talking again. She went on about what chemistry is for fifteen minutes, even though we've been learning it for 4 years now. "Now this year is all about team work," she told us. Ricky (who just ended crying) and I high-fived each other and a few other people left exciting squeals. Enoch turned to Emma as if expecting they would do something similar, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Oh I wouldn't be so glad, Mr Portman," Miss Ratten(...) said and started doing a weird noise - something that sounded like "ccccc". "You don't expect me to pair you up with zis young man," she said nodding to Ricky.

Enoch laughed and Miss turned to him in a second. "What are you laughing at?" She asked. "Join your partner Mr O'Connor," she said, gesturing to Horace. Enoch groaned and slowly moved to his friend, giving Emma one last sad look.

Miss Ratten(...) put the other kids into even odder pairs. Hugh and Fiona, two persons, known for being strong competitors, not liking each other very much, did not take the news well. They started screaming and throwing weird science insults at each other. Ricky got paired with Melina - the most beautiful and nicest girl in the school and to be honest I got jealous. Super jealous.

Now (with me counted in) only four people were left. I could either be with Millard, some quiet girl named Amanda or Emma. I quietly prayed for Millard or Amanda.

"Mr Portman join Miss Bloom, Millard and Amanda you can sit here," Miss Ratten(...) said and knocked on the table in front of her.

I stood still for a second. This isn't happening.  I waited for someone to tell me it's a prank and start laughing, but nothing happened. I couldn not be paired up with the bitchiest person alive. It was simply impossible. I'd rather take Enoch than Emma. Please be Enoch, I prayed, but it was too late. My fate was already decided.