A/N: Hey, you guys! This a new story that I've been working on for a bit now. I have been working on Rowan and this, as well as my Writing Challenges, on top of taking classes at a big university. I will update as frequently as possible, but I am busy with classes, work, and my other writing. Let me know what you think either by voting or commenting on this chapter.
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“‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’ So begins our next class novel, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen,” stated my twelfth grade AP English professor, Mr. Johnson. “Everyone will need to come up front and grab a book real quick. You will be expected to read at least two chapters per night, but you should definitely try to read more than that.”
The sigh of resignation that left my lips was echoed around the room by my fellow classmates who were just as thrilled as I to read a novel that was written almost two centuries ago. I certainly could think of nothing more thrilling than reading an old book for a class that I did not even want to take. My mother deserved to be punished for forcing me to take this class. This boring, pointless class that would do nothing but add more work to the mile high stack of assignments I already needed to finish for my other classes.
“Sir, will you be giving us a quiz on each chapter or an exam on the book as a whole?” Aiden Kelly, the most ridiculous and pompous student at Blythewood High School, asked Mr. Johnson.
I could not have hated him more in all of my existence than I did at that moment.
“Miss Lawson, you can quit staring daggers at Mr. Kelly’s head. His question is excellent, and I was actually about to discuss that with the class.” As Mr. Johnson finished reprimanding me and praising Aiden, I saw the insolent twerp turn in my direction with a smirk plastered on his face.
My blood pressure rose steadily until Mr. Johnson captured my attention again. “I have decided that you will be completing worksheets on each chapter as you read, so there will be no need for a quiz on each chapter. There will only be an exam on the whole novel, which will be based on the worksheets that you are required to complete. Also, I will not take up the worksheets until the day of the test. These worksheets,” Mr. Johnson continued as he passed out the worksheet packets from the front of the room, “will be your study guide for the exam, so do not lose them.”
The packet finally reached me, and I almost groaned out loud. It was twenty pages long, and each question was nearly a paragraph! I could hear my best friend, Carly Masterson, groan beside me as she put her head in her hands. I could definitely sympathize with her reaction, and had I not been able to control myself, I would be doing the same thing right now. This was going to take forever to finish; especially, with the amount of math homework Mrs. Taylor had given us.
“Okay, class, to make this assignment easier for you all, I will partner each of you up with a classmate. You will both read the book and complete the worksheets together. Sound like a plan?” At Mr. Johnson’s words, the atmosphere in the classroom immediately cleared, and everyone began to murmur their assent to his plan. “Okay, then. When I call your name out, grab your stuff and come to the front. I will then call out your partner’s name, and you can both move to a set of desks away from the other students to begin working on the novel.”
With his instructions finally over, Mr. Johnson began to pair students together. Unfortunately, he paired Carly with Michael Hannigan, the football team’s star quarterback. Carly had turned and frowned at me as she moved to the other side of the room with Michael.
