Seeking Smiles//Slow Updates

seven

He's gay, I conclude after sitting in class for a good twenty-five minutes, Tyler only feet away. Gay and hell of a flirt.

I chew on the edge of my eraser which I know leaves a dry feeling and an odd texture in my mouth, but it's something to do. At least, it makes a scene that I'm actually doing something other than just thinking.

The speech teacher, Mrs. Delaneyy, drones on and on about herself and how when she first got married, she only spelled her last name with one y because two was different and unheard of. No one, not one person in this entire classroom cares about what she has to say other than maybe Jessie Macon. But she's out of her mind and a sure teacher's pet, so that makes sense in her case. They should go have their own private conversation somewhere we all don't have to hear any of her life story and screw ups.

I glance over at Tyler who isn't looking at me, but instead being told by Morgan that she'll force feed him Goldfish crackers if he doesn't do exactly what he says. It's jokingly, I know by the smiles on their faces, but it's strange nonetheless.

Morgan's dark, curly hair bobs up and down when she moves closer to Tyler to press Goldfish to his pursed, refusing lips. He shakes his head, trying to choke back a laugh as he tries pushing Morgan's tanned arms away from his face.

"Partners!" Mrs. Delaneyy raises her voice, pinching her glasses down her nose to glare at Morgan and Tyler. They stop messing around with silly grins and turn back to face her. "Partners assigned by me."

I try my best not to freak out, although I could easily make my assigned partner do all the work in whatever project we have to do, I can't help myself. I'm an individual that rotates around my independent work. I don't work well with others because no one can understand me, and I also do have the reputation of the big, mean kid, so that doesn't help anything. No one ever wants to talk to me. And I don't want to talk to them.

"No complaining, please." Mrs. Delaneyy asks of the class as she scans the room with squinted eyes to pair us up. "Marcus and Tiana. Hailee and Morgan," She keeps listing off pairs of names and I can't help but notice that neither my name nor Tyler's name have been listed yet.

As more and more names are called, I become more and more worried. If I'm partnered with Tyler...

"Tyler and, uh Logan I suppose." Mrs. Delaneyy does the unthinkable. Neither of us were listening to what the project even is. And to top it off, Tyler won't let me sit out on the project. What if he flirts with me? Or does something else we might both regret?

Hesitantly, I turn my head to find Tyler staring at me, raising his eyebrows up and down.

Rolling my eyes, and shaking my head, I turn back toward the front of the room. Mrs. Delaneyy explains that we have three months to complete the project as a side project. We have to write an entire song based on a love experience, something I'm not too fond of or have much of a background with relationships. It has to be a complete song; at least two minutes long with instrumentals and lyrics and everything a song has. I don't have that much musical talent. Sure, I can sing out a few bars, but not organize and produce and entire song.

She tells us that she knows it won't be perfect since we're all high schoolers and this isn't a college major class, but she wants us to really try.

I don't want to try, especially since it means I have to spend the next three months with Tyler to finish this project.

Tyler slides into the desk next to mine, and although I'm not looking at him, I can feel the heat coming from his small frame.

"Again, the fates come calling." Tyler jokes and I look over at him in a way that should make anyone stop, but instead he just says, "You know it's true."