"We're gonna do group work today." Our math teacher announces and some people groan, some people cheer. I groan. We choose groups in this class, which is normally a good thing, except I have no friends in this class. The teacher always has to put me in a group when we do group work because I'm such a loner.
"Get up and find groups of four." The teacher calls. I notice a bunch of girls immediately find Harry. He puts his hands out, rejecting all of them.
I hear faintly, Harry say, "I don't wanna do it." I hold back my laugh at how childish it sounds, but I honestly do relate.
"Noelle." The teacher calls. "Do you need me to put you in a group again?" I notice some people looking, overhearing our conversation, including Harry who's sitting in his seat doing nothing, which makes me feel even more nervous.
"Can't I just work alone?"
"No. Harry." She motions for him to come over here. I always thought I'd be glad to be involved with Harry somehow but now I'm just scared. I don't like talking to people, especially guys.
Harry sighs and gets up from his seat, walking this way.
"Who needs a group, raise your hand!" The teacher calls. Quite a few people raise their hands, probably because they wanna be in a group with Harry, but the teacher brings two people over here and makes separate groups out of the rest. The desks are set in a square, and Harry sits across from me, some girl named Tasha sits next to Harry, and another guy whose name I don't know sits next to me. The guy whose name I don't know gets started on the work, basically defeating the entire purpose of group work.
I, on the other hand, have no idea what I'm doing.
"So, Harry, could you help me? I don't really know how to do this." Tasha shyly says to him, clearly trying to flirt.
"What makes you think I know how to do it?" Harry says without looking at her.
"Does anybody get this?" Tasha complains and I notice Harry slightly roll his eyes and put his head in his hand.
"It's easy, really." The guy next to me begins.
"Must be nice." I mumble quietly.
Stop saying stupid shit, Noelle. Control yourself.
I hope no one heard me, until I hear Harry give a light breathy laugh. I look up and slightly smile. At least someone thought it was funny.
I try to focus as the guy next to me explains how to do it, but it goes right over my head.
"I feel so stupid, that's so easy." Tasha laughs and starts writing. Now I really feel stupid. "Do you need help, Harry?" Tasha asks with too much excitement.
"No." He says simply when he clearly has no intention of actually doing the work.
"Well, you guys are just sitting there." She briefly explains.
"I don't get it, so..." I trail off and shrug.
"Yeah, same." Harry says, and I'm not sure if he's being serious or just using it as an excuse. Tasha explains it, and somehow I still don't understand because:
1. She was mostly explaining to Harry so I couldn't see what she was writing on her paper,
2. She explained it really fast and in a very confusing way,
and
3. I'm just really stupid when it comes to math.
Harry still makes no move to do the work, and neither do I. I put my head in my hand and try to be not awkward. What am I supposed to do if I can't even do the work?
"You don't get it?" Harry asks in a bored tone. I realize he's talking to me and my brain mentally fails for a second.
"Not really." I slightly laugh at myself. "Not good at math." I shrug.
"So..." He starts, then gets up and crouches down next to my desk. He explains thoroughly how to do it, and I'm momentarily shocked. So he's not just a dumbass that slacks off in class? He reaches up and points to certain numbers in the problem, and I take a minute to recognize his hands. He has nice hands. There's a cross tattoo on one hand, I notice, and he wears rings, which I never knew I loved on guys until now. They look so good.
Now, I don't know if it's the way he explained it or because he's the one who was explaining it, but the problem suddenly makes sense. I guess it helps when the person explaining it is really hot.
"Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, thank you." I smile at him and he nods, getting back in his seat and pulling out his phone. So he's not a total jerk. That's good information.
"How was staring at Harry today in math?" Mo asks when I reach her locker.
"Actually." I begin.
"Oh my gosh, what happened!? Did he talk to you!? Did you guys do it in the janitor's closet!?"
"Oh my gosh, Mo, no!" I laugh at her.
"Dammit."
"But we were put in a group together, and I wasn't understanding how to do it, so he like explained it to me and everything, and he surprisingly is pretty nice. I expected him to be some kind of jerk or something."
"I am so jealous, he gave you more attention than me." She pouts and I laugh. "But like if you date him first, then can I be the maid of honor?"
"There will be no wedding, Mo." I roll my eyes playfully. "But yes."
