Tell Me What You Hate About Me

14: Making an Almost Murderer

The next day, it was ninety degrees outside. I didn't know why I expected anything different from my bad luck charm and my wish to put off winter for just a little while longer.

Although my skin was practically melting off my body, I hiked across campus to do our presentation with Dominic for our sign language class. I still hadn't studied the script he wrote, but it wasn't like I had the time to make him hate me a little less. The talisman potentially listened to me (and twisted my words to the extreme), and I was supposed to be concerned about a stupid grade in a worthless class? No.

Just in case, I had the talisman in my pocket anyway. If it could bring me a little twisted luck, I wouldn't be upset about it. There wasn't anything to ruin for myself, and it seemed that it liked to make messes out of situations I didn't want.

When I arrived at our classroom, Dominic was already in his spot in the front of the room with his feet up on the desk attached to the chair. There was no one else in the room even though class was supposed to begin in three minutes.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Did you check your email?" he replied.

I shook my head. "Did class get canceled? Because that would be super excellent."

"Nope. It's just you, me, and Roberts today."

Roberts? Was that the professor's last name or something?

"Just us?" I asked.

He nodded. "And considering this is worth twenty percent of your grade, I hope you looked over what I sent you."

I bit my cheek. "Of course, I did."

That wasn't true at all, but what was I supposed to tell him?

If there was ever a time for the talisman to give me what I wanted, now was a good one.

There were several different explanations of why it could be hot outside. One, it was some weather fluke. Two, global warming picked the right day to act up in Tillamook, Oregon. Or three, the talisman listened to me. And if it was the third one, then it was already warmed up to do something else for me. Somehow get me out of this presentation so Dominic will leave me alone, I thought, then added a please at the end for good measure.

Although it was time for our presentation to start, Roberts, as Dominic called him, still hadn't arrived at the classroom.

"You're sure our presentation is today?" I asked and finally took a seat next to him.

"Considering I'm the one who actually goes to class, yes," he said.

I gave a small shrug and a nod. He wasn't wrong.

"Is that all you ever do? When someone calls you out on your bullshit, you just don't answer because you know it's true?" he asked.

I shrugged and nodded again, and just to piss him off, I added a smile.

"Oh my god," he muttered. "What did I do wrong to get stuck with you as a permanent partner in this class?"

"Did I do something to you? And be honest."

He didn't reply to that. "Maybe you should stop believing this class is worthless."

It was much more worthless than my talisman, but I couldn't tell him that. It would just give everything away.

"Well, it's not like it's interesting or exciting in any way. It's just for deaf people, and I'm not deaf," I said.

Dominic shook his head. "So anyone who is deaf isn't worth your time?"