Chapter Eight #2
Mr. Lewis strides inside, calling for everyone to find their seats and settle down. He leans back against his desk as his eyes sweep around the room, and I have a feeling he’s about to announce something important. “It’s a few weeks into the semester,” he says. “You know what that means?”
Some kids groan while others exchange blank looks.
“The major project,” he says, which gets groans out of more kids. I’ve never had him for a teacher before, so I have no idea what lies in store for me. But as long as I can do this project on my own, I’ll be happy.
“This counts for thirty percent of your grade. Yes, you kids heard me. Thirty percent. So it might be in your best interest to pay attention.”
His eyes once again sweep around the room, waiting for each kid to stop what they’re doing and focus their attention on him.
“Very good,” he continues. “Now let’s talk about the project. I do this every year and have wonderful results. The kids not only learn a lot, but they have a lot of fun as well.”
A few kids snort. Mr. Lewis ignores them.
“I want you to break into teams of two and choose a famous person in history who is very much still relevant today. Focus on one or more of his or her accomplishments that still has a profound effect on the world today. It can range anywhere from a king or general, to an actor or artist. There will be three components to this project. The first is a written assignment that you will hand in to me, which I will grade, as I would do with any written assignment. The second is an oral presentation that you will present to the class, and then finally, a physical project that you need to create yourself, which you will also present to the class. The oral presentation can be a speech, a video, a skit, or even a cooking demonstration. Be creative and go wild. For the physical project, a model is enough. Something that represents your chosen person and what they accomplished in their life. The projects are due exactly a month from now. I will dedicate some classes for you to work on your projects, but most of it will have to be done on your own time. For today, I’m giving you the entire period to choose a partner and a person in history.
I’d like a written summary of who you chose by the end of the period. Any questions?”
There are no questions, but there are many groans, moans, and grumbles.
I internally groan, too, because while I do like the assignment, I hate the idea of being forced to team up with someone who doesn’t want to team up with me.
Don’t teachers understand that I will do a much better job if I tackle this on my own?
If only one of my friends were in this class, darn it.
The kids drag themselves out of their seats and start searching for partners, a few already pushing their desks together.
I swallow hard as I keep my gaze on my desk, hoping that someone will finally come over and ask me to be their partner.
But like so many times in the past when I had to pair up with someone, no one comes.
It’s always me having to beg someone else to be my partner.
I wait a little bit longer, hoping someone will appear at my desk. I have no idea if there is an even number of students in the class. Will I have no choice but to force myself on another team? Maybe Mr. Lewis will cut me some slack and let me do the project on my own?
After waiting just a bit longer, I finally raise my eyes and survey the classroom.
Every single kid is paired off, many of them already discussing their chosen historical figure while others seem to be either chatting or sneaking in some texts.
Does this mean there’s an odd number of students and I can actually do the project on my own?
My head slowly twists around to the back of the room, to where Kylen sits. I wonder who he’s chosen as his partner.
But when my eyes land on him, I find him sitting at his desk with his eyes searching around the room, looking for someone who isn’t partnered up. My stomach feels like it’s somersaulting when it dawns on me that there is no one available for him to pair up with. Other than me.
I think he knows this fact, too, because he reluctantly focuses his eyes on me. My head whips to the front of the room as I squeeze my eyes shut. Why is this happening, universe or God or whoever is in charge? Why, why, why?
“Has everyone chosen a partner?” Mr. Lewis asks. “Hurry up if you haven’t. Time’s ticking and I expect a short summary of your chosen historical figure on my desk in twenty minutes.”
My heart begins to race. Oh, gosh. What am I going to do? Should I just defy my teacher’s instruction and do this on my own?
I feel a presence on my left, and then someone slowly and hesitantly lowers himself in the desk across from me. I don’t have to turn my head to know who it is.
He just sits in the seat, most probably staring at the space in front of him. Just like I am, although I’m wringing my hands between my knees. I can only see him from the corner of my eye, but I sense he’s pretty nervous and conflicted.
I don’t know how long we sit like this until he finally says in a very low voice, “I can ask another kid to switch.”
Still with my eyes on the space before me, I say, “It won’t work. No one ever chooses to team up with me.”
His head snaps to mine, as though he didn’t expect me to be so blunt like that. Has he forgotten I tend to be blunt sometimes? Or did he look at me like that because he’s surprised that my social standing hasn’t changed in the last year and a half?
“Sorry I’m not popular,” he says. “Sorry you’re stuck with me.”
I finally look at him and notice that he’s still staring at the spot before him, clenching and unclenching his fists over his knees. He does that when he’s feeling a lot of emotions.
“We’re stuck with each other,” I say.
He nods, but doesn’t say anything.
“It’s thirty percent of our grade. I’m taking this very seriously.”
He nods again. “I’ll ask the teacher if you can do it on your own. I don’t want you to get a bad grade on my account.” He gets up.
“Kylen,” I say.
He slowly turns around.
“Don’t bother. Mr. Lewis won’t let us get away with it when there’s an even number of students. We have no choice.”
He winces, as though I told him someone is holding a knife to my neck.
I clear my throat. “I mean…let’s just do it, okay?”
With another nod, he lowers himself back in the seat and turns to face me, although he’s not really making eye contact with me. It’s hard for me to make eye contact with him, too. I know I’ll get sucked into those mesmerizing green eyes.
“Do you have any ideas?” he asks.
“I’m weighing a few options.”
We’re quiet as we think. Kylen drums his fingers on his desk, which is really distracting, but I don’t say anything.
“There’s always an important figure from the Revolutionary War,” he offers.
“That’s so cliché. I bet all the other teams will choose that.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Quiet again.
“I want something we can actually do a good presentation on,” I say. “I don’t want to make a lame speech. We should do something fun.”
“What about choosing a famous woman? I know how much you love girl power.”
I have no idea why that causes my cheeks to warm up. I guess because I’m surprised he remembers that about me? But then again, it’s only been a year and a half. It’s not like we’re thirty-five and barely remember anything about each other.
“It’s definitely tempting,” I tell him. “But I kind of have another idea that I like.”
“Okay. Who?”
“William Shakespeare. We can perform a scene from one of his plays for the presentation, and we can build the Globe Theatre for our model.”
Kylen thinks it over for a bit. “Yeah, that sounds like fun. I have tons of Lego we can use to build the Globe Theatre, and I love making a British accent.”
“You suck at a British accent.” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, and my cheeks flush. The memory of the two of us acting out one of the Harry Potter movies at camp takes over my brain. He did a horrible Harry Potter, but I loved it anyway.
A small smile appears on Kylen’s lips as he most likely relives the memory, too. But then we’re engulfed in silence.
He clears his throat as he shifts in his seat. “Okay, so we’re choosing William Shakespeare?”
“If you’re cool with it.”
“I’m cool with it.” He rips a page out of his notebook and starts writing it down. “For the written assignment, we’ll need to focus on what effect he had during his time era and then on ours, and how much it has changed over the years.”
“Yeah.”
As he jots it down, I find myself staring at his profile.
But then I quickly catch myself and tear my eyes away, trying to keep my breathing under control.
It’ll be okay. It’s just an assignment, where we’ll have to spend only a small amount of time together.
It’s not like we’ll be forced to spend every second together. I hope.
“So how will you get your Lego here?” I ask.
“Oh…” He laughs sheepishly. “Sometimes I forget that I dorm here. I guess I can ask my grandparents to ship it over, or we’ll have to buy new ones or something…” He rubs the back of his neck.
“I guess we can worry about that when we get there. For now, let’s focus on the written assignment.”
“Sure, that’s cool.”
“We can’t look up any of our sources online in Mr. Lewis’s class. We’ll need to meet at the school library.”
He nods slowly. “Right.”
Once again, it’s silent. And so freakin’ awkward. How is this my life right now? I was supposed to avoid this dude and not say a single word to him. Now we’ll have to spend one-on-one time together all because no one wanted to partner up with either of us?
“I guess I’ll hand this in,” Kylen says as he gets up. “I’ll, uh…” His eyes settle on me. “I guess I’ll see you around, Raven. When we meet up at the library, I mean. When exactly?”
“Are you available after school?”
“I have band practice today, but I can push it off.”
Band practice? He’s in a band?
“It’s fine. I’ll cancel band practice so we can go to the library.”
“Okay.”
I want to sink into the ground because of how awkward the atmosphere is.
Kylen hands in the assignment to Mr. Lewis, who seems impressed because we’re the first ones. As he reads over our short summary, he sways his head from side to side. What’s that supposed to mean? Was choosing Shakespeare too cliché?
Kylen doesn’t return to the seat across from me. He walks past my desk and drops down in his desk in the back. I don’t know why the air suddenly feels cold. It was almost like being near him warmed it or something.
Now that sounds ridiculous even in my head.
Even though I know I shouldn’t, I turn my head toward the back of the room. Kylen is scrolling on his phone, a neutral expression on his face. As if he feels me watching him, he lifts his gaze to me.
I quickly twist away and get started on my math homework.