“You’re just being stubborn, Soph! I’m sure there are lots of movies that portray the story much better than the actual book—”
“Name one.”
Carly’s mouth snaps shut as her brows crease.
“See, you can’t.”
“Geez, let a girl think!”
“Buckle up, guys,” Addie tells the boyfriends. “This may take a while.”
“It’s cute how riled up you’re getting,” Ryder tells Carly with a chuckle.
“I’m not the one who’s riled up. I’m perfectly calm.”
“I’m not riled up either,” Sophie insists. “I just like proving you wrong. You still didn’t name a single movie.”
“I’m thinking!”
“Where’s the popcorn?” Ryder jokes, which has Caleb and Damian laughing, too.
Addie’s right—Sophie and Carly have this argument every few months, usually when a movie adaptation of a book comes out. I don’t really have an opinion on the subject. I like reading the books and watching the movies.
“How about we just enjoy our delicious breakfast?” I suggest.
“I agree,” Sophie says with a determined nod. “The book is always better than the movie. Now let’s eat.”
Carly shakes her head with a laugh, but she doesn’t argue. Probably because the bell will ring soon and she hasn’t finished eating. We talk about school and other things until the bell does indeed ring, and then we separate to our classrooms.
The morning goes by uneventfully. I have a pop quiz in math that I’m sure I ace, I have a substitute teacher for business class who is far too strict than she needs to be and piles tons of homework on us that most kids won’t do because our regular teacher will return tomorrow, PE threatens to tear my limbs off the rest of my body, and then we finally have lunch. This time, I focus on my table and my friends only and nothing else.
Then comes the class I’ve been dreading most. History, the one class I share with Kylen.
The desk next to me is still vacant, and for some reason, I worry he might plop down next to me and insist we be friends. But when he enters the classroom, he doesn’t look my way once as he makes his way to the back of the room and greets some of the other students.
I look over my history notes as I wait for Mr. Lewis to arrive, mostly to keep busy so my eyes won’t wander to Kylen, but alsoin case Mr. Lewis decides to spring a surprise quiz on us. He seems to be running a little late. The kids in the back of the room are getting rowdy, and it takes everything I have not to look back to see what Kylen is doing. How does he keep busy? What are his hobbies? Are they the same as they were one and a half years ago?
I remember how much he loved playing guitar. He was the one who taught me how to play. He brought his guitar with him to camp, and we would spend many hours together, with him teaching me. I loved the guitar so much that I continued playing after everything that happened between us, even though it was painful in the beginning.
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.Thirtypercent. 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. Focuson 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.
