“What?” I snap.
“Roll call.” He regards me, as if I’ve grown a second head.
“Present,” I mumble.
“Weirdo,” Cocoa mutters.
“Bitch,” I counter.
Mr. Barnes finishes roll call, then begins droning on and on about class expectations. I’m too preoccupied lusting after Cocoa to hear a word he’s saying, but she isn’t paying me any attention. Instead, she’s dutifully typing notes. That won’t do. I skim my fingers up her thigh. She immediately latches on to my wrist and tries to push me away, but I dig my fingernails into her soft flesh.
“Get your filthy hand off me,” she growls.
“Cocoa, I will not tolerate interruptions,” Mr. Barnes says in a clipped tone.
I slide my hand onto my lap and act casual.
“Sorry,” she grumbles.
“Where was I? Oh, yes. The person sitting next to you is your assigned partner for a project due October twenty-first. This assignment will constitute thirty percent of your final grade. Keep that in here.” He taps his temple. “Each team must complete a PowerPoint presentation and present it to the class.”
The expression on Cocoa’s face is priceless. You’d think she swallowed a bug.
“I’m sure we’ll have a swell time collaborating,” I say sarcastically.
She shoots daggers at me.
We hurl whispered insults at each other until class ends.
I approach Mr. Barnes when the last kid leaves the classroom.
“What can I do for you?” He perches on his desk.
“Can you pair me with a different partner?” I ask, clutching my laptop to my chest.
His forehead scrunches. “Is there a reason for this request?”
Because Maverick is my sworn enemy.
“Maverick and I don’t exactly get along.”
Understatement of the year.
“You and him will have to work through your differences.”
“I really don’t think that’s possible, Mr. Barnes.”
Come on. I’m not asking for a kidney here.
“My answer is no.” He stands. “Now, hurry to your next class before the bell rings.”
I barrel through the door, royally pissed, and stop in my tracks, finding Maverick propped against the wall.
“Bad news.” He smirks.
He heard me asking for a replacement.
I walk by, ignoring him.
