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Raina ignored the chatter around her as she headed straight for her usual table. Gracie was already there, demolishing a plate of lasagna, but she set her fork down to give Raina a side hug. “How was class?”
Raina shook her head, glancing around the hall. A few tables away, Zara was sitting with Nicole and two of her new roommates. The redhead looked over and waved, but thankfully Nicole didn’t turn around. Raina wasn’t sure she could deal with another glare today.
“I have to be peer tutored,” Raina told her friend.
“Ugh. That sucks. Do you know who?”
“Nicole.” Raina set her bowl onto the table, slumping down in a chair opposite Gracie.
Gracie nearly lost her grip on her cup of soda but recovered before it splashed on her pretty blue sweater.
“Please tell me you’re joking.” Raina shook her head grimly and Gracie sighed. “Well, this isn’t going to end well.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“So what are you going to do?”
Raina rubbed her temples. She’d been asking herself the same thing all day. The constant buzz of noise in the dining hall was giving her a headache, so she reached into her bag and grabbed her water bottle and a pack of Tylenol.
“To be honest, I have no clue. She’s always starting fights with me, but I don’t want to deal with that. I guess I’m going to have to be civil and hope she does the same?”
Gracie bit her lip. “Do you want me to talk to her?”
“No, I can handle this myself. ” Raina paused to take her medicine. “I can spend half an hour with Nicole and not, I don’t know, hurt her or anything. I can behave.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about. It’s—”
“You don’t know ifNicolecan be civil withmefor half an hour.” At Gracie’s nod, Raina tilted her head back and groaned. “I know. But I’ll do my part, and if she can’t be nice, that’s not on me. I tried, Gracie. I really did. She’s never going to be my favorite person in the world, but I can survive studying with her a couple of times.”
“Alright. I trust you. You know if I had the time, I would totally help you.” Gracie reached across the table to squeeze Raina’s hand. “But my mom wants me to start this virtual college prep program, so I’ll be spending time on that.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Raina dropped her head in her hands. “My mom’s been on my case about college applications too. I told her I can’t focus on college right now, but she’s not listening.”
“Your mom only wants what’s best for you.”
“My mom wants what will look best for her to brag about.”
Gracie shrugged. “Have you started thinking about what you’ll do for the new English project yet? It’s weird that Mrs. D gave us the assignment already. Normally, we finish the book andthendo the project.”
Mrs. Dixonhadmentioned a project briefly at the beginning of class, before they had continued discussingRomeo and Juliet, but Raina had zoned out. “The partner one? With a topic of our choice?”
“Well, as long as she approves the topic, of course. Do you know who you’re going to work with?”
Raina sighed. “Not a clue. I don’t have friends in that class, not anymore. I guess I’ll see who isn’t working with anyone already and pick them.”
“Maybe she’ll assign partners,” Gracie suggested. “Or you can work with Dean.”
Raina nodded. “If she’s not assigning partners, then I guess I’ll ask Dean. Or Theo. I don’t know him super well, but he seems like he’d make a good partner.”
“She hasn’t given us the official instructions yet, so I guess we’ll find out in the next few days.”
ChapterThree
“You can’t do this!”
Raina agreed with Jesse’s outburst, but she wasn’t about to contradict their teacher in the middle of class. She shot a glance to where the redhead was sitting in between Dean and Nicole at the back of the room, an expression of outrage on his face.
“I assure you I can, Mr. Ashcroft,” Mrs. Dixon said dryly.
