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Everyone is quick to move to meet with their partner. That is, everyone, except Natalie and me. Both of us stay seated, dreading having to work on this project.
I lean back in my chair with my eyes staring up at the ceiling when Natalie finally comes over and hits my arm.
“Get up. If we have to do this, let’s at least get out of this damn classroom.”
I sit up in mock shock. “Did the ranch princess just cuss?”
She glares at me. “Shut up.” With a roll of her eyes, she turns toward the door and heads out of the classroom, expecting me to follow her.
What sucks is, I totally have to, especially when Mrs. Anderson raises her eyebrows at me, silently asking why I’m still sitting here.
With a huff, I drag my large frame out of the small desk and head toward the quad, where I’m sure I’ll find her waiting with a pissed-off expression.
As I approach the picnic table she’s sitting at, I see her staring down at her phone, so I throw my notebook in front of her to, yes, be a dick and startle her. I get the satisfaction I was looking for when I see her jump. When she narrows her eyes at me in anger, a wee bit of happiness rushes through me.
I know it’s childish, but I have to find some kind of joy in this fucked-up partnership we’ve found ourselves in.
“So, what’s the plan?” I ask once I sit down and stare at her for a moment.
“There is no plan. We’re just supposed to talk. She says that having an open conversation is the best way to find out about the other person,” she responds.
“Okay, so talk.”
She shakes her head. “About what?”
“I don’t know. You’re the girl. You’re supposed to be the talkative one.”
She lets out a harsh laugh. “Are you serious right now? You think just because I’m a girl, I should be leading our conversation?”
I shrug my shoulders. “That’s seems to be my experience with girls, so yes.”
“Your experience?” She levels her eyes at me.
I lean in closer. “I know you would love to have an experience with me, but sorry, not going to happen.”
“Fuck off.” She shakes her head, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Wow, two cuss words out of you. I thought you were this goody-two-shoes girlie girl who was a total kiss-ass and told on anyone who was up to no good.”
“And I thought you—wait, actually, I know you arethis playboy asshole who can do no wrong because your daddy owns this entire town.” She rolls her head in aI know I’m rightway.
I just lean back and blow her off. “You don’t know shit about me.”
“And you don’t know shit about me, so don’t pretend you do.”
“I don’t need to pretend. You’ve made it very clear to me since we were in elementary school that you didn’t like me.” I pause and get a little closer to her to make sure she hears me clearly. “Give me one reason why.”
“One reason for what?”
“Give me one reason why you hate me.”
She doesn’t back down and gets closer to me, trying to prove she’s not afraid of me. “I can give you ten.”
I open my arms up wide to the sides. “Well, there’s no better time than the present.”
She holds up her hand and starts counting on her fingers. “You’re selfish. You’re an asshole. You think you run this town. You think you can do no wrong. Your family has ruined this community.”
I stop her there. “Ah, there it is. You can say all you want about me, but how would you even know this stuff unless you actually knew me? But that last one, that’s your real problem. It’s with my family. Not me.”
