Three

"Now I need everyone to team up with a partner on this project." Ms. Pearl, our music teacher informed the class as excited murmuring filled the room. "But not with people you know." A collective round of groaning is heard throughout the class. 

A rolled-up piece of paper hit the side of my head.

"Psst Kamara!" He whisper-yelled. I knew exactly who that was and decided to ignore him as I focused on what Ms. P was saying. 

"Just to be sure this works, I made a list myself." I imagined everyone staring daggers at her when she started calling names and their respective partners.

"Now remember, be creative, it could be a song you love so much or just instrumental music or whatever," she paused, "and no Veronica, no curse or swear words unless an F minus looks good on your yearly report." The class snickered at that. I was paired with the one and only. Drum rolls, please. Chris Marvel. Hurray with an eye roll.

Now don't get me wrong, he was hot, well he was team captain so I'm guessing he had thousands of girls already swooning over him so no way for me there. Pushing that thought behind my head, I headed for my locker to take the books I needed for the next two periods.

"Hi." I didn't need to turn to know who that deep voice belonged to. "I just wanted to apologize on behalf of Luke, what he said yesterday at dinner was out of character," he continued scratching the back of his neck.

I suddenly found interest in my sneakers.  

"It's OK." I said in a voice I could barely recognize as my own, "he didn't kn-"

"Chris!" A squeaky voice exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing with that 'thing'?"

I could feel my anger rise. How dare she? I looked up to see the owner of such an irritating manner. I didn't know her but I already knew we were enemies. 

"Shut up Elle," Chris replied in a threatening tone I had never heard from him before. "You don't know her and you have no business here." he crossed his arms while standing beside me observing the brunette.

She was pretty but her dress code screamed prostitute. Her skirt was too short for comfort and her shirt revealed too much skin and to top it all off, she was a pretty little slip of a thing. 

"No." She said. "THAT THING-" she gestures to me "-doesn't deserve to be here." 

"Oh, and you do?" He didn't give her time to respond. "I suggest that next time you decide to talk about Kamara like that, you watch your mouth." He left her stunned as he took my hand in his and led me out of there into the next class which we had together.

***

A single daffodil was in the plastic flower pot in front of a house I had never seen before. I was sitting on the porch of this house as the sun outside was bright. For some reason unknown to me, I was angry with myself that the flower seemed to be dying. I felt like I was responsible for it. The petals started wilting and the color draining from it. The life slowly slipping away.

Pain shot right through me and tears spilled down my face. I still didn't understand why I was so upset over this single flower and I still couldn't recognize the house on which I sat on the porch. Something happened next and I didn't know if it was just me but I started imagining that everything turning back to normal but little did I know that the flower started getting back its color.

The tears on my face dried as I noticed the flower had come back to life. The smile on my face was one of satisfaction. I was confused as to why the flower didn't just die and how it came back to life. I noticed someone standing on the road in front of the house. A woman. I looked closer. Mom? What was she doing here? I stood up to tell her what I just discovered but my whole body felt like led. I couldn't move neither could I speak. It felt like I was trapped.

***

"Let me make it up to you OK?" Chris pleaded. 

"Chris it's nothing," I said opening my locker and taking out the textbooks I needed. 

"So what do you think we should do for our music project?" He asked casually and leaned on the locker to my right. I looked up at him because as I said before, I'm kind of shorter than most girls here but I refused to wear heels because I'd just die before leaving my room. Okay, that was a little too much but you get where I'm coming from.

"Uh, I don't know," I said making eye contact. His eyebrows scrunched up in thought. DAMN. He was so cute and sweet I might have diabetes just looking at him. Okay, that was corny. Where did that even come from? 

"Hello?" He snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Stop ogling me and think off something."

"I wasn't ogling you," I lied. I was a terrible liar 

"Oh yeah right," he rolled his eyes. "You were totally checking me out," he turned around and I really did check him out.  

His hair still in his signature messy style, a blue button-up shirt with the first two buttons undone revealing his toned chest, a pair of jeans that hugged his perfectly long legs. Nice butt.

"You're doing it again," he announced as he crossed his arms over his chest as I realize I've been caught in the act.

"Bye," I said before my face could feel hotter than it had become. 

"I didn't hear the bell." He yelled after me. 

"And I didn't stutter." I threw back increasing my pace to get to my next class.

"So," Chloe started, "you and Chris." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. 

"Really Clo?" I groaned. 

"Really," she confirmed, "you have to tell me what you did to him, he's no longer the playboy the school knows." She announced in a 'duh-it-should-be-obvious' tone.

"Whatever," I said ignoring her. 

"But-" she never got the chance to go further because the class started.

***

"Wow," said Chloe. "His brother is such a charmer but he totally ruined his chances with you." I had just told Chloe about everything that had happened with me and Chris.

 "Mind if I sit here?" Asked the one and only. 

"What are you doing here?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Eating lunch" he raised his hands in surrender.

I let it go.

Just this once.

****