Page 23 of We Shouldn't Be Together
“Only if you did more than draw names out of a hat,” I protest. “Please. Please, Mrs. Field. I’ll work with anyone. Absolutely anyoneexcept her.”
A shocked gasp rushes out of Tabitha as she sits at our new bench.
Gimme a break.
As if she didn’t know I hate her guts.
Did she expect anything less after how she treated Jamie?
“Take a seat, Mr. Nelson,” Mrs. Field orders. “I need to get everyone to their new seats so we can get class started.”
I keep my feet planted on the ground, refusing to sit. “Isn’t it more disruptive to rearrange our seating chart? Weren’t we all working well with our previous lab partners?”
Mrs. Field draws a dry smile. “No, that’s incorrect. In fact, you have your new partner to thank for that.”
At that, I sit.
Dang, Mrs. Field. That’s cold.
I turn to Tabitha, who’s acting surprisingly sheepish. “You?” I question. “You’re the reason we all moved?”
“Not…” her voice cracks. “Not just me.”
I hunch in defeat as more students file into their new seats. My gaze follows Tabitha’s leader, Camila Garcia. Should’ve known she’d be the reason for turning a crappy class into an even bigger soul-sucking experience.
Once everyone is seated and the muffled voices get louder in mild protest, Mrs. Field determinedly gets class underway. I barely take note of what she says, but she writes page numbers on the board. So, like a zombie, I flip to the page and lazily scan the words.
The mutterings around the room die down and with the barest enthusiasm, I lean over my desk and mark up my textbook. Reading this crap isn’t exactly fun for me, but it sure beats taking any notice of the person next to me. Heck, maybe Mrs. Field is onto something. Maybe seating me next to the worst person on the face of the planet will get me to learn something.
Hmm, maybe not theworst. I lift my head to view Camila on the other side of the room.She’sthe worst person on earth. Tabitha is just a close second.
As if she read my mind, Tabitha shifts beside me.
Ugh. I can’t even say her name in my head. It’s like summoning Beetlejuice.
She keeps shifting as if she wants to talk.
Is she serious?
Talk.
To me.
The person who clearly can’t stand her.
Tabitha clears her throat and murmurs, “I thought your name was just Kai.”
The creases on my forehead actually hurt. “What?”
“What did Mrs. Field call you? Mala… Malakai?”
My lip upturns. “Yeah, my name. What of it?”
She rears back. “Nothing, I just… I guess I didn’t know before.”
“Bravo for you,” I snarl as my pent-up rage begs to unleash. “You actually learned something in that air-filled skull of yours.”
She gasps. “You don’t have to be so harsh.”
