CHAPTER TWO- THE PROJECT
794 Words
By the time we reached the lecture hall, I had learned three things about Maya.
She talked too much.
She had absolutely no respect for personal space.
And she was apparently terrible at remembering deadlines.
The last one became my problem about twenty minutes later.
Dr. Mensah walked into the room carrying a stack of papers.
“Before we begin, I have your semester project.”
A collective groan moved through the room.
Maya leaned toward me.
“Please tell me he’s joking.”
“He isn’t.”
“Maybe if we don’t make eye contact, he’ll forget.”
I tried not to laugh.
He didn’t forget.
Instead, he started reading out names.
“Eleena Hassan.”
I raised my hand.
“Maya Asante.”
Maya slowly raised hers.
Dr. Mensah looked between us.
“You two will work together.”
Maya turned toward me.
I turned toward her.
For a second, neither of us said anything.
Then she smiled.
“Well.”
“What?”
“Looks like you’re stuck with me.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Don’t make me regret this already.”
“I’m charming.”
“You’re distracting.”
She grinned.
“That’s another word for charming.”
Before I could answer, Dr. Mensah continued explaining the assignment.
A twenty-page research paper.
Two weeks.
Presentation included.
I started writing down the requirements.
Maya didn’t.
Instead, she leaned over and whispered, “You take notes, right?”
I looked at her.
“You have a notebook.”
“It’s decorative.”
I stared at her.
She smiled innocently.
I shook my head and continued writing.
It should have been simple.
It wasn’t.
Three days later, Maya hadn’t sent me her half of the research.
Two days after that, she stopped answering my messages.
By Friday afternoon, I was furious.
I found her outside the student centre, sitting with two other girls and laughing like she didn’t have a deadline hanging over her head.
“Maya.”
She looked up.
Her smile disappeared when she saw my expression.
“Uh-oh.”
“Where is the research?”
“What research?”
I stared at her.
“The research you were supposed to send me yesterday.”
“Oh.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
She stood.
“I’ve been busy.”
“So have I.”
“I know.”
“Then why am I doing most of the work?”
One of her friends glanced between us.
Maya sighed.
“I’ll do it tonight.”
“You said that yesterday.”
“I mean it this time.”
“You always mean it.”
Something changed in her expression.
The teasing disappeared.
“I’m sorry.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
I looked away.
“Just send it tonight.”
“I will.”
“And Maya?”
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t, Dr. Mensah is going to fail both of us.”
She smiled slightly.
“Then I guess you can’t let me fail.”
I should have been annoyed.
Instead, I smiled.
Just a little.
And she noticed.
Of course she did.
“See?” she said. “You do like me.”
“I tolerate you.”
“Same thing.”
She walked away before I could answer.
I watched her go.
And hated how easily my anger disappeared whenever she smiled at me.
⸻
The next Monday, things got worse.
Someone had complained to Dr. Mensah that our group wasn’t doing enough work.
He called us aside after class.
“I expect better from both of you.”
My stomach dropped.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
He looked at Maya.
“And you need to communicate with your partner.”
Maya nodded.
“I understand.”
When we left the room, she was unusually quiet.
“You okay?”
She shrugged.
“Yeah.”
“You don’t look okay.”
“I’m fine.”
I stopped walking.
“Maya.”
She turned around.
“What?”
“You can tell me.”
For a moment, she just looked at me.
Then she smiled.
“You’re worried about me.”
“You’re my project partner.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I felt heat rise to my face.
“Come on. We need to work.”
She laughed softly.
“Yes, boss.”
I walked ahead before she could see me smiling.
Neither of us noticed the girl standing near the lecture hall watching us.
Neither of us knew that by the end of the week, someone would have something to say about how close we had become.
And neither of us knew that the first real threat to our friendship wouldn’t come from my family.
It would come from campus.
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