CHAPTER 3: THE PROJECT
1249 Words
Camila's pov
The next morning, I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror and regretted every decision that had led me to Carter Academy.
Maybe if I pretend to be sick today...
"Camila, you're going to miss the bus!" my mom yelled from downstairs.
I sighed, grabbed my bag, and headed out.
By the time I arrived at school, my mood hadn't improved.
The moment I stepped into the hallway, I noticed people whispering and pointing at me.
"That's her."
"The scholarship student."
"The one Adrian talked to."
My stomach dropped.
"Good morning, Miss Celebrity," Isabella said as she approached me.
"Not you too," I groaned.
"I'm serious. Everybody has been talking about you since yesterday."
Before I could answer, the first bell rang.
"We have to hurry. We have Mr. Benson this morning," Isabella said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me through the crowded hallway.
We slipped into Mr. Benson's classroom just before the bell rang again.
"We made it," Isabella whispered dramatically.
We quickly took our seats just as he walked in, carrying a thick stack of papers.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning," everyone replied.
He adjusted his glasses and placed the papers on his desk.
"Today, I will be assigning your semester project."
The entire classroom erupted with groans.
"This will count for thirty percent of your final grade."
The complaints only got louder.
"That's enough!" Mr. Benson said sharply.
"This project will be completed in pairs. Write your name and your partner's name on a sheet of paper and bring it to me."
The room immediately buzzed with excitement as everyone began looking for partners.
I automatically turned toward Isabella, hoping we'd work together.
She gave me an apologetic smile.
"Sorry. Emily asked me before class, and I couldn't say no."
"Oh." I forced a smile. "No worries."
Now I need a partner.
Around the classroom, students were already pairing up.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Adrian sitting a few seats away.
He hadn't moved.
Maybe he didn't have a partner either.
Just as I was thinking about asking him, a girl from the front row walked over.
"Hiiiii Adrian, do you want to be partners?"
He didn't even look up from his notebook.
"No."
She scowled before walking away.
A few seconds later, another student approached him.
"Hey, Adrian. Want to team up?"
"No."
He didn't even hesitate.
The boy shrugged awkwardly and left.
Then, unbelievably, a third student tried.
"I don't have a partner yet. We could work together."
Adrian looked at him for a second before calmly saying,
"I already have someone in mind."
The student blinked. "Oh... okay."
He walked away looking completely confused.
I stared at Adrian for a millisecond. Someone in mind?
Before I could wonder any longer, he lifted his eyes and looked directly at me.
"Do you want to be partners?"
Everything and everyone around me went silent.
Was he asking me?
I was so shocked that I just stared at him.
"Sure! I mean, yeah," I answered a little too quickly.
The corner of his lips lifted into the faintest smile.
Before I could say anything else, Isabella suddenly turned around.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait."
The entire classroom went quiet.
"You two are partners?"
I blinked.
"Yeah, I guess."
Several girls nearby exchanged looks.
One of them rolled her eyes.
Another looked annoyed.
Half the girls in the class were looking at me like I was public enemy No. 1.
A knot formed in my stomach. What was it this time?
Adrian, however, didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he didn't care.
He wrote both our names on a sheet of paper before standing up.
"I'll submit it."
I watched him walk toward Mr. Benson's desk. The moment he was out of earshot, Isabella leaned closer.
"Do you have any idea what's about to happen?"
I frowned.
"It's a school project, not a civil war."
"Trust me," Isabella muttered. "In this school, it's basically the same thing."
I let out a nervous laugh.
Unfortunately, she didn't seem to find the situation funny.
Across the classroom, Natalie stared at the paper in Adrian's hand.
Her smile had completely disappeared.
The rest of the lesson felt endless.
I could feel everybody in the class staring at me, and every time I looked up from my notes, someone was watching.
By the time the final bell rang, I was more than ready to leave. I closed my notebook with an annoyed sigh.
"Camila."
I looked up.
Adrian was standing in front of my desk.
The girls behind my desk stopped talking.
"Yes?"
"We should discuss the project."
"Oh. Right."
Adrian pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket.
"My number."
I stared at the paper for a second before slowly taking it.
"We can meet in the library tomorrow after school."
Before I could respond, Natalie suddenly appeared at his side
"Adrian."
He glanced at her.
"We have practice in ten minutes."
"I know."
Natalie looked at me before forcing a smile.
"Good luck with the project."
The moment she walked away, Adrian grabbed his bag.
"See you tomorrow."
Then he left. I stared down at the paper in my hand.
"Please tell me I'm imagining things," I said in disbelief.
"Hate to break it to you," Isabella replied sarcastically.
I groaned. "This school is exhausting."
All I wanted to do was get home, eat something, and sleep for a week.
As I walked down the street leading to the bus stop, a voice called out behind me.
"Hey, scholarship girl."
Slowly, I turned around.
Three girls from the academy were standing a few feet away.
The same girls who had been glaring at me all day. One of them folded her arms.
"We've been looking for you."
I rolled my eyes. "Why? What do you want?"
The girls exchanged annoyed glances.
Then the tallest one smiled creepily.
"We just wanted to know how you managed to do it."
"To do what?"
"Get Adrian Carter's attention."
I stared at them in disbelief.
"Uh, what?"
"We've been trying to get him for years," another girl said dramatically. "And in less than a week, suddenly you're his project partner."
I couldn't help myself. I laughed. I genuinely couldn't believe my ears.
The blonde girl glared at me. "What's funny?"
They all looked offended. I almost laughed again.
"Look," I said, "Adrian asked me to be his partner. I didn't force him to do so. If you have any more boring questions, why don't you ask him yourselves?"
The moment the words left my mouth, their faces darkened.
"Listen carefully, scholarship girl." The tall girl spat.
I hated that nickname.
"Girls who get too close to Adrian never last long at Carter Academy."
My chest tightened.
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
Instead of answering, they moved closer to me, and before I could react, the blonde girl yanked my bag out of my hand.
"Hey, what the hell!" I snapped.
She ignored me completely.
Instead, she unzipped my bag and started going through my stuff.
"Give it back," I yelled.
The other girls laughed.
Heat rushed to my face.
"Stop it!" I yelled again.
The blonde girl finally looked up from my bag.
"Or what?"
For a moment, none of us moved.
I stepped forward and tried to yank my bag from her, but she held it away.
I was done entertaining them.
"I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not interested in Adrian."
- Writer
