5. Sassy
1218 Words
A few seconds of cold silence.
No one needed to know how disastrous that pair was.
Lisa Walter and Blake Carter. Working together. Even the walls screamed, no way.
"What!" Lisa burst out, her eyes wide.
"Miss Lisa," Mr. Heathland said sternly.
"You can't pair me with that—"
"That's enough," he cut her off.
He couldn't understand why everyone was taking this so personally.
Lisa felt goosebumps crawl across her arms as she glanced back. Blake was watching her. His eyes always made her uneasy. She glared at him, ignoring the whispers spreading through the room.
"Holy s**t, I can't believe you got the boy," Josie said, eyes bouncing between Lisa and Blake. "I've been praying for him all semester and you got him effortlessly."
"What boy?" Lisa snorted. Her anger flared. Of all people—Blake.
Mr. Heathland read through the rest of the list. "Do well to move to your partners, discuss your ideas. I expect professional coverage."
Students began pairing off. Blake walked toward Lisa, hesitant. She made no effort to meet him halfway.
"Aren’t you the lucky one? Mr. Heathland handed him to you on a platter of gold," Josie said, half-laughing. "And I got the nerd. Gracious Lord."
"You're so dramatic," Lisa muttered, rolling her eyes and tossing books into her backpack.
"Someone's excited about a certain boy," Josie teased, nudging her.
Lisa stood and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She shoved some papers under her desk. "I'm heading to the bleachers. I need to sort through these documents."
"But you're supposed to get to know your partner and share ideas," Josie pointed out.
"Not me..."
Lisa turned to leave, but someone grabbed her wrist. She followed the grip up to Blake Carter.
The room paused.
Everyone knew Lisa hated being touched—especially by guys.
"Get your filthy hands off me." Her voice turned cold. Her wavy hair fell into her face, eyes dark beneath it.
If looks could kill, Blake would be dead.
"I should let you go," Blake said, narrowing his eyes. "But we have to work together."
"Does it look like I give a damn?"
She tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go.
"My grades matter. I don’t want you screwing this up."
"Shut the f**k up. Let go."
"She should be grateful Blake touched her," a girl scoffed.
"She’s always dramatic," another chimed in.
Avery chuckled quietly. Blake had no idea what he was dealing with. She memorized every face that whispered about Lisa.
"Or what?" Blake challenged.
Without hesitation, Lisa’s knee collided with his groin.
A collective gasp.
"Or that," she said flatly, pushing him off and yanking her arm away.
Blake collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain. Ethan and Matt rushed to him, stunned.
Josie glanced awkwardly at Matt, then hurried after Lisa.
Avery watched quietly. Her chest tightened when she saw Matt’s eyes—still fixed on Lisa.
She knew that look. Admiration.
The only boy she liked had a crush on Lisa.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Ethan laughed, helping Blake up.
"That girl is a badass," Matt said, trying not to laugh.
"Eyes off," Ethan warned, as the crowd slowly broke apart.
---
Bathroom
"Lisa! Wait up!" Josie chased her down.
Lisa’s jaw was clenched. Her eyes burned.
How dare he touch me.
She was shaking now. Trembling with something she didn’t want to name.
Josie caught up and stepped in front of her. "Lisa, you're crying."
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I feel… so suffocated."
Josie pulled her into the nearest washroom and locked the door.
"I can’t get his touch out of my head," Lisa whispered. She crumpled to the floor, arms wrapped around herself. Her voice cracked as memories flooded back. She felt sick. Dirty.
Her eyes found Josie’s.
Josie knelt beside her, gently cupping her cheek. "Screw the project. If this is hurting you, you don’t have to do it."
She pulled Lisa into her arms, letting her head rest against her chest. She stroked her hair softly, grounding her.
Lisa’s breathing slowed. "Thank you… for always being there."
Josie smiled. "Don't thank me, badass. We're besties. No gratitude allowed."
Lisa gave a weak smile. "Besties for life."
"Besties for life," Josie echoed. "And you’re stuck with me."
---
School Clinic
Blake gripped the bed’s edge like it might save his pride.
Ethan leaned in, smirking. "That girl is crazy. Nearly wrecked your future kids. Twice."
Matt burst out laughing. "I wish I caught your face on camera. Priceless."
Blake shut his eyes, groaning. He hadn’t just been hit. He’d been humiliated.
But he couldn’t stop thinking about her—those eyes, the way she held in her rage, the fire in her step.
"Still like her?" Ethan teased.
Blake glared. "I don’t like her."
Ethan leaned back. "You sure? She’s a wildcat. Could be your type."
Matt blinked. "She is a tigress."
"Both of you—shut up."
Blake stood and grabbed his shirt.
As they left, Ethan whispered, "Is she the one you’re saving it for?"
Blake froze. "What the f**k?"
Matt snorted.
"Even Matt hooked up over the summer," Ethan said.
"I was drunk," Matt muttered.
"So was Blake. And still said no."
Blake sighed. "Can we not do this?"
"You can’t even say the word s*x," Ethan teased.
Blake rubbed his temples. "Are you trying to die today?"
Ethan slung an arm around him. "No shame, bro. I can hook you up."
"Not interested."
"You're so boring," Ethan groaned.
"If sleeping around is your definition of fun, then yeah," Matt replied.
Ethan spotted some girls down the hall. His eyes lit up.
"Brunette is hot," he whispered.
Matt raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t you already sleep with her?"
Ethan grinned. "Yup."
Blake shook his head. "Disgusting."
"At least I’m happy," Ethan said.
---
Hallway
Lisa and Josie walked out of the bathroom.
Avery spotted them and rushed over.
"Jo. Is Lisa okay?"
"She’s fine," Josie replied.
Lisa ignored her and kept walking.
"Lisa! What do I have to do to prove myself? I'm tired of you pretending I don’t exist."
"Don’t make a scene," Josie warned.
Lisa turned slowly, her expression icy. "You make it sound like we’re dating."
Avery scoffed. "You know what I mean. I didn’t know what happened to you when we met."
"Can we not do this now?" Josie said.
"I was framed, Lisa. You both know that. But even after you ran a background check on me, you still hated me."
Lisa leaned against the wall. "If it wasn’t you… then who was it?"
"I don’t know!" Avery cried.
"Then who the f**k had your phone?"
"I was drunk, Lisa. Dead drunk. If I wanted to hurt you, why would I still try to be your friend?"
"To do more damage."
Avery blinked. Her voice cracked. "Is that really what you think of me? Every time you look at me?"
Lisa’s voice dropped. "You don’t want to know what I think."
Avery let out a bitter laugh, tears falling. "Fine. Good."
She ran off.
Josie looked at Lisa. "You were too harsh."
Lisa stared down the hall. "If I forgive her, then who do I blame? And if she’s telling the truth… then something worse is still out there."
Josie said nothing. They walked to class in silence.
- Writer
