Diary Of An Introvert

Chapter 15 | Project without him

"Hey Snow White." Jim greeted and he shifted to the side for Joanne to sit.

"Hey Joanne." Jordan said with a smile.

"Hey guys, and now that we've met, bye guys." Joanne hurriedly made for a run but Jim held firmly onto her hand.

"Don't tell me you're going before the party gets started." Jim smirked. The professor, Mr Ahmed walked in. Five minutes was over and the class was about to start. "Now you can't leave. Sit." Jim pulled her forcefully and made her sit.

Joanne didn't bother trying to escape, she was surrounded by three men that had caged her in a spot. Jim was constantly leaning and watching over her.

"Holy shit!" Subomi covered his mouth. He stared wide eyes at Joanne. "How didn't I notice? You look so different."

Joanne blushed at his compliment - well if it could be considered one. "Yeah, I've been-"

"Wait how does she normally look?" Jim asked.

Jordan nudged him in the stomach, Jim flinched. "Shut up."

"I was just asking." Jim looked away.

Subomi hummed. "Way to be a jerk, go Jimmie."

Don't ask.

Don't ask.

"Where's Cory?" Joanne blurted. Her brain did a backflip after this. She wished her mouth would just remain shut for once.

The three friends passed each other a familiar look. Jordan spoke up first, stuttering as he did. "W-we don't know, we haven't see him either."

Come to think of it, Amanda wasn't in the class too. Joanne was right in the middle of her thoughts when Cory walked in with Amanda by his side. Their entry was attracting and glamorous. Amanda and Cory? When did that happen. If Joanne had to admit she was a whole lot surprised and maybe a bit, just a tiny bit jealous.

"So that's what he's been up to. Done fucking the blonde bitch huh?"

Jordan glared at Jim with venom in his eyes. "God, shut up Jim."

Joanne glared at him too. "Yeah shut up."

"Sorry truth hurts snow white."

Joanne scrunched her nose in disgust. "Don't call me that."

"Okay, okay I won't." Jim raised his hands. "Geez, I didn't know you were this feisty."

"You don't know me at all." Their little exchange of words were starting to turn heads. Immediately Joanne noticed this, she stopped talking. First it was Cory now this guy. It's like Cory and his friends were just magnets for attention.

"You're right, I don't." Jim retreated. His tone was laced with that which Joanne couldn't determine - it was almost remorseful.

"What, is he just going to ignore us?" Subomi said as Cory and Amanda passed in front of them without giving them any side looks.

Joanne felt it was okay for him to ignore her. After all they met under circumstances and they need not be together anymore, they weren't even friends. But to ignore his own friends now that's just wrong. What the hell was he even doing with Amanda? That was the bummer of it all.

"Joanne Gyles."

She noticed the professor looking at her.

"It's time for your presentation."

Joanne stood up with shaky legs and faced the class. She almost started crying because she didn't want to be in this situation. Why couldn't Cory just do the presentation and she would take the credit? All she had to was talk. Talk. Talk. Okay, how do you do that?

"Ms Joanne, we don't have all day."

"Y-yeah sorry." All of a sudden cheering noises rose from the back seat, where Cory's squad sat.

"Joanne! You can do it." Jim was the one to yell first. Subomi and Jordan joined him and the whole class started cheering her - except Amanda and an expressionless Cory.

Joanne smiled. Yes, she could do it. Cory's friends believed in her. She could finish the presentation without passing out. With the newly found confidence, Joanne started reading out the essay, demonstrating and adding a few humor sentences to make the class laugh. At the end of it she received a standing ovation from the whole classroom. Even the professor was impressed.

"Nicely done Ms Gyles." Mr Ahmed said, smiling. He glanced around. "Why isn't Cory Williams up here?"

Joanne stuttered. "He's uh... sick. So I had to do the project without him."

Mr Ahmed glanced at the golden haired boy who had his head on the desk. He did look sick. His head had gone full on white and he looked queasy. "Okay then."

Joanne went back to her seat relieved. She bypassed Cory and he mumbled something like a 'thank you'. Whether that was what he said or not, Joanne had already promised him to not rat him out and she wouldn't do that even if he was now stuck to the person he claimed to hate the most.

Joanne took her seat near Jim.

"That was awesome Snow White."

"Yeah. That was crazy. I didn't even pass out throughout the whole thing."

"I can't give a presentation like that in front of this many people to save my life." Subomi chirped in.

Jordan chuckled. "You guys are so weird."