Firsts & Lasts

Last Project Day.

Novalee

I can't freaking focus.

I've been sitting here for almost two hours and I can't focus on this speech. It's currently nine in the morning and I woke up extra early to get this done. It's the last day to work on the assignment and I am not even close to done.

Christian texted me yesterday asking if I was almost done so that we could submit the assignment. I sent back a rude 'no'. He's been done with his part for a couple of days now. I hate him.

I take a deep breath, just like I've been taught to do for many years now, and look at my notes on the computer again. I can't seem to come up with more information. I've browsed the Internet for sources for hours and nothing seems good enough.

I took it upon myself to read Chris's final work earlier, in hopes that it would be able to motivate me. It didn't. It made me cry in frustration. He is so smart. Me on the other hand? I'm stupid.

I have a learning disability. I try to tell myself.

No, you're an idiot. It doesn't help.

I close my eyes shut again trying to stop the tears that brim from falling. If I cry again, it'll be the third time these past two hours. "Okay, so this company can't keep up enough with this one to save its life, cool. Describes me and Chris." I roll my eyes.

I bang my hand on my keyboard causing me to press a lot of keys that mess up my tragic notes.

INCOMING CALL - Valdez

I roll my eyes again and press on the green button, hitting speaker. "Ugh, what?" I say, starting to erase all the letters I purposely just typed. "What's up with you?" He says after a couple of seconds of silence.

"You're distracting me. I've had enough distractions so far, so what the hell do you want?"

"Watch your mouth."

"Chris, I'm serious. I haven't even made a dent to my part of the project and it's due tonight."

"Still? Why the hell not?"

Because I'm stupid.

"Because I've been distracted. And now I am once again, distracted."

"Do you want me to come over and help? I don't mind."

"No! I can do it myself."

"Nov, are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll text you later when I'm ready to submit it."

He sighs. "Alright, let me know." I hang up and throw my phone onto the carpet on the floor. Seeing it will just distract me.

I tie my hair up in a bun, removing all the hair from my face. I take another deep breath before starting to do some more research.

+

8:30pm

Two paragraphs. I've written two, eight sentence paragraphs since nine fucking am. There was absolutely no way I was going to be able to get this in before 11:59pm.

I start to get angry—the only emotion I seem to be feeling today—until I hear a knock at my door. Great. Another distraction. I know it's Maddy and even though she terrifies me, I'm going to have to tell her to leave me the hell alone.

Respectfully, of course.

I pull my laptop off of my lap and hop out of my bed, walking towards the door. I open the door wide, my mistake, because Christian — not Maddy— storms in. I groan, shutting the door. "I've been calling and texting you for hours, why don't you answer me?"