Love, Lies, and Other Ties

Chapter Two

I'm sitting in my first-period class waiting for the bell to ring so that students will arrive and this day can get started. When it rings, I lay my head down to avoid anyone looking at me or taunting me. Something taps my shoulder but I ignore it. It happens again, and again, and again. Finally, I have enough.

"Ugh. What the fuck?" I raise my head to glare at whoever is poking me but when I do, I see a girl with dark hair, flawless pale skin, and biting her lips to keep from grinning at me. Great, someone else to pick on me. What she said next threw me off balance.

"HI!! I am Kaylin! I'm new and wondered if I could sit next to you?" She is so energetic. I just nod my head and look down at my desk while playing with my fingers. I don't dare say anything to her because I don't want to get punished for talking to someone else but she either doesn't realize I'm not social or she doesn't care because she continues, "So, what is your name?"

I debate whether to answer but am saved by the door opening. Both the teacher and the guy from this morning are talking and then they stop to part ways. The guy looks around before his eyes land on the new girl sitting next to me and the seat that is open behind her. He makes his way over and sits down after ruffling her hair and her glaring at him as she fixes it.

"Okay, class, today we are going to be partnering up to complete a research project. We have an uneven number of students so one group will have to have three people. When I call your name, tell me who your partner is."

Oh no. I hate partner projects. I usually get stuck with whoever doesn't have a friend in class or alone. I like working alone but to be fair, even when I get partnered up, I just do the whole thing and put their name on it.

"Carter Keller?" my head whips to the teacher. He is looking at me expectantly.

"Umm, Can I just do the project on my own?"

"Well, I'm sorry Carter but this project will be easier with a par..."

"I'll be her partner, Mr. Mack!" Kaylin spoke up next to me. She smiles over at me and then looks back at the teacher. Every other student in the class looks at her like she just grew a second head but she either ignores them or doesn't notice.

"Okay, you must be, Kaylin Knight?" she nods at him while smiling with bright eyes. "How about you, Mr. Knight?" Mr. Mack looks at the guy from this morning. He spares me no glance as he responds.

"I will just join them," he says as he points at Kaylin and Mr. Mack nods at him.

He finishes with the rest of the partners and then tells us to get into our groups. Then, he explains what we will be researching.

"Okay, you all will pick a decade other than the current one and research the laws that were in effect during that time. You will have to find 10 laws, split them between you and your partner and come up with the pros and cons of each law. That means each person researches 5 laws. Carter, your group will also come up with 5 current laws that you feel would have helped if they would have existed during your decade. When finished, you need to turn it into a presentation using either poster board or PowerPoint and present it to the rest of the class. Make sense? You have the rest of the period to work on your project. It will be due toward the end of the semester, but you will have to work on it outside of the class for the most part. Before you leave class, come let me know what decade you are choosing. Get started."

I handed Kaylin a piece of paper that I was writing while Mr. Mack was talking. I don't want to talk to her and cause her issues or me any issues. She reads it and then looks at me with a look that I couldn't decipher.

"You want to just do the whole assignment and just put our names on it? Why? Do you not want to work with us? We will pull our weight, I promise!"

I took the note back, wrote on it and handed it back to Kaylin. She read it then handed it to the guy behind her. He read it then crumpled it and threw it on the desk. Then, Kaylin turned back to me.

"WE are going to do this project. Together." I just nodded at her. "Okay, I think we should do the 1940s. There isn't a lot of talk about that decade and I feel most people will do the 20s or 30s. What do you think, Carter?" Again, I just nodded. "Great!! I will go tell Mr. Mack!"

She got up to go to Mr. Mack's desk and I just turned my eyes back down to my desk. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and realized the guy had moved into Kaylin's desk. I didn't look up so that he wouldn't talk to me. I was wrong.

"So, Carter, huh? Cool name for a girl," he said. I barely glance at him but nod my head at him. "Do you not talk? You haven't opened your mouth to speak once since we met."

I just looked the other direction out the window. I'm not trying to be rude but if I say anything to him, he would be an outcast like me or me getting bullied worse. He clicked his tongue and continued to stay silent until Kaylin came back.

"Hey! Get your ass out of my chair before you flatten it!" Kaylin screeched while smacking the side of his head. He laughed while moving but stopped and looked back at her.

"Who are you saying will flatten a chair? Have you seen how big your ass is? I mean, I'm pretty sure we could use it as a table to play board games on."

She gasped and started laughing before she sat down, "Good one, bro," she said.

So, they're siblings? They look nothing alike. I would have never thought they were siblings. I guess Kaylin saw my confusion because she stopped terrorizing him and turned to me.

"Sorry! This is Liam, my brother." Just then the bell rang letting us know that the class was over. I slowly started gathering my things to avoid anyone pushing me in the hall. Once the class was almost cleared, I got up to leave only to be stopped by Mr. Mack.

"Carter, can I speak to you for a moment?" I nod and sit at the desk in front of him. "I know that I usually let you work alone but I think partnering you up with the Knight kids can help bring you out of your shell. I spoke to Liam this morning and he seems like a great kid even though he looks a little intimidating. Just promise me you will at least try to work with them and not do the whole project yourself." He gives me a knowing look. I wasn't aware that any teachers had caught on to what I usually did when I got partnered up. I need to be more careful this semester. I just nod my head and look down to the floor. "Well, that is all I needed to say but just promise me you will try?" He gives me a kind smile.

"I promise I will try, Sir," I quietly told him and then got up to leave the room. I look down at the floor the whole time even though the halls are empty. That was a good thing about me staying late to talk to teachers. I didn't have to worry about Ginny or anyone else pushing me down. So, imagine my surprise when I go through the door and a deep voice scares the hell out of me.

"Carter?"