Pest//phan au

Two

The next day was insanely boring. I got a 95 on my calculus test, due to my studying. Cat got a 65, but she just laughed it off.

"Fuck calculus, man," she said, but I could see in her eyes that she was upset about it.

Chemistry was the only class that was particularly interesting. Mr. Richards planned a lab for us that he promised was really cool. I was slightly excited, but my heart dropped every time I remembered my chemistry partner.

"Alright, so we'll be making things explode today," Mr. Richards said vaguely, and received a few whoops from the back of the class.

The boy with the unknown name hasn't tried to speak to me yet today, which was hopeful. He didn't even look at me as he sat down, so maybe this will be a beautiful partnership after all.

"You're partners will be, of course, the people sitting next to you," Mr. Richards said, but I didn't actually mind that much anymore. Maybe we wouldn't need to talk. "The instructions are at your desks."

I picked up the sheet of paper sitting in the middle of us and started reading. The lab seemed easy enough, all I needed to do was create a reaction out of a couple solutions. I handed my partner the sheet of paper, then headed to the back of the room where all the supplies needed are.

When I came back with my hands full, I couldn't help but notice my partner's confused face. He looked like he was trying to read Egyptian hieroglyphics.

He looked up when he noticed me standing next to him, the supplies in my hands still.

"I'm just letting you know, I'm not gonna be much help," he said with a sorry smile on his face.

I didn't say anything. I just put the supplies down and got to work quickly, making the appropriate solutions to create the reaction that Mr. Richards is looking for. My partner remained still, watching me work.

Maybe I should ask him for his name, seeing as we're going to be partners for a while. What if I need to write his name down on a paper but I don't know it? He might get offended, or mad at me.

I don't know why I care. I'll just look at his paper when he writes his name down. Or wait until the teacher calls on him.

"Mr. Howell, I hope you are sharing some of the responsibility with your new partner," Mr. Richards said right behind me, making me jump. I accidentally dropped one of the flasks I was using and it fell to the floor, glass shattering around us. I fell to my knees, immediately picking it up. I hoped nobody noticed, but I knew that was not the case. The shattering noise was loud, and I could practically feel everyone's eyes on me. A blush crawled across my cheeks at the attention I was receiving.

I heard someone else drop beside me and start picking up pieces. I looked over and saw that it was my partner, who was helping with a straight face. "I'm sorry Mr. Richards, it's my fault, I'm so clueless and Dan was just helping me," he spoke.

I stared at him with an open mouth. Did he just take the blame for something that he had absolutely no fault in? Who the hell would do that?

"It's alright. Just get this cleaned up," Mr. Richards grumbled and walked away. We finished scraping together the remaining glass and dropped it into the trash.

"Thanks," I mumbled to him, and he smiled.

"So you do talk!" He shouted excitedly. I grimaced, immediately regretting sharing my gratitude.

I walked back to the table and handed him some of the stuff he needed to create one of the mixtures. He looked at me with a confused look.

"So we don't get in trouble again," I explained. "I can walk you through it."