Chemistry

Chapter 1 [JORDAN]

The clock in the science classroom slowly ticked as students waited for the end of the class. The air was still and silent, except for the occasional whisper between students.
   I can literally sense friction coming from across the room, even when my mind is on other things.
Why can't she just leave me the expletive alone?Jace is my partner for the chemistry lab, and the way she talks is so irritating. Every word that comes out of her mouth is like a needle poking my skin. I wish I could switch partners, if only that was into my hands. If it were under my control, she wouldn't be a part of LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL as a whole. I've done my best to put up with her obnoxious ramblings.
  I glance over at her and see her writing something down in her notebook. Just as I'm about to turn back around, she mumbles something under her breath, and the sound just gets on my nerves. I can't stand it anymore, so I say something back in whispers so as to annoy her. But she doesn't budge.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.
"Nothing," she replies with a snarky tone.
"You know what, actually? I think you're kind of annoying."
"You're the most annoying person I've ever met," I retort.
"Well, at least I'm not a dumb j-"
   I can't help but notice a smirk on her face. It's like she's daring me to say something that I will probably regret. And I'm not going to lie, this girl is annoying me to no end. What I'd really like to call her is something that I'll probably get in trouble for saying. So instead, I take a deep breath and say, "Listen, we're not going to get anywhere like this. Let's just focus on the lab work instead and stop with all the insults."
She rolls her eyes at me, but she nods her head in agreement. It's clear that we still despise each other, but at least we're trying to be civil.
We spend the rest of the period working on the lab work in silence, but the tension is still there.
"You're mixing the wrong proportions of chemicals..." Jace said, her voice sharp and firm.
"What are you the expert now? I know what I'm doing..." I replied a bit annoyed.
"No, you don't.. Just shut up and listen to me..." she said, her voice rising a bit now.
"Or what?" She really gets on my nerves.
"Or I'll make you shut up myself..." she said, a warning tone in her voice now. I was getting pissed off at her attitude now. I agree she is all smart but she doesn't get to order around me like that, I am Jordan fucking Maxwell for god's sake.
All our classmates were now staring at us, so we dropped our arguments and started focusing on what was more important. Chemistry.
I can't help but notice things about her that I hadn't noticed before. Like her smile is really cute when she's concentrating. I can't believe I just called her "Cute!" damn what am I saying! Ew, what did I just think? I hate her!
Just as I'm about to think more thoughts about her, I make a mistake and mix the wrong element, which ruins the current task and makes it explode, the mixture and our hardwork up in flames. Okay okay, her hard work up in flames.
Before I can even explain what happened, Jace starts berating me. "Idiot! You mixed the wrong element and completely ruined the experiment!"
I don't understand why I just thought she's cute!
But what I do understand is that I'm starting to feel agitated at her. Jace continues, "Of course you're an idiot. You probably didn't even read the instructions properly."
She says "Probably", but her tone suggests "Definitely".
"I'm not an idiot," I respond, feeling increasingly annoyed at her.

"Well, you sure act like one," she says.
I try to stay calm, but it's hard when she keeps insulting me. "Oh yeah?" I mirror her tone and add, "Well, at least I'm not the kind of pretentious, self-absorbed jerk who goes around pretending to be perfect when underneath my exterior is just as much of a mess as yours. Atleast I accept I am flawed. I have had enough of this, I'm leaving."
I need to take a breather and so I head to the football field to cool off. The fresh air and peaceful atmosphere of the football field allows me to forget my frustrations temporarily. The sight of the grass under my feet and the sounds of my teammates make me feel calm and grounded.