I was a little late to biology, given that the science building was way across campus. I took my regular seat next to Ethan. We ignored each other, as usual, and I'd kind of hoped it would remain that way so I could go over the list a few times. If it weren't for school, I would be devoting all my time to murder-solving. You can't have it all, I guess.
Anyway, any chance of losing myself in thought during the lecture went out the window when the bio teacher decided we were doing a project—in groups.
BTW, I don't like group projects. I hate relying on others if I could do the work myself. It's a lot of trust, and I often feel the teacher is being quite irresponsible when they put the grades in the hands of students.
I could see everyone turning around in their seats or yelling to other kids a few rows away. I'd kind of hoped someone would just pull me in, so that I didn't have to go around and ask, risking rejection. The attention I got as the new girl had already faded away. I was one of them now.
Someone tapped my shoulder.
It was Ethan. "Wanna be partners?" He didn't look very enthusiastic either.
I glanced around. "No choice, I guess."
"That's flattering."
"You know what I mean. I just don't like working in groups."
"Me neither. But, we're not a group—we're partners. That's much better, anyway."
"Well, I'm expecting you to do your share of the work."
He raised an eyebrow. "I could do all of it, if you want."
I wasn't sure what was going on. Was this banter? "No, I'll do my half." It got quiet, and we just sat there awkwardly.
Once everyone had organized themselves, the teacher handed out the project assignment. There were a list of topics and how many points they were worth. For example, if you decided to do a small report about an element, it was 25 points, but if you did something more complex like… expanding earth theory or something, it was 35 points. Higher difficulty = higher points.
"See anything you like?" Ethan asked. He set the paper in the middle.
I glanced over it. "Um… this one looks interesting." All the projects required a PowerPoint presentation; a demonstration wasn't necessary, but there were no extra points for it. The one I pointed out would be easy to do a PowerPoint on.
Ethan frowned. "Supervolcanoes?"
"Yeah. You know there's a dormant one in the U.S."
"There is?"
"Uh-huh. I think it's in Utah or near Yellowstone—somewhere in the Midwest. They say that if that thing decides to explode, almost the entire U.S. would be covered in tons of ash in only a matter of minutes—or we get blown up—we're goners either way. And if that thing keeps going, about half of the world could be impacted. There's already been recent activity."
"That sounds… nice."
Great. Now Ethan knew how weird I was. "Or we could do something else…."
He shook his head. "We could do this. It'll be interesting and scary at the same time." He glanced around. "I don't think anyone else is going to choose this."
"If you're sure…." The bell rang.
"Our project is supervolcanoes and how we're all gonna die. It'll be sick. I have my laptop with me. Want to meet after school and get started?"
"Eh… sure."
"I'll meet you at the pool, then."
"Wait, the pool? Why there?"
Ethan shrugged. "It shares a wall with the teacher's lounge… and they have the good Wi-Fi. The school doesn't, and neither does the library."
I frowned. "The school has Wi-Fi?" But sucky internet?
"No, the teachers have Wi-Fi."
"Okay, the pool then."
*
Ethan and I didn't walk to choir together. Not that I was expecting that… but we were going to the same place.
It didn't matter. He went somewhere else, maybe to the bathroom or whatever, so he came in late. By that time, I was already with Charlie and only Ethan's faraway seat was available. He didn't acknowledge me at all, so then I wasn't sure what to think.
While Mr. C was working with a group of kids on the other side of the room, Charlie nudged my foot. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's… wrong. It's just… weird."
Charlie moved her chair closer. "Does this have anything to do with Ethan?"
"We're biology partners for a project, and in class he seemed pretty… talkative. And now look—it's like how it was earlier."
"That's just Ethan in public," said Charlie. "And Cynthia's in the class, so…."
I frowned. "What does she have to do with anything?"
"They dated—briefly, and in freshman year. She made his life hell after they broke up. From what I remember, Ethan wasn't treated so bad before he went out with Cynthia."
I vaguely remembered Cynthia warning me about him. "She probably made stuff up, right?"
"That's her signature move, but it didn't matter. People sided with her, and Ethan didn't bother trying to deny any of it."
I shook my head. "If it sucks to be Ethan here, why doesn't he just move?"
Charlie sighed. "I think his parents are trying to prove a point, which sucks since Ethan's paying the price."
***********
This might seem like a filler, but there's a point to this—just wait till Ch. 18.
In most books I've read, the main group of characters are a group of three friends (usually two boys and a girl (HP)), and I am assuming that maybe you might've seen Ethan's eventual involvement (was that a spoiler? Sorry!). Ethan is important for all sorts of reasons (some of which I can't reveal yet, but I wish I could).
Is this looking too predictable? I'm trying to avoid the obvious. It would help if you commented what you think might happen next, so I can make sure that it doesn't happen. I want to keep you (and myself) guessing.
Also, vote?
...
Screw it. I can't wait for someone to read it. While Ch. 19 & 20 are still not ready, Ch. 18 is coming up right.... now.... Or as soon as you go on....
YOU ARE READING
Cheshire Girl
Overnaturlig"There were three things about which I was absolutely certain. First, I didn't have my cell phone. Second, my hands hurt from gripping the trunk lid closed. They would probably be useless to put up a fight. ...
