The Atheist Agenda

⋉ chapter one ⋊

"First project of the school year!" Mr. Cardsmith shouts during Accelerated Biology. "I want you to research this guy." He slaps his Smart Board, directing our attention to a sorrowful looking man in a black and white picture.

"It's Charles fucking Darwin." Caleb murmurs in my ear.

"Don't swear in class," I scold. "Mr. Cardsmith will hear you."

His eyes suddenly flare in irritation. "Whatever."

"Hey...are you alright?"

Ignoring me, Caleb raises his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Caron?"

"I have a note for you." He walks to the front of the class, pulling a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket to show Mr. Cardsmith.

"Oh," Our Biology teacher exhales, nodding. "I understand. I can arrange for you to do a separate assignment."

Caleb's face has flushed pink. "It wasn't my idea," He mutters as he returns to his seat.

"What was that?" I hiss. But he refuses to look at me, instead focusing his attention on the desk with a look that could set it on fire.

"Anyway," Mr. Cardsmith continues. "You guys will be working with a partner!"

Oh great.

It's a partner project and I can't pick Caleb because he's not doing it.

Erica Wright, who sits to my left, snickers at her phone. She looks up, meeting the gaze of her boyfriend, Michael Miller, who winks at her.

We get it, you have a partner. Don't have to rub it in.

"I'll assign you a partner with whom you will research the renowned Charles Darwin."

Oh, even better.

Mr. Cardsmith is choosing so I'll be teamed with someone like Erica Wright who'll complain during the entire project that Charles Darwin was a Satanist.

"Each of you are to investigate a different aspect of his life and present it to the class." Our teacher explains, walking in between the rows, scrutinizing all of us. "And how that aspect influenced his eventual scientific breakthrough—evolution."

At the word "evolution", the class becomes unbearably still. Disapproving grunts float in the air, some shuffling papers, but no one dares voice an opinion on the matter.

Mr. Cardsmith watches us, oblivious to the discomfort he has caused. Presumably, he is looking for two unsuspecting victims to pair.

I sigh. "So, to clarify, we can't pick our partners."

"Nope," Mr. Cardsmith chuckles. "In fact, Nova, I want you to be partners with..." He trails off as he scans the classroom.

He points behind me to a boy with a maroon beanie tightly covering his dark hair. "Ren!"

Ren?

Ren.

A.K.A. The kid who never talks.

Ren moved to Trinity about a month ago, and his defining quality, other than the fact that he is a member of one of only two Asian families in town, is that he doesn't talk.

To anyone.

Ever.

He's the kid who sits in the back corner of the classroom and finds a way to never utter a word. Never ask a question. Never speak during a group discussion.

He's the kid who seems comfortable with self-imposed isolation while the rest of us are desperate for friends. The kid who always eats lunch alone under the large Dogwood tree in the back of the school.

I don't even know his last name—an anomaly in our small town.

Mr. Cardsmith carries on his way. Handing grading rubrics, pairing more students, and probably bringing some to the brink of tears.

"Caleb," I say, tossing the broken end of an eraser at him. My friend raises his eyebrows in acknowledgment. "What's wrong with you? Did you see what just happened?"

"Ren's quiet, so he's probably smart. You'll be fine." Caleb says. "At least you get to do the damn project."

"You're deflecting."

He falls silent, diverting his attention elsewhere.

When I look behind me again, I see Ren watching his desk, as if a movie is playing on it. As if the activities of the classroom are just background noise to him.

Well...

I'm worried.

And that says a lot.

In the past, I've been paired with Caleb Caron, my best friend but also the worst partner in the history of partners. He's lazy, uncooperative, and loves to take credit for things he's had no involvement in. 

Heck, I've even been paired with Erica Wright who tries to take control of the project and find a way to insert Jesus into it.

But that's easy, and preferable, because I know what to expect from those two.

But Ren (insert last name)?

Ren is going to be my most difficult partner yet.

Because the rubric says that if both students don't contribute during the presentation, both their scores will be docked fifty percent.

Cue music.

We are officially screwed.