HAND IN HAND, DALLAS WALKED with Sebastian to class. He wished her luck as he opened the door for her, and after a peck on the cheek, he left for his accounting class. Dallas thought nothing would swipe the ginormous smile on her face, but it fled the very second she stepped past the threshold and walked into class. Her eyes widened in a mix of amusement, dread, and shock when she looked around the class and notice that a small basket sat on each tabletop, a baby nestled into the blankets and pillows set up inside.
Dallas glanced at her desk, the blend of inexplicable feelings pouring into her a second time when she noticed a crib positioned there too. A line of paper tape sprawled out across the table by the crib, and Dallas walked closer to peruse the words etched into the thin cartridge.
'Dallas and Mathias'
Her stomach tied into knots.
"Please drop your homework in the basket and take a seat, Ms. Addison," Mrs. Troublefield instructed as she stopped writing on the board for a moment and over her shoulder at the noisy classroom. "Pipe down, kids!"
"Sorry," Dallas mumbled to herself and slipped into her seat after dropping off her homework. She placed her notebook on the tabletop and flipped it open to copy whatever the teacher wrote on the board, but paused upon noticing those were instructions to be later expounded upon and rephrased.
'The Baby Project :)'
'instructions:
1. Work in your pairs
2. Listen to further instructions, don't do anything until told
3. Report to Mrs. Troublefield in the case of a faulty baby or any other hindrances
Dallas frowned. She was already having an issue.
She turned in her chair and glanced at the lonely chair at the back of the classroom. She searched the entire room but her brown-haired partner was nowhere to be seen. Pulling in a deep breath, Dallas mentally calmed herself. The project didn't even start yet, but she was already having issues with Mathias. First, was the fact he avoided her like the plague, and now, skipping classes?
Irate, Dallas shook her head in dismay and flipped to a clean page in her book.
The door swung open.
"Mr. Starr, you're late."
Dallas's head snapped up from her book, and she instantly saw Mathias standing there at the front, wearing the same red hoodie from last week and washed-out blue pants, and a pair of scruffy blue Nike sneakers that had obviously seen better days.
Today he walked with a small portable whiteboard. He scribbled something on it and turned it for the teacher to see.
"That's fine, just try not to let it happen again. I love it when my kids are here on time," Mrs. Troublefield said with a frown. She looked at Mathias's hands and noticed his whiteboard and the piece of folded paper he carried in the other. "Is that your homework? Please leave it in the basket there and take a seat then, kiddo!"
Dallas watched as Mathias deposited his assignment into the pink basket on the table. Her eyes remained on the basket, a bubble of curiosity surfacing in her mind as she pondered what Mathias might have written on that sheet of paper. Would he marry her? No, obviously. There was no way he could have said yes, because they didn't know each other. Committing to someone you didn't even know was a huge red flag in Dallas's book and the epitome of idiocy. Hopefully, Mathias was smarter than he looked.
Mathias turned to look at the class through his sunglasses. Dallas propped her elbows onto the tabletop and watched him until he looked in her direction and caught her already watching him - or was he looking at the basket on the tables? Dallas couldn't tell. Mathias walked forward, and Dallas expected him to bypass her as he always did and take his seat at the back, but to Dallas's surprise, today he did the stark opposite; he took the stool right next to her.
He dropped his shoulder bag to the floor and, flipping his wavy hair out of his face, he erased the words on the whiteboard and scribbled something else on there. The indoor lights glinted off the front of his sunglasses as he turned his whiteboard for Dallas to see the terse words he wrote with his blue marker.
"Hello!"
"Hi."
Mathias put his board on the desk and fished in his bag for his notebook and pen. Dallas didn't know why, but she kept watching him, and with each passing second, her curiosity grew and grew.
Could Mathias really not talk, or was he a selective mute? Dallas never understood why such a person didn't just talk. Dallas embraced the mental explanation she derived for herself, that maybe Mathias was simply a private person who preferred writing and signing over talking.
It didn't matter anyway.
While all the other groups excitedly whispered or griped amongst each other as they peered at the babies hoisted on their desks, Dallas and Mathias couldn't be further apart, indulging in separate activities. Mathias jotted down notes from the board meanwhile Dallas passed the time by using her phone, smiling to herself as she scrolled through the catalog of photos she took of Sebastian or the places they visited.
One place, in particular, was the Italian Restaurant Sebastian took her on their first date. Dallas vividly recalled the light sound of jazz music playing in the background, the feel of the velvety tablecloth tickling her forearms as she played with her fingers beneath the table, and how the creamy Bombardino melted on her tongue and dissolved into her senses. Being as uncultured and naive as she was back then, the newness of everything ignited a hot, yet nervous fire within her, making her excited yet conscious of everything. She stalled eating and rambled way too much, but Sebastian merely laughed at her.
"You know, you're really pretty for a black girl."
"Okay, pipe down, class! Hush now!" Mrs. Troublefield stood in the middle of the aisle, frantically waving her hands like a music director trying to get his team to settle down. The monotonous bussing in the class cranked down several volumes as the students' attention riveted to the teacher, who smiled as a result. "Okay, now that I've gotten your attention, I feel now's the right time to officially introduce this very exciting project!"
Mrs. Troublefield giggled to herself as she made a beeline for her desk. There, she retrieved a baby from beneath the table before walking back to the middle of the class. She cradled the doll in her arms and turned for everyone to see.
"As you can tell by now, you're all married couples who have decided to take up parenting as your newest pastime. You chose your partner from the magic bowl, so I hope you're getting along! I do not condone divorces," Mrs. Troublefield's smile vanished and she stopped rocking the baby to stare at each student through her squinted brown eyes. "and if you do divorce or fail to work with your partner, just know that's already sixty percent chopped from your coursework grade."
60%?!
Dallas almost toppled over, and thankfully she wasn't the only one with that sentiment. Multiple students voiced their disbelief aloud.
"But, Mrs. Troublefield?" a girl at the back called, raising her hand.
Mrs. Troublefield looked over at her. "Yes, Ria? What is it?"
"We, um, we didn't get to choose our partners. I think it's unfair for us to lose points if we don't get along with a total stranger," Ria affirmed, and murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the class. "Marriage is about trust and selectiveness. The magic bowl was solely based on chance."
"I agree!" another girl voiced. "We should choose our own partners!"
"Exactly. Let's do a recoupling with people we actually know or want to work with. Or even work alone, if that's possible." girl three whined and jerked her thumb at her partner sleeping on the table next to her. "Anything better than being paired off with Jimmy over here. He's gross!"
Dallas nodded to show she agreed with them too. They lived in Manhattan, not India. Women were free to choose their spouses and not be stuck with them because of some random man-made matchmaking system. Though from looking around the class Dallas didn't know who else she'd rather pair with, she'd jump ship in a heartbeat; anyone would be better than Mathias, the mute, antisocial kid.
She frowned. Sebastian should have taken that class too.
But looking at the bright side, at least Dallas wasn't the only one facing problems already.
"Now, now, kiddies, pipe down! Ria, thank you for your input. You may take a seat," Mrs. Troublefield announced and the students quiet down at once. "I understand where you're coming from, but where would the fun be in letting you choose your own partners? We need lights, camera, and action! Conflict! Plot and character development!" the woman zealously blurted with a serious expression, earning herself bewildered looks from the students in the class.
"Besides, I didn't want anyone to be isolated because of an ailment or their 'rank' in the school system," her hardened look melted away into a sympathetic one as she briefly glanced at Mathias. Noticing that, Dallas almost felt bad.
Mrs. Troublefield continued.
"I want you all to pass with flying colours, and we can only do that if we abide by the magic bowl's choices. It's only the second week, so don't give up yet! Continue getting to know your partners," her tone rang with finality, and she drowned out all complaints afterward as she lifted the lifeless baby in her arms. "So, class, you will be working in pairs for the next eight weeks to care for the baby in front of you."
Dallas looked into the basket and for the first time, she really looked at the baby. It was a tiny doll with deep ivory skin and large, unblinking brown eyes lifelessly staring off into space, and judging by its size, it probably weighed around 2lbs. Its dark brown hair peeked curled out from beneath the pink beanie on its head, and a matching pink bodysuit enveloped the body. Dallas curiously rolled her thumb against the underside of the baby's exposed sole, and she was almost shocked at how real it felt; the soft skin, the whole appeal of it.
Why or how on earth did Ridge Walk High even afford to buy those realistic dolls? They could barely serve decent food in the cafeteria until Sebastián's mother hopped on their case with her 'advocacy'.
"Your job as parents is to take care of these little ones. You will feed them, change their diapers, put them to bed, and cradle them when they cry. For those of you who are wondering, yes, I will know if you fed it or left it to cry for too long. They're programmed with special chips in the back," Mrs. Troublefield's smile widened into a grin. "These lovely chips will activate at midnight."
Dallas rolled her eyes again and the other students complained and whined again. She cast a sidelong look to gauge her partner's feelings about the whole thing but it was impossible to tell when he wore sunglasses. Lost in his own little world, Mathias had his nose buried in his notebook, religiously jotting down notes.
"You can be as creative as you want with this project, like making homemade videos of you taking care of your child, photographs, taking notes, going on fun date nights as parents, etcetera etcetera. At the end of the project, you will write a report on how it felt to be a parent."
Just when Dallas thought it couldn't possibly get worse, it did. She became numb to everything as Mrs. Troublefield's words doused her spirit and out the tiny spirit Sebastian instilled within her.
"Please write your child's full name on a piece of paper and hand it to me at the end of class."
Mrs. Troublefield brought her hands together with a sharp clap. "Now, then, if you don't mind, I'll now go read what you young ones wrote for your homework. Don't worry, I won't read them aloud; they're going to be our little secret," she winked. "Get cracking, bright sparks! Make me a proud grandma."
And with that, she returned to the safe, comfortable haven of her desk, leaving the students to wonder what they were supposed to do next. Dallas sat there for almost a full minute before she mustered up a decent amount of willpower she needed to make an effort with Mathias. She turned to him and opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it, flipping his whiteboard for her to read.
"Name."
Terse and straight to the point as usual.
"Right, I was about to suggest that," Dallas said. She scrutinized the crib, taking special note of the pink blankets in the crib and the pink jumper the doll wore. "I think it's a girl. What name do you want to give her?"
Mathias pointed at Dallas.
"You want me to name her?"
The boy nodded.
Dallas scoffed, at a complete loss for words for a brief moment. Maybe Mathias didn't quite grasp the idea of the concept of 'working together.'
"We're a team, Mathias. I'm gonna ... I don't know ... need your input too?"
Mathias reached for his marker and whiteboard on the table. A squeak sounded from his marker as it dragged along the surface of his whiteboard, and a second
later he turned it for her to see.
"Grace."
Dallas twisted her lip to the side.
"I don't like that one," she admitted. The name never sat right with her. "How about Fiona?"
Mathias shook his head. "Zora? Courtney?"
Dallas rejected those too. It was just a name, was what she continuously reminded herself, but in reality, it was never just a name. Years of being teased in middle school forced her to be aware of that.
She racked her brain for viable options, hoping the right name would float to her head if she tried hard enough, and surprisingly, it did. A pretty name Dallas always admired, Penelope.
Mathias flipped his board at the same time Dallas spoke. "Penelope."
"Penelope."
Her partner quickly looked up at that, and in shock, Dallas looked at him too.
Mathias drew a question sign next to the name and two checkboxes with the words 'yes' and 'no' next to each one.
"Yeah ... I kinda like that one."
Mathias's lips quirked into a small smile.
"Me too."
He drew for his notebook and wrote something down. Dallas leaned in to see that Mathias had already written out a bunch of questions and information they should decide on, from the name all the way down to likes and dislikes for the doll. In the slot next to the name, he logged the entry for the name they decided on: Penelope Starr.
Dallas looked at the tiny baby in the carrier. She looked like a Penelope.
A light tap on the desk drew her eyes to Mathias's sunglasses.
"DOB?"
"Just use today's date," Dallas clicked the side of her phone and noted the date. "January 13."
A lock of Mathias's wavy hair loosened from behind his ear and canopied his face when he lowered his head to write. He easily flipped the messy strands out of the way. The motion drew Dallas's eyes away from Mathias's moving hands and to his hair, where she noticed that unlike Sebastián's straight, black hair, Mathias possessed wavy hair akin to the colour of deep, rich roasted coffee beans. The frizzy, windswept strands were shorter at the back of his head, curling at the nape of his neck whereas his overgrown bangs dipped into his face, before his eyes.
It looked ridiculously soft.
"We have to talk about scheduling," the word on Mathias's whiteboard read. "When we'll each keep Penelope."
That suggestion was prompt and it made sense, so Dallas wouldn't complain. Having a more proactive partner would have things smooth sailing for both of them.
Dallas opened her mouth to speak, but on second thought she flipped her book open instead and wrote something down. Mathias scooted an inch closer with his stool.
"What days are best for you?"
Mathias scanned the words. He leaned back in his chair and had a ruminative look on his face for a moment. "Any day."
"Okay," Dallas spoke aloud. She drew two circles on the page and wrote the baby's name into it, after which she jotted down both their names with two options: either they each kept Penelope for a full day simultaneously, or rotated her once during the day. "Which do you prefer?"
In a way, writing to Mathias felt like the easier way to communicate even though he wasn't deaf. His eyes swiftly took in the words and not even a second later his marker was squeaking along the smooth surface of his trusty whiteboard.
"Flexible."
He pulled the board back and erased the last part of the word. "Flexibility." he wrote instead.
Dallas smiled, glad Mathias proposed that idea. If they had a timesheet that catered to her schedule, she wouldn't have to worry about the annoying baby going off as she stood in the stands to cheer for Sebastian at his upcoming football match. She'd simply roll Penelope over to Mathias and spend her free time with he boyfriend.
"Sounds good."
Mathias shot her a thumbs up.
They spent the remainder of the class working out who would keep Penelope and when. By the end of the session, they decided to have morning and night shifts, 6 a.m. to 3p.m after school, and 3 p.m. to 6a.m the next morning. Dallas would be the first to admit the shift looked a bit wonky, but as Mathias suggested flexibility. They could alter it at any time.
Dallas announced she'd take Penelope home that night for the very first shift. Excitement surged within her, and she could barely contain the smile playing on her lips when she envisaged how delighted Sebastian would be too.
The bell went off outside, marking an end to yet another day. Mathias shifted his stool back into place and started shoving his book, pens, and pencils back into his bag, as hastily as he always did, as if he couldn't wait to bolt out that door. Dallas wasn't even surprised anymore. The bell meant the end of class, and that meant they neither had reason nor an inclination to speak to each other anymore.
Dallas had somewhere to be too. She disregarded Mathias and packed her bags too while Mrs. Troublefield struggled to get out a few more words to the class.
"Isn't it exciting to be a parent for the night? Have fun, but don't forget to take care of those babies!"
Mathias hoisted his shoulderbag sleeves over his shoulder and turned to walk off, but stopped himself he turned back to Dallas.
He waved at her.
"See ya."
Mathias left after handing Mrs. Troublefield a slip of paper with Penelope's information, leaving Dallas alone with the baby.
As she looked at the baby comfortably and innocently nestled into its cotton-scented, pink blankets, Dallas couldn't help frowning. Though it was only the first day, Dallas could already tell Penelope was a force to reckon with, and surely, she'd find out that night.
Dallas wasn't looking forward to it, but then again, how bad could it possibly be?
🍒｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡🍓｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡
Progress! I love these early chapters so much, and I hope you're enjoying them too.
How do you think Sebastian will react when he meets Penelope?
How about his reaction when he finds out Dallas is paired up with Mathias? Do you think it'll be a problem?
Don't forget to vote :)