Don't Believe Everything You Hear

"So, today we're going to work on a project," Mr. Johansson said to us. I groaned quietly, so nobody else heard it. "Now I know that we picked partners awhile ago, but I've come to see that most of those will not work, so I picked them for you!" he said happily. Everybody groaned loudly, and I mean everybody.

"Can I opt out?" Kyle asked, raising his hand. Mr. Johansson shook his head and Kyle shrunk back into his seat. He rose back up, "Can I work with Selena?" he asked. Mr. Johansson shook his head again and Kyle shrunk down again.

"That would be like a death sentence for me," he sighed. "Anyways, Burns your with Talons," he said. Kyle cringed slightly and I laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Mr. Johansson asked me. I just shrugged. "Well, now that you bring it up Selena, you're with Turman," he told me.

"Why does she get the good pick?" Kyle whined. The teacher glared warningly at Kyle and Kyle took the sign to shut up.

"Do you understand?" he asked me. I nodded and sighed. He started to tell everybody else who they were with. I looked over at Caleb to see that he was sleeping at his desk. I rolled my eyes.

"So…" Mr. Johansson started after a few minutes of telling people their partners. "Your assignment will to stay awake for the next 36 hours, and report your findings on how one another act."

"Aren't you supposed to tell us to get more sleep?" one student asked.

"Maybe, but this assignment just seems too fun," he laughed evilly. "Caleb wake up!" he yelled. I looked over at Caleb and he shot up and looked around frantically. "Nice of you to join us," the teacher smirked.

"Selena, you're gonna have your work cut out for you," he said, turning back around. Caleb turned to me and looked at me oddly. "Get with your partners!" he yelled over his shoulder.

As I walked over to Caleb, I passed Kyle and he stopped me. "You're gonna have a fun time trying to keep him awake," Kyle said.

"Whatever, like your partner will be any better," I said to him.

"My partner is an insomniac," he told me. I rolled my eyes and went over to Caleb.

"What'd I miss?" he asked, looking at me like a lost child.

"We have to stay awake with each other for the next 36 hours of our lives," I said. "Then record how each other reacts to the lack of sleep," I told him.

"That should end well," he said. "I can't even stay awake through health," he said.

"We'll fill you up with caffeine, that should do the trick," I said.

"For the sake of our grade, I hope so." He laughed.

"So, your house or mine?" I asked him.

"Whoa, moving a bit fast their, aren't we?" he asked jokingly. I rolled my eyes.

"Funny," I said sarcastically. "Seriously though,"

"Well, I'm staying at a friend's house, but he probably wouldn't mind, he's a chill guy, and his sister is sick, so she probably won't mind…" he trailed off.

"Sounds better than my house, I've got a foster brother who will question you into the wee hours of the morning and foster parents that I can't really predict," I laughed.

"Sounds like a hard choice," he said. "How about we flip a coin?" he suggested.

"That sounds like a plan," I said. "Do you have a coin?" I asked.

"Um…no," he laughed nervously.

"Kyle, do you have a quarter?" I asked him. He thought about if for a second and then nodded. I sighed in relief. He pulled a coin out of his pocket and tossed it to us. "Thank you," I said to him.

"Okay, so heads is my house, tails is yours," he told me. I was slightly hoping for tails. I was never too comfortable spending the night at people's houses, especially not people that I've only talked to once or twice in my life. "So are you ready?" he asked me. I nodded he flipped the coin and caught it in his hand.

"You sure you're ready?" he asked again. I rolled my eyes and nodded yet again. "Okay its…" he took a long dramatic pause as he peeked at the coin.

"Just say it already," I whined.

"Fine, it's heads," he sighed and showed me the coin. It was indeed heads. He sighed again and threw the coin at Kyle, hitting him in the head. I laughed a little bit.

"Okay, so…"

"Just meet me out front after school, I'll give you a ride to your house so you can get some clothes and stuff, then we'll go over to my house," he told me. I thought for a second and then nodded. As we were finalizing where we'd meet, the bell rang and I said my goodbyes to Caleb and went over with Kyle.

"You know," he started, "That coin really hurt," he whined.

"Sorry Blondie," I said to him, patting his back.

"It's okay Brownie," I rolled my eyes, "but really, little pieces of metal aren't meant to be thrown around like that," he sighed.

"Won't happen again," I said, saluting him.

"That's all I ask," he laughed at me, pushing me lightly. "Dude, my partner scares me," he complained.

"Why?" I asked.

"He like never blinks," he said in an amazed tone, "it's kind of creepy," he said with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, but at least you won't have problems keeping him awake," I laughed.

"I wish I could keep him asleep, because if I fall asleep, I'm afraid of what might happen to me."

"Quit being a baby Kyle," I laughed.

"I'm not being a baby, just babyish." He laughed. I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'll see you later," he said and ran off to sit with his friends, like he did every day.

"Bye Kyle," I mumbled, after he was already gone. I took my normal place under the tree and sighed happily.

***********

"Nice to see you didn't chicken out on me," Caleb laughed as I found him after school.

"What makes you think I would?"

"You seemed pretty nervous when you found out you'd be going to my house," he told me.

"I'm just not too good at new houses,"

"Well I promise that it'll be okay," he said confidently, for whatever reason. We went to his car and I gave him directions to my house. Jonathan was 'sick' today, so he was home, but he wasn't really sick.

"Okay, you just wait in the living room and I'll be down in a few minutes," I told him. He nodded and I went up the stairs. I threw a pair of clothes and a toothbrush into my back pack and sighed, making sure there was nothing else that I would need. When I was satisfied I went into Mrs. Cook's bedroom to find her reading a magazine on her bed.

"Hi Mrs. Cook," I said.

"Hello dear, what can I help you with?" she asked me.

"Um, I have to spend the night at my friend's house for a health project," I sighed.

"Oh, who is this friend?" she asked.

"Caleb," I told her. She looked at me doubtingly.

"Is your friend a boy?" she asked. I nodded.

"Nothing bad will happen, I swear, we have to stay up all night and report on how each other react," I told her. She looked at me skeptically, "Scout's honor." I told her.

"Were you ever really a scout?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I was a girl scout for about a year," I told her truthfully. She sighed.

"You can go, but stay out of trouble," I nodded and hugged her, before leaving the room and going to the living room.

"Okay, let's go Caleb," I said. I walked into the living room to see Jonathan asking question upon question to Caleb. "I thought you were supposed to be sick." I told Jonathan. He looked at me before he let out a couple fake coughs. I rolled my eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To his house," I said.

"Why are you going there?"

"For a health project about effects of lack of sleep," I told him.

"When are you going to be back," I rolled my eyes at the questions.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school,"

"You're spending the night?" he asked. I nodded. "Did my mom say it was okay?" he asked. I nodded again.

"Caleb, what are you going to do?" he asked.

"Leave the house cautiously," he said weirdly.

"Funny, but wrong answer,"

"We're just gonna watch TV, maybe hang out with my friend. Nothing is going to happen," he said defensively.

"What's your address so I can check up on you, if necessary," he said. I rolled my eyes. Caleb gave Jonathan his address either way as I blanked out slightly.

"Okay, one last question for you, Caleb," he said. I knew what was coming.

"Jonathan, no, no asking that question," I said.

"But it's an important question."

"It's not that important Jonathan, that's not something you ask random people."

"It's a guy to guy thing," Jonathan said.

"No," I told him sternly as I started to push Caleb out of the house. "Let's go, before he gets going."

"Bye!" Jonathan yelled. I could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Bye Jonny Boy!" I yelled back to him.

"What was he going to ask?" Caleb asked. I shook my head. "No really," he said.

"I'm not going to tell you," I told him.

"Why not?" he joked.

"Because it's awkward," I whined.

"Fine," he said. We got into his car and drove off. I swear that as we were backing off, I saw Jonathan peaking out the window. I rolled my eyes. We drove for about ten minutes before we pulled up to a large, nice looking house.

"Oh geeze," I whined. I shook my head and got out of the car.