He Doesn't Look A Thing Like Jesus; But He Talks Like A Gentleman

The day had started off with such promise, now Chase sat with a fake smug smile at a friend of Alex’s as he flirted at her. He was seated next to her on the right. On the left; a girl who was burning holes into her back. Chase could practically Jasyn Barakat’s stare burning a hole through her brand new violet and black camisole.
”She’s really staring at you,” the dumb generically good looking boy said to her with a head nod towards Jasyn.
Finally, Chase managed up the courage to turn around and face the girl but when she looked back to her she had her head down on her bag on the desk looking to be almost asleep.
Chase began to sizzle in anger. She had worked up the courage to turn around and say something, and now she was looking away, making Chase feel like an asshole. It was only eight in the morning on the first day of class, and she was already pushing Chase’s buttons.
“Well,” Mr. Addison the chemistry teacher droned on. “This will be your assigned seats,” to which some of the students groaned at, “at least for the first quarter,” he said over them. “Don’t worry. You will be spending the majority of your time in your lab groups anyway. Eighty percent of this class is lab work. Your partners? They will become your best friends by the end of the year.”
Chase blocked out the rest of what he was saying as she surveyed the room. Who could be in her lab group. She saw a few of Alex’s jock friends but that was out of the question. Sure, they were good for a few laughs, but if her grades depended on it Chase wasn’t going to risk it. She had a 4.0 GPA and was hoping to maintain that through the rest of her high school career.
A shy girl in the back raised her hand and Mr. Addison stopped his speech and called on her.
“Yes?” he asked.
“How many people are going to be in a lab group?”
“Well, there will be eight groups of three, and one group of two.” He said tiredly.
“Can we pick our group?!” a loud obnoxious boy called from the back of the room.
“Now, first rule in here is: always raise your hand! And secondly, no I have predetermined that based on your academic history in the science courses you have completed. I want the faster learners with some of you that aren’t as quick.”
Or stupid. Chase commented in her head causing a genuine smile to appear on her face.
Mr. Addison went on about rules and course requirements and Chase grew tired of his voice as she toyed with her hair, picked at her nails and stared at the clock. Finally with only five minutes left to the class, Mr. Addison announced that they were done for the day, and asked the students to check their lab groups before they left class that day.
While most people turned to talk to their neighbor, Chase eager got up and quickly made her way to the board where the list was posted. Sliding her finger down the list looking for her name she stopped in the middle of the list at her name and looked across to see the names that were there. There was only one.
“Are you kidding me?” she exclaimed causing the room to become nearly silent. Perfectly little miss cheerleader was having a meltdown. “I cannot work with…with her!” she said pointing at Jasyn who was now awake and looked just as horrified as Chase did.
“Miss Gaskarth,” Mr. Addison said surprised. “I would think you of all people would be the last to cause a scene during class.
“I can’t work with her. My parents will not allow it either,” Chase responded somewhat smugly, and Jasyn scoffed loudly. “Like I would want to be working with little miss bitch.”
“Ha! I might catch something working with her. Her track record is longer then my cheer routines. She’s a ho!”
“Language!” Mr. Addison called out. However all the other males in the room were encouraging it, hoping to see two beautiful girls get into a physical fight in the near proximity to them.
The bell rang, and Chase sighed heavily and was the first to stomp out of the room to the disappointment of everyone else sitting in the room. Chase was so worked up that she bumped straight into someone dropping her bag and all of it contents onto the floor. “Sorry! I’ve had a stressful morning,” she said in fake cheer to the person she’d bumped into trying to gather all of her things into her bag as quick as possible.
“It’s ok,” a male voice said and a large hand holding her container of tampons. Embarrassed and turning bright pink, she slowly looked up to get the shock of her life.
“Uh-I thanks,” she said flustered.
As the girl looked up and Jack Barakat watched the girl rise to face him, and he couldn’t decide where to categorize this meeting under ironic or awkward. Both, he decided.
The two stood there, neither of them looking at each other for a moment, until Jack mumbled gruffly, “Yeah uh, whatever.”
Chase stood there for a moment infuriated at both of the Barakat’s. It was only before the second class of the day, and they had both already managed to make her feel like a fool. She was beginning to see why her whole family would hate the Barakat’s family so much. If their ancestors were as rude as they were.
“Hey,” a tired, yet alert voice said from behind her and she carefully turned around.
“Hey!” she said with a big smile. Her favorite person in the world, her older cousin Alex was standing there with his brow furrowed.
“What was that?”
“What?” Chase asked oblivious.
“Him. What did he say to you?”
Chase’s face darkened with the thoughts of her earlier encounter with Jack Barakat.
“We bumped into each other,” she said dryly. “AND his sister is my ‘lab partner’” she scoffed amused by the thought of the phone call her father would be making to Mr. Addison.
Alex laughed out, and the two of them began walking towards the A hallway where each of them shared a classroom.
“Let’s just say my day can only look up at this point,” she said smiling and turning the corner before walking into her classroom, yet a scowl formed when none other then Jack Barakat sat.