Don't Change For Anyone

Five-x to the power of two minus eight-x minus thirteen over x to the power of two minus 5 equals… what the hell does this even equal?! Crap, I forgot about the limits.

I stood in front of my open locker, my calculus homework being held up on the locker door with a magnet. Words couldn’t describe my hate for math. My head fell onto the door and I groaned, dropping my pencil on the floor.

“It’s two.” I jumped at the strange voice and hit my head on the locker door. A string of curses left my mouth as I looked up to see Matt standing in front of me, smirking.

“The answer’s two,” he repeated.

“How did you get two?”

Matt picked up the pencil from the floor and worked out the equation on my paper. When he finished, he took a step to the side at pointed with my pencil.

“It says the limit is x equals three, so you plug that in and solve to get eight over four, which simplified is two.”

“And you can do calculus too.”

“Too?”

“Well to be blunt, you’re extremely attractive. So now you’re smart too. Anything else I should know?”

“I haven’t changed much,” he stepped closer. “I can still woo you just by looking.”

I took a step closer. “And I can still have you wrapped around my finger.”

“Echem.” Our eyes broke apart to see May standing there with Kenny, John, and Garrett behind her. She lifted one of her eyebrows and gave me a sly smile, grabbing Kennedy’s hand and walking off.

“’Sup.” I nodded my head to John and Garrett.

“Uh, just going to 5th period. Bye Talia, Matt.” John started walking towards his class and Garrett tried catching up. He was holding in laughter and when they were around the corner, he let it out.

“Garrett’s not really my favorite person.” Matt chuckled and adjusted his backpack.

“He’d tell you the same thing, but he doesn’t realize that he’s lying just yet.”

I looked at Matt with a puzzled look on my face. It’s pretty obvious that he’s pretty annoying with my presence.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Ah, never mind. Bye Talia.” He leaned down and pecked my cheek, walking in the opposite direction Garrett and John went.

- - -

“Okay guys, this project is worth a very large portion of your grade. I’m talking a big eighty percent. If you’re too busy sleeping or texting or whatever, everything’s explained on my website.” Mr. Louis started writing things on the board in bullet points.

“First off, you’ll be in pairs. I’m picking them, and I won’t change partners for any reason. You can’t trade partners either. Now since this is AP Biology, your project will be more difficult then the other class’. You and your partner will have to create an alien life form living on another planet. It must have all the same organs and functions that a human has, but you MUST create a new organ. It can be something that makes the creature able to breathe fire, break down sugars for super speed, what ever you’d like. I like detail. Think of this as your child.”

Mr. Louis took out a plastic bag full of paper and dumped it into a baseball cap. He went down each row and had the other students pick out names but not look at them. When he went around the whole classroom, he sat back down at his desk.

“Okay, you can look at who your partner is now, and get together with them to work on the project the last ten minutes of class.”

I unfolded the little sheet of paper and read the name over and over again. You cannot be serious. On the little piece of paper, in bright blue ink, was Garrett Nickelsen.

I looked up at Garrett from across the room and scowled. He looked up and rolled his eyes, picking up his stuff and sitting in the seat next to me. I looked around the room and saw that Jared and Matt were paired up, and John was paired up with Gemma. Even being partners with Gemma would be better then this.

“Of course with my luck I’d get partnered up with you.” Garrett mumbled, slipping on a pair of glasses. “How long until we have to turn it in anyways?”

I pointed to the board and he looked up and froze. I followed his gaze and froze myself.

Due on January 18th no exceptions

Wonderful, two months of working with him. Which means we’ll have to work over Winter Break, which means we’ll have to go to each other’s houses. Just fantastic.

The bell rang and we all gathered our stuff and ran out of the classroom to lunch. Today was an extended lunch because of a staff meeting, so I took advantage and went out with May. We decided on a little diner called Twain’s and we were there and seated in five minutes flat.

We had just gotten our milkshakes when we heard loud voices coming from the entrance. I peeked over May’s shoulder to see Jared, Kennedy, John, Pat, Garrett, and Matt. I groaned and May looked behind her, squealing when she saw Kenny.

“Kenny!” Kennedy looked over and smiled.

“May!”

Everyone followed Kennedy to our booth. They all squished in so all eight of us were packed into the booth. I groaned even more when this happened, although I was happy I was next to Matt instead of Garrett.

I was so squished into the booth that I was starting to turn sideways, leaving me very uncomfortable. Matt helped me adjust myself so I was sitting on him instead, giving John and Pat more room. May did the same with Kennedy and we were all semi-comfortable. The waitress came and took our orders and since the diner was nearly empty, our food arrived in about ten minutes.

“-And he caught her cheating on him with, get this, Carlos Garcia. So you can imagine Alison being pissed when SHE found out. So I had to deal with her and with Will all during yearbook. Two broken hearts later, I’m here being thankful for having Kenny as a boyfriend and not someone who would cheat on me.”

Pat frowned. “But why would Carlos cheat on Alison? I mean, he knew he’d be braking two hearts in the process.”

“No offence to Will or Carlos, but Lola isn’t even that attractive.” John took a bite of his sandwich and continued. “I mean, yeah she’s easy, but still. Why bang her if she’ll put out for anyone?”

“That’s what I think whenever I see Talia.” Garrett ate a french fry and fake smiled over at me while everyone at the table ‘ooed’ like back at band practice. I opened my mouth to say something, but Matt stopped me.

“He’s just messing with you. Besides, he’s not worth it.” I nodded and focused back on eating my lunch.

What gives him the right to always insult me? He doesn’t even know me! When I finish this bet and prove him wrong, he better keep his mouth shut.