Tama laughed, staring at the embarrassed teen next to her, happy for her despite the circumstance. She hoped the boy would be okay, truly, even if they weren't close. Her smile dropped however, when the teacher uttered out the next pairing, the entire class going silent.
"Tama Hawk and Paul Lahote."
After the initial silence, a few students laughed under their breath, the other half falling into a never ending fit of gossip in a failed attempt at a whisper. Tama felt her heartbeat in her stomach, knowing this would eventually reach her mother as the woman somehow knew everything. She tried to ignore the feeling she got, telling her that he was staring but, it was too intense. Quickly, she stole a glance but found herself unable to look away. She could've sworn he looked happy, elated even, to hear their names uttered together but, maybe she imagined it as the look was gone from his face before she could even register it.
She couldn't help but be excited herself, her heart racing furiously but then she remembered the face of her mother, who would no doubt throw a fit, possibly even coming up to the school herself to remove the two from any pairings. Tama's cheeks heated up at the idea, her hand covering her face in embarrassment. Unlike her, she zoned out, wondering how she would even manage having her ex, who surely hated her, as her partner. The boy wasn't known for his smarts and she wasn't happy about the fact that one of the first major grades in school was dependent on his equal contribution.
I'll just do it myself and give him a copy the day before, she thought to herself. It wasn't the first time she had done all the work in a group or team setting, in fact, other students only gave her attention when it was time to pick partners. A few of her fellow peers had even offered to pay her to join their group, the teen not ashamed to say that she took the opportunity more than a few times. She actually preferred to do all the work, being a team player wasn't something she could ever list on a potential resume.
The bell had rung, signaling a change in subjects and she sighed, preparing herself to tell Paul that she would just take over the assignment as she normally did. Before she could though, she watched as he made his way to the front of the class, stopping in front of Mrs. Chubbuck's desk, keeping his head down. "Is it...is it possible for me to change partners?"
A laugh of disbelief rang through the almost empty classroom, the teacher acting as if she hadn't heard the news of their "brutal" breakup. She shook her head politely before she caught Tama watching the entire exchange, the teen cursing her enhanced hearing for the hundredth time. Paul followed Mrs. Chubbuck's gaze, frowning when his eyes met Tama's, though he didn't say anything. She scoffed, the lights flickering momentarily as she threw her bag over her shoulder, making sure she knocked into him for good measure on her way out.
The contact made her shiver, the hairs on her neck raising as she craved more of the boy who broke her heart. She kept walking and she heard his footsteps follow after her, much to her dismay. He stopped her mid walk, grabbing ahold of her arm and turning her so she faced him. They stayed like this for a few seconds, just staring at each other, taking in their features. She noticed that his hair had been cut, no longer sitting comfortably on his shoulders like it did when they had first met. Now, it formed a short shag on top of his head and she hated to say that it suited him.
He noticed certain parts of her hair had been cut, framing her face beautifully though the layers had almost grown back. Some parts were lighter than others and he smiled at the change, reaching out without speaking, gingerly lifting a few strands and running them through his fingers. Taken aback and starved of touch, she allowed it, her eyes locked on his fingers as they played with her raven colored strands. She missed this. They missed this.
Tama brought herself back to reality, harshly slapping his hand away from her with a scowl, though the action only made him smile wider. "You're cute when you're angry."
"Fuck off, what do you want?" She took a step back and he followed, adjusting his worn burgundy backpack that was long due for a replacement.
The boy leaned up against the wall next to them, trying to appear nonchalant though his heart was damn near beating out of his chest. She could hear it of course, she made him nervous...she didn't need super hearing for that. "We're partners now, I wanted to know if maybe...you wanted to go to the library and study, find our topic before we get stuck with a shitty one."
Tama thought about it, part of her wanting to say yes immediately and the other wanting to skate by him and go on to her next class, which she was now late for because of him. A smile came to her face as she suddenly remembered something, "actually I can't. I'm busy after school."
Paul scoffed, not believing the girl. His head filled with memories of her begging him to come to the library with her, stuck following behind her like a lost dog while she combed through books for hours and he occasionally pretended to complain. He missed that. "What happened to "never too busy for the library" Tama?"
Tama shrugged, a small smile still on her face as she looked up at the boy she once held in the highest regards. "She got a date."
She swore then, she saw all the color drain from his face. His smile had dropped and suddenly the memories were wiped clean from his brain. Paul stood there, unable to say anything, the sight making her laugh a bit, though she did feel awful. Pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear, she waved him goodbye, leaving him standing there, alone.
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