“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Char.” I glanced pointedly at her. “The first two rounds of the competition are buddy battles. If I’m even going to have a chance to compete, I have to find a partner. Getting a date to the Winter Ball would be easier than finding a partner for the tournament.”
Not that I had a date—or wanted one—but this whole partner thing had thrown a loop into my plans. I hadn’t considered it yesterday when I’d so boldly torn that poster down in front of every gamer in town. There were three rounds to the Rock Valley Gamer Club Tournament. The first two required partners and the final round was a free-for-all. The victor took all the spoils. Michael had successfully scared away most of the guys around here who would play with me. And Joe was crap when it came to Battlegrounds.
If I didn’t find a partner, I’d be sunk before I even started.
I could thank my big mouth for that humiliation.
“You know I’d be your partner, if I could actually play.” Charlotte elbowed me playfully in the side. “But I’ll definitely be your date to the dance, if that makes you feel better.”
I shot her a grateful smile. “Thanks. Too bad you’re better at riding a horse than slaying a virtual enemy.”
Her lips flickered with grin. “Too bad.”
Still, I was grateful to my friend. Knowing she was supportive of me and my fight was enough. I glanced across the room of juniors and seniors as Mr. Hart closed down his slideshow for the end of class and moved back to the front. Not many options. Maybe I’d have better luck in the lower classes. Michael was a senior, which meant he couldn’t have int
imidated all of the younger guys. There was still hope.
“Attention folks,” Mr. Hart said, tapping a pencil on his desk. The room quieted down and he smiled warmly at us.
I’d always appreciated Mr. Hart’s classes. He was a down-to-Earth kind of guy and younger than most of the other teachers. With slightly receding golden blond hair and a flannel collection that rivaled most hipsters, he fit in well with the students. And even though he coached the hockey team, he didn’t show them any more favoritism than the rest of us.
“Today, I’ll be assigning partners for the end of the semester project.” He held his hand up when a collective groan went through the room. “You were warned about this at the beginning of the school year and now it’s time. You’ve got two weeks to choose a topic and explore it using the musculatory and skeletal systems we’ve been learning about. This report counts for twenty percent of your grade. I’m giving you the last ten minutes of class to meet with your partners and pick your topic.”
Michael leaned forward in his chair. “Uhhhh...why can’t we pick our own partners, Coach?”
Any other teacher would’ve chastised him for speaking out of turn, but Mr. Hart chuckled and leaned back. “Because, I know you’ll just have Gabriel do all of your work for you, Michael. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how well your assignments match up.”
The classroom broke into laughter.
“Don’t blame me.” Michael grinned cockily, fueled by the class’s reaction. He always did like being the center of attention. “That’s twin power. Can’t help it if we think the same.”
“Right.” Mr. Hart rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s time to split up the dream team. I’ve got partners already assigned. After I’ve listed them off, I’d like you all to find a desk to share with your new partner.”
Charlotte and I pouted at each other. We’d specifically signed up to take anatomy together. It wasn’t fair to split us up.
“Charlotte Hale and Angie VanBeel,” Mr. Hart called out.
Charlotte’s face brightened. At least Angie was nice. And she did her part of the homework. The two of them would work well together. I could only hope I got as good of a partner.
And pray that at the very least...I wouldn’t be partnered with Michael Corrigan.
Heaven help me.
Mr. Hart continued down the list, partnering up more of our classmates. When he finally got to me, I held my breath and mentally crossed myself, drawing on all the good powers in the universe to work for me.
“Beth Frye and...” His brow wrinkled as he lost his place on the sheet, dragging out the suspense to a ridiculous degree. “...Gabriel Corrigan.”
No! I sealed my eyes shut in a pained expression. So much for all the good in the universe.
I supposed I should thank my lucky stars that it wasn’t Michael, but Gabriel didn’t exactly feel like much of a step up. In fact, getting my wisdom teeth removed for a second time sounded like a better time than working on a school project with one of the Corrigans. I was pretty sure he felt the same about working with me.
When I opened my eyes again to glance over at my new partner, his gaze was still glued to the front of the room. The only clue that anything might have bothered him were the two bright red dots on his cheeks.
“All right, people, move it,” Mr. Hart called when he finished reading the list.
I stared wistfully at Charlotte as she got up to move. It just wasn’t fair. This was one of the only classes I had with her and we were being separated. Yet another reason to loathe high school.
As if teenagers needed any more.