Haley walked down the hallway and entered her 3rd period classroom. She found a desk and took her seat. Not much later, Lucas came and sat down beside her.
"Gosh, I just love Literature class. The smell of notebooks and pens, the books, the assignments that make you think outside the box, the depth and feeling of the stories, man, I just love it all."
Lucas just looked at her with a smile and a raised eyebrow. He shook his head.
"You are really weird Hales, you know that?"
"Hey, you know what a weird word is? Weird. And you know what else is a weird word? The word "word". I mean, just think about it. Who comes up with this stuff? Was someone just randomly walking around one day and heard somebody mutter a sound that could possibly turn into a form of communication? Or was it just pre-determined in minds? Was it just an instinct to start talking?"
"Apparently for you it is. I take that back, you're not weird. You belong in an insane asylum." Lucas said as he got his CD player out of his backpack.
"Thank ya, thank ya very much." Haley replied. "I just can't help it, ya know, I just love Lit class!" She turned around just in time to see Nathan walk into the room with his friends. "I changed my mind. I hate literature class."
Lucas shook his head and laughed lightly.
At that point, the teacher entered the room. "I'm sorry I'm late class, it seems that SOMEONE took the liberty of making 500 copies of a paper that said, 'Don't play with knives… Matches are cooler.' And posting them up all around the teacher's lounge."
Nathan's friends leaned forward and patted him on the back and gave him high-fives. He smiled a cocky smile. Haley rolled her eyes and opened up her notebook, and then focused on the teacher.
"Ok, alright. The first project of the semester is coming up. I call this one 'A day in the life of a Stranger.' Well, it's going to be more like a month in the life of a stranger, because that's how long I'm giving you to do this project. You and whoever you are paired with will walk each other through a week in each other's lives. I don't care however you rotate it, all I want is for you to have a good and enriching experience living someone else's life. Oh yeah, that and a 3 page report."
Sighs and groans filled the room.
"Anyway, today we will be picking partners in the next few minutes."
All the kids started to talk among themselves and pick partners.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I say 'We'? I meant Me. You didn't really think I would trust you to choose partners for a project that is worth ¼ of your grade did you? " Another round of sighs.
"Ok, that's enough. Everyone quiet down. I'm starting. Ok, our first pair is Abby McAden and Brian Maxi Parks. The next pair is…." The teacher's voice faded into the back round. Nathan and his friends were fooling around making faces and playing Chinese football. Lucas leaned over to Haley. "Imagine getting paired with one of those guys."
Haley laughed. "Yeah, you'd probably end up coming to school wearing a basketball jersey and failing math."
"Ha, yeah, and your eyes would be permanently crossed from being bored out of your mind."
"Yes, that would be terrible." Haley replied. She laughed lightly and then sighed, again focusing back on the teacher.
"Ok, who's next? Lucas and Jake." Lucas smiled. "At least it's not Nathan." He laughed. Haley was getting a little anxious. She hadn't been called yet, and neither had… "No. Don't even think it." She just kept tapping her pencil and looking down at her notebook.
"Ok….Who's left? Alright, Haley James and…..ah, here it is. Nathan Scott." Nathan's head shot up, but Haley didn't notice what he had said yet. There was an awkward silence. Haley sensed everyone staring at her. She slowly lifted her head. Then it hit her. "WHAT???" she exclaimed.
They both stood up. Nathan protested. "Mr. Gledhill! There is no way I am going to be paired with… with…."
"THAT!" they exclaimed in unison. Mr. Gledhill dismissed the rest of the class. Haley turned to Lucas. He shrugged his shoulders and left the room with the others.
"Come to my desk." The two teens approached. "I'm sorry kids, but unless you can give me a sufficient reason why you can't be paired together, my decision is final."
"I can give you a few good reasons!" Nathan said.
"He's a jerk!"
"She's a geek!"
"Well, at least I'M passing all my classes!"
"Are you saying I'm stupid?" they argued back and forth.
"Kids! Stop arguing! This isn't the point of the project. It is to get to know each other, possibly make a friend!."
"But we're not even in the same groups!" Nathan complained.
"We are two totally different people!" Haley added.
"That's the point! The assignment is to experience a taste of the life of a person who is strange to you! Listen, this is what I'll do. You have an entire month to do this. Try it out. If you are still having problems, then come to me and I'll pair you with someone else."
"But my friends will make fun of me!" Nathan protested.
"Is that all you care about? Basketball and your friends?" Haley asked.
"Than blame it on me. That is my offer. Take it or leave it…or fail."
"Fine!" said Nathan.
"Fine!" said Haley as they both stormed out of the room.
The teacher sat down. "Teenagers," he sighed.
"Gosh, I just love Literature class. The smell of notebooks and pens, the books, the assignments that make you think outside the box, the depth and feeling of the stories, man, I just love it all."
Lucas just looked at her with a smile and a raised eyebrow. He shook his head.
"You are really weird Hales, you know that?"
"Hey, you know what a weird word is? Weird. And you know what else is a weird word? The word "word". I mean, just think about it. Who comes up with this stuff? Was someone just randomly walking around one day and heard somebody mutter a sound that could possibly turn into a form of communication? Or was it just pre-determined in minds? Was it just an instinct to start talking?"
"Apparently for you it is. I take that back, you're not weird. You belong in an insane asylum." Lucas said as he got his CD player out of his backpack.
"Thank ya, thank ya very much." Haley replied. "I just can't help it, ya know, I just love Lit class!" She turned around just in time to see Nathan walk into the room with his friends. "I changed my mind. I hate literature class."
Lucas shook his head and laughed lightly.
At that point, the teacher entered the room. "I'm sorry I'm late class, it seems that SOMEONE took the liberty of making 500 copies of a paper that said, 'Don't play with knives… Matches are cooler.' And posting them up all around the teacher's lounge."
Nathan's friends leaned forward and patted him on the back and gave him high-fives. He smiled a cocky smile. Haley rolled her eyes and opened up her notebook, and then focused on the teacher.
"Ok, alright. The first project of the semester is coming up. I call this one 'A day in the life of a Stranger.' Well, it's going to be more like a month in the life of a stranger, because that's how long I'm giving you to do this project. You and whoever you are paired with will walk each other through a week in each other's lives. I don't care however you rotate it, all I want is for you to have a good and enriching experience living someone else's life. Oh yeah, that and a 3 page report."
Sighs and groans filled the room.
"Anyway, today we will be picking partners in the next few minutes."
All the kids started to talk among themselves and pick partners.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I say 'We'? I meant Me. You didn't really think I would trust you to choose partners for a project that is worth ¼ of your grade did you? " Another round of sighs.
"Ok, that's enough. Everyone quiet down. I'm starting. Ok, our first pair is Abby McAden and Brian Maxi Parks. The next pair is…." The teacher's voice faded into the back round. Nathan and his friends were fooling around making faces and playing Chinese football. Lucas leaned over to Haley. "Imagine getting paired with one of those guys."
Haley laughed. "Yeah, you'd probably end up coming to school wearing a basketball jersey and failing math."
"Ha, yeah, and your eyes would be permanently crossed from being bored out of your mind."
"Yes, that would be terrible." Haley replied. She laughed lightly and then sighed, again focusing back on the teacher.
"Ok, who's next? Lucas and Jake." Lucas smiled. "At least it's not Nathan." He laughed. Haley was getting a little anxious. She hadn't been called yet, and neither had… "No. Don't even think it." She just kept tapping her pencil and looking down at her notebook.
"Ok….Who's left? Alright, Haley James and…..ah, here it is. Nathan Scott." Nathan's head shot up, but Haley didn't notice what he had said yet. There was an awkward silence. Haley sensed everyone staring at her. She slowly lifted her head. Then it hit her. "WHAT???" she exclaimed.
They both stood up. Nathan protested. "Mr. Gledhill! There is no way I am going to be paired with… with…."
"THAT!" they exclaimed in unison. Mr. Gledhill dismissed the rest of the class. Haley turned to Lucas. He shrugged his shoulders and left the room with the others.
"Come to my desk." The two teens approached. "I'm sorry kids, but unless you can give me a sufficient reason why you can't be paired together, my decision is final."
"I can give you a few good reasons!" Nathan said.
"He's a jerk!"
"She's a geek!"
"Well, at least I'M passing all my classes!"
"Are you saying I'm stupid?" they argued back and forth.
"Kids! Stop arguing! This isn't the point of the project. It is to get to know each other, possibly make a friend!."
"But we're not even in the same groups!" Nathan complained.
"We are two totally different people!" Haley added.
"That's the point! The assignment is to experience a taste of the life of a person who is strange to you! Listen, this is what I'll do. You have an entire month to do this. Try it out. If you are still having problems, then come to me and I'll pair you with someone else."
"But my friends will make fun of me!" Nathan protested.
"Is that all you care about? Basketball and your friends?" Haley asked.
"Than blame it on me. That is my offer. Take it or leave it…or fail."
"Fine!" said Nathan.
"Fine!" said Haley as they both stormed out of the room.
The teacher sat down. "Teenagers," he sighed.