Chapter 3!!!! It should star getting a bit more interesting from here. I hope you like it so far. Disclamer: I own nothing, sadly.
CHAPTER 3 Partners
"All right class." The history teacher, Mr. Jennings, said in a bored voice, "This week we will be pairing up, two to a group, and doing a project."
He paused and the class groaned.
Ignoring them, he continued,
"The project is to make a three page paper on a battle in the Civil War."
Another groan spread through the classroom.
"You have two minutes to pair up. Any one not paired up by then will be put together. Go!"
Chairs squeaked loudly as everyone stood up quickly to get a partner. Casey looked around the room as she stood. History was the one class she had that none of her friends were in. She had no friends in this class.
"One minute." Mr. Jennings said over the commotion.
It seemed like everyone was already paired up. Casey looked around quickly for someone she knew, but anyone she talked to was already paired up.
"Times up!" Mr. Jennings announced. "Everyone who has a partner sit down."
Everyone in the class sat as Casey and one boy remained standing. He looked familiar to Casey, but she couldn't quite remember where she had seen him before.
"Casey, Matthew. You two are partners." Mr. Jennings announced, "You have the rest of this class period and the next few days to work on your papers."
He sat down and the class got to work. Casey grabbed her stuff and walked over to where the boy, Matthew sat.
"Hi." She said weakly, sitting down beside him.
"Whatever loser." He replied gruffly.
As he said that, Casey placed where she had seen him before. He was on the Giants!
'Great!' she thought, 'Just my luck to get paired with the only kid on the other baseball team in the whole class.'
"All right, Matthew was it?" she said tightly, "This is my best class and I like to get good grades."
"Well so do I!" he snapped.
"So let's forget that every where else, we're enemies." Casey continued, "Truce?"
She stuck out her hand. Matthew looked at her for a moment before shaking her hand.
"Truce." He agreed.
"So what battle should we write about?" Casey asked, pulling a notepad out.
"How about a little known battle like…" Matthew paused to think. "Like that one in Kentucky where Zollicoffer died."
"You mean Mill Springs?" Casey asked.
"Yeah that one!" Matthew agreed.
"Sounds good to me." Casey said, "So how should we write this?"
"How about we go to the library after school," Matthew suggested, "And just go from their."
"Sounds good to me." Casey shrugged, "I'll just have to lie to Benny and the guys and say that I'm failing something and have to go to the library to study."
"I'll say the same to Phillips." Matthew replied.
Casey looked at the clock. They still had five minutes.
"So," she said slowly, closing the notebook, "Truce until Friday."
"Truce." Matthew replied. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Matthew Curry."
He stuck his hand out.
"Casey Rodriguez." Casey replied, shaking his hand again, "Nice to meet you Matthew."
"You're different then I would have thought." Matthew said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I mean, from the way you act whenever we meet anywhere else, you're always cold and mean."
"Well so are you." Casey paused. "Well, you backup Phillips anyways."
"Just because if I don't he'll get the coach to kick me off the team." Matthew told her. "I don't like him. I'm the only one though."
Casey thought about that. They sat their in silence for the next few minutes before the bell rang.
"I'll see you at the library." Casey said as she left the room.
"See ya then." Matthew replied.
Casey hurried to her next class and sat down beside Smalls. The rest of the day went by slowly and she thought of nothing but the meeting with Matthew.