Marco's Pov

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When I walk into sixth hour financial managements, I'm four minutes late and class has already started. I know what you're thinking. 'Oh, Marco, you're such a bad boy, you're late for class!' I know, I know, it sounds horrible. I may be a misunderstood bad boy but I would never do something like this on purpose. I have a very good reason for being late. Someone flipped the padlock on my locker. If you don't know what that means, it means that someone knows the combination to my locker and put the lock on backwards, then locked it.

Normally, I would've gone straight to the office and asked the secretary to use her keys to open the lock. But the secretary is on maternity leave and my school is either too poor or too lazy to hire a new one.

So instead of making it to class on time like I had planned, I was breaking my back trying to correctly turn the dial on my lock to open it and exchange my history book for my special financial management book.

I walk over to the teacher's desk and hand her the tardy slip the principal gave me. His handwriting is not legible and it seems like he wrote it on the back of a shopping list.

Mrs. Skullnick doesn't look up from the book she's reading. She takes the slip from me and throws it directly into the trash. As I go to take my seat, I hear her dreamily sigh about vampires and werewolves (mostly the latter), leading me to believe that she is reading Twilight.

I set my red binder down on my favorite desk-- the center in the front row. Why no one bothered to take such a great seat when I wasn't there is over my head.

I take out my pencils and immediately start to line them up on my desk, in order from tallest to shortest. I pause as I sense someone behind me.

"Heyyy, Marcooo!"

Star Butterfly. The new foreign exchange student. I don't really know her that well, however she has spoken to me before. And when she talks to me, none of it ever makes sense. She's like a toddler, kind of annoying.

Star's hands clamp down around my shoulders and she leans her head over to look at me.

"Uh, h-hey." Girls make me nervous. Especially so when they touch me. And Star is a toucher.

"Did you get the special surprise I left for you at your locker?" she cheekily grins.

"N-no...?" Star rolls her blue eyes.

"I'm the one who flipped your lock, you silly biscuit."

Oh. That special surprise. I gritted my teeth.

"Oh. Yeah. Yep, definately got that. Funny story, that's why I'm four minutes late to class." Star laughs.

"I guess you could say your lock was "butterflied!" She's laughing really hard about her pun.

Mrs. Skullnick suddenly slams her book shut and stands up from her chair.

"Star, sit down." she barks and turns her back to the class to write on the whiteboard. She doesn't bother to check and see if Star actually sat down.

"Bye-bye, Safe Kid!" Star whispers and retreats down the aisle of desks. I grit my teeth again. It's pretty bad when someone who doesn't even understsnd why you have a bad nickname calls you said nickname.

"Okay, class, today we are starting a new project." she paused to let the class groan.

"You and a partner of the opposite sex--" Everyone groaned again, including me this time. "--will be raising a family."

I coughed really loud. What?! Raising a family?! I'm only eighteen, I don't want to even think about kids right now!

Mrs. Skullnick must have noticed the horrified look on my face because she sighed.

"Calm down Diaz, actual reproduction will not be part of the assignment." My face flushes red and the class giggles. Mrs. Skullnick continues her explanation.

"This is not a fun game. This is very serious for your future."

"First, based off the college you're planning to attend, you will "earn a degree." Your "degree" decides the job you get. The job you get decides how much money you make."

"You and your partner are going to have to make the money to be able to afford at least two children, a living space, a form of transportation, groceries, and items that make life better as well, such as televison, mobile devices, and internet."

I'm actually excited for this project, it sounds like it could be very helpful for the future.

"In one week exactly, you and your partner will present your results. Your grade will depend on how much money you both make combined. Any questions?"

Nobody raises their hand.

"Good. I'm now going to assign your partners." Mrs. Skullnick slowly walks over to her desk and sits in her chair, opening up her laptop and pulling up her attendance sheet.

"Okay, let's see..."

I start getting anxiety. When is my name going to be called? Am I going to get a good partner? What if she hates me? What if I hate her?

I sit at my desk, sweating, waiting for my name to be called.

"Hmm... how about Miss Jackie Lynn Thomas..."

My heart skips a beat. Maybe this was it! Maybe this was my chance to make a good impression on Jackie, my huge crush since kindergarten. If things went well, we could be friends, then we could date, then in three or four years, when we're both twenty-one or twenty-two, I'd take her out for dinner and at the end of the night I'd bend down on one knee and--

"... Ferguson."

Oh well. It's no big deal. It's okay. I wasn't basing our entire future off of this project, I don't care what you say.

"Marco Diaz..."

Mrs. Skullnick calls my name. I feel my heart skip a beat again, but this time out of panic instead of excitement.

She stares at her computer screen, squinting at it with beady eyes.

I want to scream at her to say someone's name just to get it over with. Even though I'm a misunderstood bad boy, I would never be rude to the teacher. That's just too bad.

"... and Star Butterfly." My heart sinks. I want to jump up and demand someone else! I want to fall to the floor and beg and plead on my knees for a different partner!

But Mrs. Skullnick has already moved on. It's too late. I'm stuck with a spaz for a partner. I'm stuck with an annoying, clumsy, loud--

Something hits me in the back of the head. I turn around. Star is pointing at the ground to a crumpled up piece of paper. I look over to Mrs. Skullnick. She's staring intently at her laptop again. I quickly reach down and snatch up the paper. I uncrumple it and lay it out on my desk.

Written in Star's sloppy writing is:

I'm looking forward to being your partner, Safe Kid.

xx Star

A small smile forms on my lips. Maybe I overreacted. Maybe Star isn't so bad, once you get past her annoying jokes and pranks. I scribble something down on the paper, crumple it up, and throw it back to Star.

I'm looking forward to it as well, Miss Butterfly.

-Marco

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