Chapter 3: He Is Just So Ugh!
Clare's P.O.V.:
"Ms. Dawes… there must be some sort of mistake. I've never gotten a C," I argued aloud as I got my English paper back, "How could this happen?" I stared back at my paper in utter shock. A C? That's impossible! I never get C's! I'm a straight-A student! I've barely gotten two B's before.
"Well, your early assignments were divine, but recently your writing has become… distant, impersonal," she answered me. At a loss for words, I tried to figure up something to convince her that I deserved at least a B. "But I used complex sentence structure and advanced vocabulary," I reasoned. God, oops sorry, Lord. I must sound like a total prude. I bet Eli is rolling his eyes at me right now. Wait, why am I even thinking about him right now? I'm in a crisis!
"Yes, but your assignment didn't tell me anything about who you are, what you want. You can't hide behind vampire fiction forever," Ms. Dawes told me in a way that said, "and that's final." I heard a chuckle come from the person sitting in front of me. I glared at the back of Eli's head. Feeling defeated, I said, "I'm not hiding." If I can't defend my writing, I might as well defend myself.
"Then prove it… to your writing partner," Ms. Dawes said while pointing at Eli. Eli looked up from his Sharpie-ed nails and asked disbelievingly, "Me?" I sighed. How am I supposed to improve my writing when this gorgeous guy is correcting my work? "Yeah, you. You write well, but you're a… little wordy," she paused, "You and Clare will be editing each other's work this semester."
After processing this information in my brain I said sarcastically, "Great. That'll be fun." "We may have a very special partnership in our hands, people," said Ms. Dawes excitedly. I rolled my eyes. I usually had a lot of respect for my teachers, but right now I was annoyed at Ms. Dawes. How dare she tell me my writing was no good! Well… I guess she knows best. I mean she is the teacher. But I'm still irritated.
"Like Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes!" Ms. Dawes continued. "Sylvia Plath killed herself," I said monotonously. The rest of the class talked and giggled amongst themselves when I said this, probably surprised that I even questioned a teacher's judgment. Eli turned around then and said to me, "So, Clare." I blushed when he said my name. Why was I so shy around him? I'm not usually shy around boys. Why was he so different? Well, not for the obvious reasons like his all-black wardrobe and hearse. But he just seemed so… interesting, not like all of the other guys at Degrassi. They all pretty much acted the same, acting stupid and childish. But Eli was sort of mature, I guess. Like Edward Cullen and his centuries of culminated knowledge of the world. There I am drifting to vampire fiction again. Maybe Ms. Dawes is right, as much as I hate to admit it, I do need to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and break out of my shell.
"I guess we'll be spending a lot of time together this year," he said with a smirk. "We're only partners for this semester. We'll probably never talk after that," I stated smartly. "We'll see," he said with a wink as he turned back towards the front of the classroom. I momentarily froze in my seat. The last time he winked at me I did the same thing, so paralyzed by his charm. I couldn't concentrate the rest of the period, I just couldn't. My mind just kept going back to one subject, Elijah Goldsworthy.
I got startled when the dismissal bell rang, marking the end of English. I noticed almost everyone had already left. There was just Eli and me. I got out of my seat and headed out of the classroom. As I was about to exit through the doorway, Eli rushed past me. We were stuck in the doorway for a second until he pulled himself past me. He looked back at me as he was walking away, smirking and shaking his head. I just stared after him. How rude! I saw Alli nearby and walked up to her. "He is just so… ugh! You know?" I vented.
"I get it, Clare, you're in love with Eli," Alli told me knowingly, "but can we talk about something more important. Like how I can get Drew's attention." I looked at the place where she was staring and saw a guy with a bunch of girls around him. He was okay-looking, I guess. Kind of cute, but in a normal, boring way. But Eli… he was very good-looking, in a different way. I suppose it's kind of weird that I would be attracted to someone who was the complete opposite of me. He is someone my parents might never approve of and what some people would look down upon. Maybe that's why I'm starting to lo- I mean like him. I can't be in love yet! I just met him!
"Ever since I laid eyes on him, I knew we were meant to be," Alli continued. "Uh, have you ever even talked to him?" I asked. "You can't just talk to a guy like that, Clare. You have to have strategy," she told me, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I never believed in love at first sight, but maybe, just this once, I'll make an exception. And maybe, I'll take Alli's advice and have a real conversation with Eli. With a little strategy, I think I could make something happen.
Thank you so much for reading! Please rate and review! I know I just updated Chapter 2 today, but I just couldn't wait for tomorrow to add Chapter 3! I hope you guys liked it! Love you all! Mua! Mua!
-Pi. Lo. Sa.