Before the Morning [BEING EDITED]

37 | Chipped

"I'm going to separate you into groups."

Nora sank deeper into her chair. Dread burst through her skull.

She'd never been a spokesperson for group projects or anything, but she'd never hated them the way other did. She'd always had too much fun talking and laughing with her group mates. Of course, there was always the student or two who insisted on doing nothing but sit there and let everyone else do the work for them so they could get an easy A, but it was whatever. Now?

Mrs. Truly grabbed a sheet of paper from her desk. "I did all the work and made the groups for you," she said with a wink. "You're welcome."

Some of her classmates groaned.

"Hey, I could be placing you next to your next best friend," Mrs. Truly said. "You don't know."

Or an ex-best-friend.

She'd done her best not to look at the back of the room, but it didn't matter. Nolan's presence had rammed itself onto her shoulders since that first class over a month ago.

She imagined him sitting there, sullen and broken-hearted, and her heart ached. But it also burned with a rage she couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard she tried.

"I'll never forgive her." Her dad.

She closed her eyes.

"Try to forgive him, okay?" Willow.

"Okay."

"Okay, group one!" Mrs. Truly cleared her throat and wielded the paper like it was the Declaration of Independence. "Nora"—Nora tensed—"Ben, and Nolan."

Her eyes burned. She might actually throw up.

Mrs. Truly listed the rest of the groups, but Nora didn't hear. No, no, no, no, no danced around her head to the beat of her thrashing heart and quickening breath.

All around her, her classmates stood and formed their groups. It took every ounce of strength she had to lift herself to her feet and drift to where Nolan sat, frozen, wide eyes on his desktop. She forced back a scowl and dropped into the seat next to his. Silent.

"I'm just gonna sit here."

She looked up. Ben, a guy she'd had sporadic classes with over the past few years, dragged a chair in front of "her" desk. He was so relaxed. A spark of jealousy pierced her. She wanted to be relaxed, too. But she'd forgotten how. Thanks to someone.

She closed her eyes. He was just trying to help.

Yeah? Well, he failed.

"What do you think she's going to have us do?" Ben asked.

"I don't know," Nora said softly.

He grinned, clearly not detecting her—or Nolan's, for that matter—apprehension. "Watch it be a boring worksheet," he said.

She hoped it was a boring worksheet. Something quick, that would get her back to the relative safety of her seat as quickly as possible.

Despite their quietness, Ben continued to chatter on. She listened and forced on smiles, but her chest was too tight for her to manage much else.

"Okay, guys!" Everyone looked to Mrs. Truly, who was holding up a batch of mini poster boards. Maybe the boring worksheet was hidden underneath? "What I'm going to have you do is choose a character or scene from The Great Gatsby, and you're going to represent it on this poster board. You can draw, print pictures, do a mixture. It's up to you. I want you to really capture the essence of your choice. Okay?"