Finally Free

15

S O P H I A | romeo and juliet

How do I constantly end up in situations with Carter? I spent most of French class with my eyes closed, massaging my temples. Thankfully, the teacher didn't call on me. The ongoing drone of talking is making me crazy. It's giving me a migraine.

I'm trying not to focus on him. His toned body and constantly excited, adventurous eyes. His husky voice. Ugh. I shake my body out. There have been too many distractions and it's only 1:30.

The bell rings quicker than I thought and I gather my stuff together. I open the door and almost run into Claire and knock her over. Her stuff falls out of her hands. She looks frantic, her hair is messy, one of the straps on her tank top is falling onto her shoulder. She looks at me embarrassed.

"Where the hell were you, and at lunch too? I told Ms. Allen that you went home sick." I ask bending down to help her pick up her stuff. She doesn't respond. She nervously tucks her hair behind her ears.

"Claire?" I purse my lips and she sucks in a breath nervously.

"I was out?" She says in a high pitched tone.

"Claire?" I say again trying to make it sound like a confrontation but I just end up laughing.

"Promise that you swear on your grave to not tell a soul, besides Maddie." She sticks out her pinky finger. I tell her yes and link my pinky to hers, like 5th graders.

"I was talking to Anthony and he apologized, said he felt awful for how everything went down between us. Then we ended up in a closet hooking up, until... Carter caught us." I gasp.

"You scandalous girl." I shake her shoulders.

"Never say or do that again." She jokes. As we start to walk to class I turn to her and ask, "Are you guys getting back together?"

"No, it was just a moment of weakness, never happening again. I didn't forget what he did."

Yeah but according to Maddie she has said that before. We just don't want her to get hurt again. 

I put my arm around her shoulders in comfort as we walked down the hallway. We have AP Lit. Great. Just have to get through this and then I can stress about the auditions. I just have to get through seeing Carter again. Seeing his eyes stare deep into mine, he does it out of pure amusement, he knows it annoys the shit out of me.

Just ignore him. I keep telling myself that all the way into the room.

He's already there sitting with his head in a notebook, jotting down some notes. I whisk past him unnoticed.

Ms. Williamson starts class. "You will be getting your partners for the Shakespeare unit today. Remember I will pick you and your partner's literature story. I want a five paragraph essay on connections to your story and some themes by next Monday. The examples are in your emails." The class makes various groaning sounds.

She continues unfazed by the interruption.

"You have free reign on the topic as long as it connects to your story. Remember the more obscure the better."

All I can think about is what she said on the first day. I probably have to be partnered with Carter. The thought keeps pounding in my mind. It'll just be more draining, annoying time, filled with uncomfortable tension that I will have to spend with Carter.

"Let me just do attendance and then I will give you guys your partners, and you can have the rest of the period to brainstorm and study your story." She goes to her desk and then comes back within 30 seconds.

"Claire Nakamura and Hunter Darcy, Eliza Cameron and Logan Fitzgerald, Sophia Carrington and Carter Marquez."

She eyes us, with her eyebrows raised. Do teachers enjoy this?

I can't believe this is happening. I lean my head on Claire's shoulder. She gives me a pitiful look.

She finishes reading the names, "Get to work." I groan. Claire gets up to go work with her partner. I miss her already. She whispers good luck while she stands up. Carter pulls up a chair next to me.

"Okay so what are you thinking?" He asks.

"We haven't gotten our assignment yet so we can't plan anything." He doesn't use his brain sometimes. Ms. Williamson comes around with our assignment. The paper has the title in big letters.

Romeo and Juliet

Carter starts to laugh sarcastically, "You're kidding me right?" He says to her.

"No, Mr. Marquez, no complaints, this is final. Get to work you two." she struts off to her desk. "This has to be a joke or some shit." He scoffs. I choose to ignore that. For the next half hour we look up creative ideas. More like I did research and he sat there doodling.

"You should probably start writing themes down." I say not looking up at him. "Or you could do it for me?" He laughs. I roll my eyes. I'm afraid that the raging bitch will come out. I keep looking down.

"Hey, I'm kidding okay, calm down mamacita." He puts his hand on my shoulder. Does he have to touch me. I'm pissed at him right now but his voice makes me melt.

I continue to ignore him for the next ten minutes, I take notes while he just groans and sighs annoyingly to get my attention. "I'm bored." He whines, crumpling up index cards and playing a game of recycling can basketball. 

"Cool." I reply, uninterested.

"Sophia." He taps me once on the arm.

"Earth to Sophia." Again.

"Soph." Again, another poke.

"Princesa?" He continues to poke me only this time repeatedly. He's a literal child. 

"Sophie." 

My whole body tenses up at the nickname. When he goes to tap me this time I slap his finger away. "Don't fucking call me that." I snap and his eyes widen slightly at my momentary outburst.

I'm so tired of his attitude. Who the hell is he to tell me to calm down, and call me his stupid little pet names. I stand up, "Carter, can you not be an asshole for once in your life and just shut up?" I say a little too loud.

His body tenses up and he looks down almost as if he's considering something.

"Don't be such a stuck up bitch." He yells back. "Excuse me! You have some nerve saying that." I'm yelling now. I slam my hands against the table. The whole class has gone silent.

"You two outside right now!" Ms. Williamson snaps. I sigh, I didn't even realize all this pent up rage I had. He's just so fucking frustrating. When we get outside she drags us into an empty classroom.

"You two need to work this out." She crosses her arms.

"This isn't going to work out." I say.

She dismisses that. "I'm tired of you two doing this, what happened here?" She looks at us and raises her eyebrows.

We both look down in silence.

Why did she ask that question? I swear sometimes she's psychic. I hear him mutter something that I can't understand under his breath.

"That's what I thought, now yell all you want in here, I'll come back in 10 minutes, you better fix all of this by then. If not, I'm calling your parents."

She walks out, and slams the door leaving me to fend for myself in my own hell. I don't like this way this is going.

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Author's Note:

I'm done with the filler chapters now lmao.

Vote and Comment pls.

Xoxo,

Lulu