Seafoam //Completed//

Chapter 3

Lulu walked into her English Literature class a minute after the bell had rung and the stony look Miss Denisov gave her told her this year would not be an easy one. The young teacher had pulled her long black hair up into a ponytail and over her gray dress she was wearing a white T-shirt that read "Valmont High School. Home of the Vikings" across the front in dark red. Lulu inwardly cringed at the memory of the way the coffee spilled onto her teacher.

"I was at the nurse's office," she explained sheepishly, handing the teacher her tardy slip. Miss Denisov glanced at the slip and nodded once. Lulu took that as a dismissal and walked towards Matty who was sitting at an empty table. Miss Denisov continued calling roll as Matty's worried eyes followed her as she sat down.

"Are you okay? Gemma told me you fell and got hurt." Lulu's heart fluttered at his concerned expression but quickly sank when she saw Gemma sitting at the table in front of theirs with one of her friends. Lulu looked away so he wouldn't see her roll her eyes.

"Yeah," she murmured. "I'll explain everything after class okay?" He looked down at her bandaged arm and up to her face, concern creasing his brow but he just nodded.

She looked around and noticed everyone was sitting in long tables for two and almost every seat was occupied. Except one.

Zachary Ware was sitting in the back of the room, by himself. His brown backpack occupied the seat next to him and he was staring straight ahead, sunglasses still on.
What is his deal? she found herself wondering. Mr. Ayala had been one thing—the Spanish teacher was notorious for being lenient with his students, which often got him into trouble with the principle. Miss Denisov, on the other hand was at the other end of the spectrum, so it surprised Lulu that this guy was sitting so casually as if the sun would burn his retina inside the building if he took off his sunglasses.

Matty noticed her staring at Zachary and shook his head.
"Told you he was weird," he whispered. Lulu nodded and looked forward. Miss Denisov had a fishbowl full of folded white strips of paper in her hands and she was swirling it around.

"I am going to walk around the room and have every other table pull names out of the bowl and the person whose name you pull out will be your partner for the rest of the year. You will sit together, study together and do your assignments together. Is that understood?" she finished in a stern tone. The class nodded in unison and Lulu's stomach knotted. She wouldn't be sitting with Matty.

The teacher made her way through the rows of tables, skipping the even numbered ones. When she reached hers and Matty's, Matty pulled out a name and his shoulders slumped. Lulu pulled a strip of paper out of the bowl and read the name.

'Gemma Webster' read the paper. She groaned and Matty looked over her shoulder.

"You got Gemma!" he whispered fiercely in her ear. "You gotta trade with me, please Lulu!" Her chest constricted and she turned to look at him.

"Who did you get?" she asked warily. She didn't want to be paired with Gemma but she also didn't want Matty to be paired with her. Either way she lost.

"The douche," he groaned.

"Oh, no. No way! He's the reason I'm all banged up. Sorry Matty, can't do it," she shook her head vehemently. Hell no she wasn't about to be paired with the jerk. She'd rather suffer through Gemma's annoying niceness than have to deal with that guy the whole year.

"Lulu, please. I'm asking you as your best friend," he grabbed her hand dramatically and she couldn't help giggling.

"Those of you who picked out a name, go sit next to your new partner," announced Miss Denisov.