Stream of Colors • Josh Kiszka

2.

Vienna's P.O.V

Not long after the loud bell rang, Mrs. Wilson came sauntering in with her bag laced across her bloused shoulders. I watched intently as she put everything down on her crimson desk, taking a deep breath as she walked to front of the class, her hands down by her sides.

After a few seconds of glancing around the class intently, she finally spoke, "Good morning, class!" She said loud enough so that the entire class of 30 could hear her.

There were a few mumbled replies all throughout the enclosed room, some seemingly sarcastic, others genuinely sweet, but the noise quickly ceased once she started making her way to the board. Her hand went to the hanging shelf, grabbing a black marker, which she then swiftly took the cap off, keeping it in her hand as she pressed the marker into the board, starting to write something out.

Out of absolutely nowhere, the voice of Josh rang out within the silence, "It's a beautiful morning, isn't it, Mrs. Wilson?" I almost scoffed at his question, tired of his shenanigans and how he always seems to purposefully get under my skin.

She instantly replied, "It most definitely is."

My eyes rolled involuntarily as he quickly turned my way, his brown eyes side eyeing me, as he opened his mouth, the words spewing out rapidly, "That's how you answer someone, maybe you should take notes." A slight laugh then came out of him once he was finished speaking, which didn't last long because his body turned around, leaving me with no chance to respond to his ridiculous comment. But, deep down I was somewhat thankful because the less I have to talk to Josh, the better, plus Mrs. Wilson isn't the most laid back teacher in the world.

Soon after, she put down the marker with a loud clang, turning away from the large board and over to the side, to where she stood, examining the class' reaction to the words she had just written. As I watched her eyes grow big, I quickly trailed my own over to the whiteboard, seeing the loud words, that made me feel a little too many emotions at once.

Final English Project

I continued looking at the board, wishing that the words would fade away. Mostly because I hated projects, but also because I knew it would be the last one I did for the entirety of what's left of my high school career, which in someways was bittersweet.

I glanced around, as I saw and heard my classmates whisper about the words, some out of joy, anger, and some even out of sadness. But I was quickly brought back to reality as I heard Mrs. Wilson speak up.

"So, I'm sure you all have plenty of questions, but before I answer any of them, please let me explain the assignment, so maybe some of those questions can be answered." She announced to the class with a nod.

There was a chorus of agreements across the room, which I obviously chose to not partake in, before she continued on.

"This project spans from now until the last day of school, which is when you will present them to the class. So, this amount of time should allow you to come up with something sufficient, and maybe even extraordinary. It doesn't really matter to me how long it is, which I know is extremely generous, but it's more of what's inside the paper than how long it is. So, that leads me to the topic of the paper, which may possibly shock some, or even stress some out more so than others, but I just want to tell you all to have fun and enjoy it while it lasts. So, anyway, the topic of your paper can be about whatever you want, whether it be about rain or your favorite show, or even if aliens or real or not. I don't care. I just want you to dive deep and really just learn something about yourself and others in the process. I want to see your personality really shine through in your work, as well as seeing the kind of people we're putting out into the world. With that being said, I know this may disappoint some people, but it's-"

Her eyes looked directly at me, locking with mine for a split second, making my stomach drop. She better not sa-

"partner work as well. Which may seem odd, but I think you'll understand it in the end." She said with a giant grin, making it known that this was her favorite part of the year.

My hands instantly became clammy, not liking the idea of having to work on such a big project with someone. It made me wish with my whole soul that I could just up and leave, but I knew I couldn't. I was stuck in this brick room with four walls that seemed to be quickly closing in on me rather fast.

"So, let me assign you your partners and then you can start discussing!"

My hands gripped the side of my jeans, as she started reading off her list.

"Megan and Nataly."

I felt my heart tighten.

"June and Wyatt"

I let out a breath, trying to keep my breathing somewhat steady.

"Maggie and Olivia"

She continued on until I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest, but she kept going saying name after name after name.

"And finally, Josh and Vienna."

My heart dropped more than I ever thought was possible, my jaw immediately falling agape. Without a second thought, my hand went up, signaling Mrs. Wilson to come my way, which she thankfully did fairly quickly, but of course Josh had to notice and he turned around in his seat with the most amused face possible.

"What is it, Vienna?" She asked politely, gripping the papers she had in her hands.

I shot a look at Josh, "I think you might've made a mistake when you partnered me up with Josh." I stated bluntly, voicing my opinion for the first time in awhile.

"Oh, no. That was completely on purpose. You and Josh are partners, and that's that."

"Can't I switch?"

"No, Vienna you can't. Everyone already has a partner, so you're gonna have to suck it up and do this project with Josh." She told me, not budging at all, a completely straight and serious face plastered on her features.

She walked away from our desks, not another word said. I felt my cheeks heat up out of embarrassment as I felt Josh's eyes on me intently.

"We haven't even started and you already wanna switch partners? Honestly, I'm offended."

A groan fell from my lips, "Don't act like you didn't think about doing the exact same thing, Kiszka."

"Well, it doesn't matter either way because I'm stuck with you and you're stuck with me."