Paper Hearts [Book I: Homecoming]

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c h a p t e r   o n e

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"I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY BROKE UP!" I heard the blonde girl sitting behind me say. I rolled my eyes at that statement. I could hear the excitement dripping from the girl's voice, like she couldn't wait to devour the poor boy who had had recently broken up. I continued doodling on the blank sheet, as Elise made her way across the class towards me. It was then I realized that the blonde girl behind me was earlier referring to Elise.

I watch Elise as she takes out her History book from her bag and a pen from the side pocket of her bag. Elise quietly revises last lecture's notes as I notice the dark bags underneath her usually bright eyes. Shifting my eyes from Elise, I watch Wes. His jet black hair covers half of his forehead now – he really needs a haircut – and I hear Elise cough from beside me. She raises an eyebrow at me, hiding a smirk, and I narrow my eyes at her.

"You know, if all you want to do is stare at him for the next one year too, you should be a little discreet about it." Elise whispers, as my cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

"Oh, shut up."

"You should go and talk to him, Perry."

"I have talked to him, Ellie!" I shoot back in my defense. Elise rolls her eyes at that statement.

"Yes, you have talked to him. If saying excuse me and passing his notebook is called talking, then boy you have." Elise says dramatically. Fortunately, our little discussion is interrupted by Mr. Allen as he walks in the class holding a stack of papers in his hand.

Crossing my fingers under the desk, I quickly mutter a short prayer asking God to forgive me for my sins and hoping that this is not a god damn surprise test.

"Good morning everyone, time for a little surprise test!" Mr. Allen grins widely at us, the kind of sadistic grin like a cold blooded murderer. Out of the subjects that I take, History is one subject that I borderline pass. And with a surprise test like this, I will be way below the pass line. And this is senior year, I can't afford to fail. I glare at Mr. Allen – who the fuck gives a surprise test one week after school has just started?

Mr. Allen passes us the question sheet and my heart races with each passing question. The answer to the first four questions is 'B' – no, this can't be – and so I change the answers randomly because I have no fucking clue who the General was or what were the number of clauses in some goddamn pact. There are fifty questions on this test, and I am the first one to get out of the class in exactly fourteen minutes after finishing my test.

A Walk of Shame is defined as the agonizing steps you have to take from your desk to the door when you complete a forty-five minute designated test in just fourteen minutes, along with your head held down so that you can avoid the look of disappointment on the Professor's face.

I decide to go to the cafeteria and buy myself a slice of large pizza. Wilhelmina is already in the cafeteria, eating a burrito, with Jeremiah. I had a huge crush on Jeremiah for as long as I remember, until in the sophomore year, he befriended Wilhelmina and I started to see how much they complemented each other.

"Perry, come sit with us!" Wilhelmina says, shifting her chair and making a place between her and Jeremiah. Oh lord; she still won't stop trying to set me up with him even after I have told her that I didn't like him anymore. I roll my eyes but sit down anyway between them.

"No class today, Harper?" Jeremiah asks and I tell both of them about the history test.

Jeremiah and Wilhelmina end up laughing as I get up to get my pizza. Midway when their laughter gets unbearable, I turn back to scowl at them, and the next second I know, I have bumped into someone and hot Szechuan sauce is trickling down my stomach down to my thighs.