Accidentally on Purpose

Chapter Twelve

"Next week, y'all are gonna get engaged!" Mr. Herberg announced cheekily, arms thrown wide open at his sides with an enthusiastic wave.

It was Friday, and because Spencer was no longer my partner, I still sat where I was seated, which was next to Jonah. He didn't look the least bit happy with the fact that I was sitting there and/or with our teacher's announcement about the engagement—but that was his usual mood, so I wasn't really surprised to see the lack of excitement on his face.

"One of you need to plan out your proposal, and you have to make it as memorable for the both of you as possible," our teacher continued, and I swore Jonah almost choked on his saliva at this, which made me raise an eyebrow. "You don't just slip a random ring into your partner's finger, no. I won't have that. Surprise them and propose to them when they least expects it, and give 'em the best ring you can get. I do not allow you to buy real, expensive diamond rings, but be creative. There are a lot of fake plastic bands and you can decorate it with a little faux-diamond on it, or heck—you could even use one of those ring pops. Just do whatever you think your partner would like.

"Have someone record your proposal, because I want to watch all proposals one by one. And yes, I am going to score your proposal and the ring on your partner's finger." Mr. Herberg had a smile on his face that looked suspiciously like a mischievous smirk. "As well as the video, you have to write down why you choose to propose that way. The proposal has to make sense with both your character and your partner's character's background. I'll score you on your creativity, commitment, and overall execution. I'll collect the papers and the videos next Friday. Got it?"

He then smiled widely at us.

"I'm gonna leave you all with your own partners.  I'm gonna head out to the teacher's longue and let you guys do whatever you wanna do—no one leaves the room, though. I'll definitely find out if you do!"

We all watched as he left the room—some with puzzled expression on their faces, and some with complete glee at the thought of having a basically free period.

After a moment of silence between Jonah and I, I finally turned around and sighed. "So, when are we gonna start on the story? We have to write one."

He calmly leaned into his seat and put his earphones in, completely blocking me out. With an exasperated sigh, I rolled my eyes and turned away.

This was going to be one hell of a project, wasn't it?

Well, I did bring it upon myself, so congratulations to me.

[]

I barged into the empty diner, swung my backpack across the counter (and ultimately startling Nat), and made my way toward Jonah, who was calmly leaning on his own counter, his back turned to me. I put on the grumpiest expression possible on my face, and let all the fire gather inside my chest so I could blow up properly. It was easy; I just had to think about the bra incident—my crush or not, I would never be okay with him doing that—and my lips instantly curled into a distasteful scowl and my fingers were clenched into a fist.

"Look, I know I'm annoying and I know you don't like me but this is actually an important project, and I won't have you ruin that for me," I started as I banged my palms onto the counter, leaning toward him warningly.

He raised an eyebrow and turned around without a word.

"Well, guess what, Gibbs? We're gonna get engaged! Married! You're gonna slip a big ass fake ring into my finger and we're gonna raise a crying doll together! I get that you can't stand me because I can't stand you too, but can you just tolerate me a little bit for this project? Because I'm actually willing to try to tolerate you.