Everything I'm Not (GirlxGirl)

8. Don't Hate Me

Confession time: I regretted every word I said as soon as it left my mouth. 

I mentally scold myself for being such an idiot. Now she'll hate me even more. 

But, to my defense, what she did was wrong. She can't just go around telling me I play with people's hearts. Because in reality, people play with mine. 

That's a common misconception about me. People think I'm a player. I don't even know why. Is it because I'm good-looking without even trying? Or because I'm part of the basketball team? I mean, it's not my fault that people are attracted to me.

I stop by the restroom on the way back to the classroom. It would be awkward if Gray and I both come in at the same time after what we just said to each other. 

I wait until the second bell rings before making my way to the room. As I step inside, all eyes immediately turn to me, including the eyes of the teacher in front. 

"Why are you late?" Mrs. Heath, our English teacher, asks me with scrutinizing eyes. 

"I went to the restroom, sorry," I answer truthfully and make my way to my seat where, of course, my seatmate was waiting. She didn't show any sign of having noticed my arrival. 

"Back to what I was saying," Mrs. Heath continues. "Mr. Castor told me about the pairings he came up with and told me I could use the same when I give you activities. So, I decided to use the same pairings for the documentary you're going to do." 

She paces the length of the room. "It will be about sports. You will choose 3 sports of your liking as long as you're not part of the school's varsity in that particular sport. Kristina and Kian, for example. They cannot choose basketball nor volleyball since they are both athletes in each of those." I hear Kris groan in the back. "I will give you the whole period to think about it with your partners. When you have decided on the sports, write it on a piece of paper and give it to me. The deadline for this project will be in the first week of December. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." 

As soon as Mrs. Heath takes her seat, Gray stands up from her chair. She walks to where the teacher was sitting. Our classmates pay no attention to her as they were already discussing with their partners. 

Does she already have a sport in mind? 

The two were talking in low voices. Mrs. Heath was glancing occasionally at me with a look of concern on her face. She then motions for me to come forward. 

"What is it?" I ask, looking only at her and not at the person beside me. 

Mrs. Heath takes her glasses off, props her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her intertwined fingers. "Your partner said she wants to work on this alone. I told her if you would agree, you can pass it to me individually. But I'm warning you, this won't be easy, you two should talk about it first." 

Boy, she really does hate me more now. But I won't back down. One of the things I enjoy doing is proving people wrong. 

"There's no need to talk, I don't want to work alone," I insist to Mrs. Heath. 

Gray turns to me, eyebrows furrowed. She doesn't say anything but the look she was giving was enough for me to know she wasn't pleased with my input. 

"There you go, now you have your answer." Mrs. Heath leans back in her chair. "I'm sorry about this Alexis, but I'm also against the idea of you individually making the documentary. I know you're a genius but you also need to communicate with other people." 

Gray stands straight, her face a complete blank when she turns her attention back to Mrs. Heath. "Okay, I understand." She mutters before going back to her seat, with me right behind her.