Splintered Heart

Chapter 05 | Dress Up

Chapter 05 | Dress Up

The week goes by faster than I thought it would and it's already Friday. Eden is still gushing over the fact that she will attend her first college party tomorrow, as I apply on makeup.

"Tonight we have to plan out our outfits, okay?" I can see her reflection in the mirror as she takes out and examines each dress she has in her closet.

"Yeah, okay," I mumbled almost incoherently. If I said that I hadn't thought about what I was going to wear, it would be a lie.

When Eden was still in class and I got back before she did, I looked through the clothes that I brought from home. It wasn't much, but I managed to choose a white flowy dress that was sitting in the back of my closet. My original plan of wearing jeans didn't work out because of the lack of tank tops I brought.

"I'm heading to class soon, did you want to walk together?" She asked, running a comb through her hair.

"Yeah, let me grab my bag and we can go." Before leaving, I managed to grab the journal that Professor Jen had asked for. We were supposed to write in it during our Wednesday class, but she sent out an email saying that class was cancelled due to a family emergency.

Eden walks me all the way to my class since she didn't want to show up too early to hers. When I walk in, the room is empty and I'm the first one here.

"Good morning," Professor Jen chirps as I sit in the same spot I did on Monday.

My mouth forms a big smile and greets her with the same excitement. She's dressed in another loose hipster style outfit and I'm beginning to think that this whole "positivity notebook" idea stems from that.

The class starts to fill up quicker than it did on Monday, and I find myself impatiently waiting for Ezra to walk through the door so we can get through this assignment.

Professor Jen encouraged the rest of the pairs to start as soon as their partners arrived. Time starts to feel slower and it looks like Ezra isn't coming to class today. If he keeps pulling stunts like this, how am I ever going to get this assignment done? Maybe I should just switch partners.

Instead of using the notebook for what it was originally supposed to be for, I used it as a sketch pad. By the end of class, I've drawn about a hundred flowers on one page.

"Aila," Professor Jen stops me before I walk out the door. A few students look at me with raised eyebrows before exiting on their own. I refrain from rolling my eyes at their inability to mind their own business.

"Yes?" I sheepishly asked, walking towards her. Her mouth lips curve up into a grin and I'm not too afraid anymore. I know that I didn't complete the assignment, but how was I supposed to when Ezra didn't even bother to show up?

"I noticed that your partner wasn't here today, so don't worry too much about the points. It's only the second day," she smiles.

The feeling of relief washes over me. Although I wouldn't be penalized for Ezra's absence, I still don't want to work with him. I need to be paired with someone who takes their education seriously and still comes to class even if they don't feel like it.

"I've been meaning to ask if I could switch partners. I'm not too sure if Ezra's the right partner for me."

Her smile falls slightly and she tugs at the sides of her pants. "I'm sorry, Aila. The assignment was based off of fate and luck. Blame the universe if you want to."

After she finishes, she goes back to sit at her desk, leaving me standing here in utter disappointment. I am most definitely going to blame the universe for this.