Mark sat down next to Daniel without so much as a passing glance.
He’s so full of it, Daniel thought to himself. Unfortunately, he had little time to brood over his malcontent for Mark when his pencil began rolling off the desk. In an attempt to catch it, he merely swatted it right underneath Mark’s desk. Fantastic.
Daniel tried to get his attention by coughing, but Mark kept his attention on a book for his English class.
“Versetti,” Daniel said shortly.
“What?” said Mark coldly without looking up.
“My pencil’s under your desk.”
“Congratulations.”
“Just kick it over, will you?” asked Daniel, cringing at the thought of having to ask Mark for something.
“And why would I help you?” asked Mark without looking up still.
“Look, just do it.”
Mark did nothing. Daniel sighed, and reached down and got it. He gave one last look of disbelief at Mark and went back to whatever it was he was working on. What a prick.
“Okay, settle down class,” began Mr. Bliss, assuming his role as teacher.
Unbeknownst to them, Mark and Daniel rolled their eyes at the same time.
“To start this year off, we’re to do partner projects!”
The class groaned.
“Now, now,” said Mr. Bliss, smiling, “it will be fun! Just pair up now and I’ll leave the instructions for last!”
The room was immediately a buzz. Daniel looked around. He didn’t know anybody! How was this to work. Since Daniel never saw Versetti talk to anyone in class (and by the look of horror as his head scampered every which way), Daniel assumed he didn’t know anybody either. Oh no, thought Daniel, I won’t get stuck with him!
Daniel began asking random people to be his partner, each claiming that they already had one. Mark saw what he was doing and assumed the same strategy, only failing the same as Daniel. Soon, everyone was partnered, except for Mark and Daniel.
Mr. Bliss began moving down the aisles, marking the partner’s names on a chart and handing them a paper of instructions. Mr. Bliss came to them.
“Who’s your partner, Mark?” asked Bliss.
“Look” began Mark, “isn’t somebody absent today?”
“Afraid not, my boy. Everyone’s here. Do you not have a partner?”
“No,” said Mark.
Bliss turned to the class and asked who didn’t have one. Nobody raised their hand. Not even Daniel.
“Come on, people,” smiled Bliss, “Somebody has to be out of one. There are 22 people in the class.”
Daniel shut his eyes tight and raised his hand. Now only the Lord can save me.
“Good, there we go!” Bliss said, proud that he just solved a problem. “Right next door was a partner!” He wrote on his chart and gave them their instructions.
They were to research a topic of controversy in today’s society and present a powerpoint on how the topic is viewed by both sides of the opposition.
They didn’t talk for the rest of the period.
- - - - - - - - - - -
“Look here, Edge,” began Versetti as soon as they were out the door. “Neither of us wants to do this project with the other.”
“No way, I LOVE working with you!” said Daniel sarcastically. Versetti moved in front of him to stop him from moving.
“Listen. I’m not about to fail this project just because you’re a prick. I have a GPA to maintain and I won’t have some insecure, unkempt jackass ruining it for me.”
“Who’s unkempt?!” asked Daniel, defending himself.
“Shut up,” said Mark, “Now, today we meet in the library because I’m not about to go to your house and you’re not about to set foot in mine. After school.”
“Fine,” said Daniel, trying to save some dignity. It was bad enough he was taking orders from this pompous ass without him just submitting. “But it will be fast.”
“Right,” said Versetti, trying to sound like he wasn’t agreeing with him. “The sooner we get out, the better.”
“Fine,” said Daniel, failing to find something smart to say.
Without another word, they parted.
- - - - - - - - -
It was lunch now, and Daniel, Aiden and Roy were eating.
“Yeah,” Daniel continued a story, “and he just glared at me and told me to watch where I was going, and then just stalked off!”
“What an ass,” said Aiden with a mouthful of sandwhich. “You should have kicked his ass right then and there.”
“Yeah,” scoffed Daniel, “because I’m capable of kicking anyone’s ass.”
“I would have,” said
“Well look at you!” exclaimed Daniel, “You have the resources to get a good, regular workout. I don’t have crap.”
“Then come to the gym with me!”
“I’m not getting up at
“Then how do you expect to get fit.”
“Plenty of other ways,” said Aiden. “Just run and sit ups and what not.”
Just then a girl came up.
“
Aiden and Daniel looked at
her. Who was this that
“Hey, Jade,” he smiled. “What’s up?”
“Do you have the stuff for physics?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Can I borrow them for next period, just to show Mr. Freitas that I have them? I didn’t get a chance to go buy them last night. I’ll give them back right after school!”
“Sure, here you go.”
As
“Thanks,” said Jade as he handed her the supplies.
“Anytime,” smiled
“Well, see you around!” she said with a cute little wave and pranced off.
They stared at him.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Who the hell was that?” asked Daniel.
“It’s Jade.”
“Sorry, must have missed the memo.”
“I met her when I was out of town,” he explained. “She happened to be camping at the same place and we met and got to talking.”
“And now you’re…borrowing supplies from each other? That’s a little fast if you ask me,” said Daniel sarcastically.
“Oh, come off it,” retorted
“Who you’re drooling over,” said Aiden.
“Am not!” exclaimed
“Please,” said Daniel, “I’ve seen more drool on Aiden’s desk during English.”
“Hey!” defended Aiden. “It just so happens that I only sleep because I’m bored with that class.”
Just then, Versetti passed by. He gave a quick glance to Daniel. Ice could have materialized in between them for that split second. Then he kept moving on with his friends without a word.
“Brrr,” said Aiden, rubbing his arms, “did Hell just freeze over or was that Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass in the flesh?”
“We have to meet after school today,” said Daniel. “Bliss’s project, you know.”
“You got paired with him?!” exclaimed Aiden in disbelief. “Poor soul.”
“I know,” he said, “it’s just gonna be so much fun!”
The bell rang.
“Well,” said
“Ah,” smiled Daniel, “of course!”
They parted.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Daniel walked into the library to find Mark sitting at a table with his papers, binders and books spread across. Daniel sighed, then walked to the table.
“Your late,” started Versetti.
“You’re annoying,” said Daniel without missing a beat, “Shall we continue, or just get this over with.”
Versetti gave him a glare, then turned to his papers, “Okay, here’s what I have.” Mark sat down, “We can talk about how prejudice is still influencing essentially everything in today’s society, we can talk about abortion, and there’s still euthanasia, suicide and abstinence until marriage.”
“Well,” said Daniel, all of this going over his head and not wanting to show it, “what would you suggest, professor?”
Versetti gave him another glare, “Well, I would say probably euthanasia just because it’s less likely to be chosen.”
“I agree,” said Daniel. “What exactly is euthanasia?”
“You’re so thick,” said Mark, sitting down, “Euthanasia is the practice of doctors killing their patients.”
“Ok, so how is this controversial? The answer should be ‘no’ as far as I can tell,”
“It’s not that simple. Doctor’s kill their patients because the patients ask to be killed. If they’re in a hopelessly doomed state and all they can do is wait for their bodies to fail, they can ask the doctor to pull life support. If they are in a vegetative state, the closest relatives can ask to pull the plug. It has been argued that it both violates and supports the doctor’s Hippocratic Oath.”
“I see,” said Daniel, genuinely understanding all except the big words, “So let’s do it.”
“We should have a back up plan,” said Versetti as Daniel was getting up.
“Ok, choose another one of the ones you said at the beginning, like absence until marriage or whatever,”
“Oh, you are insufferable!” said Mark in a harsh whisper.
“And you are ugly, but I don’t pick you apart. See you tomorrow.”
And Daniel left Versetti fuming. Daniel smiled.
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