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Jesse threw up his hands dramatically. “But Mrs. D, what about our rights? Do we not get the right to choose our own partners? After all, that’s what got Romeo and Juliet killed!”
Raina clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling her laugh. The rest of the class wasn’t so lucky, and whispers and giggles broke out.
“Silence.” Mrs. Dixon’s glare cut through the room. “Mr. Ashcroft, while I am impressed by your comparison, I will still be choosing your partners for this project. After high school, you won’t always have the opportunity to work with your best friends. You should be able to work with anyone in this classroom without a problem.”
Jesse shrugged, slouching in his seat. Raina faced the front of the room once more, raising her hand as she did.
“Yes, Ms. Cohen?”
“Will we be receiving our partners today?”
“You will.” Mrs. Dixon held up a simple black hat. “Now. Please take a piece of paper and write your name on it, then place it into this hat.”
“If we don’t put our name in the hat, do we not have to do the project?” Jesse asked.
Mrs. Dixon looked as if she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “No, Mr. Ashcroft. Now hurry, we don’t have all day.”
Raina ripped out a sheet from her notebook to write on. She carefully printed her name in purple ink, folding it up as she headed to Mrs. Dixon’s desk to place her name in the hat. As she spun around to return to her seat, she nearly collided with a hard, warm body.
“Sorry,” Raina murmured, stepping to the side to avoid bumping into Jesse.
“It’s okay.” His voice was equally distant.
Once everyone had returned to their seats, Mrs. Dixon shook the hat and pulled a name out. “Ms. Lawrence,” she read from the paper. “Please come pick your partner.”
Nicole made her way to the front, sticking her hand into the hat and pulling out a folded piece of paper. She made a big show of unfolding the page. Raina bit her lip, praying that it wouldn’t be her name.
“Zinnia.”
“Theo Ashcroft, you’re next,” Mrs. Dixon said after picking another name.
Raina tuned out the procession after a bit, staring out the window, but she made sure to pay enough attention so she wouldn’t miss her own name if it were called.
“Ms. Cohen,” Mrs. Dixon announced, breaking through Raina’s fog.
Raina glanced around. There had to be at least six or seven students who didn’t have a partner yet. She hadn’t been paying attention, though, so of the twenty or so kids in class, she had no idea who was already matched up.
“Today, please, Ms. Cohen.”
Flushing, Raina stood and walked to the front. Under Mrs. Dixon’s watchful eye, she stuck her hand into the hat and grasped a piece of paper. Mouth dry, Raina unfolded the paper and promptly dropped it.
“Sorry.” She bent down to pick it up with shaky hands.
“It’s alright,” Mrs. Dixon said, her mouth pressed thin. “Who is your partner, Ms. Cohen?”
Raina glanced down at the paper for the first time. She blinked, reading the name, then reading it again. All she could do was stare at the tiny blue letters, not moving until Mrs. Dixon cleared her throat.
“Jesse Ashcroft,” Raina finally said.
A crashing noise came from the back of the room, and Raina shot her head up to see Jesse blushing and a copy ofRomeo and Julieton the floor. Jesse chuckled, reaching down to grab the book.
“I don’t think this book likes me,” he joked.
The rest of the class laughed, but Raina couldn’t make a sound. She stood there, frozen, clutching the slip of paper in her fingers.
“Please return to your seat, Ms. Cohen,” Mrs. Dixon said. “Mr. Amos, you’re up next.”
Raina sat down at her desk once more, avoiding turning around to look at Jesse. She only looked up when a familiar voice cleared their throat from next to her.
