Avery
I guided Cassius through our lab. He is surprisingly good with his hands. That must be why they made him the quarterback when he was only a freshman. I don't know much about the sport, but Cassius must have been good for them to put him on the varsity team back when he was so young. As we were leaving class, he turned to say something to me, but stopped when he noticed that Jessica was leaning against the door across the hall waiting on him. He rushed over to her, so it must not have been too important. I put my head down to avoid her glare and went to my next class.
Miss Alman greeted each of us as we entered. I emailed her our outline since I wasn't in class on Thursday. "Alright class, settle down. I have gone over all of your outlines and I must say that I am quite impressed. Some of you are holding true to the original version while a few of you are making it your own. All will be graded fairly, but I am going to offer extra credit. After each play is performed, the school will vote on which they prefer in both categories of traditional and original plays."
I look at Conner and smile, and to my surprise, he returns it. I overhear some of the females in class talking about how Conner should have been their partner. I also hear several of the guys in class talk about how Conner is at a disadvantage because of me. I grip my pencil so hard that it snaps, driving splinters into my palm. Conner reaches over to help me but I push him away because I hear growls coming from all around me. I raised my non-injured hand and asked to be excused. After my trip to the nurse, I went to my final class of the day. Once this period ends, I can go home and enjoy an empty palace.
To my astonishment, Clint was waiting at our station. I assumed that he would stroll in late as always with his entourage in tow. "You should consider coming to at least one game before you graduate, don't you think?" he asks.
I look at him as I put my messy long brown hair into a ponytail. "I don't understand anything about it."
He chuckles, "Neither do most that go. Just cheer or boo when the rest of the school does."
I shrug as I take out the recipe that we will be making. "I might go to one later. I have plans tonight."
He looks at me and raises an eyebrow. I don't see his eyes assessing me but his dragon's. "Fine, I have a date with my books. But I will go to one after your Grand Ceremony."
He nods just as Miss Alman told us all to start cooking. I had Clint wash and chop the fruit, while I made the dough. We are making a pie. Cooking has always been second nature to me. It is one of the things that I know I excel at. As the dough was resting, I preheated the oven and put a large pot onto the burner. Clint dumped the fruit in and I asked, "Did you bring it?"
He pulls a bottle of red wine from his backpack. Earlier in the week, when I sent him his homework, I had asked him to bring wine today. At first, he questioned it until I asked if he wanted to pass this class so he could graduate. Maybe that's why I am wearing one of his shirts. Once we set the timer and the pie is safely in the oven, we take our seats. Mrs. Moore addresses the class, "Before we taste your efforts today, I want you to look at your partner. How did they perform today and did you give it your all?" She hands out a scaled checklist, "Now you will rate each other."
I hope that this isn't for a grade. Even though I know that I did my best, Clint is likely to rate me very low. I know that, like his brothers, he thinks I influenced his parents somehow, but I didn't. I could talk to them, especially their dad, without feeling afraid. I don't know why, but I think it allowed them to see me and somehow knew that I would honor duty above all. I never told them how their sons treated me, though, but I doubt it would have made a difference. I was honest in my evaluation of how this project was going even if Clint wouldn't be. Lying is fruitless because the truth always comes out.
After our pie cools, we all taste it, and Mrs. Moore reveals that our scores will be posted on Monday. I feel my anxiety spike. Now everyone will see in black and white just how useless and pathetic I am. Great, just fucking great. The final bell rings, signaling that class is dismissed. The students excitedly exit, talking about the game that will start in a few hours. I gather my things and make my way out of the school. However, as I was doing so, two hands grabbed me. They pulled me into a dark room and dragged me down the stairs. I screamed as my body banged against the cold stone stairs.
I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black. No one was talking either. I only heard heavy breathing and low roaring. I tried to reach for anything I could, but freezing metal cuffs were clamped to my wrists. "Help! Someone, please help me!" My unanswered cries echoed in the darkness. This can't be happening.
With my heart trying to leap out of my chest, I flail my legs, only to have nails dig into my skin. I scream and scream, but the nails only dig deeper. I can't make out any specific scents apart from the smell of grease and musk. I hear the clanging of metal and then something is latched to my cuffs and I am pulled upward. I now hang like a pig ready for slaughter. Who is doing this and why? Are they going to kill me? A tear falls down my cheek as the realization that I might never get to leave Naga sets in.