65

ASTRID

This was a first time for me- a party. Not just any party but one at Hunter’s and he e texted me to go alone. Did he seriously think I would agree to going to his place alone? What if something happened? What if I didn’t fit in? A billion questions raced through my head as we headed to class, but I kept them to myself. Instead, I thought of what to wear, how to act and what to say. I barely heard nothing or paid attention to anything happening around me until my name was called.

“Astrid!” The teacher’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked up at him, caught off guard.

“Are you listening?” he asked, his tone sharp.

I nodded, lying through my teeth. “Yes, sir.”

“Then keep your mind in class,” he scolded before turning back to the rest of the students. “We’ll be starting a group project. You’ll work in pairs.”

I groaned at her words, I did not deal with the awkwardness that came with being paired and working with a new student. And to confirm my dread, the teacher called