Characters: Tatum & Gray.
Setting: Monday morning, third period; 11th grade History of Magic.
Rating: SFW, and full of so much awkward your eyes will bleed.
Summary: Professor Verret is assigning partners for this week's project, and it doesn't look hopeful.


Although she didn't mind History of Magic usually, Monday morning lessons in it did seem to drag on more than they needed to. Professor Verret was talking about something or other related to the upcoming Swamp Festival and how that related to the rest of the course, Tatum wasn't even sure. She had only been in class for ten minutes and already had been in a bit of a daze, slumped into her seat beside Frankie, with a laptop open on the desk in front of her. Occasionally, she would quickly type down a jot of a few words that sounded important, but other than that, she had found herself skimming websites for Super Nintendo roms as the teacher spoke.

When there was about forty minutes left of the lesson when Tatum finally did begin to pay attention. Professor Verret was explaining what their assignment was for the week, and although she didn't feel like listening right then, Tatum tried anyway. It all sounded fine and good, a simple five page report on how magic related to the origins of the New Orleans Swamp Fest, and they would be given the remainder of this period to go to the library and pick out the books they would need to complete the report. It was to be handed in Friday morning, at the beginning of the period and no later. That was fine, no problems there, until Professor Vetter spoke four words that made Tatum's blood run cold, tensing up in her seat.

"Now, let's decide partners."

Tatum immediately glanced beside her at Frankie, finding herself unable to read her expression. She seemed a lot more nonplussed than Tatum herself, or at least it seemed. Still slumped into her seat, but definitely paying attention now, Tatum listened as the teacher rattled off the students names in pairs of two, and reminding them all that they were to speak only with their assigned partners for the rest of this period. It was a library trip, not a social hour. She almost visibly winced when Professor Vetter named off Frankie, along with another girl from class. There went her only chance at finishing this project without any awkwardness. Goddamn, she hated group work.

There were only about six people left to be paired off when the teacher finally reached Tatum's name on the list.

"Tatum Donnelly and Gregoire LeClair."

There was that feeling of her blood running cold again. She couldn't even bring herself to try to turn her head and spot where Gray was sitting in the room. Her face was already feel hot, despite how she tried to calm herself down. Once the list in Professor Verret's hand was finished, she dismissed them to proceed to the library quietly, and people began to move around the room, meeting up with their partners and leaving the classroom with them. Slowly, Tatum stood on somewhat unsteady legs, closing her laptop and lifting up her schoolbag from the floor, shoving the computer into it.

This was so brutal.