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I didn’t really want anyone to know I’d been there while they’d all been talking and stuff. I just went inside and silently followed the sound of talking and laughing. I’d heard them talking about our two groups working together and so I didn’t bother waiting for Laura and Stiles. It was very clear she liked him, as I thought about how she acted around him.
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I hesitated outside the door where I knew the others were. I really didn’t want to go in there. Maybe I could just sneak out and make a run for it. As I was about to just run out of the house, the three walked in. Laura was looking at the ground and Stiles was looking at anything but the ground. Clearly, something had happened.
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“Okay guys, let's start!” Lydia yelled from the kitchen
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I sighed and tried to mentally prepare myself for this. On the bright side, I knew about the topic of the project, however on the other side of things, all these people were friends. Jackson and Lydia were rude and I hadn’t really met the rest besides Laura and Allison. I reluctantly walked into the kitchen. There was an awkward presence in the room.
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“What's wrong with them?” Scott leaned over and asked me.
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I just shrugged. “No idea.”
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“Ok I was thinking it over in my head and I think we should do posters.” Lydia continued, “Mrs.Dane always grades posters higher than powerpoints.” Everyone nodded
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I figured that based on the small exchange I’d already had with Lydia, that she liked to be in charge. She was definitely bossy and I honestly didn’t mind that at the moment. She’d probably tell everyone what to do so I wouldn’t have to really say much. After a few minutes, my mind automatically began to wander. I stopped paying attention and just zoned out. When I did eventually come back to my surroundings, I found that everyone was looking at me.
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“What?” I asked, now wishing I hadn’t zoned out.
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“Are you serious?” Lydia asked, “I’ve been talking for fifteen minutes. You know what, it doesn't matter, I’m taking you with me to the store. We’re going in Jackson's car. Be ready in five minutes.”
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“Sorry, I zone out when I’m bored,” I replied. I didn’t argue about going to the store. I’d only be with one person which was better than several. Everyone started to get to work and I just stood there. Slowest five minutes of my life. Finally, it was time to actually go to the store. I decided to leave my backpack and I followed Lydia outside. She got into the car and I got into the passenger seat. A flood of overwhelmingly strong cologne made its way into my nose.
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“Ugh, how much cologne does a guy need?” I muttered.
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“I know, it's literally like sniffing an alcohol wipe. He does it for the overall aesthetic, and I understand. But this is TOO much.” She said as she coughed
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“I definitely think it’s too much. Maybe you should just spray a bunch of perfume to combat it then see how he reacts.” I replied, thoughtfully. She giggled and pulled out a bottle from her purse. “
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“This is just going to make our headaches worse, but it's going to be worth it.” She said as she sprayed the whole car with a sweet-smelling perfume. And then began to drive.
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“You think this project will be difficult?” I asked her. She looked at me, and then back at the road.
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“Ummm, maybe a little.” She replied, clearly hiding something.
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“What are you hiding? Is there some insanely difficult part of this project I don’t know about?” I asked, slightly joking. She just shrugged, keeping her eyes on the road. Probably focusing on keeping her mouth shut.
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“There are going to be some challenges,” she stated with no emotion
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“You’re not telling the complete truth.” I commented. I really didn’t need to press but I am a naturally curious person so I wanted to know.
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“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said, as if she was a robot.
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“You’re giving automatic responses. Like you say things like this all the time. What are you trying to hide?” I replied.
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“I’m not hiding anything.”
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“As a person that does something similar to what you’re doing, I can very much confirm that you’re hiding something.” I told her.
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“You know what? Fine. Fine. “ she said, throwing her hands up. I simply waited for her to continue.
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“I cannot handle how EASY this stupid project is. We literally get one of these EVERY SINGLE MONTH. This is not challenging us in any way, shape or form.” she continued, starting to rant.
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“The teacher literally doesn’t have any material so she gives us these third grade novels and makes us do a powerpoint on it. IT'S SO FRUSTRATING. I spend all my time helping Jackson with his power-points, and reports, and posters when I still haven't done my math homework. I am three math classes up from everyone else. I am in honors pre-calculus. I don’t have any extra time on my hands.” She was clearly frustrated.
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I was quiet for a moment as I processed the words. “I can understand that. I can also understand why you were hiding the fact that you’re incredibly smart. Maybe just don’t help Jackson. He has to learn to do things on his own and you should at least tell him that you have to finish your homework before helping him with his. I agree with what you’re saying about this assignment. It is way too easy. I honestly thought she was kidding when I heard what we had to do.” I said. I was starting to take back my previous thoughts about Lydia. We actually had something in common and she didn’t seem as bad now than she was earlier today.
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“I’m sorry. I don’t- please don’t tell anyone, I don’t want them to feel bad.”
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“I wouldn’t do that. I don’t talk much to people anyway.” I assured her as I looked out the car window. The thing was with Lydia, I knew she would probably have mutual respect for me. We both seemed to think the same way as well. Maybe she did deserve better than an absolute moron like Jackson. I was pretty good at figuring out people’s personalities and how they were. She was smart, pretty, obviously popular, and she seemed to have a decent group of friends. I knew I could never be like her. She and I were polar opposites in many ways yet similar in others. She didn’t press me or try to figure out everything about me. She let me have my secrets and deep down I was grateful for that.
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