Page 50 of Shattered Saint
My stomach did a somersault when she said partners. I hated working in groups. Working with someone else always caused my anxiety to go through the roof. Having to depend on other people made me feel as if I was getting hives.
Please don't pair me with Easton.I glanced at the man who occupied my thoughts, but I didn’t say a word out loud. The last thing I needed was to be forced to spend more time with him.
"Once I tell you who your partner is, take a moment to discuss your ideas with each other," Dr. Chen said. She started walking around the class, telling people who they would be partnered with and handing out case studies. My nerves were completely shot as I watched her tell everyone who they would be working with.
"Alright, let's see," as she read from the piece of paper in her hand. "Bianca, you'll be working with… Easton."
I would have sworn my heart stopped beating if I hadn’t still been alive. The universe just told me to go back to bed and try again tomorrow.
"You’ve got to be shitting me," I muttered under my breath as Easton turned around to face me. The intensity in his eyes shook me to my core.
"Hey, Bianca," he said as a wicked grin played at the corners of his mouth. "I’m looking forward to working with you."
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, wondering if he'd somehow orchestrated this. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had.
Come on, Bianca.He can't control Dr. Chen's decisions.
"Sure," I said, my voice barely audible. "Let's get this over with."
Dr. Chen cleared her throat and said, "Your assignment will be to analyze a case study of an individual suffering from a psychological disorder. You'll need to explore the root causes, symptoms, and treatments for the disorder, as well as the ethical considerations involved in its study and treatment."
“As far as a due date,” Dr. Chen continued, “this project must be completed by the end of the semester. I expect a polished final product because it is worth twenty percent of your final grade.”
Fuck. I can’t even half ass it because it's such a big percentage of my grade.
"Okay, everyone has a partner now. We can get started," Dr. Chen announced before she gave us more instructions about how we were supposed to carry out this project.
Once Dr. Chen wrapped up her comments, Easton and I began to discuss the project. Even with us remaining professional, I could still feel the tension that continued to brew between us. This whole thing was going to be a hot mess.
"So, how do you want to split up the work?" I asked.
"Let's see," he paused for a moment, I assumed to think of a response. "How about you handle the research and I'll take care of the... presentation?"
"Bypresentation, do you mean writing too?" I tried to make it clear that he wasn’t going to throw the bulk of the work at me and get off easy.
"Of course," he said as I saw some sincerity in his eyes. "I’ll put in just as much work as you do."
"Good, and we'll need to communicate to make sure we’re on the same page, and to get status updates about how we are doing."
“Deal,” he said as he put his hand out for me to shake. Although I thought this was ridiculous, I also stuck my hand out, and as soon as our hands touched, a jolt passed through my body. I wanted to pull mine back but Easton’s grasp on my hand kept me in place.
"Sounds perfect to me," he replied, his voice low to the point I was questioning whether I’d heard him correctly. "I look forward to talking to you more, Bianca."
As the clock ticked away, Dr. Chen made her way around the room, providing feedback to each group. I tried to focus on what she was saying, but my mind was all too happy to think about Easton and the precarious positions we’d been put in.
I pulled out my laptop and began typing what we talked about into a shared Google Doc. Given how distracted I was, it was best to put everything down there so it would be easy to recall what was discussed.
"Okay," Dr. Chen said, as she walked past us, nodding in approval at our progress.
"Thanks for pairing us up, Dr. Chen,” Easton replied, smirking at me. "Bianca and I are great at finding common ground and working together, aren't we?"
I clenched my jaw as I tried to ignore his innuendos. "What he means is, we can’t wait to start this.”
"Great, I’m glad to hear that," Dr. Chen affirmed, moving on to the next pair.
As she walked away, I turned to glare at Easton. He was getting on my damn nerves.
“We’re going to have to exchange phone numbers,” Easton said as if it weren’t a big deal.
