\'\'Alright class, today you all are going to be assigned group projects on the different political systems in Africa. You and your partner are going to pick a specific country and tell me how they handle their political affairs. I want dates, facts, examples and detailed explanations. Remember this is a GROUP assignment so I expect GROUP participation. If I find out that only one person did the work, you\'re both getting a low grade.\'\'

I groan so loud, I\'m pretty sure Canada heard it. I hate group assignments, especially with snobby rich kids.

\'\'All right. I\'ll be reading out the names.\'\' Mr Franklin, our History teacher says.

\'\'Yasmine and Jake.\'\'

\'\'Ariana and Raphael.\'\'

\'\'Stella and Dean.\'\'

\'\'Paris and River.\'\'

\'\'Melody and Ryan.\'\'

Just my luck, I get partnered up with Jason\'s best friend. Does the universe hate me or what? Everyone moves around the classroom trying to find their designated partners while I wait for Ryan to join me because I\'m not going to move my ass from my seat. After 3 minutes and 20 seconds (Yes, I was counting), his floppy curls decide to grace me with their presence.

\'\'Let\'s get one thing straight, I don\'t like you and vice versa so let\'s just get this shit over with and pretend like we don\'t know each other. Deal?\'\'

His lips curve. \'\'Deal.\'\'

The final bell rings, signalling the end of History. \'\'Don\'t forget that it\'s due Friday.\'\' Mr Franklin shouts to the students who have already made their way outside. I slowly grab my bag from the floor and pour the contents on my table to the bag. I can feel Ryan watching me. \'\'Do you have something to say?\'\'

\'\'No.\'\'

\'\'Don\'t you have somewhere to be?\'\'

\'\'No, not really.\'\'

\'\'So, you\'re going to hang out with Mr Franklin?\'\'

He shrugs. \'\'I could if he let me.\'\'

Weird.

\'\'Mr Franklin has a life too you know,\'\' I point to our teacher who is packing his belongings. \'\'He\'s about to leave, and you should too.\'\'

\'\'Where should we meet for our group assignment?\'\'

\'\'Oh, right,\'\' I facepalm myself, almost forgetting the assignment. \'\'Does the library sound good? I have a few errands to run but I\'d be back by 3:30.\'\'

\'\'Sounds good.\'\'

\'\'Great,\'\' I say awkwardly. \'\'See you there.\'\'

...

The library, which by the way looks like something straight out of the movie Beauty and the Beast, is filled to the brim with my classmates and other students who have assignments to work on, deadlines to meet and tests to prepare for. The mountain of books on African Studies is stacked on our table in heaps, but Ryan and I have been here for about 30 minutes and we still haven\'t agreed on a country to work on.

"Namibia?\'\' I suggest.

\'\'No\'\'

\'\'Ethiopia?\'\'

"No."

\'\'Ghana?\'\'

\'\'No.\'\'

\'\'Nigeria?\'\'

\'\'No\'\'

\'\'Is your favourite word No?\'\'

\'\'Yes.\'\'

\'\'Okay, I believe I\'ve mentioned over 50 countries in Africa and you\'ve rejected every one of them. What is your problem? I don\'t want to be here but I don\'t have rich parents like you and I have grades to maintain. Can you stop having a wedge in your ass and pick a damn country so we can move on. I have other obligations.\'\'

He arches an eyebrow at me. "Since when did you become so sassy?\'\'

I roll my eyes at his question. Has he met me at all?

I pick up a book titled African Politics and You and open it. \'\'How about Senegal?\'\'

\'\'You know Jason talks a lot about you,\'\' he says, completely ignoring my question. \'\'In the locker room, it\'s always Melody did this and Melody did that.\'\'

\'\'Am I supposed to be flattered?\'\' I deadpan.

\'\'I don\'t expect you to be, just thought you should know.\'\'

I give a small laugh. \'\'I didn\'t realize I was popular enough for Jason to be talking about me.\'\'

\'\'Are you kidding? The whole school knows about you and Jason\'s rivalry. Everyone calls the both of you Tom and Jerry although we\'re still trying to figure out who is what.\'\'

I\'m definitely Jerry.

\'\'Oh, well,\'\' I shrug. \'\'As long as he stays out of my business, I\'ll stay out of his.\'\'

\'\'Just cut him some slack,\'\' Ryan remarks as he puts on his glasses. \'\'He\'s an asshole, I know but he\'ll come around. He\'s just not used to someone calling off his bluff like you do.\'\'

\'\'They don\'t call me Melody Jones, the \'caller of all bluffs\' for nothing.\'\'

He snorts and grabs a textbook. \'\'I\'m pretty sure no one calls you that.\'\'

\'\'They do too.\'\'

\'\'Do not.\'\'

\'\'Do too.\'\'

\'\'Hey, you two,\'\' Reese, the weird zit guy from AP Biology calls out from the table beside us. \'\'Can you not see the sign over there,\'\' he points to the \'Be Quiet\' sign on the wall. \'\'Some of us actually want to get some reading done, so shut it.\'\'

Ryan and I glance at each other and laugh before mouthing an unsincere apology to him.

\'\'Shut it,\'\' I mimick.

\'\'He\'s right. We really need to shut it and get back to work.\'\'

\'\'South Africa?\'\' I continue.

\'\'N...\'\'

\'\'Complete that word and I would shut your mouth with a glue stick.\'\' I threaten. "I\'m not kidding." He mock surrenders and grabs a textbook titled Liberian Studies. "How about Liberia?\'\'

"I\'m fine with whatever. As long as we complete the assignment before Friday then I\'m good.\'\'

\'\'\'You know,\'\' he starts. \'\'\'You\'re not as bad as Jason paints you out to be. You\'re actually a cool chick.\'\'

Finally, someone gets it.

\'\'Why, thank you,\'\' I say in a mock British accent. \'\'I aim to please after all.\'\'

\'\'And that thing you said to Mariah back at the hallway was fucking epic,\'\' he praises. \'\'She whined to Jason, talking about how you completely humiliated her in front of people. In my opinion, she deserved it.\'\'

I think I like Ryan a little more now. \'\'See, I never start trouble, trouble comes looking for me.\'\'

\'\'Ignore her. She\'s just mad because she knows Jason has eyes for y-\'\'

Excuse me?

\'\'Eyes for another woman.\'\' he corrects before I can question him. \'\'Jason has eyes for another woman and she\'s mad that it\'s not her.\'\'

Either I need a hearing aid, or I just heard Ryan say Jason has eyes for me. Nah, I definitely need a hearing aid because Jason can\'t like me. He and I can never happen, not even in his dreams.

\'\'Guess being a basketball groupie is her thing.\'\'

\'\'Maybe.\'\'

With a final glance at each other, we face the books in front of us and strategize for our upcoming assignment.

Ryan is not so bad, in fact, I believe our chemistry flows really well. If he weren\'t best friends with Jason, and if we weren\'t in completely different social circles, I\'m pretty sure we would have talked before now. I thought he was all cocky with no brains like Jason but he\'s actually quite smart. He knows exactly where Liberia is, something about his family supporting a charity there, and even had extensive knowledge on its culture and political system without reading the books. Needless to say, he did more work than I did and I couldn\'t be happier.

\'\'Well,\'\' I yawn. \'\'that\'s enough studying and brain overload for me today. It\'s been two hours now and I\'m beat.\'\'

He looks at his watch with a frown. \'\'Yea, I guess we should stop here for today. I have to pick up my sister from daycare.\'\'

That\'s new. \'\'I didn\'t know you had a sibling.\'\'

Of course you wouldn\'t know, Melody. Have you ever had a conversation before you were both paired together?

\'\'Two actually. I\'m the middle child. I have an older brother who\'s in UCLA.\'\'

\'\'That\'s cool. I have a younger sister too.\'\'

\'\'Guess we have a lot more in common than I thought.\'\'

\'\'Right.\'\' We neatly arrange the books we borrowed on the table and grab our bags from the chairs opposite us. \'\'So, when do we meet again to complete the assignment?\'\'

\'\'Does Saturday sound good?\'\'

\'\'Saturday it is.\'\' He steadies the bag on his shoulder. \'\'Walk you to your car?\'\'

\'\'Sure.\'\'