I didn’t hear a word of what Ms. Rubin was saying after that. Blah blah blah. Science-fair project. Blah blah blah. Partners. Blah blah. It was like the way grown-ups talk in Charlie Brown movies. Like someone talking underwater. Mwah-mwah-mwahhh, mwah mwahh.
Then all of a sudden Ms. Rubin started pointing to kids around the class. “Reid and Tristan, Maya and Max, Charlotte and Ximena, August and Jack.” She pointed to us when she said this. “Miles and Amos, Julian and Henry, Savanna and …” I didn’t hear the rest.
“Huh?” I said. The bell rang.
“So don’t forget to get together with your partners to choose a project from the list, guys!” said Ms. Rubin as everyone started taking off. I looked up at August, but he had already put his backpack on and was practically out the door.
I must have had a stupid look on my face because Julian came over and said: “Looks like you and your best bud are partners.” He was smirking when he said this. I hated him so much right then.
“Hello, earth to Jack Will?” he said when I didn’t answer him.
“Shut up, Julian.” I was putting my loose-leaf binder away in my backpack and just wanted him away from me.
“You must be so bummed you got stuck with him,” he said. “You should tell Ms. Rubin you want to switch partners. I bet she’d let you.”
“No she wouldn’t,” I said. “Ask her.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
“Ms. Rubin?” Julian said, turning around and raising his hand at the same time.
Ms. Rubin was erasing the chalkboard at the front of the room. She turned when she heard her name.
“No, Julian!” I whisper-screamed. “What is it, boys?” she said impatiently.
“Could we switch partners if we wanted to?” said Julian, looking very innocent. “Me and Jack had this science-fair project idea we wanted to work on together.…”
“Well, I guess we could arrange that …,” she started to say.
“No, it’s okay, Ms. Rubin,” I said quickly, heading out the door. “Bye!”
Julian ran after me.
“Why’d you do that?” he said, catching up to me at the stairs. “We could have been partners. You don’t have to be friends with that freak if you don’t want to be, you know.…”
And that’s when I punched him. Right in the mouth.
