Chapter 1: The Assignment

Kingston High was unassuming enough –starting with the basic three floor structure and ending with the worn in, but carefully maintained football field. It was, in a word 'Typical Middle America' with fundraiser posters scattered through the hall, and young men and women conversing and laughing in the usual morning chatter. Ah, High School bliss, complete with social status, over-cooked instant mashed potatoes and constant bad decisions.

And not unlike every school, there is always that one girl who is stuck in the middle of everything. Not at the top of social hierarchy, but in no way stuck at the bottom. She's artistic in her own way and quirky, but not socially awkward. She is athletic enough, but not on any sports team –because honestly that would be trying too hard for attention, in her eyes. She's comfortable knowing that most everyone is aware of who she is or at least her name, but not all about her. At Kingston High, that girl was Lina Anderson.

Her locker was filled with pictures of everything from Rancid to Johnny Cash, along with a small mirror, because let's be honest –vanity is a hateful bitch who ruins the lives of everyone. With a hopeful sigh, Lina pulled her chocolate brown hair back into a loose braid, before retrieving her English book, and then gently closed her locker. In a couple of weeks she would be turning eighteen –then a month after that, graduation.

Down the hall, across from the English room was –in all intents and purposes- what looked to be the quintessential bad boy. His hair was dark and fell into his slate-blue eyes in almost curled waves, as his skin tone screamed of Italian decent –there was no denying his attractiveness, even the most popular girls at Kingston had a hard time not blushing at the sight of him. His tall frame leaned against a tiled wall as he watched Lina enter the classroom ... she shot him a nasty scowl when he wiggled his brows at her, mockingly. Damn, how she grated his nerves ... and he grated her just as hard, if not harder. How it started, no one knows –but Lina Anderson and Bradley Foster were like oil and vinegar.

Lina sat somewhere in the middle of a mass of desks, silently willing herself to wake up properly, while more students filed into the room and took their seats while continuing their conversations. When she looked up to the board, Lina actually took her reading glasses off and cleaned them, in confusion. Yes, she had read that right. "Bonding Project" was scrawled across the white board. She vaguely heard someone in the back make a comment about it being kinky.

Thankfully her teacher entered the room, carrying her usual mug of hot coffee. Mrs. Row was notorious for off-subject, whacky projects and assignments. Lina could only assume that her syllabus was at its end, and the poor woman was grasping at straws for something the senior class to do with their time in her classroom.

A huge smile cracked on the English teachers' face, "You all are probably wondering why 'Bonding Project' is written on the board." She said, a little too enthusiastically. "It's rather simple ... Everyone will be paired with a carefully selected partner, where they will get to know each other starting today and report back to me at the end of the year."

Mrs. Row had always been bothered by the fact that Lina and Brad's senior class had always been somewhat distant and 'clique-y'. Honestly, Lina didn't think she had it in her to go to this extreme, and for a while was comforted by that thought. Now, she sunk in her chair and groaned. Not only was she not a morning person, but now she would have to spend her morning grumpiness with someone else and talk about herself –and worst of all, outside of the classroom apparently, she learned while listening to Mrs. Row expand on the project. Lina quickly straightened up when her teacher pulled a paper from her desk and started calling out names.

"Jones and Martin ... Hale and Smith ... Cunningham, please stop talking –by the way, you're with Glenns ... Anderson and Foster..."

Of course. Of course! Mrs. Row continued to rattle off names, but Lina wasn't listening anymore. All she could focus on was the back of Brad's head, as he slowly turned around and smirk at her. Oh, the irony –the unjust, humiliating irony. It was like a cold slap in the face that her English teacher would actually pair her up with the only person in this school that she actually had a real problem with. He was the only one that truly knew how to get under her skin and had made all four years at Kingston just under 'ideal' for her.

The class was instructed to pair up when Mrs. Row was finished calling out partners names, but Lina refused to budge –and so did Brad. They were supposed to get together and discuss dates and times to meet up and hang out. Lina and Brad continued to stare each other down, silently challenging each other to make the move. That was until a pretty blond girl politely asked Lina if she could move, so she could sit with her partner. The cold slap of ironic injustice all over again; Lina spared the girl an apologetic smile and moved to sit next to Brad.

"So Anderson, I was thinking-"

"No." Lina said quietly, glaring straight ahead at the white board, "We're supposed to be getting to know each other for the next six weeks. That doesn't give you the go-ahead to call the shots."

Brad smirked and turned his body towards Lina, leaning closer to her so he could speak just above a whisper. "That's funny, because I thought you liked being told what to do."

His voice was always deep and a touch rough, but when dropped to just above a whisper, it made the hairs on the back of Linas' neck stand up –something she hated with a passion. "Foster, you couldn't possibly know what I like, nor do I think you could even begin to handle it." She bantered back, giving him an obviously fake, sweet smile.

Brad raised an eyebrow and actually chuckled, shaking his head "Don't underestimate me, Anderson."

Lina turned her body towards Brad and gave him a sympathetic sigh. She purposely raked her eyes up and down his body, sizing him up while giving him another fake smile, "Oh, Bradley it's not your fault." Condescension dripped from her every word. "Everyone has their ... shortcomings." She looked around the room quickly "It happens to everyone at least once –too bad for you it's every time."