“Awww, poor baby. Tell it to someone who gives a rat’s ass.” She blurted out, masking the smirk that she could feel tugging against her lips with a uninterested expression. By this point she would be lying to herself if she tried to say she wasn’t having fun, although it was only a small amount. Her knew partner seemed to know how to attempt to get a rise out of her, and she dutifully gave him what he wanted to see what he would come up with next. Her only complaint was that she still had to find a way to ditch him over the next few days, if only to keep her rep intact and to keep people from thinking there was anything going on between them other than harassment. She almost considered it a shame that he hadn’t started off the school year with the rest of the class, she might have actually paid a bit more attention to what was going on rather than stare out the window counting the minutes away. She doubted he would have stuck around for long, but it still would have been far more interesting than her class had been to date.

Their assignment was dwindling down, and Jocelyn had mixed emotions over the end of class. On one hand, she could go back to daydreaming and spending her time doing more productive things such as planning what she would do once she got home. On the other, she’d have to go back to being bored out of her mind and waiting for one of her other classmates to do something stupid that would amuse her to no end. She always found amusement when one of the jocks got in trouble for strolling into class late, or the primped out princesses, as she liked to refer to them, cried out over breaking a nail, or their hair getting messed up. There were a few times when she’d stir things up herself, kicking her backpack out into the aisle as they were walking in hopes they’d fall on their faces. It didn’t happen too often, but she’d managed to trip them up a few times. She’d play off as innocent, and the teachers would give her a stern, disbelieving look but let the matter drop, while her victim would shoot heated glares at her which she returned with sweet smiles and winks. If there was one thing she definitely would not miss at school, it would be her shallow classmates who cared more about what was going on in entertainment than the world around them. 

Tora caught her off guard with his next set of statements, Jocelyn’s cheeks flaring a shade of red that would rival her hair. She knew he was trying to rile her up, and the words had left his mouth did the trick perfectly, actually rendering her completely speechless and struggling to come up with a reply. What made matters worse was that she could feel the eyes of the others in the class peering back at the two of them, and she did not need to look in their direction to know that his words had been overheard. ‘Perfect….exactly what I need. Now I’ll be hearing my name linked up with his for the rest of the day. Guess I’ll have to punch him in the face at some point so people will figure out I’m not interested in him.’ She mused, sighing obnoxiously loud at her own thoughts. 

Other than the sigh, Jocelyn gave no other response that would show how bothered she was by his words, instead, she turned in her seat to face him, lips forming a smile but her eyes darkening with anger. “Now, now. I know you can’t take your eyes off me, but I should tell you now that you’re not my type. I’m not interested in cross-species relationships, and as far as I can tell, you’re a pig.” Her words were spoken loud enough that everyone around could hear her, and she made no attempts at all to hide the venom lacing her voice. “You may want to learn to keep your eyes to yourself, before I turn your glasses into contacts.” 

Her voice dropped in tone, the words now spoken in a heated whisper. “And the next time you put your hands on me, I’ll rip your arm off and beat you with it.” Her brows lifted threateningly, her smile transforming into a cynical smirk. “You’re lucky I have to play nice, or I’d have poured every single vial of acid over your big head.”

The teacher clapped his hands and announced that it was time for everyone to clean up and prepare to head off to their next class. Jocelyn didn’t need to be told twice. Sweeping her pen and notebook into her backpack, she turned back to look at her partner, the smile back in place. “Do you need me to explain how to clean all this up? Or are you too distracted by my beauty and need me to take over?” Jocelyn’s luck had run out, for it was at that moment that the teacher decided to pass by their table again, his throat clearing as he stood directly beside her. “Jocelyn, stop flirting and finish cleaning up. The bell will be ringing in a minute.” Tensing, she began to sputter helplessly, wanting to explain to the man that she wasn’t flirting, but before she got the chance to he was walking back to the front of the class. “As if I’d willingly flirt with him….maybe if my water bottle had been spiked with roofies.” She grumbled, her hands busy cleaning up the mess that had been left behind by the experiment, and returning the beaker back to its proper place. “Really, has everyone started doing drugs today?” She continued to mutter, growling quietly in frustration. It had all been fun and games until it had been assumed she was flirting, and that was when her attitude began to change. She wasn’t given long to dwell on her anger before the bell rang and she was on her feet racing out of the room to head to her next class, her pace near a jog as she rushed out into the hallway. She wasn’t in a rush to get to her classroom, but she wanted to put as much distance between herself and Tora, before the rumor mill began to go wild with assumptions.