Val stared at the person in the seat next to her.  She hated him so much that it was all she  could do not to shout out her anger to the world.  She couldn't believe that her teacher had partnered them up.

"Well?"  he asked, gesturing towards the empty poster board lying between them, strangely akin to the Berlin Wall separating Germany.

His voice!  It was so condescending, like she didn't know how to think on her own!  "Well, what?" she replied, her voice full of loathing.

"Nothing."  He backed down, seeing the look of hatred on her face.

"Okay," she said with a dismissive toss of her hair.  God, why was he sitting so close to her?  "Please."  She gestured with her hand in another dismissive motion.  Get away from me!  She'd give anything to be able to say that to his face without suffering from the consequences.

"Excuse me?" he said, staring at her like he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Yeah," she challenged, feeling the revulsion well up inside of her as she stared him in the eye.

He looked away; they sat in silence for a few minutes, Val refusing to look at him and the other one waiting impatiently to start the project.  Suck up, Val thought maliciously.

"So," he said, breaking the silence.

"So?" she replied. She really couldn't be bothered to think of a better response.

"So." he repeated.  Such wit he had!

"Come on," she said as she turned to face him.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Quit it," she muttered through gritted teeth.  If he didn't stop soon, he would have one heck of a black eye tomorrow.

"Quit what?"  He mocked her, his smirk showing his guilt.

"That," she hissed.  Her fingernails were digging into her skin involuntarily, an unconscious attempt to prevent bodily harm from being done to the boy. Murder, she supposes, would not be a good thing to commit at this point in her life.

"Better?" he asked with another innocent smile.

"Yeah," she sneered, hoping that her sarcasm would actually reach him this time.  God, he was so annoying.