Age: 16 Fall Semester-Junior year

"John Hamlet?" My ears perked up. John, who was sitting in the front row, tilted his chin upward. I remember reading Hamlet last year for my Humanities class. Who would want a name of a tragedy as a last name? I have to admit, even though it was not my kind of story, I loved the mystery. It left me with questions. Was Hamlet really crazy or was it all an act? Did Ophelia commit suicide or was it an accident?

"Carter Sharpe?" I raised my hand. Mr. Patrick continued down the list of names and then clapped his hands, "Welcome to Creative Writing! Let's quickly review the syllabus. On the top, you'll see..." I tuned him out, leaning my chair back and resting my head against the wall. I hate the first day of school. It's the same routine of going through the syllabus and suffering through awkward ice-breakers. Just scanning around the room, I can tell I'm not the only one who checked out. One girl used her hair to cover the earbuds in her ear. Another guy was texting under the table.

"You will all have to turn in a story at the end of the semester." My eyes snapped back to the teacher. "This story can be of any genre you want. Fantasy, action, romance, sci-fi, whatever. However, you will work with a partner who is doing the," Mr. Patrick made quotation marks in the air around the next word, "opposite genre as you. You and your partner will proofread and critique each other's work. The purpose of this assignment is to get you exposed to ideas and writing strategies you might not have thought of for your preferred genre. So, please pass up a piece of paper with your name and your genre. Then, introduce yourself to the people around you."

I passed up my paper. I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, I'm Olive Green." I turned to see a girl who was nothing like her name. She was fair-skinned with vibrantly dark red hair. Freckles were sprinkled on her nose and underneath her hazel eyes. Her clothes complemented her figure without being showy or revealing. "Carter," I replied, "What genre are you thinking of writing?" She grimaced, "I'm not sure. I dabble a lot. Maybe horror," My eyebrows raised. She chuckled, "I get that a lot. What about you?" Now it was my turn to grimace. "Promise not to laugh?" Olive's smile was warm and pleasant. "Teen fiction. You know, romance, family drama, coming-of-age, blah blah blah." Her smile widened. I bet she wore braces. "That's cool."

"Okay, if I can have your attention again, here are your partners. Once you hear your name, please introduce yourself to your partner for the remainder of class. Please keep in mind that you need to write everyday and bring your new writing for your partner to read for the last fifteen minutes of every class." Mr. Patrick took a sip from his water and started down the list of pairs. "John Hamlet, Gothic romance, with Carter Sharpe, teen fiction." I made eye-contact with John as he turned in his seat. He waved and suddenly I felt nervous. I hope he's not a slacker. I don't want this partnership to end in a disaster just like his name implies.

John rose from his seat and walked over to mine. His button-down shirt was half-tucked into his tan-colored dress pants. His hair was similar to mine in shagginess but his was medium brown while mine was black. Instead of bluish green eyes, he had brown.

"Hey, man! I'm John!" He offered his hand and I shook it, surprised at the formality. "I was actually hoping to work with you. Your last name is the same one as one of my favorite characters."

I looked at him blankly.

His eyes widened, "Crimson Peak? By Guillermo del Toro?"

"Never heard of it," I replied. John ran his fingers through his hair, mouth open in shock.

"Dude, you need to watch it! I can lend it to you if you're interested."

"Uh, sure." It was all I could muster. This guy is definitely an extrovert. Or a prep. Or both.

We exchanged numbers just when the bell rang. "See ya later, man." He swung his backpack over his shoulder and flew out the door.   

*Feel free to comment your thoughts! I'm curious what you think will happen in the story! Please vote if you've enjoyed this chapter! I'm open to critiques and suggestions as well!