Accidentally on Purpose

Chapter Four

When I sat back up, I noticed from the corner of my eye that he was no longer looking at me, his eyes already closed again. Seeing now that he wasn't looking, I turned my head to stare at him. He was now crossing his arms in front of him, his lips pulled into a straight line. I immediately looked away before he opened his eyes.

Mr. Herberg, a man who couldn't be older than thirty, walked into the classroom just as the bell rang, indicating the start of the period. To be honest, Mr. Herberg wasn't a pain to look at—meaning that he was okay-ish to look at. Of course, my perspective had been biased due to the moody boy sitting next to me, but while I think he was okay-looking, most of the girls in this school looked at him as if he was some sort of a God who fell down to earth and had to endure the pain of teaching immature high school students the life skills they needed once they graduate.

I got a feeling that Mr. Herberg actually knew how much effect he had on the students he was teaching—especially the girls. It was a refreshing entertainment to watch—the desperate senior girls trying to catch his attention.

He lightly brushed his dark blonde hair, letting his fingers swipe through as he made his way toward his desk. Contrary to Tommy's worries, I was still able to look at the front of the class, even though he did block it out a little bit. So from here, I could see how Mr. Herberg had turned his back to us to scribble something on the whiteboard.

After a while, he turned around and moved to the side so we could read what he had just written.

Life Skills Semester-Long Project: Parenting Simulation

I glanced at Jonah, seeing that he was still oblivious that the class had started, and then hesitated for a few seconds before declaring what the hell and kicked him in the leg. He jolted, hissing, and glared at me.

I calmly gestured at the teacher in front of us, trying to ignore the way my heart was pounding erratically when Jonah's dark grey eyes glared into mine. The guy rolled his eyes before ripping the earphones out of his earbuds and shoved his music player into his backpack on the floor.

"I'm sure by now you've heard all those senior kids before you have said about the infamous project," Mr. Herberg started, before clearing his throat. "Oh, and good morning, students."

We all murmured "good morning", and he smiled in response.

"Alright, before we start with the actual lesson, I'd like to announce this required project first," he continued. "Since the project will be one semester long, I think it would be best if we start from now.

"The official title of the project is a bit mouthful, but I'm sure you guys are more familiar with this."

He then wrote on the whiteboard: The Baby Project.

Half of the class groaned while the other half just sighed.

"I know, I know. It's a lame project, but it's a required assignment and Mrs. Boone had been doing this project for years, so who am I to take out the tradition now that she's not here to teach you guys anymore?" he said. "We'll be doing the project, and of course it will be in pairs. Thankfully, we have an even number of students in this class this semester, so pairing you guys up won't be a problem."

He then proceeded to erase what he had written on the board.

"Before we start, though, I need to have your parents or your guardians to sign out the consent form that I will be handing out," he said, gesturing to the stack of papers on his desk. He pointed his finger at a guy who sat right in front of his desk. "Come help me hand out these papers to your friends."

The guy nodded and stood up, doing what he was told.

Mr. Herberg continued, "Every pair will be given one fake baby that they will need to take care of. It's literally a doll, and it will cry at the most random times and both of you, the fake parents, have to take care of it and execute every attempt you can think of that will shut the baby up."