Emma POV:

"Emma Wains, come up and spin  the wheel." My teacher, Ms. Adams called to me. She had drawn my name first out if her box of the girls names. She always let the girls pick their partners names and spin the wheel because apparently even in our junior year of college we're still supposed to think the world is chivalrous or something. Spoiler alert. It's not. As I slowly got out of my chair and made my way to the front of the room, I could hear my friends and classmates around me, hushed whispers and guesses of who I would get. The nerves and anxiety were making my stomach turn and I felt breathing start getting faster. I reached up and brushed my hair out of my face, smoothing it back and then brushing the edges of my shirt as I moved to the front of the room. A blush had come over my face by the time I got myself up to that dreaded box and I fanned my face causing laughter from the rest of the class and I smiled. I made myself breathe slowly and calm down, then I reached my hand out and into the box containing all of the guys names in the class.

I pulled out a small piece of paper, no bigger than my thumb and handed it quickly to Ms. Adams, not brave enough to read it myself. She laughed as I handed it to her but took it and read it quickly, eager to get on with the rest of the class.

"Devon Folix" I heard Ms. Adams say and I froze, internally my brain was freaking out. Not Devon. Please not the most idiotic and classically popular guy in our entire class, and maybe our entire school. The look of horror must have been evident on my face because when he came from his seat to join me at the spinning wheel he whispered to me.

"Is it really that awful to be paired with me?" He almost sounded hurt. But I ignored him, too nervous to care at the moment. Spinning the wheel basically decided what your future was, we all knew the basics of the project, but this decided the specifics.  Before I let myself think about it too much more I reached my hand up and spun that wheel with the last of the mental strength I had in me at the moment. 

That clicking noise was all you could hear in the silence. Over and over and over again, until I just wanted to grab it to make it stop. At some point through  the seemingly never ending  waiting I noticed Devon had grabbed my hand. As much as I wanted to pull my hand from his grasp I didn't.  I wasn't a hundred percent sure why, but I suppose we awaited our future at least sort of together. Not that we would have chosen to, at least I would assume, but it was something. The clicking grew slower and slower until finally, after what seemed like years of waiting, it stopped.

A sigh of relief passed through me. A single. Thank goodness. Ms. Adams handed me the piece of  paper that told us we were now the adoptive parents of a newborn baby girl.

Her name, I decided was to be Alliyah and she was the most precious thing I had ever seen. Devon rolled his eyes and scoffed at my choice of name but it didn't matter to me. He knew as well as I did there was no way we would ever agree on name for this beautiful tiny human. She was just a few days old, tiny and brand new. I loved her at first sight, as cliche as that was. I wasn't sure what to expect from Devon, he was a so called popular guy, the starter on our college football team, and I guess I couldn't help but to assume I would do all the work and he  would show up in the end to get the grade handed to him. As that's how everyone portrays him. Honestly I hoped more than I probably should've that that's exactly what would happen. I smiled in spite of the circumstances when my baby girl yawned in her slumber.

After all of my classmates has their partners and babies, we all chatted about the project. Teasing about who had got stuck with who, fawning over the infants now placed in our care. Ten babies in total, brand new people. Never before shown love and support. Abandoned so soon, not even given the chance to blossom. Well, at least not by the biological so called parents. It was up to us now, some here by choice and some just here. We all have something to learn and love to give.  I learned my best friend had ended up with the only set of twins, she had gotten lucky and pulled the name of her longtime crush and I had this string feeling he liked her as well judging from his reaction of joy. I smiled and congratulated them, wishing them luck. Next we all sat back down, cuddling and hushing our bundles of joy, and we finally received our cottage numbers. Devon and I's was Cottage Number 13. The last in the row and normally unused. The workers had to clean it up and renovate a bit for it to be ready, so Ms. Adams said we were lucky to get the most updated one there was. It didn't especially matter to me how new the appliances were, as long as Devon didn't make this project and my life miserable. 

As I went to place Alliyah into her car seat and get ready to go, I stopped and just stared in amazement at her. To think I ever was so small is unimaginable. She is so tiny and perfect, I can't help but lean down to inhale her sweet baby scent and kiss her soft, blemish free skin. Her tiny fingers wrap around mine and I can't help but sigh in complete bliss. She fluttered her baby blue eyes at me and I smiled despite my back aching from holding her for so long, even at only six pounds and change, the angle was something I was not accustomed to yet. 

It's been less than two hours since I met this precious baby girl but I know I am already attaching myself to her. Her brown hair reminds me of my own, as if she actually could be mine. I chuckle a bit at my thinking in terms of mother and daughter already. I can't possibly imagine ever letting her go now.

The protective streak in me runs so deep that when Devon touches my arm I jump away and glare at him. He runs a hand through his hair and I pause a moment before returning to my icy facade. He has circles underneath his eyes and his fake smile seems to be fading from pure exhaustion but I can't make the harsh exterior fade. He is known as a classic high school-esque player, I don't even run with the popular crew and I had heard many, many stories. 

"What" I say in a rather menacing tone. In hopes that I can make him go away, if he would just disappear he could make both of our lives easier instantly. I don't want to deal with him right now, I had things to do. It was time to head to my new home and settle myself and my baby in. 

"I want to hold her."His words stop my thought process and shock me.  Why? What was in it for him? I had never actually considered the fact he would want to be a part of the project, or her and I's lives. But honestly why would I, after everything I had seen him do and heard about him.

"Are you joking? Because that's not very nice." I try to say it jestingly, truly trying not to be angry with him but it comes out in a weird tone of voice. Was that jealousy? No. I will not allow myself to be jealous of him. There's absolutely no reason to be. 

His face shows no signs that say he was joking so I sigh and turn to finish placing her in the car seat. Strapping her in tightly and covering her with a blanket. His face is now clouded in confusion when I turn back towards him. "You'll have to wait until we get to the cottage and settle in. There's no reason to stay here when we have plenty to do at home." I winced a bit at calling it home so soon and I saw him see me do so, disappointment reflecting in his eyes. He probably thought I meant it as in because he was there. I didn't really mind letting him think that.  

After we drove the short distance to the line of housing for our class and I brought Alliyah inside, I slowly handed her over to him. His face glowed in what I can only name as pure happiness. His smile grew as she shifted in her sleep and snuggled closer to him in his arms. She smiled slightly, a gesture I knew was probably passing gas but it was evident he didn't when his eyes flashed up to mine and held my gaze for a few seconds. The moment passed when my sweet baby girl whimpers and we both stare down at her.

"Support her head!" I say fluttering around him watching his every movement. I want so bad to take her back and hold her tight. Never to let him touch her again but I make myself walk away. He has to have a chance, I tell myself. I go and check out the kitchen in our small cottage, unpacking what there is to unpack and looking in random drawers and cabinets. I hop on my phone to check Facebook for a few minutes and finally I can't help myself but to go check on them. I wander back into the living room and see quite the sight before me.  They are sweetly asleep, him on the couch and her up on his chest, she sighs contentedly and he smiles in his sleep. It's heartwarming but I don't let myself forget the realities of the situation. As I walk over to get a better look at baby, his eyes slowly open and we just stare at each other for a moment.

"Can you grab her?" His husky voice breaks the silence and I nod silently. I gently pick her up and she cuddles into me when I settle her in my arms. I can feel a smile creep across my face as I stare down at her, when I glance up at Devon he is staring at us, I hesitate to call it almost glaring, but when his eyes meet mine he frowns and looks away.

That rude shove back into reality made it easy for me to walk out of that room without saying another word.

And I don't look back either.