Chapter 5

The rest of the week I spent all my time with Lawliet. Kayla and Melissa were still sick so I soaked up as much time with him as I could. I’d grown fond of Lawliet, for a boy had never really opened up to me like that before, and I hardly even knew him! The time under the apple tree I will always remember.

Lawliet turned out to be the smartest kid in class, even surpassing Sarah who had always been the smartest in the class since Grade 1. I watched in amazement as Lawliet answered all the teachers’ questions in full detail on nanotechnology then aced the test she had given him; the test that she gave him was specially prepared and was for the incredibly advanced students. Eventually Lawliet was offered to move up to honors class but refused.

One day under the apple tree I asked him why he refused the offer. “It just didn’t suit me.,” he answered. I gaped at him. “How can it not suit you? You're probably the smartest kid in the school!” I said. Lawliet looked at me with kind eyes. “I think I’d like to be normal for once,” he answered. I gave him a funny look. He laughed. “I’ll tell you sometime later,” he said, still smiling. But Lawliet never would. Perhaps he was lying, I don’t know. But he never told me.

I walked with him to our next class. And then suddenly I had a small impulse to hold his hand. “What am I doing!? I’m not going to hold his hand!” I thought. I shook my head, as if to chase away the notion. Lawliet looked at me. “Oh it’s nothing,” I answered for his unspoken question.

I finished the next subject and went on the bus home, Lawliet accompanying me on the way. I was used to this by now, as he had insisted he would walk me home the day I talked to him under the apple tree. He walked me to the door. Then before I knew what I was doing I wrapped my arms around him. “What am I doing!” I screamed in my head. My eyes shot open and I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. I immediately let go of him and apologized over and over. “I’m sorry!" I said. "I don’t know hat happened to me! I’m sorry.” Lawliet smiled, but he seemed slightly shocked. “It’s okay. I understand,” he said. Then I waved good-bye, shut myself into my room and drowned myself with music with my iPod.