“So when you look at it the way the author of this text did, you see that dying is an unavoidable part of life, but there will always be people, who try to cheat it.” Mr Brown explained to the class. This topic made me uneasy. I wondered what Adam was thinking about after he had listened to the teacher talk about death for an hour. I looked at Adam, but he seemed as normal as ever. He would have done so well as an actor, I thought. I didn’t like that Adam was keeping all these feelings buried inside but I also felt special because he had voluntarily told me.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZmTf7Xw9I
“I want an composition on your view of death handed to me by next week. However, this time I have decided that you won't be completing this assignment alone. I will divide you into pairs. Listen closely now, I will not read this again. Together will be working Chris and Alex, Carmen and Mary,” He read out everybody's names and partners. He got to the last names that started with a T, “Adam and Elizabeth,”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOOwaamOVt
Huh? Huh! I would be working with Adam. That meant that we would have to get together and talk about death and I still didn’t know what do say if Adam brought up Cindy again. I couldn’t tell him I was jealous and I didn’t know what to say to ease Adam's sadness. This was either going to be a complete nightmare or, by some lucky chance, a dream come true. Only time would show. Although I was more inclined to believe the nightmare option.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4Wm6ZzLth
“You get to work with Adam. Lucky you.” Carmen whispered to me, just as the bell signaled the end of the class. She got up and left, probably to be with David again, somewhere where the teachers wouldn’t notice.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NRoOAbx7x
“Yeah, lucky me,” I mumbled, staring at her retreating form.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBxHKXC1c8
Adam got up and walked up to me, "I guess we will be working together. Want to get together after school and finish the composition early?"908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1go7KfJOH
He seemed so normal. 908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3PxnSATdx
Maybe he really was okay with assignments like this one, "Great"908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLOCTEziDG
He didn't stick around and before I knew it, I was left alone. It had been a long time, since I didn't have Carmen to hang out with. Not having anything to do, I just sat at my desk and allowed myself to give occasional glances at Adam. I just couldn't stop myself. I had been drawn to him since the first time we met. I mean, what are the odds that a handsome guy, who you met when he was ready to kill himself, ended up in the same school, in the same class as you? I didn't think it happened too often.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7GTHQXZAM
The final bell of the day rang and I went to the library. It was quiet. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I didn't go to the library often and it was always noisy in halls, so i had thought finding a quiet place in school was impossible.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEutsXHei8y
Adam was sitting behind a desk in the far isolated corner of the library. I sat opposite of him and Adam looked up, "Elizabeth," he acknowledged me with a nod.
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I took out my A4 format notebook, pencil and an eraser and set them on the table. “So, should we get started,” I said, rather asked uncertainly.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDZJXltUI7
“Yeah. So what is your view on death? Let's start there,” Adam replied easily.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZCvyjby3C
“My view. I don’t know what my view is,” I twirled with the pencil, but kept myself from chewing it.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuJWLbadN4
“You live with your parents, right?” Adam asked and I nodded, “Then just imagine something happened to them. How would you feel?”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7m1Mr6Nlm
I tried to picture it. Going home and finding out that something had happened to mom and dad. That I would never hear Mum scolding me or praising me, when I got good grades, I would never again see my dad walking through the door after a hard day's work and kiss my mom on the cheek. That I would never have the chance to tell them that, all the scolding and strict parenting aside, I loved them.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRn6JwqWMV
Sometimes my active imagination was a curse. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was horrible. “I would cry,”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqW0VZsomm
“Why?” Adam continued asking questions. Stupid questions, in my opinion.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3Smmsj8jt
“Because they are my parents,” I said hastily.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVPVGV5nbl
“Is that all?”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BjoJjK85o
“Because I care about them. Do I need another reason?” I was getting a bit irritated. Did you need another reason to cry about the death of your loved ones?908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIVtiXz5kN
Adam was quiet for a second, “No, you don’t. Sorry I upset you,” His voice not betraying any emotion.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWE6LfUFeq
“What about you?” Now it was my turn to ask the questions. This was a perfect chance for me to understand Adam better. 908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoDlws90o3
“What about me?”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwYGeOAR5V
“We are supposed to write about both our thoughts on death. I told you mine, now you tell me yours.”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBG1F1FwoS
“First of all, you didn’t tell me anything new. I could have guessed that most people cry after a loss of a loved one.”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmDZvuybbO
“Did you cry?” I couldn’t contain my curiosity. Had Adam expressed his sadness, or had he collected it all inside. If he had, then the crying he had done in the lighthouse wasn’t nearly enough.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0b0u5TTVY
“At first, no. I had to stay strong for the person I loved.” There was a pause, “but when it happened the second time, I couldn’t keep the tears away.” His voice was almost a whisper but I heard it. 908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGiVBwmmpO
The answer he had given me just raised more questions. He had seen death twice? My heart was breaking for him before, but now I felt as if it had been ripped into a million little pieces. How had Adam been able to move on? I physically felt his pain and it was suffocating me. It had to have been a hundred times worse for him.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbv8UzqVSQ
“I'm sorry. I have upset you twice in a matter of minutes,” Adam said, his voice returning to normal.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbSbv2tyE9
My lip was quivering, as I looked up at him, “How do you do it? Keep moving forward?”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU40FFn8gqP
He stayed quiet, as if deciding if he should tell me or not. I was glad when he decided that telling me, was the better option. His gaze was gentle and, to me, calming, “Someone saved me,”908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0iaLoESRw
I hadn’t expected that. He didn’t mean me telling him not to jump, did he?908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0U4IrVtFC
“It's strange. I wanted to keep my distance from people, but I keep telling her everything,” His smile repaired my heart, broken with the sadness I had decided to help him carry.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j2RxbUAUE
“Kids, I'm sorry, but I am closing up early today. I'm afraid you will have to go,” The librarian said and totally ruined the mood.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRN1CtOcjQ
“We'll pack up here and go,” Adam said casually. The librarian nodded and walked away to usher out other students occupying the tables around the library.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2J9f9Hh7h
“We didn’t get any work done,” Adam said as we walked out. I was still thinking about what he had said and couldn’t care less about homework, although we would have to get together again to finish it, “That’s just fine.” I stepped in front of Adam and stopped. He halted to avoid running into me, “I learned more today, than I have in this school years so far.” I gave a tiny shy smile, “See you tomorrow, Adam,” I took off, jogging and left him standing there, hopefully looking after me.908Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbWaOJwAE8
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