“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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloZRrJhITG
“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,”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa474X35nba
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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEwzqaRm83
“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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE71Z6bWsmy
“Yeah, lucky me,” I mumbled, staring at her retreating form.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlWLnS5pXM
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?"971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkc72iBT608
He seemed so normal. 971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡft1kH9LXwY
Maybe he really was okay with assignments like this one, "Great"971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVhweNbBCW
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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCexSH4iAf
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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXZ893QysH
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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgheXJ0Vxm
“Yeah. So what is your view on death? Let's start there,” Adam replied easily.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe50GflP5my
“My view. I don’t know what my view is,” I twirled with the pencil, but kept myself from chewing it.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3mRVM0Gfq
“You live with your parents, right?” Adam asked and I nodded, “Then just imagine something happened to them. How would you feel?”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rjT6qr6A6
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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c9WM8Q29D
Sometimes my active imagination was a curse. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was horrible. “I would cry,”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimhzACyw91
“Why?” Adam continued asking questions. Stupid questions, in my opinion.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYddJPZxHtd
“Because they are my parents,” I said hastily.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdVlRcy5S1
“Is that all?”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPSzRDuSwb
“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?971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ264HMqL7QZ
Adam was quiet for a second, “No, you don’t. Sorry I upset you,” His voice not betraying any emotion.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgP4qGAfWc
“What about you?” Now it was my turn to ask the questions. This was a perfect chance for me to understand Adam better. 971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfbSXVHscE
“What about me?”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7G4QGX3Pc
“We are supposed to write about both our thoughts on death. I told you mine, now you tell me yours.”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2f9ferKLBk
“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.”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjmFJ2VYcv
“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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZt4peJDQx7
“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. 971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAhEewoM8r
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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpGiwg3eLF
“I'm sorry. I have upset you twice in a matter of minutes,” Adam said, his voice returning to normal.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXSPrVLrYf
My lip was quivering, as I looked up at him, “How do you do it? Keep moving forward?”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmG8NV1Gr3u
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,”971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsl755kEaX
I hadn’t expected that. He didn’t mean me telling him not to jump, did he?971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8VJ2XU4Oo
“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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJHQmj0Scf
“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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVn68bFRi6
“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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4broK3qChY
“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.971Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaD4rUymXVD
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