The Meaning of Life (part 3)

I glanced over at Matthew, who was looking at me with concern.  I just smiled at him and turned my way to Sean, except he was still looking at me.  This time, I didn’t turn away; it seemed like a staring contest.  I noticed that his eyes were strange; it seemed as if there was a mix of yellow, green and brown in his eyes, which actually made them seem quite attractive.  Suddenly, he grinned at me.  I was startled to say the least, since not many people knew how to smile, let alone grin anymore.  A strange feeling erupted inside of my heart and though I was sure it was just hormones or something, I was convinced it had something to do with Sean.  So I smiled back at him.

After the bell rang, I went to get my lunch from the cupboard.  Matthew’s hole was next to mine, so we started talking about what had happened.

“Do you know what Mr. Salice is going to do about you?” he asked.  I shook my head and continued to rummage through my own hole.  Just then, someone stepped next to me.  I quickly turned my head and saw that it was the new student, Sean.

“Umm… which one of these things is mine?”  Sean pointed at the holes.  I wanted to laugh or even smile but stopped myself from making him feel bad.

“The one next to mine; it has your name on it,” I said.

“Thanks,” he replied.  He paused for a moment and added, “You’re Jeremy, right?”

I was about to respond, when I remembered Matthew.  I turned around, but he was already gone. He had gone outside without me.  So I replied, “Yeah, the guy that doesn’t know anything.”  To my surprise, he laughed at the lame joke.  At least he wasn’t as stupid as I thought he would be.

“Well, Jeremy, could you show me around the school?”  He moved his head to the right and kind of gazed at me with hope.  I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of excitement running through me.  I was about to say yes, but remembered Mr. Salice.

“Sorry, I can’t; I have to talk with Mr. Salice.  Maybe Matt will take you on a tour.”  I stressed the words Mr. Salice in that tone you say when implying that the person is so important, sort of like sarcasm.  Despite my answer, his expression still seemed to be cheery.

“It’s okay then.  Thanks anyways, Jeremy.  See you later!”  And he gave that grin again and walked out the doors.  I stood there, while my heart had just melted.  And that was how I fell for a boy I didn’t even know.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you these past days, Jeremy.  You used to be so well behaved and respectful.  There better be a good explanation for you behaviour today,” Mr. Salice said as he waited for me with his arms crossed.

It was during recess and I hadn’t forgotten to see Mr. Salice.  I didn’t have much time to think about my excuses so I just decided to tell him as honestly as I could. And anyways, it would be useless to lie to him and myself.  So I spoke.

“I’m sorry if I offended you in anyway, Mr. Salice, but I really don’t see why I, or any of these students here, have to learn about some thousand-year-old book.  Please, don’t get me wrong; I love God very much, but I just don’t understand how reading this will do anything for me.”

This time, Mr. Salice remained calm, which was what I was really hoping he would do.

To be continued!