| PART 9 The next day at school has gone by fairly quickly. Isabel is getting on my nerves because every time I see her, she tries to convince me to talk to Liz. I don't see why it's so important for me to take that stupid placement exam. What's the point? My last class finally ends. Thank God!!! No school for two days. As I approach my locker, I notice Liz standing there. I pause. A small part of me wants to run. She finally notices me. I guess it's too late to run now. I slowly walk to my locker. "Hey," Liz says, giving me one of her stunning smiles. "Hey," I reply back. There is this awkward silence. I don't know what to say. I glance at her. She appears to be debating something. I try to concentrate on collecting the books I'll need to do my homework. I don't want to stare. I can't help it, because she's eye-catching. "I'm sorry about last night. I just didn't like the way Max was talking to you. I hope you're not mad at me." She says, interrupting my thoughts. I look at her. Nobody ever apologizes to me. She sounds genuinely concerned that I might mad at her. Why does she care? She couldn't be interested in me. Could she? I have to ask her, "Why would I be mad?" "I probably made things worse. I noticed how uncomfortable you looked, but I still proceeded on with my tirade. Your parents probably hate me," she says looking down at her hands. "No problem. You can stop worrying about me being mad at you, because I'm not. I should be thanking you for defending me like that. Nobody ever did that for me. As for my parents, I wouldn't worry about them not liking you," I say, trying my hardest to sound nonchalant. I can't help it. It makes me feel good that she cared enough to worry about my feelings. The only person who’s ever done that is Isabel. I wonder what I did to deserve this attention from this desirable woman. "Can I ask you a question?" she asks giving me a shy smile. "You can ask, but I'm not promising I'll answer," I say giving her a smirk. "Okay, I guess I can handle that," she says while laughing. I notice she hesitates a little. Oh god, this isn't gonna be good. She looks way too nervous. "Have you thought about what I asked you last night? You really should consider taking that placement exam," she asks while looking up at me. "Why?" I ask. She takes a deep breath and says, "Do you want people to underestimate you for the rest of your life? You could..." I cut her off and say, "I've never cared what people thought about me before, why should I care now?" I slam my locker shut and notice her jump. I turn around about to leave, but she gently places her hand on my arm to stop me. "I not saying you should care what people think about you. I'm the last person to suggest that. I just think that you'd feel better about yourself if you knew what you're capable of," she says quietly. I turn my back to her and reply, "I already know what I'm capable of." She walks around me so that she's facing me. She's so close that I unconsciously back up. I stop only when my back hits the lockers. She asks, "Do you? Can you honestly tell me, you're not curious to know if you're as smart as Max or maybe even smarter? Why are you so afraid of a challenge?" "What make you think I'm afraid? Why do you think you know me?" I ask her. I can't believe she's confronting me like this. Who does she think she is? Why am I still standing here? I would've left by now if this were anyone else, but a little part of me wants to hear what she has to say. She seems determined. If she keeps asking me about this exam, I know I'm gonna cave. ************************************************************************ God, why is he being so difficult? I just want him to take that stupid test. Why am I even trying so hard? If he doesn't want to, I can't force him. I just don't want him to waste his life away by not trying. "Michael, I just want you to know how intelligent you are," I say pleading to him with my eyes. "Why do you care? How is some stupid test going to show me how intelligent I am?" he asks while folding his arms across his chest. I smile at him and say, "I've never met anyone who's more stubborn then me. Fine, you're right. It's a stupid test, but if it's so stupid then why don't you just take it to humor me? What's it going to hurt?" There's a pause. I'm guessing he's thinking it over. He finally says, "Fine! If I take this damn test, are you going to stop hassling me about it?" I giggle and say, "I won't mention the test again if you take it. I won't have to." "Okay. I'll take it Monday morning," he says. "Why not right now?" I ask with a smile. He looks at me and rolls his eyes. While shaking his head he says, "You knew I'd agree to it, didn't you? I can't believe I fell for it. How did you know I would?" I give him a playful grin and say, "Never underestimate my powers of persuasion." I take him to Mr. Pierce's office. I tap on the door. When I hear"Come in" from Mr. Pierce, I open the door. He smiles and says, "I see you convinced him to take the exam." I nod my head in response. He gets up and points to a desk for Michael to sit in. Before Michael sits down, he looks at me hesitantly. "Just take your time. Answer the questions you know first, and if you have time, go back to the questions you skipped," I tell him as I head for the door. "I know you don't need it, but good luck," I say smiling at him. He nervously asks me, "Are you going to wait for me?" I smile and say, "Of course. I'm gonna try to convince Mr. Pierce to grade your test after you're done. Anyway, that's what friends are for." I leave and close the door behind me. I look at my watch to judge how much time I have before he's done. I go to my locker and gather the books I need for the weekend. When I close the door, I see Isabel standing waiting for me. Anxiously she asks, "So? Did you convince him to take the test?" I roll my eyes and say, "Do you know how stubborn your brother is?" She nods her head looking disappointed and says, "He wouldn't do it." I smile and say, "It took me a half an hour to finally get him to agree. By that time, I think he only agreed to get me off his back. He can be frustrating. He's definitely a challenge. You're lucky I love challenges." She smiles at me and says, "I knew I shouldn't have doubted you." I double-check my bag to make sure I have everything. I hear Isabel giggling. I try to ignore her, but my curiosity gets the best of me. Looking up at her I say, "What?! What's so funny?" She shakes her head in an attempt to try to stop laughing and says, "Nothing. It's just that." pausing to laugh again. "I'm sorry, I just know how much you like a challenge." I squint my eyes at her. What does she mean by that? "What do you mean by that?" I ask feigning anger. She continues to laugh. When she finally composes herself she says, "I don't know why you try so hard to deny your feelings for Michael. I can see the way you look at him. I can also see that you respect him for who he is. That's why I think you should go for it." I sigh. "Isabel, we've only known each other for two days. What makes you think you know me so well? Why do you think I have feelings for Michael? For all you know, I could be attracted to Max." Again with the laughter. This time I can't hold back and I start laughing right along with her. I don't understand why I feel comfortable around her. It seems like I've known her all my life. I can see why Alex is attracted to her. Isabel and I talk for a while. I glance at my watch and notice it's almost time for me to meet Michael. "Come on, Michael should be done with his test soon," I say. She nods her head and follows me to Mr. Pierce's office. "What are your plans for tonight?" she asks. "I have to close up my parents’ store. The person who normally does it called in sick today," I respond. "What kind of store is it?" she asks. I smile and say, "A clothing store." Isabel's eyes light up. "Really? What kind of clothing store?" I smile and say, "It has every thing. From hip hop clothes to formal wear. Do you want to help me close? You can see if you like anything." She nods her head."Yes. I would love to." We continue to chat until Michael finally opens the door. I look at him and smile. We all walk back into Mr. Pierce's office, where he's grading the test. "How's it going so far? Do you need any help?” I ask. I’m anxious to know how well Michael did. He looks up at me, shakes his head and says, "No, I'm just grading the written parts. The other parts, all I have to do is put them through the scanner." ************************************************************************ We are all standing there quietly, not wanting to distract him in any way. When he finally finishes, he gets up and goes through a door. When he comes back, he has a smile on his face. He looks at all our faces, then lands on mine and says, "I'm glad Ms. Parker convinced you to take this test, because you exceed the classes your taking now." I hear clapping and Liz says, "See I told you, and you didn't want to believe me." I look down. I'm feeling embarrassed. I look up at my guidance counselor and ask, "So, what does that mean?" "That depends on you. You can remain in the classes you are already enrolled in or you can switch to honors classes," he says. Feeling a little self-conscious I say, "I'll just stay in the classes I'm in already." "You don't have to decide right now," he says. "He's right, you have all weekend to weight your options," I hear Liz tell me. I look over at her and say, "I'm not cut out for honors classes." Isabel opens her mouth to say something, but Liz blurts out, "That test you just took says you are. Like I said, you have all weekend to decide. Isabel and I will help." I look over at Isabel. She nods her head and smiles. I give them both a half smile and nod. Liz goes for the door and says, "Bye Mr. Pierce, have a nice weekend. Thanks for all your help." He waves his hand as we leave. |