I’m getting a headache, Sophie thought to herself. It was such a nice afternoon and she was sitting under a shady tree on the school grounds. Her hand was bent over the world’s worst chemistry book, and it was the fifth time that she tried to get past the chapters first paragraph. Behind her, she heard footsteps crumbling over crunchy leaves. She was sure it as him.
Guess what’s on my hand? She heard Franco asks.
This lined it seemed to her, was what he always said to her whenever he wanted to annoy her the most. Over the years, the content of his hand ranged from the partly yucky to the truly disgusting. It was an earthworm one time, when they were seven; a booger when they were nine; and a dirty magazine when they were thirteen.
Yet over the years, she had somehow gotten used to his antics and, miraculously, they became friends. But today, she truly had no interest in whatever was in his hands. She just wanted to get the chemistry assignment over and done with. But after spending ages reading the same sentence, that seemed impossible.
Not today, okay? She barked at him, irritably. Were sixteen now, Franco. Aren’t you getting tired of asking me what’s in your hand? Just tell me already. Geez!
She expected a mean retort from him, but to her surprise, there was no answer. She turned around to see him carefully place a can of soda and chocolate bar beside her. Despite her snappish response, he didn’t seem mind at all.
Sophie was stunned. She watched him quietly take a seat beside her. He took out his comic book and read. She didn’t know what changed that day, but she heard him say that he would wait for her to finish so that they could walk home together. She put the book up higher in front of her face to hide her smile. Somehow, she found the push she needed to finish her assignment. They spent the afternoon that way Sophie smiling at her chemistry book, and Franco smiling at his comic book beside her.
They spent many afternoons like that in the day that followed. Soon, she began to look forward when he ask her to guess what was in his hand. From the can of soda and the candy bar when it first began, he had gone on to give her a bouquet of wildflowers one day, tickets to her favorite band on the another, a first edition of her favorite book as a child on yet another day.
She hadn’t been able to tell him yet, but some time in between their many times spent together and his many gifts; she had given him his hearts in exchange.
That afternoon, Sophie found herself sitting under their favorite tree, waiting for Franco. She heard, the rustling of leaves behind her, and she smiled, turning to him.
Guess what’s on my hand? She asked him.
Amused, he asked her, what?
Yours was her answer.
She took his hand and entwined her fingers with his, and together, they walked home.
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