The Pen That Changed My Life - Chapter 16 – A Different Kind of Day

11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKxcUOCt5m

The weather had finally begun to cool.

The mornings were quieter than usual, and a soft breeze drifted through the classroom windows.

As always, I was the first to reach my seat by the window.

A few minutes later, Narin walked in.

"Morning."

He placed his bag on his desk but, instead of joining his friends, he came straight to the empty chair beside me.

"What are you reading?"

"A biology book."

He looked at the cover and sighed dramatically.

"You're reading biology before classes even start?"

"I have nothing else to do."

"You could talk to people."

"I am."

He looked around the classroom.

"Who?"

I closed my book and looked at him.

"You."

He froze for a second before laughing.

"I'll remember that."

The first two classes passed quickly.

During the third period, our teacher announced that the class would be divided into groups for a cleanliness campaign around the school.

Each group would clean a different area.

"Group One will clean the library."

"Group Two, the science lab."

"Group Three..."

The teacher looked down at the attendance sheet.

"Phawin, Narin, and three others will clean the school garden."

Several students groaned.

"The garden?"

"It's too hot outside."

Narin leaned toward me.

"I'd rather clean the garden than the toilets."

I couldn't help smiling.

"I think everyone would."

The school garden was larger than I remembered.

Rows of flowers lined the pathways, and an old mango tree stood in the center.

The teacher handed everyone gloves and small tools.

"Work together."

As soon as the teacher walked away, one of the boys sighed.

"I'm getting water."

Another disappeared a few minutes later.

Within ten minutes...

Only Narin and I were still pulling weeds.

He looked around and laughed.

"They abandoned us."

"It seems that way."

He sat down on the grass and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I need a break."

"You've been working for fifteen minutes."

"Exactly."

I shook my head.

"You get tired easily."

"I prefer the word 'efficient.'"

I laughed.

"You mean lazy."

He pointed at me with a grin.

"There it is again."

"What?"

"You laughed."

"I did."

"And this time you didn't deny it."

After we finished, we sat beneath the mango tree, waiting for the teacher to check our work.

Neither of us said much.

The wind gently rustled the leaves above us.

It was peaceful.

"You really like quiet places, don't you?" Narin asked.

"I do."

"I think I'm starting to understand why."

I looked at him.

"Why?"

He smiled as he looked across the garden.

"In places like this... you can actually hear yourself think."

I nodded.

"Exactly."

For a while, neither of us spoke.

We didn't need to.

Sometimes silence wasn't empty.

Sometimes it was the most comfortable conversation of all.

As the bell rang, we stood up and walked back toward the classroom together.

I didn't notice it then...

But somewhere along the way, walking beside Narin had started to feel completely natural.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4km6dMKCq

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