Paper Birds

Chapter Three

I sat and waited quietly while Mr King frantically searched the room for a marker. I looked over at Lucas who was seated next to me. We smile at each other and nod.

"Hey Melody," he said quietly. The classroom was oddly silent so it was kind of awkward that people were going to hear what we were going to say. "Yes?" I said as well in a low voice, trying not to disturb this silence.

"Have a pencil on you?" He asked, lowering his voice even more. I nod. "Have paper on you?" I asked as well. "Yeah, we can trade."

He winks and I laughed quietly into my palm, trying my best not to reveal my embarrassing teeth. I haven't brushed in weeks so it was pretty embarrassing to show that my teeth were a light yellow, compared to his brilliant straight white teeth.

As we planned, he reaches into his blue gym bag and pulls out two pieces of loose leaf paper, and I reach into the small pocket of my Galaxy Jansports backpack and takes out a wooden, sharpened #2 pencil with a perfect eraser.

He places the paper in front of us both while I take the mechanical pencil that I shoved into my pony tail, and hands him the wooden pencil.

We smile at each other, and we both mouthed "Thanks"

"I've found a marker guys" Mr King shouts, waving a black thin marker in the air. "Now this is just a quiz, more of a pre-test. This test what you know and what you don't know. Now is everyone ready?"

Without a response, Mr King starts to write on the board in large writing. He finishes the first question.

What are the three symbiotic relationships?

I grinned. Easy. I scribbled on my paper.

Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

As I looked up. I noticed that Mr King has already written the two other questions. Damn this guy can write fast.

The second question:

Organisms with overlapping niches probably have which type of relationship?

Uh. I'm sure that I've learned this in my freshman year, maybe in seventh grade if I remember correctly.

I looked over at Lucas.

He was already finished. Three answers written on his paper in beautiful cursive writing. Jealousy burns in my cheeks as I looked at my the paper.

I see in the corner of my eye to see him looking at me. Studying my frustration. He grins, and I immediately look at my paper again. Its like he reads my mind

He slides his fingers between mines, and squeezes my hand. That calmed me a little, and return a tight squeeze upon his.

So I jot down an answer. For the second question.

Commensal.

Now the final question.

What process describes nitrogen fixation?

I have no clue. So I guessed.

When Organisms die, they are decomposed into ammonia in the soil.

I groan. I know I've done horrible. But after all, it just a 'pre-test'

About 10 minutes flew by until King shouted:

"Alright everyone! Your time is up. I'll come around and collect your papers."

Lucas hands me his paper, and I slide it underneath mines. Row by row, Mr King picks up the papers.

Once everything was settled, King places the papers on his desk, and sighed. We watched him walk towards the board and lift an eraser, erasing the questions off the board.

But something was very wrong.

The words didn't erase. He starts erasing again, more roughly but they still wouldn't budge. He tried everything. An Expo erase spray, water, even when he licked his thumb rubbing upon them they were still there.
That's when it all comes to realization.

Ah. I thought. Because that's when I figure out that it wasn't dry erase that he used.

Permanent.