Just Friends

May 22nd

     "Ethan, Max and I ate outside at lunch. The sun was shining so we ventured out to make the most of the rare warmth. The only decent empty seating area was the rickety old wooden bench near the tree I meet Ethan at each morning if he doesn't meet me at my house. As we sat down, Ethan pulled an apple out from his rucksack. He shut his eyes and looked up towards the sun, allowing it to shine upon his face. Today he was wearing his hilarious dog tie. A springer spaniel tie if we're being exact, which I bought him for his fourteenth birthday. His tie has a black background and at the bottom is a cartoon sketch of a dog sitting on grass outside its kennel, smiling at you.
     "So last night I came up will a simple, yet clever new trick to show you my dear." Ethan said, holding the apple up in front of me.
     "Oh, I see. What happens in this one may I ask?"
     I snatched the apple off of him, biting into its succulent core. Wildly chewing it directly in front of him and cheekily grinning afterwards.
     "Well... one will require the apple back first to perform one's trick."
     I rolled my eyes at him and passed him the apple back while maintaining a sarcastic look. He frowned at me before holding up the apple. Showing the side that had the bite mark, as if I'd never seen it before. Then casually launched it a few feet into the air, reclaiming it in his hands as it fell. He paused before spinning it around, to reveal the bite mark had disappeared.
     "Not your best work, but, I shall admit I am impressed. Am I going to be shown how this one is done?" I asked out of repetitiveness. The secrets to his tricks are kept a secret, as they should be really. Ethan squinted at me for a second, "Ah all right, I can part with the secret of this one, since it's so simple," He took a second to gather his explanation. "It helps if you have two identical apples, good slight of hand, and voilà, the apple is replaced."
     I remained puzzled. "So what happened to the other apple?"
     He took a bite out of the apple in his hand. "Check your lunch container my dear. Then all shall become clear."
     I looked at my lunch container anxiously. I opened the lid with one eye open, squinting with the other. And there it was. The apple I had bitten. I looked back at Ethan, smiling in bewilderment. "Well played Mr. Knight. Well performed might I add? You set me up. You knew I'd ask for it to be explained as I always do."
     Ethan tilted his head in acknowledgement.
     When I got home I thought the trick over, while watching TV with Madeline and platting her hair. I realised that the trick was actually very clever. Simple, but clever. How he got the apple into my container I'll never know.