The Mysterious Love Letter
" I think I have all the ingredients for my lunch here," Bova looked around the counter of the galley. He had taken out various lunchmeats and cheeses and was preparing to make himself a sandwich.
" You got enough cheese out there Bov?" Harlan asked from across the room at the table. Radu and Suzee were sitting at the table as well. The four of them were eating lunch before they had to go to Command Post training in about half an hour. Rosie was getting extra help from Ms. Davenport on her hyperspace physics project. Radu was going to join her shortly afterwards.
" Not nearly enough!" cried Bova. He began to stack various cheeses between slices of salami and bologna. A pile of lettuce was dumped on top of the last place of salami. He then squirted mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and chocolate frosting and slapped a giant crescent bun on top. Bova took a big bite into his sandwich as Harlan and Radu looked on. Suzee was reading a section from a book she had been reading, Gone With the Wind. She had made it pretty far along in the book, and wanted to finish it up in the next few days.
" Suzee, I don't know how you are finishing that book," Harlan picked up his hamburger and took a bite out of it. " Or reading it. That book is as thick as our Plutonian history books!"
" It's a good book," Suzee said reaching on her plate for some goldfish crackers. " You are lucky to have such good books like this back on earth."
" Where did you get those?" Radu wanted to know, putting down his hamburger. He was pointing at Suzee's plate. " Harlan ate them all!"
" Me and Rosie still have some left," Suzee said putting down her book. She held her plate out to him. " Here, have some."
Radu smiled and took a handful of crackers from Suzee's plate. " Thanks Suzee."
" You are welcome," she smiled back at him. Suzee picked up her turkey and cheese sandwich and was about to take a bite when she saw Bova pouring the whole bottle of hot sauce onto his sandwich. " Bova, that is a lot of hot sauce." Harlan looked up.
" The only person that can take that much hot sauce is Rosie," he nodded his head with a laugh.
" Speaking of Rosie," Radu wiped his face with a napkin and got up. " I have to meet her for the hyperspace physics project. I will catch up with you guys later!"
" Bye Radu," Suzee waved. " Don't forget we are playing Minbar Chess later!"
" I won't!" he called out the door.
" Radu has been spending an awful lot of time with Rosie lately," observed Bova.
" There is nothing wrong with that," Suzee told him. " They're friends."
" Yeah," Harlan shrugged his shoulders.
" I think she really likes him," Bova raised an eyebrow grabbing the squeeze bottle of ketchup. " I see the way she looks at him in class."
Harlan laughed. " They're just sending us messages! Messages that are.funny!" Suzee nodded her head in agreement.
" How come I never get any of these messages?" Bova put his hands on his hips.
" Because you are always sleeping!" exclaimed Harlan. " You told us not to wake you up! You said just to wake you up for food! We exchange messages to stay awake."
" I don't think you would find the stuff that we think is funny, funny," Suzee tilted her head.
" You usually don't," Harlan shoved some potato chips in his mouth.
" I'll find something funny!" Bova proclaimed. " And it is going to be the funniest thing in the whole world! Just you wait and see!" Bova took what was left of his sandwich and the ketchup bottle and went down the jumptubes. Suzee and Harlan looked at each other and smiled.
" That is Bova for you," Harlan shook his head with a smile. " The day he finds something that makes me laugh really hard, oh boy I don't know if I will be around for that!" Suzee giggled and picked up some potato chips from her plate.
Bova was walking down the hall with his sandwich in tow, when he passed by the classroom. The door was open so he decided to peep his head inside. Rosie and Radu were talking and laughing. So much for working on a project. They seemed to be coloring pictures of some sort or gluing scraps of paper together. Bova made a face and mumbled something. Naturally Radu heard him and looked towards the doorway. He noticed Bova peering through the door.
" Bova," he began. " What are you doing?"
" Standing in the doorway," replied Bova.
" Are you playing the spy again Bova?" Rosie wanted to know with a smile.
" No, just seeing what you guys are doing for your project," Bova walked in the door.
" We are just taking a break," Radu shrugged his shoulders with a smile.
" Radu was telling me this funny story about how Harlan tripped over the toilet in the bathroom!" Rosie giggled.
" That figures," Bova frowned.
" Do you want to hear the story again?" Rosie asked laughing. Radu joined in.
" No," Bova shook his head. " I have more better things to do!" He casually walked out of the room with Rosie and Radu laughing even harder than they were before.
Bova ended up in the boys' bunkroom. " If they want funny, I will give them funny." He pulled out his compupad and began typing something. Bova's eyes were gleaming and his tongue was hanging out for some strange reason. He began to type furiously on the compupad. He felt more powerful as he typed each word. Faster and faster went the keys. Bova was unstoppable. He began sweating and could feel the electricity inside him building up. The more he typed, the better he felt. " HAHA!!" he shrieked in glory. " My masterpiece! Print out please." The screen on the wall obeyed Bova's command and printed out a sheet of paper. Bova looked over the piece of paper word for word. He was satisfied with his work. He folded the paper in thirds and put it under his arm. " This one is for everyone on the crew." He kissed the paper and smiled. Bova made his way down the hall and straight back to the classroom.
When Bova got to the classroom nobody was in there. Rosie and Radu had left, probably for Command Post training. Bova took a quick glance around the room. Rosie and Radu had left their project lying on the floor. Bova walked over to the mass of papers. There were a bunch of construction paper scraps, glitter, and layouts of an engine blue print. Directions on how to do the project were lying on top. Where was Bova going to put his piece of paper? He kept looking around the room. He went back to the directions lying on the floor. He picked them up and replaced them with the piece of paper he had under his arm. Bova smirked at what he had done and walked out of the room.
" We are passing through sector 32 section 6 right now Commander," Harlan said turning one of the dials on the side of the helm.
" Isn't Bova supposed to be here?" Suzee brought up. " Last time we saw him was at lunch."
" He was acting really weird," Rosie looked up from her console.
" No kidding!" Harlan made a face.
" Watch the steering Mister Band," Goddard glanced up at Harlan then at the screen. " Not too fast now. We must be careful in this area."
" Don't worry," Suzee informed. " The thrusters are on low power to conserve energy."
" Good!" Goddard turned back to Suzee. " Where is Bova anyway?"
" I'm here!" Bova scurried to his position.
" Next time try to be on time," Goddard gave him a glare.
" What have you got in your hand Bova?" Radu looked over at him.
" Oh, just my homework," Bova stuffed the directions to Rosie and Radu's project in his pocket.
" Radu!" Rosie jumped up. " I left part of my notes on the project for you. It's in the classroom."
" Do you mind if I get it now?" Radu asked Goddard.
Goddard thought for a moment. " Yes Radu, you, Suzee, and Harlan may enjoy your free time. Bova and Rosie, I want you to stay for some more training, have a chance to take charge at helm for a change." Rosie smiled.
" I've been waiting awhile!" Rosie ran over to wait for Harlan to move from the helm.
" Alright Rosie," Harlan said, giving the Mercurian a pat on the back. " Remember to be careful and look out for flying meteors. Oh! Keep both hands on the wheel!"
" Harlan!" Rosie grumbled. " Don't worry I will!"
" What to do? What to do?" Harlan asked out loud to no one in particular. " I worked out this morning, which was a shock because I don't usually get up in the morning unless Thelma tickles my face with a feather. Hmm.I know for a fact that I don't want to study, nobody likes to do that in their free time." He completely forgot that Suzee and Radu were standing right there.
" I wish I could do something with you Harlan," Radu began. " But I really need to finish that project. I am almost done. When I finish we can fence!"
" Sounds great!" Harlan smiled at Radu. " I'll wait for you!" He put his hand back on his head as Radu walked out the door. Suzee looked down at the floor. She didn't want to try and fix the protomix pipes and fuel lines again. She had a little accident working on them a few days ago, and one of the pipes blew out. Taking a break from working in the engine room was just what she needed for a few days. Plus Suzee felt she sometimes missed out on some things around the ship and did not want to be left out.
" I'll do something with you Harlan," Suzee said hopeful that he did not forget she was still there. She picked up her head a little bit and folded her arms in her lap. " If you want to."
Harlan looked over at Suzee who was standing next to Goddard and Rosie. She looked a little mellow. " I'll do something with you, but what should we do?"
Suzee perked up and smiled. " I will out flip you down the hall or in one place!"
Harlan laughed playfully. " If you don't run into the wall again!" He began to head out the door signaling for her to follow him.
" Oh come on Harlan!" Suzee pleaded. " It was only one time and you didn't even tell me the wall was there! If I do run into the wall again, don't make fun of me this time, okay?" She followed him out the door.
Goddard shook his head and laughed. Bova just rolled his eyes.
" Sometimes this ship is just nuts," Goddard looked at the two young cadets.
Radu was in the classroom looking for the piece of paper Rosie said she had left for him. He didn't see anything except their construction scraps. Finally, a regular white piece of paper appeared under some of the scraps.
" Here it is," Radu picked it up. He opened the piece of paper up and read it. He found it odd once he began reading it.
I don't know how to tell you this, but I love you. My heart burns with passion yearning for your love. Take one look into my eyes and you will know that I love you. Just listen to the sound of my heart taking off. It flies whenever I think of you. When I spend time and hang out with you, I want to be with you even more. Sparks fly in my head when I dream about you at night. Set off my fireworks and tell me that you love me too! You are hot and drop dead gorgeous, I can't live without your love!
Radu fell to the floor with the letter clutched in his hand. He had no idea that Rosie liked him this much. Sure they were really good friends, and now apparently Rosie wanted to be more than just friends. He had no idea that Rosie felt this way about him, and she was known to tell everyone her feelings honestly. Radu did not know what to say. He was shocked and surprised that Rosie felt that way about him. He smiled though; it was kind of nice that someone liked him like that. " I can't believe Rosie likes me like that! I guess I really am attractive. I have to hide this though, incase someone else finds this. I don't want anyone to know right away, maybe I will tell Rosie tonight at dinner that I got the letter." Radu got up and smiled. He casually walked out of the classroom and to the galley to get a snack.
Nobody was in the galley when Radu got there, and he kind of wanted to make sure that no one was there. Leftovers from lunch were still on the table, as well as Suzee's book. He was a little hungry and decided to sit down and have a little snack. He needed to figure out what to do about his new situation.
" Haha!" Suzee laughed as she leaned up against the wall to take a break. " I beat you!" Harlan put his hands on his hips to gain some of his breath back and walking over to Suzee who was standing at the end of the hallway.
" You cheated!" Harlan smiled pointing a finger at Suzee. " You started before me!"
" You run faster than me and get a better start!" Suzee defended herself.
" Is there a problem?" a voice called out. It was Ms. Davenport walking down the hall holding a notebook filled with graded papers.
" Tell Suzee that she can't out backflip me down the hall, she cheated and got a head start and that is why she won!" Harlan proclaimed.
" I did not!" Suzee argued trying not to laugh because Harlan had begun to laugh at her. " He gets a head start and tells me that I can't start until he takes exactly two steps."
" You be the judge Ms. D," Harlan said with a smile. He winked at Suzee. " Tell us who wins."
" Yeah!" Suzee's eyes lit up. " And the winner gets first pick on dessert after dinner!"
" That sounds like a fair deal I suppose," Davenport nodded her head in agreement.
" Let's go!" Harlan shouted and ran down the hall. Suzee followed behind him as well as Davenport.
Radu sat in the galley with some string cheese. He read the letter over again once more. " My heart burns with passion for you?!" I have never heard Rosie say anything like that before. Maybe that is why she overheats!" Radu stood up and began to pace the room happily. " Rosie overheats because her heart is burning with passion for me! I feel good! I feel really good!" Radu sat back down with his string cheese. He peeled off a little bit and put it in his mouth. Part of Radu could not believe that the letter was really from Rosie. It was neatly typed in cursive on a compupad. Rosie must have taken a lot of time to write and think about this, Radu thought to himself. He figured she would normally tell him something like this in person, but after the whole secrets thing, he could see why she didn't want to tell everyone. Maybe Suzee knew that Rosie secretly liked him and wouldn't tell him. Those two told each other EVERYTHING. Radu did not know what to think at this point. All he knew now was that Rosie liked him and she wrote him a love letter to prove it. Radu heard footsteps and needed to hide the letter. He saw Suzee's book lying on the table. He shoved it in there, not knowing it. He assumed that he shoved it in his pocket and not the book because he was hovering over the book when he hid it. He probably didn't want to do that since Suzee was the person who walked in the door. She was holding her hand to her forehead.
" Hey.hey Suzee," Radu stammered. He looked at her walking towards the freezer. " What happened to your head?"
" Everything bad always happens to me," Suzee shook her head. " Me and Harlan were having a contest to see who could do the most flips across the room the fastest, and just like before he did not tell me where the wall was AGAIN, and I kinda ran, bumped, flew, any one of those words, headfirst into the wall. Then he told me the bump on my head looked like a potato." Suzee walked over to the freezer and got out an ice tray. She found a plastic bag and filled it with ice then plastered it to her forehead. " I am going to get him back, someway, somehow, but not now. Ms. Davenport told me to go lie down, so I think I am going to finish my some more of my book."
Radu watched Suzee as she walked over to the table looking for her book. He looked at her very strangely, in a way he hadn't before. " Suzee, doesn't that hurt?" He could not think of anything to say. The fact that Rosie was in love with him still stuck out in his mind.
" A little bit, but it isn't as bad as it looks," she told him. She took off the bag for Radu to see. The top part of her right forehead was a dark purple with specks of black in there. The bump did kind of resemble a potato, but Radu did not want to say that. Suzee would probably be mad at both him and Harlan. He did not want that.
" Ow!" Radu squinted his eyes. " That has to hurt Suzee. But tonight I will fence him for you and Rosie."
" That is nice of you Radu," she sat down. " But I got one good thing out of it."
" What is that?" Radu wanted to know.
" I get Harlan's dessert for a week because Ms. Davenport felt bad for me that I ran into the wall again, and because Harlan really does cheat. He just likes to win," Suzee smiled.
Radu smiled then picked up Suzee's book. " I guess you will be wanting this then, and if you need something, just ask. I need to finish my project though. I will see.see.see you later." He handed her the book and ran out the door. Suzee was confused. Radu was acting very strangely when he was in there. She shrugged her shoulders and opened the book to the place where she had left off.
When Suzee opened the book, a piece of paper fell out. She put her book down and picked it up. She unfolded it and began to read it. The more she read the more she was intrigued. She could not believe what she was reading. Was it all true? Was that bump on her head worse than she thought it was and making her delirious? Suzee did not know, but she now knew something else about why Radu was acting so strange.
" I didn't know Radu was in love with me like that!" she exclaimed out loud with a smile across her face.
" I think I have all the ingredients for my lunch here," Bova looked around the counter of the galley. He had taken out various lunchmeats and cheeses and was preparing to make himself a sandwich.
" You got enough cheese out there Bov?" Harlan asked from across the room at the table. Radu and Suzee were sitting at the table as well. The four of them were eating lunch before they had to go to Command Post training in about half an hour. Rosie was getting extra help from Ms. Davenport on her hyperspace physics project. Radu was going to join her shortly afterwards.
" Not nearly enough!" cried Bova. He began to stack various cheeses between slices of salami and bologna. A pile of lettuce was dumped on top of the last place of salami. He then squirted mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and chocolate frosting and slapped a giant crescent bun on top. Bova took a big bite into his sandwich as Harlan and Radu looked on. Suzee was reading a section from a book she had been reading, Gone With the Wind. She had made it pretty far along in the book, and wanted to finish it up in the next few days.
" Suzee, I don't know how you are finishing that book," Harlan picked up his hamburger and took a bite out of it. " Or reading it. That book is as thick as our Plutonian history books!"
" It's a good book," Suzee said reaching on her plate for some goldfish crackers. " You are lucky to have such good books like this back on earth."
" Where did you get those?" Radu wanted to know, putting down his hamburger. He was pointing at Suzee's plate. " Harlan ate them all!"
" Me and Rosie still have some left," Suzee said putting down her book. She held her plate out to him. " Here, have some."
Radu smiled and took a handful of crackers from Suzee's plate. " Thanks Suzee."
" You are welcome," she smiled back at him. Suzee picked up her turkey and cheese sandwich and was about to take a bite when she saw Bova pouring the whole bottle of hot sauce onto his sandwich. " Bova, that is a lot of hot sauce." Harlan looked up.
" The only person that can take that much hot sauce is Rosie," he nodded his head with a laugh.
" Speaking of Rosie," Radu wiped his face with a napkin and got up. " I have to meet her for the hyperspace physics project. I will catch up with you guys later!"
" Bye Radu," Suzee waved. " Don't forget we are playing Minbar Chess later!"
" I won't!" he called out the door.
" Radu has been spending an awful lot of time with Rosie lately," observed Bova.
" There is nothing wrong with that," Suzee told him. " They're friends."
" Yeah," Harlan shrugged his shoulders.
" I think she really likes him," Bova raised an eyebrow grabbing the squeeze bottle of ketchup. " I see the way she looks at him in class."
Harlan laughed. " They're just sending us messages! Messages that are.funny!" Suzee nodded her head in agreement.
" How come I never get any of these messages?" Bova put his hands on his hips.
" Because you are always sleeping!" exclaimed Harlan. " You told us not to wake you up! You said just to wake you up for food! We exchange messages to stay awake."
" I don't think you would find the stuff that we think is funny, funny," Suzee tilted her head.
" You usually don't," Harlan shoved some potato chips in his mouth.
" I'll find something funny!" Bova proclaimed. " And it is going to be the funniest thing in the whole world! Just you wait and see!" Bova took what was left of his sandwich and the ketchup bottle and went down the jumptubes. Suzee and Harlan looked at each other and smiled.
" That is Bova for you," Harlan shook his head with a smile. " The day he finds something that makes me laugh really hard, oh boy I don't know if I will be around for that!" Suzee giggled and picked up some potato chips from her plate.
Bova was walking down the hall with his sandwich in tow, when he passed by the classroom. The door was open so he decided to peep his head inside. Rosie and Radu were talking and laughing. So much for working on a project. They seemed to be coloring pictures of some sort or gluing scraps of paper together. Bova made a face and mumbled something. Naturally Radu heard him and looked towards the doorway. He noticed Bova peering through the door.
" Bova," he began. " What are you doing?"
" Standing in the doorway," replied Bova.
" Are you playing the spy again Bova?" Rosie wanted to know with a smile.
" No, just seeing what you guys are doing for your project," Bova walked in the door.
" We are just taking a break," Radu shrugged his shoulders with a smile.
" Radu was telling me this funny story about how Harlan tripped over the toilet in the bathroom!" Rosie giggled.
" That figures," Bova frowned.
" Do you want to hear the story again?" Rosie asked laughing. Radu joined in.
" No," Bova shook his head. " I have more better things to do!" He casually walked out of the room with Rosie and Radu laughing even harder than they were before.
Bova ended up in the boys' bunkroom. " If they want funny, I will give them funny." He pulled out his compupad and began typing something. Bova's eyes were gleaming and his tongue was hanging out for some strange reason. He began to type furiously on the compupad. He felt more powerful as he typed each word. Faster and faster went the keys. Bova was unstoppable. He began sweating and could feel the electricity inside him building up. The more he typed, the better he felt. " HAHA!!" he shrieked in glory. " My masterpiece! Print out please." The screen on the wall obeyed Bova's command and printed out a sheet of paper. Bova looked over the piece of paper word for word. He was satisfied with his work. He folded the paper in thirds and put it under his arm. " This one is for everyone on the crew." He kissed the paper and smiled. Bova made his way down the hall and straight back to the classroom.
When Bova got to the classroom nobody was in there. Rosie and Radu had left, probably for Command Post training. Bova took a quick glance around the room. Rosie and Radu had left their project lying on the floor. Bova walked over to the mass of papers. There were a bunch of construction paper scraps, glitter, and layouts of an engine blue print. Directions on how to do the project were lying on top. Where was Bova going to put his piece of paper? He kept looking around the room. He went back to the directions lying on the floor. He picked them up and replaced them with the piece of paper he had under his arm. Bova smirked at what he had done and walked out of the room.
" We are passing through sector 32 section 6 right now Commander," Harlan said turning one of the dials on the side of the helm.
" Isn't Bova supposed to be here?" Suzee brought up. " Last time we saw him was at lunch."
" He was acting really weird," Rosie looked up from her console.
" No kidding!" Harlan made a face.
" Watch the steering Mister Band," Goddard glanced up at Harlan then at the screen. " Not too fast now. We must be careful in this area."
" Don't worry," Suzee informed. " The thrusters are on low power to conserve energy."
" Good!" Goddard turned back to Suzee. " Where is Bova anyway?"
" I'm here!" Bova scurried to his position.
" Next time try to be on time," Goddard gave him a glare.
" What have you got in your hand Bova?" Radu looked over at him.
" Oh, just my homework," Bova stuffed the directions to Rosie and Radu's project in his pocket.
" Radu!" Rosie jumped up. " I left part of my notes on the project for you. It's in the classroom."
" Do you mind if I get it now?" Radu asked Goddard.
Goddard thought for a moment. " Yes Radu, you, Suzee, and Harlan may enjoy your free time. Bova and Rosie, I want you to stay for some more training, have a chance to take charge at helm for a change." Rosie smiled.
" I've been waiting awhile!" Rosie ran over to wait for Harlan to move from the helm.
" Alright Rosie," Harlan said, giving the Mercurian a pat on the back. " Remember to be careful and look out for flying meteors. Oh! Keep both hands on the wheel!"
" Harlan!" Rosie grumbled. " Don't worry I will!"
" What to do? What to do?" Harlan asked out loud to no one in particular. " I worked out this morning, which was a shock because I don't usually get up in the morning unless Thelma tickles my face with a feather. Hmm.I know for a fact that I don't want to study, nobody likes to do that in their free time." He completely forgot that Suzee and Radu were standing right there.
" I wish I could do something with you Harlan," Radu began. " But I really need to finish that project. I am almost done. When I finish we can fence!"
" Sounds great!" Harlan smiled at Radu. " I'll wait for you!" He put his hand back on his head as Radu walked out the door. Suzee looked down at the floor. She didn't want to try and fix the protomix pipes and fuel lines again. She had a little accident working on them a few days ago, and one of the pipes blew out. Taking a break from working in the engine room was just what she needed for a few days. Plus Suzee felt she sometimes missed out on some things around the ship and did not want to be left out.
" I'll do something with you Harlan," Suzee said hopeful that he did not forget she was still there. She picked up her head a little bit and folded her arms in her lap. " If you want to."
Harlan looked over at Suzee who was standing next to Goddard and Rosie. She looked a little mellow. " I'll do something with you, but what should we do?"
Suzee perked up and smiled. " I will out flip you down the hall or in one place!"
Harlan laughed playfully. " If you don't run into the wall again!" He began to head out the door signaling for her to follow him.
" Oh come on Harlan!" Suzee pleaded. " It was only one time and you didn't even tell me the wall was there! If I do run into the wall again, don't make fun of me this time, okay?" She followed him out the door.
Goddard shook his head and laughed. Bova just rolled his eyes.
" Sometimes this ship is just nuts," Goddard looked at the two young cadets.
Radu was in the classroom looking for the piece of paper Rosie said she had left for him. He didn't see anything except their construction scraps. Finally, a regular white piece of paper appeared under some of the scraps.
" Here it is," Radu picked it up. He opened the piece of paper up and read it. He found it odd once he began reading it.
I don't know how to tell you this, but I love you. My heart burns with passion yearning for your love. Take one look into my eyes and you will know that I love you. Just listen to the sound of my heart taking off. It flies whenever I think of you. When I spend time and hang out with you, I want to be with you even more. Sparks fly in my head when I dream about you at night. Set off my fireworks and tell me that you love me too! You are hot and drop dead gorgeous, I can't live without your love!
Radu fell to the floor with the letter clutched in his hand. He had no idea that Rosie liked him this much. Sure they were really good friends, and now apparently Rosie wanted to be more than just friends. He had no idea that Rosie felt this way about him, and she was known to tell everyone her feelings honestly. Radu did not know what to say. He was shocked and surprised that Rosie felt that way about him. He smiled though; it was kind of nice that someone liked him like that. " I can't believe Rosie likes me like that! I guess I really am attractive. I have to hide this though, incase someone else finds this. I don't want anyone to know right away, maybe I will tell Rosie tonight at dinner that I got the letter." Radu got up and smiled. He casually walked out of the classroom and to the galley to get a snack.
Nobody was in the galley when Radu got there, and he kind of wanted to make sure that no one was there. Leftovers from lunch were still on the table, as well as Suzee's book. He was a little hungry and decided to sit down and have a little snack. He needed to figure out what to do about his new situation.
" Haha!" Suzee laughed as she leaned up against the wall to take a break. " I beat you!" Harlan put his hands on his hips to gain some of his breath back and walking over to Suzee who was standing at the end of the hallway.
" You cheated!" Harlan smiled pointing a finger at Suzee. " You started before me!"
" You run faster than me and get a better start!" Suzee defended herself.
" Is there a problem?" a voice called out. It was Ms. Davenport walking down the hall holding a notebook filled with graded papers.
" Tell Suzee that she can't out backflip me down the hall, she cheated and got a head start and that is why she won!" Harlan proclaimed.
" I did not!" Suzee argued trying not to laugh because Harlan had begun to laugh at her. " He gets a head start and tells me that I can't start until he takes exactly two steps."
" You be the judge Ms. D," Harlan said with a smile. He winked at Suzee. " Tell us who wins."
" Yeah!" Suzee's eyes lit up. " And the winner gets first pick on dessert after dinner!"
" That sounds like a fair deal I suppose," Davenport nodded her head in agreement.
" Let's go!" Harlan shouted and ran down the hall. Suzee followed behind him as well as Davenport.
Radu sat in the galley with some string cheese. He read the letter over again once more. " My heart burns with passion for you?!" I have never heard Rosie say anything like that before. Maybe that is why she overheats!" Radu stood up and began to pace the room happily. " Rosie overheats because her heart is burning with passion for me! I feel good! I feel really good!" Radu sat back down with his string cheese. He peeled off a little bit and put it in his mouth. Part of Radu could not believe that the letter was really from Rosie. It was neatly typed in cursive on a compupad. Rosie must have taken a lot of time to write and think about this, Radu thought to himself. He figured she would normally tell him something like this in person, but after the whole secrets thing, he could see why she didn't want to tell everyone. Maybe Suzee knew that Rosie secretly liked him and wouldn't tell him. Those two told each other EVERYTHING. Radu did not know what to think at this point. All he knew now was that Rosie liked him and she wrote him a love letter to prove it. Radu heard footsteps and needed to hide the letter. He saw Suzee's book lying on the table. He shoved it in there, not knowing it. He assumed that he shoved it in his pocket and not the book because he was hovering over the book when he hid it. He probably didn't want to do that since Suzee was the person who walked in the door. She was holding her hand to her forehead.
" Hey.hey Suzee," Radu stammered. He looked at her walking towards the freezer. " What happened to your head?"
" Everything bad always happens to me," Suzee shook her head. " Me and Harlan were having a contest to see who could do the most flips across the room the fastest, and just like before he did not tell me where the wall was AGAIN, and I kinda ran, bumped, flew, any one of those words, headfirst into the wall. Then he told me the bump on my head looked like a potato." Suzee walked over to the freezer and got out an ice tray. She found a plastic bag and filled it with ice then plastered it to her forehead. " I am going to get him back, someway, somehow, but not now. Ms. Davenport told me to go lie down, so I think I am going to finish my some more of my book."
Radu watched Suzee as she walked over to the table looking for her book. He looked at her very strangely, in a way he hadn't before. " Suzee, doesn't that hurt?" He could not think of anything to say. The fact that Rosie was in love with him still stuck out in his mind.
" A little bit, but it isn't as bad as it looks," she told him. She took off the bag for Radu to see. The top part of her right forehead was a dark purple with specks of black in there. The bump did kind of resemble a potato, but Radu did not want to say that. Suzee would probably be mad at both him and Harlan. He did not want that.
" Ow!" Radu squinted his eyes. " That has to hurt Suzee. But tonight I will fence him for you and Rosie."
" That is nice of you Radu," she sat down. " But I got one good thing out of it."
" What is that?" Radu wanted to know.
" I get Harlan's dessert for a week because Ms. Davenport felt bad for me that I ran into the wall again, and because Harlan really does cheat. He just likes to win," Suzee smiled.
Radu smiled then picked up Suzee's book. " I guess you will be wanting this then, and if you need something, just ask. I need to finish my project though. I will see.see.see you later." He handed her the book and ran out the door. Suzee was confused. Radu was acting very strangely when he was in there. She shrugged her shoulders and opened the book to the place where she had left off.
When Suzee opened the book, a piece of paper fell out. She put her book down and picked it up. She unfolded it and began to read it. The more she read the more she was intrigued. She could not believe what she was reading. Was it all true? Was that bump on her head worse than she thought it was and making her delirious? Suzee did not know, but she now knew something else about why Radu was acting so strange.
" I didn't know Radu was in love with me like that!" she exclaimed out loud with a smile across her face.