Chapter Two: Catch That Magic Moment

I do not find school a source of pleasure. It irks me that I have just hack NASA, and the FBI brought me to America to use me as a resource, but I still have to attend school. I should be using my time for more important activities such as aiding the FBI in one of their projects, or even another government agency.

Back in Ireland, where I originate from, my mother, if I did not want to attend school, would allow me to stay home just as long as I completed my school tasks as soon as my sister arrived at the house. She understood, or my sibling, Megan, would sneak me out of school, due the fact that she was a witness to one of the school bully incidents.

"Walter."My calculus teacher asked, Mr Smith.

I glared at the problem on the board. It read:

g (x)= x^3 + 2x^2 - 3x / x^2 + 2x - 3

The graph of function g defined by:

At which point will it have a vertical asymptotes?

"Function g has no vertical asymptotes."I replied.

"Good job Walter."Mr. Smith said with a smile.

I simply do not get why I have to sit through all this. I already educated myself on calculus at the age of five, I do not need to be re-educated on this subject matter. I would much rather discuss if climate change really is a major threat to civilization, or if mankind will continue to invent new forms of communication, or even what is next in modern technology.

I am fourteen years old, and I have an IQ of one hundred ninety-seven, my time needs to be devoted to something else either than the tedious task of schoolwork.

The bell then rung indicating that it was time for lunch.

"Enjoy your lunches kids, I'm gonna get myself some good 'ol tests to grade."Mr. Smith said to the students as he waved to us goodbye.

I walked down to the cafeteria, found a table, sat down, and got my lunch out of my backpack.

"Hey smart boy, what do ya have for lunch?"A boy came up to me and asked.

He had a few of his friends with him, and was known for bullying his fellow peers.

"First off, the proper phrase if what do you have to eat, second off, lunch is a time period, not an edible item, or something someone can take possession of, and to answer your question, I have a tuna fish sandwich, milk, some apple slices, and mixture of celery sticks, carrot sticks, and black olives."I responded.

"No chips, candy or sugary stuff?"He asked."Wow, your mom is really lame."He continued to ridicule.

"My mother is over in Ireland, and I pack my own lunch, even when she offers to pack it, I take up the task, uhh, anyways."I told him.

"Wow, I would've never guessed that you were that lame."He said as he put his face at close proximity to mine.

I just stared at him, said nothing, and did nothing.

"What will it take to break this dude."He said.

"I dunno, he seems pretty calm."One of his buddies said.

"Maybe this will do it."He said then he put his fist back, and I tried to predict his next move.

Then in an instant he punched me in the nose. I felt a rush of pain sore through my whole body until it finally breached back to my nose. I noticed blood drip down onto my sweater. I covered my nose with my hand, and then I looked up only to see the three boys laughing, and absolute silence from everybody else in the cafeteria until, a girl stood up.

She was beautiful girl, and had long, smooth brown hair with golden streaks in it, or as mother called it "dirty brown" hair that she let hang off her shoulders, and she had brown eyes that shined off the lights in the cafeteria. She wore jeans, and tee-shirt that had black, and white stripes on it, and white sweater.

"Hey! Why did you do that? He wasn't bothering you, he was just eating his lunch. It isn't nice for you to go around hurting kids like that!"She scolded at them as I watched.

The boys smiled then said:

"Maybe he was bothering me by being here, now scoot girly, we don't need no girl to tell us what to do."The leader of the trio said.

"Try, and use correct grammar the next time you try to tell a girl that, apologize, now or else I will kick you all in place your discriminating against me for not having."She said, and soon as she said that last part, the trio's eyes all shot up, I was surprised that they had the knowledge to understand her illustrated point.

"Sorry I punched you, and hurt your feelings."The leader said in a tone of disappointment.

"Sorry."The other two said in unison.

I didn't want to sound as if I were what my father always calls me, a "smart aleck" I believe the coined phrase is, so I accepted their pleas, and they left.

I then resumed to opening my sandwich then the oddest thing happened. The girl who helped me grabbed her lunch bag, and sat down with me, and she didn't just sit at a seat in any other section of the table, she optied for sitting down right next to me.

"So what's your name?"She asked me with a smile.

"Walter, Walter O'Brien."I said, just waiting for her to leave.

"Ohh, well I'm Paige, nice to meet you Walter."She said then gestured me to shake hands with her.

Something about her made it seem right for me to do so as a posed to my teachers when they gestured me to do so, and I just did it out of social obligation, while with Paige, I did it because it felt right to me.

"What are somethings I should know about you?"She asked.

"I am from Ireland, I am a genius with a one hundred ninety-seven IQ, I am living here on an FBI wager, since I hacked NASA, and my older sister has MS."I told her.

She looked at me as if I were a deranged human.

"Wow, for both shocked, and surprised reasons. Your older sister has MS?"She asked, shocked I believe.

"Yes, she was diagnosed with it recently."I told her.

"The next time you talk to her, tell her I'll keep her in my prayers."She told me.

I nodded, why do people believe in a higher power? It makes no sense.

"You really have a one hundred ninety-seven IQ, hacked, NASA, and work for the FBI?"She asked again.

"Well I do not work for the FBI, since I a cannot gain any money, but they provide me a home, and I provide them with a resource."I told her as I pointed the part of the cranium where the brain is located, and had a slight smile on my face.

She giggled then said:

"I guess you can be funny as well."She told me with a grin.

I smiled at her then said:

"What about you, is there anything I should know about you?"I asked.

"Well, I have a very odd background, my mom is a con artist, and my dad has to raise me, and my little three year old brother all by himself. My mom was put in prison when I was eleven, and came home only ever so often. My dad has been distraught ever since."She told me as the smile quickly left her face, and mine as well.

I thought of something Megan would say in a situation like this, and the only one thing came to mind was:

"I'm sorry that you have to suffer through this ordeal."I rather quickly came up with.

"Thank you Walter. You just made my day."She said with a smile.

I returned the smile then the bell rang.

"I have to get to class, but we should get together sometime."She said as she put her lunch box in her backpack, and took out a piece of paper, and a pencil, and began to write as I packed my lunch box in my backpack as well.

She handed me the note, and said with a smile:

"Call me when you get home."She directed

"Okay."I told her then I watched her walk out of the cafeteria, and disappear into the hallway, and thought:

I finally found a friend.