Unfolding

Chapter 37

It All Comes Down to This.

"It always seems impossible until it's done." – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

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"The Tripartite Pact included which three countries?" Lucas read off the stack of index cards he was holding while laying down on the floor of Aiden's bedroom.

Tripartite Pact...

Tripartite Pact...

Tri –

"Germany, Italy and Japan!" I blurted out.

"Natalie!" Caroline groaned, frustration evident in her voice. "Give the rest of us a chance to answer some of these." She was currently sitting in Aiden's swivel chair pouring over her history notes.

There were two days left until our very first AP exam, and tensions were high.

Aiden's house had also become our unspoken designated study place. Every day after school – Brooke, Lucas, Caroline and I would meet Aiden at his house where the five of us spent the rest of the night studying.

At this point my brain was starting to feel like mush, and I don't know how much more information I can retain. Math and history were starting to get discombobulated, and I'm pretty sure I confused photosynthesis with a word in French earlier today.

"In what year did Japan leave the League of Nations?" It was Aiden's turn to ask a question. Out of the five of us, he seemed the most relaxed and it was killing me. He sat propped against the headboard of his bed, tossing a baseball – no books open, no notes, nothing!

What I wouldn't do to be that relaxed.

Instead, I've had a headache since last week, my heart rate has been abnormal and sometimes it feels like its beating out of my chest – and don't even ask me the last time I got a eight hours of sleep.

Yesterday morning, Caroline had to wake me up because I fell asleep in English.

I never fall asleep at school.

"1933." Brooke lifted her head off the floor for a moment to answer and put it back down. I couldn't tell if she was trying to take a nap or silently sobbing at this point.

You didn't need to be a genius to know that we were all drained.

"What was the Anglo – Japanese Alliance?" Aiden fired another question.

"An agreement established in 1902 between England and Japan in which they agreed to assist one another in safeguarding interests in China and Korea." Lucas called out from the opposite side of the room where he too, was laying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling.

Are you starting to see a pattern here?

"List the three main causes of World War 1."

We went on like that for the remainder of the night until about eleven at night when we each went our separate ways.

Aiden had tried to convince me to spend the night, but both his mom and Tom were home. I wanted to avoid the awkward walk of shame at breakfast – even if the only thing we were doing was sleeping next to each other.

I for one was too tired to even think about anything else than sleep right now.

........

All too soon, the next morning rolled around once again I found myself sitting in English listening to Ms. Nguyen go over some of the main points of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.