Yes, I Am

Chapter Twelve.

In three days, Caleb was healed and, as it seemed, even more energetic than usual. There was something about no physical activity for three days that made him appreciate jumping around more. He could make a five year old feel like an old man with all his prancing and dancing and twisting and turning. He was basically all of Santa's reindeers rolled into one. I just reserved myself to sitting at one spot in the middle of the empty field while he and Austin kicked a ball around. And by around, I mean around me. Austin passed the ball and Caleb kicked it lightly with his heel to the side, kicked it upwards again and then crossed his other leg behind the one to kick it again, this time making it curve upwards in the air.

"That was quite cool," I said slowly, still wondering whether I was in awe or just bewildered.

"That looks like a new age tribal dance," said Betty, mysteriously appearing from out of the blue, a sling bag on her shoulder swinging back and forth as she sashayed to where I was sitting and flopped down beside me.

"It would be if there was any pattern to it," I said. "I thought you were busy with your beau." I gave her a teasing sideways look.

"Trust me, I wanted to be. But I need to complete that paper we're supposed to submit tomorrow," she said.

"What paper?" I asked slowly.

"The one about the Renaissance influence on literature blah blah blah." She waved her hand in the air in a vague manner. "I've written only 1500 words. I've still got a good thousand words to go and I need your help."

"Is it the 21st today?" I asked, dread falling over me. I had never forgotten an assignment before. I kept thinking that I had a lot of time to get cracking on the paper and the days went by and suddenly it was a day before the deadline. This must be what procrastinators feel like, I thought with horror.

"Yes," she said in the same tone. "Don't tell me you haven't done it yet. You were my last hope."

"No!" I whisper-screamed. "I forgot. This is a disaster. How am I supposed to research and write a 2500 words paper in half a day?" My mind was running at three hundred miles an hour. I had never felt so dizzy. Being punctual was my thing. It was my only thing. I wasn't good at anything except having a perfect score. If I didn't submit the paper on time, I would get a D and my whole GPA would drop and then I wouldn't get admission in a good college for my masters and I wouldn't get a good job and I would wind up sweeping floors of industrial areas and living in a cramped apartment with termites as pets. And worst of all? I would prove my parents right. "Oh. My. God."

She dug into her bag and brought out two laptops, handing one to me. "Here, this is your laptop. I stole it in advance so I can get you to help me cheat. If you start now, you can complete it by tomorrow morning."

A ball hit the back of my head, kicked by Austin, of course (who else?). "Hey, you promised no studying!" he complained.

"I don't have time for you right now," I muttered, taking Betty's support to jump up to a stand and we ran to the bleachers, ignoring Caleb and Austin's volley of questions and complaints and threats, in that exact order.

I would have asked her how she managed to steal my laptop but I wasn't sure I wanted the answer. Moreover, I was mostly relieved that she had it. I would have chewed out my fingernails on the car ride home otherwise. It was a small relief to open my Macbook with its familiar Lord Of The Rings background and see the folders of notes scattered all over the desktop.

Betty let me read whatever she had written which should have helped, except for the fact that there were a few mistakes in it and I couldn't ignore it. So we spent the next half an hour getting her facts straight.