Exchange

Chapter 7

An hour and a half later, Mason and I leant back in our seats, both filled with a tired relief. After Mason had made the tea, we decided to sit down and start the booklets, thinking they would take no more than thirty minutes.

We were filled with an irritated dejection when an hour rolled by and we had only just passed half way.

The books were filled with loads of stupid, personal and irrelevant questions which required answers that consisted of six lines each. 

Mason and I worked through the booklets in a relatively civil manner. After what happened before, I think we both didn't really have the energy to pick another fight.

Thus, other than the one occurrence during the middle, the working process was altogether peaceful.

The only mishap was when we got to question eleven. The question asked us to 'Give an honest and detailed description of your partner with words in which you think describe his/her personality.'

But in all honestly? That one was just asking for trouble.

In all fairness to myself, I had tried to be mature, using words like 'strong-willed' and 'confident' to describe his difficult nature.

However maturity flew out of the window when I looked up from the tortuous task to see Mason smirking down at his page, writing words down in an easy manner.

Warily, I leaned over my book to see what was causing him such enjoyment. My eyes narrowed when I read his words and I turned my head up to glare at him.

He didn't notice though so I shoved him hard in the shoulder. Mason's head jerked up in surprise and his pen rolled off of the table onto the floor.

"What?" he snapped, slightly pissed.

I gestured at his paper angrily. "Stubborn? Dramatic? Talks way too much for own good? What the hell?"

Mason lifted a shoulder, eyeing me with a bored humour. "It says 'give an honest' description, see?" He underlined the word with his finger. "You can't expect me to lie."

I stared at him wordlessly before thinking screw it.

I gave him a helpless smile. "You're right."

In a swift motion I scratched out my pitiful attempts at kindness and wrote what I thought. Arrogant.  Rude.  Lacks maturity and any form of seriousness.

I looked up to see Mason narrowing his eyes at me. With a sweet smile I said, "You're right. Honesty is the best policy after all."

Anyway the moment finally did come and we both closed the stupid books in a fed up tiredness.

Mason groaned and ran both his hands through his hair, leaving the locks to stick up in random tufts, reminding me of a male peacock.  I chuckled quietly to myself.

"What the hell was the point of all of that?" Mason asked irately. "We've been answering all of those damn questions for the entire year now."

I just shrugged. I didn't have an answer because he was right. It really had been a futile task.

"I swear if I get asked what the most difficult challenge I've lived through is, one more time, I will punch somebody." He grumbled, running a weary hand across his face.

Tired myself, I just watched him as he ranted, wondering idly what the most difficult challenge that he'd lived through was.

Somehow, I couldn't seem to find a problem in Mason Tanner's life. He seemed to have it all. A problem would be him having to choose a girl, out of the thousands, to go with to prom. I thought dryly. But then I frowned slightly.