Chapter 173: After Ballet Practice. 2011 CE

Helios was walking on the pavement of Forest Hills as he was pulling his bike casually, Gwen was with him, sitting on the back seat of the bike, enjoying the warm wind of May. Gwen was still wearing her ballet dress, as she was just coming back from her ballet practice. She was barefoot, and in her hand, her ballet shoes.

Turns out, she forgot to bring some clothing to change into once she finished practice, and needed to go home with her ballet dress still on.

“Electives, what about electives?” suddenly questioned Gwen, continuing a conversation they had just now. “Do you know what you’re going to choose?”

Helios sighed. “Gwen, it’s still a year till we go to middle school…”

“Well, it can't hurt to choose now right?”

“True…” Helios murmured. “I guess Media?”

Gwen raised her eyebrow. “Media? Like those TV news?”

“No, like films.” Helios corrected. “Dad says making films is fun, so imma try it.”

“That’s cool, what’s the other one?”

“Another one? There’s another one?”

“Yeah, two electives…” Gwen answered.

“Then I don’t know…” Helios murmured. “Maybe band? That sounds nice.”

“Oh, I want to be in a band!” Gwen exclaimed. “Drums are cool!”

“Really? You want to be in a band?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Gwen frowned.

“I don’t know… picturing you with your ballet dress while playing drums is kinda funny.” Helios chuckled, and Gwen smacked his shoulder playfully.

“I’m quitting ballet after this…” Gwen murmured.

“What? Why?” Helios questioned. “You were good at it.”

“Not really, I don’t like it anymore…” answered Gwen. “I’ll ask dad to sign me up for a self defence class instead, he’ll definitely agree to that.”

“Oh that’s good.” Helios hummed. But then, he had a ‘brilliant’ idea. “Hey! Why don’t you come with me next summer!”

“Hm? Come where?” Gwen asks curiously.

“I have this training camp every summer with mom and dad upstate.” said Helios, holding a laugh. “They teach me self-defence and all kinds of things…”

“So that’s why you were missing every summer…” Gwen murmured. “I don’t know if my dad allowed me to go with you there…”

“Hey just talk to him, maybe he’ll agree.” Helios shrugged. “That way, I have a friend in suf– I mean, a friend in the training camp…”

Gwen frowned hearing Helios’s words. “Okay…”

“That’s great!” Helios exclaimed. “By the way, you asked me about what Electives I might choose, how bout you?”

“I was thinking advanced science…” Gwen answered softly.

Helios scrunched up his face. “Really? You want to learn more of the boring stuff?”

“Well I like those stuff…” Gwen murmured bitterly. “But fine… Robotics sounds cool…”

“Robotics? That doesn’t seem like you…” Helios commented. “I thought you wanted to be like Doctor Hansen?”

“But you said advanced science is boring!” Gwen grumbled, punching Helios playfully.

“Hey, I was joking!” Helios laughed. “But seriously though, why robotics?”

“I don’t know… I want to build a robot someday…” said Gwen. “It’s stupid… I know…”

Helios shrugged. “I heard stupider things… What kind of robot?”

“Like a helping robot maybe.” said Gwen casually, playing with her ballet shoes. “I imagined it to be big… and fluffy… likes to give warm hugs…”

“A caretaker robot?” Helios hummed. “That’s a good idea, maybe you’ll build it someday.”

“You think so?” Gwen questioned happily.

“You’re smart Gwen, of course you can do it.” Helios nodded casually. “How did you come up with the idea though?”

“It’s just that mom sometimes is lonely at home…” Gwen murmured. “And she’s sick… it’s not like she could go anywhere… maybe a robot will help, you know?”

Helios turned to Gwen, and smiled sadly. “Gweny…”

“Oh, here we are…” said Gwen, jumping from the bike as they arrived in front of her house. “I’ll be fine Theo, I’ll talk to my dad about next summer, maybe he’ll allow it… but then again, mom’ll be alone at home…”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to go Gweny, I’ll be fine alone, as usual.” Helios said softly.

Gwen hummed. “Maybe I can go home every day, who knows? Besides, it’s boring without you here.”

“What? You don’t have any friends?” Helios chuckled.

“It’s only you that matters.” Gwen smiled.

“Gwen… you need to make friends…”

“How about you? You need to make friends as well.”

“I’m fine alone.” Helios said. “You though, you need to make friends, if in middle school you still don’t have any friends, you’ll be stuck with me, a boy.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Gwen questioned.

Helios sighed. “Nothing really… but the point is, you need to make friends, otherwise, I’ll be very mad…”

Gwen giggled. “Fine, I’ll try to make friends…”

Helios smiled. “Good.”

Helios then walked her to her doorsteps, where he stood on the lawn, while Gwen walked towards the door.

“Theo?” Gwen called Helios’s name.

“Hm?”

“We’d still be friends in middle school right?” she asked.

Helios raised his brow. “What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know… I read somewhere that when students entered middle school they changed a lot…”

Helios laughed. “Up to you Gweny, I’m fine either way.”

Gwen smiled, and knocked on her door. The door soon opened, revealing Gwen’s mother, who was bald, probably from all the chemotherapy.

“Oh, hello Theo.” said Helen with a soft smile.

Helios also smiled sadly. “Hello Mrs. Stacy.”

“You want to come in for some cookies? I just baked some.” she said, offering goodwill.

Helios declined politely. “Sorry Mrs. Stacy… I need to go home… I’m going upstate with my parents today…”

“Oh that’s a pity…” Helen sighed. “Well, visit us other times then.”

“I’ll try Mrs. Stacy.” Helios nodded. He then turned to Gwen, which the girl waved him goodbye.

“Bye.” she smiled softly.

Helios also waved his hand. “Bye, see you after summer, Gweny…”