Life, Books, Cats

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Seriously, this is almost a bad memory.  Not quite "the greatest compliment ever recieved," but a story somewhat related to it.  And i like these writer's block questions.

So, you've got me.  Eigth grade outcast, socially inept, trying her dangest to be trendy and with-it, and a life-threatening crush on one of the school jocks.  A nice guy, cute, polite, and one of the people who always tried to be nice to me.  He was in my homeroom, and we were taking Boring State Standardised End of Grade Test Number 99.  This one was in Language Arts. 

Now, standardized tests have always been one of my talents.  I'll get Fs and Ds all year through in math, but you put an EOG in front of me and it'll pull my algebra grade up to passing.  I also loathe the things with a passion, but I grateful to be good at them.  And most North Carolina state tests are preposterous- the questions are either stupidly easy or easily the stupidest thing you've ever seen in your life.  (Maybe I don't interpret poetry in the same exact arbitrary way that you do, hmm, test-person?  Ever considered that?  Hmm?)  And this was eigth grade.  School and I still got along to an extent.

So I zipped through the test.  I probably didn't do as well as I should have, because I was focused on getting it over quickly- but I did get it over quickly.

As in, the teacher sort of was staring at me.  "Are you sure you're done, Elizabeth?"

"Yes," I muttered.

Object of Major Crush was sitting next to me, and here he displayed his talent for being a well-meaning idiot.  "Woah," he said, "you're too smart for me."

This was eigth grade.  I still wanted to fit in.  I would've given my grades to fit in, and tried to.  I did not want to hear that from him.  But now?  Looking back on it?

Thank you, former crush.  You were a nice guy, a good guy, and you were trying your hardest to make someone lonely a little happier.  And looking back on it, that was the best thing you could've said.  No, I wasn't "too smart for you".  I'm not all that smart- I just show off a little too much.  And you were much smarter than you gave yourself credit for.