The boy put on his school uniform, slowly wore his white school socks, ate his breakfast reluctantly, was ushered out of the house by his maid. Today is his examination--History. His worst subject and the one he was least interested in. Hated, if he was permitted to use that word. He stomped to the lift lobby, praying intensely for the lift to malfunction. At 4th storey, the lift stopped. He grinned. Only to have it wiped off when the door opened to let in his neighbor--an irritant his age, from his school. A smarty-pants who always rejoiced in running into him just to compare results or show off about boring facts he read from science magazines. He was not in the mood to socialize, so he pretended to look at his history book.

Merciful silence and then the lift door opens. Out filed the two.

"I feel very well prepared for today's history paper. If I get an A, my parents will get me a genuine lab kit with a real microscope."

"Good for you." He strolls off.

"You don't seem very prepared. You will probably get a C again. So sad. If I ever get a C, I don't think I can live with the humiliation."

"For your information, I am not planning to turn up for the exam today."

"Like real, you are always all talk only. I would love to see how you're going to miss the exam and still get away with it."

"You just watch."

The two boys carried on walking, neither of them talked.

They were nearing the school. In the distance they can see the flock of students in white, concentrated near the school gate, slowly filing into their own lines. Teachers were starting to gather at the parade square.

The school now loomed huge in front of them just across the road. After crossing the street they would be in school, Smarty sneered.

He turned to make a sarcastic remark only to see the other boy taking a deep breath and then stepping off the curb into the oncoming traffic.

Multiple cars honked, tires screamed, Chaos.