Summer Love: Charity Work

The Invitation

It was a mundane period after the school final examination. Luckily, it was also the last period. Max tapped a finger on his desk in sync with the ticking of the classroom clock. His blue eyes were focused on the clock, watching as time slowly passed by. His other hand rested upon the messy brown hair that covered his head. The other students also waited for the period to end. They were all on the edge of their seats, ready to race out of the classroom. Finally, the minute hand of the clock reached 12 and the school bell rang, indicating that school was over.

All of the students in the classroom rushed outside except for Max. Max sauntered out of the class but before he could even reach the door, he was greeted by a female student. He immediately recognized her as Sophie. Sophie was quite popular in school. She was known for her kindness and her joyful behavior. Unfortunately, most students took her kindness for granted. She had puffy bright orange hair that reached her shoulders. Her vibrant blue eyes sparkled like shining stars in the night sky. Her fair skin perfected her beautiful features. He had to wonder, 'What does she want with me?'

"Hey there Max! Are you interested in joining me for some charity work during the school holiday?" She asked. She tilted her head to the side with her eyes closed and a large grin on her face.

"Oh, hey there Sophie. How do you know who I am?" He asked, holding up a finger. That was the first question that came to mind due to the fact that she did knew who he was.

Sophie giggled quietly. She waved a hand forward. "Oh, I know everyone Max!" She exclaimed, clicking her thumbs and her index fingers together with both hands. "Especially people like you!"

"Excuse me?" He questioned with an uneasy tone. He felt a bit offended but also special at the same time. It actually depended on what she meant by 'especially'. "What do you mean 'people like me'?" He questioned once more with an angered expression.

"I mean people who are quiet all the time and doesn't socialize with other students. Out of all the students in this school, you stand out the most in that category." She explained, poking his chest.

Max blinked at her explanation. "O-Oh, okay then. What's wrong with that?" He inquired, ignoring the chest poke.

Sophie tilted her head at Max's reaction. 'What's wrong? What's wrong!? Everything about your situation is wrong!'. "Listen Max, I think it's better if you socialized more and be more active in social activities! You know? The only thing I see you do is sit down in class and go home. You don't even go out and have recess! Clearly, you have a problem and I want to help you with it." She crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the floor.

"Look, Sophie. I appreciate that you want to help me but I don't have a problem. I just sit down in class because that's all I can really do. Also, I'm not really interested in any of the after-school activities" Max stated, shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay, fine. Like I said, I wanted you to join me to do some charity work. It really means a lot to me if you joined." She reminded him, rubbing her hands together.

"Sorry Sophie but I'm not interested. I mean, there are other students that you can ask. Why do I have to join you?" He asked.

"Well, I did ask some other students but all of them were busy with their plans for the summer. I'm sure you don't have anything planned, that's why I'm asking you." Sophie grinned, hoping that he would accept her request.

He clenched a fist, holding it up to his chest. She was right, he had no plans for the summer. What would he do anyway? He realized that he would eventually get bored at home. "Alright, fine. I'll join your charity work." He accepted her request.

Sophie squealed in excitement, jumping up and down. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him in a surprise hug. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I knew I can count on you Max!"

The warmth caused by her body pressed against him and her arms wrapped around him made his heart skip a beat and his cheeks flushed with red. "Y-You're welcome." He managed to reply. He stood frozen in place, enjoying the hug while it lasted.

"Oh, before I forget, what's your number Max? I need it so I can text you more info about the charity." She let go of him, stepping a few steps back.

Max wrote down his number in a piece of paper from his notebook. "H-Here you go." He handed her the paper with his number on it.

Sophie took the paper and kept it inside her bag. "Okay! Again Max, thank you. I'll see you soon!" She waved goodbye before she ran off, leaving him all alone.

Max returned the wave, a goofy smile on his face. When she was finally gone, Max realized that they had been the only ones left in the building and now he was the only one in the building. He face-palmed and hurried outside so he could return home. Once he finally reached home, he greeted his folks. "Anything special happened today, son?" His father asked. Max shook his head. He headed straight to his room.

He changed into more comfortable and casual clothes after a shower. Max grabbed his phone and jumped onto his bed. He was anticipating a text or even better, a call from Sophie. He may have not shown it with her but he was looking forward to spending time with her. Sadly, he didn't receive any notification. Max waited and waited for a notification but nothing came up. He put his phone away and that was his phone beeped. Instantly, he grabbed his phone and saw that he had an unread text from Sophie.