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🕑 Added 2025-05-14 07:43:23 +0000 UTCThe Supreme State of Science
Chapter 57 – The Importance of Living Life
At Leslie’s house, they were seriously questioned by their parents, who were very worried about them coming back so late.
Jimmy could swear that if they had been a few minutes later, both sets of angry parents would have called the police.
“We were just looking at the river—it was huge. We didn’t do anything dangerous.”
Jimmy’s parents, of course, trusted him. But Leslie’s parents couldn’t understand why their daughter’s outing had turned into watching a dangerous river roaring with high tides.
“Did you jump into the river?”
“No, Dad, we weren’t that dumb.” Leslie smiled nervously.
“You did what?!” Jimmy’s mom, Judy, was the most upset.
But he quickly responded with a question that neither of their parents could refute: “Do you really think I’d be in danger? I have my most important creations with me all the time. Of course nothing bad would happen.”
“That makes sense. Let’s forget about it. Since you’re both safe, we won’t ruin the rest of the day.”
This time, it was Leslie’s mom, Judy, who ended the discussion.
Jimmy and Leslie both sighed in relief. Being bombarded with questions and trying to hide the truth without knowing what to say was never fun.
Leslie looked at Jimmy and smiled, then asked, “Wanna listen to my music collection?”
“That sounds interesting…” Jimmy wanted to escape the situation at all costs, and Leslie’s suggestion was more than perfect.
In no time, they were upstairs in Leslie’s room, where a small warm lamp and some LED lights decorated the space with a cozy vibe. Outside, the rain had calmed, but the sound of raindrops still filled the silence.
Leslie started a playlist on her speaker. It was full of rock songs—some classic, others upbeat and lively. Jimmy sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window for a few seconds.
“Do you like this music?” Leslie asked, lowering the volume a bit.
Jimmy nodded, even though he didn’t really like it much. “Yeah… It gives off a feeling. I don’t know what exactly, but I like it.”
Little by little, memories of his friends began to resurface, filling Jimmy with beautiful moments he would never experience again.
That feeling of having lived something incredible and knowing it would never happen again—that’s what Jimmy was feeling now.
There was a brief silence, until Leslie broke it with a question: “Do you have any friends where you live?”
Jimmy fell still. He looked down, then smiled with a touch of melancholy. “Not many. Actually… I lost them all when I moved. Changing cities is like restarting your life without being able to save what came before.”
“Oh… That happened to me too…” Leslie whispered.
“That sounds rough, and the worst part is, we don’t even have a choice.”
“Yeah. Now I have Sheldon, who’s… sort of a friend. He doesn’t talk much. Socializing is hard for him. He’s like… a quieter version of me.” Jimmy chuckled softly.
“But at least we understand each other without needing too many words.”
“Don’t you get bored?”
“No.” Jimmy shook his head.
“I’d rather use that time for my creations. I’m more comfortable working with circuits than with people. Sometimes, I feel like people expect things from me that I don’t even understand myself. But machines… I understand them perfectly. And they don’t need to understand others to just be there…”
Leslie looked at him attentively, with a mix of understanding and tenderness. “And what about that football tournament I heard something about?”
Jimmy was a little surprised, but didn’t try to hide it. “Oh… That. I signed up. Not because I really like it. I wanted to see if… I don’t know… if being on the team would give me a place in society. You know, those roles people think they need to fill to be seen.”
“And did it work?”
Jimmy took a moment to answer. “I’m not sure. Maybe a little. But at the same time… the more I try to fit in, the more I feel like I’m drifting away. Like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not.”
Leslie turned the music off completely, looked at him, and softly said, “Maybe it’s not about fitting in. Maybe it’s about finding the people who understand you, without needing you to pretend.”
Jimmy looked at her. For a moment, he felt like those words answered many unresolved questions. He said nothing. He just smiled—this time, sincerely.
