He grins then goes back to... well, not paying attention in class because really who does that.

Cally's clearly thinking hard about something, at least. The focused look is unusual for her.

He has hypotheses and hopes.

Come gym class she shakes off that funk and plays sports just as enthusiastically as ever.

She tells Sadde in semi-secret, "Ix-nay on the agic-may. I'm starting to think you don't have a secret bone in your body. If we talk about it in school or anything call it, I dunno, our gardening hobby."

He giggles. "Sure, I can do that, but most people would just assume we were talking about some game. I would've assumed that and I'm suspicious as heck."

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna ask dad about gardening tonight. Maybe that'll get you somewhere. Your tennis technique is kind of bad, by the way."

"I'm not a super good sports person!" he admits cheerfully. "What'd you ask your mom exactly?"

"Why the rules are the rules, why we don't expand the garden, stuff like that."

He nods. "And she said?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." Cally makes a face.

He frowns. "Wow."

"She also said it's safer this way, so I'm not... That suspicious of that answer. But it's not a very strong argument, is it?"

He shrugs. "I wouldn't find it so."

"...Well, we'll see tomorrow."

"I hope so. How're you otherwise, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm thinking all the time, it's terrible," she jokes.

He giggles. "Sorry?" he tries, not sounding regretful at all.

"Yeah, why can't I just be-" She clears her throat and does a 'caveman' voice.  "Thaga climb tree now. Thaga throw rock at deer. Thaga look at cute boy." She coughs and ends the voice. "Be simpler, wouldn't it?"

He laughs. "Simpler, sure, but I like complicated."

"Go have fun beating someone at chess then?"

"I'm not actually any good at chess," he admits.

Cally shrugs. "Play piano? Do an experiment on the spectral absorption efficiency of photosynthetic processes? Go running with me after school? I'm just suggesting things randomly now to be honest, though."

"Going running with you sounds actually fun and feasible as opposed to just fun."

Cally raises an eyebrow. "Oh reaaally? You think you can keep up?"

"Not a chance, but it should be fun anyway."