Despite myself, I was walking steadily. There was something nostalgic about being in a playground even though I had never been in that particular one before. It was like you were being transported back to that time where you had all the innocence in the world and nothing could go wrong.

Except you actually had to grow up and realize all the bad sh*t the world was full of. I walked to the swing, immediately sitting down and pushing myself, lightly at first as I studied the chains that held it to the post. I shook them and tried to calculate in my mind if it would be able to support my weight if I went as fast and as I as I wanted to... How much did I weigh again? If I weighed 48 kilograms, and went on an average of 5.4 meters per second...

"What are you thinking about?" Mark asked, seeing I stopped pushing myself and was just staring up at the hinges of the swing.

"How high would I be if I swung more than the normal swing speed of 5.4 meters per second, and whether the chains could hold it or not."

He burst out laughing. "All that time you were actually thinking about Newton's laws of gravity?"

Well, he asked what I was thinking about. I was actually just trying to get my mind off the thought that it was just the two of us in a deserted playground with the only light coming from the streetlight emphasizing how high his nose was and how sharp his jawline was.

"It's a hobby," I said and he laughed some more. They sounded like bells to my ears. "It's pretty satisfying. You should try it sometime."

Mark was still snickering at what I said. "All that studying led you to this? I don't think I can even remember what those equations were and I'm pretty good at math."

"Where else would I use all those years of calculus and advanced algebra if not in everyday life?" I gave up and pushed myself on the swing again. "My head is fuzzy and I'm thinking I might need a calculator to solve the tension of these chains. You don't happen to have one, do you?"

"Which one? A calculator? Or the tension?" He thought for a moment, and then added, "Or chains...?"

We laughed again until I cleared to him I was looking for a calculator. A scientific one if he was at it because it was easier to use.

"Sorry for being such a nerd," I said as our giggles died down. And yes, Mark giggled.

"It's fine," he assured me. "I like you that way."

I stopped swinging and he closed his mouth before clearing his throat. Minutes of awkward silence passed between us. It was so different from when we were just acquaintances and schoolmates passing each other in the hallway. He was a much better person to talk to that what I heard about him. But then, most people talk bad things about me, so I should have known not to consider those.

Mark cleared his throat again. "I didn't mean it like..."

"I know," I replied. "Don't worry."

Why do people always go to the swing first whenever they saw a playground. To get away from the awkward air, I got up and dusted my skirt off. I studied the seesaw if it was clean enough for me to sit on. It was, so I sat down, my side immediately falling to the ground as it took my weight. 

Then I remembered the answer to my question. Because one could not properly enjoy a seesaw when you did not have anyone to play with. Too bad. It was more stable than the swing's chains and would be sure to support my full weight no matter how many times I pushed it.

Mark studied me quietly, prob