"The Ancient Greeks believed
that everything was made of four elements," the teacher at the front of
the room said. "Does anyone know the names of the elements?" A few
students raised their hands. The teacher called one who didn't have her
hand raised. "Marybeth, could you tell us?"
"Earth, air, water, and...
oh, of course, fire."
"Not bad. I'm sure you're
taking great notes."
Marybeth wasn't. She was busy sketching a picture in her notebook of herself and another girl, one she had never met. Around herself she drew large flames, and around the other girl she drew an ocean wave that would cause damage to any castle made from sand. Upon completion of her drawing, the door to the chemistry room, where she was busy learning the history of the structure of the atom, was opened and a dark haired girl quickly entered.
"Sorry I'm late," she began.
"I got lost on the way here, and..."
"You're the new girl, aren't
you?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Take a seat in the back,
next to Marybeth. She'll get you caught up on the notes we've taken today.
Class, this is Crystal. She's new here, so be nice to her."
The dark haired girl sat down
and fumbled through her books. She found her notebook and opened it to
the first page, then asked Marybeth if she could take a look at the notes.
Marybeth scribbled on a piece of paper and passed it to the girl. "NO!!!"
she read. She wrote on the paper, "Why not???" "I take bad notes"
was the reply.
"Girls, there's plenty of
time after class to get aquainted with each other. Of course, if you want
to become good friends now, I'm sure I won't have to hear you two arguing
to each other when you stay after school to make up my class."
Later on during chemistry,
they had to do an experiment in the laboratory.
"Hey, could I be your lab
partner?" Crystal asked Marybeth.
"Well, Crystal, I'd love to,
but I already have a partner," she replied, before going towards a lab
counter by herself. Her partner was soon at the counter, and they began
to read the procedure for the lab experiment.
Marybeth connected the rubber
hose to the bunsen burner, then to the gas valve on the counter. She turned
on the gas and moved her hand over the top of the bunsen burner, lighting
the bunsen burner in the process.
"Miss Marybeth," the teacher
said. "Light the burner the proper way. I will not have you get hurt in
my class!!!"
"Okay, sir," she replied,
giggling.
After the experiment was finished, Marybeth and her partner went back to their seats and answered the questions related to the experiment. Crystal asked Marybeth for some help, but was once again rejected.
Crystal was irate by the end of class. After the bell rang to signal the start of a new class, everyone quickly filed through the door. When Crystal walked by the sink on the teacher's lab counter, the water pipes beneath the counter began to vibrate. Marybeth and the chemistry teacher heard the pipes, and wondered what had caused it to happen. Marybeth didn't give it a second thought.
Marybeth and Crystal had lunch at the same time on their schedules. They both ordered something from the cafeteria, and Marybeth sat down at her usual seat. Crystal asked if she could sit at her table, but Marybeth told her no. Crystal pleaded, but it led Marybeth to let actions speak for her. She took her spoon and scooped out a good amount of pudding from the little plastic cup it had been served in. She flung the pudding at Crystal, and it landed in her hair. Although she was on the verge of crying, she was also mad beyond what a chill pill could fix. Before Crystal could speak, the school's water pipes burst and the cafeteria flooded with water.
"Imagine that," one of Marybeth's
friends said, after the school had been evacuated. "It's not even Winter,
and you would've thought the pipes had frozen and burst!!!"
"That was an awesome shot
with the pudding, MaryB" another friend said. "She was being annoying!!!"
"Yeah, I know," MaryB said,
before quickly walking away to find Crystal.
"Hey, I'm sorry about the pudding,"
Marybeth said to Crystal.
"I bet you are!!!" Crystal
said, crying. "You heard the chemistry teacher..."
"Yeah I did. That's why I
want to apologise for..."
"Why do you want to apologise???
Didn't you think about what would happen before you did it???"
"Honestly, I never thought
the pipes would burst."
"What, you think I did that???"
"Actually, yes. You'd never
believe me if I told you, and I don't want to tell you in public anyway."
"What, you don't want your
friends to know???"
"They know about me. They
don't know about you."
"You don't even know about
me!!!"
"Listen, after school I'll
tell you more. For now, just get through your first day in a new school."
