The Science of Theft

Chapter 8 - Homework

"Professor O'Connell!"

Jack turned around, bracing himself against teenage wrath.

"What are we supposed to do Professor O'Connell? This assignment makes no sense!" Andy accused, pulling the cooler into the classroom. "What's the point of the glass? Lemon juice and light did nothing! Everything else would be a safety risk."

"Not everything," Jack admitted, speaking cautiously. "I made it clear this would likely take more than one class to finish. That's why I gave everyone five days to get this done."

"All we have is a hand sized clear glass panel and a chapter about wavelengths! We experimented on these and got nothing!"

"Andy," Jack held up his hand, "I promise that this lab is not impossible. You have what you need. Read the chapter and think about what it reveals."

"I read the chapter three times!"

He slammed the handle down into the cooler.

"Life doesn't always come with clear instructions. This lesson is the easiest one that I have planned for this class. I know that you can do this. You've won a top spot in every science fair this school has had since you enrolled. If you can win that, this will be a cakewalk."

Andy stared at him.

"I looked into every student in my class. This lesson is something everyone can do. It will be easiest for you because you already know more than the others and are more hands on than every other student in this school."

"You're a sink or swim guy."

"Sink or swim."

"You really looked into each of our school records?"

"I talked to most of your parents too."

"Whoa."

"You can do this."

"Maybe I can. What about everyone else?"

"All of you can do this. You will probably get it before everyone else though...I think half of the class will wait to read chapter two until Thursday night. Even so, you should try your best. First place means a lot. And if someone else figures it out before you...you'll feel really stupid. Really, really stupid."

"Thank you for bringing the class equipment back inside Andy. Have a nice day."

Jack knew tomorrow might not be as nice.

Sure enough, the next day his class had a few scowls as everyone went back outside. It revealed that seven of his twenty students had taken the assignment seriously.

"Don't forgot to put your phones away. They're a distraction."

After Jack was gone the other students took their phones back and left to do whatever they wanted for two hours.

Mary glared at her glass panel."My cousins laughed at me when I said this was my classwork."

"My parents laughed at me when I said I couldn't figure out what this is," Natasha angrily threw her backpack away from where she was sitting. "It looks like glass. Are you sure you're a senior in high school?

"I took pictures of it with my phone out on my porch. Nothing showed up on the filters," Susanna admitted, texting someone on her phone as she spoke.

The phones had been rescued from the cooler as soon as Professor O'Connell had made it back into the building.

"Smart move." Jackson whistled. "Phone filters. I plopped mine in the window seal and hit it with a blacklight once it got dark out."

"I tried a blacklight too," Matthew admitted.