Don't Call Me Angel

Angel 07

Lavender White walked into the physics lab, her tough exterior hiding the nervous energy she felt inside. She was determined not to let anyone see her vulnerability, especially not the other delinquents at Fire and Ice. The lab was an eclectic mix of old and new equipment, with outdated posters of Newton's laws on the walls and sleek computers on the desks.

Josh Worthy was already there, leaning back in his chair with a casual confidence that seemed unshakable. His blond hair fell over his eyes, giving him a roguish look. He was twirling a pencil, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling.

Lavender sat down next to him, her eyes narrowing. "Worthy, what do you know about physics? Besides how to defy it when you're stealing cars."

Josh smirked, not bothering to look at her. "More than you think, White. And it's Josh, by the way."

The teacher, Mr. Hargrove, a middle-aged man with graying hair and a stern face, clapped his hands to get their attention. "Today, we'll be discussing Newton's First Law of Motion. Who can tell me what it is?"

Lavender rolled her eyes. "An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force. Happy?"

Mr. Hargrove raised an eyebrow. "Correct, Miss White. But let's see how well you understand it." He pointed to a cart and a pile of weights. "Who can demonstrate?"

Josh stood up, stretching lazily. "I'll do it." He walked over to the cart and placed a weight on it. "So, when I push this, it's going to keep moving until something stops it, right?"

"Exactly," Mr. Hargrove replied. "But what might stop it?"

"Friction," Josh said, pushing the cart. It rolled a short distance before coming to a halt. "And if I push it harder?" He gave the cart a more forceful shove, and it traveled further.

Lavender watched, arms crossed. "Big deal. Anybody can push a cart."

Mr. Hargrove gestured for her to come forward. "Miss White, why don't you explain why the cart stopped sooner the first time?"

Lavender sighed and walked to the front. "The friction between the wheels and the surface slowed it down. More force means it takes longer for the friction to stop it."

"Very good," Mr. Hargrove said, nodding. "Now, let's talk about inertia."

As Mr. Hargrove droned on, Lavender couldn't help but glance at Josh. He seemed different here, in a classroom, compared to when he was out causing trouble. Maybe there was more to him than she thought.

After the lecture, they were paired up for a lab experiment on Newton's Second Law: F=ma. Lavender and Josh stood at their station, setting up the apparatus.

"Okay, White, we need to measure the mass and apply different forces," Josh said, adjusting the weights.

"Yeah, I know," Lavender snapped. "I'm not an idiot."

Josh held up his hands in mock surrender. "Never said you were. Here, you measure the mass, I'll record the data."

Lavender weighed the first object, a small metal ball. "Two kilograms."

Josh jotted it down. "Alright, let's apply one newton of force."

They released the ball, and it rolled down a ramp, accelerating slowly. Josh measured the acceleration with a stopwatch. "0.5 meters per second squared."

"See? It's proportional," Lavender said, not looking up. "More force, more acceleration."

Josh grinned. "You're not just a pretty face, are you?"