The One Night Stand Turns Out To Be My Professor

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58

Jenny’s POV

Classes were extra boring and torturous today. It sucked. And I had made sure I blamed Sophia for it. She had see my texts but hadn’t replied. That didn’t stop me from sending another series of texts.

But at the same time, even with the fact that I found class boring and extremely long today, I was still determined to focus and get early to class.

I slipped into the chemistry lab a few minutes before class started, picking a seat near the middle of the room. It was the perfect spot—close enough to the front so I wouldn’t get distracted, but far enough back to observe without drawing too much attention. As I settled into my seat, I pulled out my notebook and pen, ready to take notes. The familiar smell of chemicals and freshly wiped surfaces lingered in the air, mixing with the low hum of conversations around me.

Dr. Hughes entered the room with his usual brisk energy, immediately commanding attention. He was one of those professors who made even the most complicated concepts feel approachable, and I appreciated that. Chemistry fascinated me, but it could be so intimidating—there were just so many equations and reactions to memorize. But Dr. Hughes has a way of breaking things down that usually makes them click, at least most of the time.

“Good morning, everyone!” Dr. Hughes greeted us, his voice cutting through the low buzz of chatter. “Today, we’re diving into reaction kinetics. This is where chemistry really starts to come alive, so I hope you’re ready.”

The fact that he didn’t waste time asking how our holidays went or talking about the last semester made me smile. It was like that wasn’t any of his business at all and he just wanted to do his work and get through his day. Like me.

I flipped to a fresh page in my notebook, writing the date in the top right corner. Reaction kinetics, I thought, staring at the title I had just written. I remembered reading about it in the textbook last semester, but the details were kind of fuzzy. Something about reaction rates and how fast or slow they happen.

“As you know,” Dr. Hughes continued, “reaction kinetics is the study of the speed of chemical reactions and the factors that influence this speed. This is crucial because, in real-world applications, the rate at which a reaction occurs can determine its usefulness.”

I nodded, my pen moving quickly across the page. ~Reaction kinetics: study of the speed of chemical reactions + influencing factors. Real-world importance~ —I summarized the key points, trying to keep my notes concise. I’ve learned that paraphrasing helps me understand the material better. Plus, it makes things easier to review later.

Dr. Hughes clicked a button on his remote, and the first slide of the day appeared on the screen: ‘Collision Theory’. I squinted at the screen, trying to focus. This sounded familiar, maybe something from high school chemistry?

“To understand reaction rates,” Dr. Hughes explained, “we start with the Collision Theory. This theory states that for a reaction to occur, reactant particles must collide. However, not all collisions result in a reaction. For a successful reaction, the particles must collide with the correct orientation and sufficient energy, known as the activation energy.”

I scribbled down as quickly as I could: ~Collision Theory: Reactants must collide. Requirements—Correct orientation + sufficient energy (activation energy).~

As Dr. Hughes delved deeper into the concept, I found myself nodding along. This made sense to me—the idea that not every collision would lead to a reaction was logical, especially when thinking about why some reactions took longer than others. It was like trying to fit puzzle pieces together; not every attempt would work, but when it did, everything would fall into place.