Veridis Quo

Chapter 18 - Eureka!

I didn't like math, but I didn't dislike math.

Math, like many things in life, has its ups and downs. The basic operations were a must have for anyone at any age, lifespan and era. From the ancient Egyptians to the recent, in my time, renaissance, math was there to hold humanity's hand when things seemed illogical. You can say whatever you want about Newton, for being a virgin, he propelled the human race to heights never glimpsed before.

However, the math on the white board was as amusing as a fight between two cripples; full paralysis, no gadgets.

Since it was nothing new to me, I stopped copying the teacher at some point and opened the notebook from the end. The eight world; a marvelous phenomenon unexplained by the crackhead science in my own little universe.

Instead of opening a new page and starting from scratch, I built upon what I already had. Space was spacious as is and the carnivorous fruits were in dire need for kinship.

Math was nice. Math was useful. But when math invoked monotony? Hell to the no. I had no objections to sitting still for hours on end, I drew the line when my brain numbed and neurons disconnected. I didn't have a speedo for the occasion.

„No..." I mumbled, more breathed out. Flipping the pencil in hand, I erased the bench I started, the design unfit for my planet. Sharper angles, pointier joints, it wasn't a place for rest; the anti-bench! No jogger shall sit on that bench and rejuvenate!

Once I was pleased with the product, I began on an adjacent bin, loitering was a capital punishment in my realms. If I felt generous, I'd decree death by snu snu-

A white ball landed on my notebook, scaring the living shit out of me. For a moment. I didn't make a sound, just a small jump. Upon closer inspection, it was a crumpled piece of paper, the square tiles of relevant origin.

Looking around inconspicuously, I spotted nothing out of the ordinary; they were in the thick of it and everybody knew. Heads down in their work, pens depleting ink, the rare frustrated grunt there. The culprit perfectly covered their involvement. In addition, no one seemed to notice either the action or my reaction.

Turning back to the rough ball, I mentally prepared myself for anything on that paper, an offensive meme the best outcome. I grabbed the sphere, the jagged angles prickling my hand. With both of them, I quietly unfolded the note, straightening it out on the desk.

A single sentence was written in deep blue; Would you go out with me?

...

That... was the strangest joke to date. What was this? A high school movie? I always thought these shenanigans were exaggerated or... or...

I was right; it was a joke. A cruel joke. A throw-back to the incident in the cafeteria, the fox wasn't the only one who had a problem with me. Whoever braved Miss Hajime's iron gaze was trying to poke at my personal issues, this guy, or gal, was looking for trouble!

Trouble that I wasn't going to dish out. Gon, Miya, even that snake guard, I couldn't afford to become involved in more drama. A shiver went down my spine, just thinking about her had me freezing in a sauna.

I digress. Picking up the pencil between my fingers, I corrected the grip, the graphite tip reluctantly touching the ugly note. I had an answer in mind. If I couldn't confront the opposition directly, I could play other games.

I replied, When I am an adult, adding a winking smiley. I wanted to see what they'd think of that. Yeah. Johnny: 2. Opps: 0. Perfectly unbalanced, as no things should be.