Power 35

Chapter V: Runs Down

Lianne Angelita Hacinto

The rumors were, without a doubt, true. Everleigh Institute's Power 35 were intelligent as fuck.

I twirl my mechanical pencil with my fingers as another student answers the professor's question confidently and completely. Not only were the students smart alecks, but they were also somewhat arrogant and rude. They cut off the teacher's sentences before they even finished talking. Back in my country, if you were to do that, oh boy, say goodbye to a passing score and say hello to an hour-long guidance counselling.

Even the school system is different in EI too. Usually, college is only 3 years in the UK but Everleigh Institutes adapted the American system of having 4 years in college. EI also adapted having college sports but education is their top priority. Sports is just a mean of recreational activity here. They use the UK grading system for their grades though. What is equivalent to an A+ in the USA, is called a First-Class Degree or Honours. A-/B+ is considered an Upper Second-Class Degree or Honours. B/B- is the Lower Second-Class Degree or Honours. This is the cut-off for Class 2-Beta students. Class 1-Alpha always has to be in the First-Class Degree. The next is the C+/C/C- which, if you haven't guessed right now is Third-Class Degree or Honours. Students who have this grade are put in the Class 3-Gamma. If anyone gets a grade lower than C-, they're instantly kicked out of EI. Scary, I know.

Though, the weird thing about EI was that the professors didn't seem to care when students mocked them. It was as if they were used to these kinds of events already. Maybe they were. Maybe they weren't. I don't care. All I care about is getting passing grades. So that I can keep staying in this school. I don't care about anything else.

"Correct Mr. Luscious. It is indeed Coulomb's Law that states that "the magnitude of the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitude of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.". Take notes students! This will appear in the midterm exams." Ms. I-Forgot-What-Her-Name-Was said and wrote something in the board. None of the students took down notes though. I saw one girl highlight the part in her pre-made notes that was exactly what our professor just said. I looked at the clock on the wall.

It was already 3:30 pm. Classes end at 4 pm so this was our last subject. Physics huh, okay, at least it isn't World Literature. I would probably sleep all throughout. Twirling the pencil once more in my hand, I look at my textbook. Electrostatics was our topic for today. It was simple really. Those long, big words just made it sound hard and fancy.

Bored out of my mind, my eyes swept around the room as the teacher kept talking. Poor girl. Can't she see that no one is listening to her? "Pretty sad, right?" A blonde girl with a fair face and cherry lips said beside me. Her emerald green eyes were enchanting. I can't remember her name... "Eliza. Eliza De Luca. I wasn't in the cafeteria yesterday." The girl said, offering me a toothless smile. I nodded at her. "I'm Lia-"

"Lianne Angelita Hacinto. Yes, I know. You're the talk of the whole school." Eliza said, brushing a blonde lock from her face.

"I am?" I asked, surprised. Eliza let out a soft chuckle. She turned her textbook page as the teacher talked about a different topic. There was something ethereal about her presence. If Mariya was a ray of warm sunshine during the summer, Eliza felt like the cold yet refreshing aftermath of a spring shower. The way she held herself, with such elegance and intelligence was admirable. I didn't know this kind of person existed.

"You better watch your back from now on, Lianne. Everleigh Institutes is not what it looks like. Its students are the worse. Since you're in our class, and a transferee for that matter, people will try to bring you to the lowest of lowest. We'll get dragged in your problems. How annoying." Eliza suddenly said. Her voice was colder now and her aura felt a little muted. Did I do something wrong to her? I can't recall-