When he first met her she seemed like just a slip of a girl. She had wandered into the Science Departments Lecture Hall, wearing a pleated skirt and royal blue cardigan, with the crest of a nearby private academy that was embroidered on its breast. Even if she hadn't caused such a disturbance coming in fifteen minutes late through the main halls conspicuous oaken door – in which all eyes in the room snapped up towards the sound of creaking wood – she stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Excuse me, is this the Intro to Chemistry lecture with…", she pulled out a slip of paper and squinted at the looped cursive letters scrawled across it."Mr Ceedric Goodwin?"
"It's Cedric." He corrected testily and gave her school uniform a cursory glance. He arched an eyebrow.
"And are you sure you're in the correct class? Or school for that matter?"
"Oh! Yes, I'm a student from Dunwitty Prep, and I got lost around this large campus, but am sure this is the right class now!" The girl was practically glowing with pride.
"My school sent me here for an advanced science program."
"Well, isn't that just wonderful. Regardless, my dear, please take a seat", he said, motioning impatiently for her to move, "class has already started."
Her enthusiasm undamped, she quickly hurried to the only open seat in the crowded auditorium, smack in the middle of the first row. Cedric began quickly writing an outline of what he would be covering in the first quarter of the lecture, listing about a dozen points the final exam was going to cover. He then circled the top term 'Atomic Structure' three times.
"This lecture we will be focusing on atoms, namely their orbitals…", as he turned his back to the class, he could feel the students begin to tune out. This wasn't surprising, as all the students were required to take some form of this lectured to fulfil their general education units and thus were practically forced to sit in the auditorium for three hours once a week. Poor lowly Cedric Goodwin was charged with the duty of practically talking himself hoarse each week.
"And thus, the principal quantum number indicates…", he drawled on, watching the seas of eyes began to glaze over, or glance down inconspicuously towards their phones. All but one pair of large blue eyes that was at the front of the class, slitting between looking up at him and writing quick spurts of information in her childish purple notebook. For a moment she caught his roaming gaze, and looked at him with such an intense look that his blandly memorized recital of some-or-another chemical definition slowed a beat. He tried to register the look on her face.
Her peachy glossed lips were pulled into a subdued smile, yet her wide, hungry eyes were sparkling with an intense interest, an interest in his lecture. As he realised this, her typical high school nativite seemed markedly more charming, and her bright attitude infectious. He straightened himself up and began to draw intricate examples of 'd' orbitals on the large chalkboard.
"This particular type of orbital is much easier to express visually, so for reference, it's easier to think about them like this instead." He wrote their corresponding formulaic notations beneath them with a flourish, before turning back to face the class. Some of the student had begun to perk up at his sudden change of tone, even started to jot down notes. A confident smirk slid over his face, and he gave a quick look at his most eager pupil, who was beaming back at him.
"Now, there are some slight variations that you may see on upcoming tests. No promises they would show up, but I highly encourage you to review these particular ones that I find tricky…" He turned back to blackboard and continued drawing enthusiastically.
'Perhaps…' he thought to himself as he sketched out several more equations.
'This quarter won't be so much of a bore after all!'