He sat there, waiting for the lesson to end. The incessant taunts had let up a bit this year. He would be grateful if he did not know they should not happen at all. He could think now, just sit and think. It was easier to ignore the idiotic inconsistencies interspersed throughout the day when he was not being pelted with spit balls or dealing with a glob of glue between his shirt and fleece. His course in sociology had enlightened him to the similarities between new production methods during the Industrial Revolution and classifying students by year, 'packaging' them together with no more regard to their connections than their birth dates (batch number). The bell should ring soon, to herd them towards their predetermined destinations...
Now the others left him in more or less peace. It would be nice, he mused, if he had someone with whom to share experiences and observations. Unlikely to find that someone in this environment. Those who were not hostile maintained an air of polite indifference, as if they not only didn't understand but also did not want to. Surely no one could be that stupid on purpose? Hopefully not, and don't call me Shirley. He smiled.
No, it made more sense that they did not want to risk loss of social standing by association with an atypical member of society. He did not find their way of thinking beneficial, nor did they his. Logically, mutual indifference would lead to the most peaceful outcome. For the life of him, he could not understand why teachers absolutely insisted on 'team-building' exercises.
Yes, of course! It made perfect sense to move him to an already heaving table whose current occupants discussed the enjoyment supposedly gained from exhibiting moving pictures, "GIF"s, online to other idiots, no doubt ignoring their own schoolwork as well—
"Sherlock!"
"Yes?" He replied with a mega-watt smile.
"What is the definition of equilibrium and how would it relate to the steering wheel and car? Three marks," the teacher asked, expecting her student to falter due to inattention.
"Resultant force of zero on the object. Since the wheel is turned and then stops, the torque is also zero, but the car's front wheels point to the side, accelerating the whole car in that direction." Really, abominably easy if you half-listen. Sherlock heard someone on the table at which he happened to sit giggle.
The teacher nodded and moved on. Not worth the interruption, but maybe someone else inhabiting the room would learn something. He doubted it. Looking around, it was painfully obvious his fellow students preferred to discuss plans for the next weekend. That, at least, was novel. Sherlock genuinely had no idea what they did for fun.
He had eavesdropped on more than one occasion, though he doubted that was what it was called if the conversation (shouting match) could be heard two classrooms away. The results were more confusing than disappointing. They detailed inebriated misadventures in one another's houses. Sometimes including aborted attempts at intercourse or drug transactions, depending on who was speaking.
Beyond being drunk - and usually being drunk with other people - he saw it as a mystery. Alcohol caused an unpleasant sensation, making him feel both sick and have his thought processes indescribably shifted. Sherlock truly failed to see the appeal, particularly of the alcohol but also of the whole 'social scene' in general. Utterly illogical, every endeavour.