Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twelve of "Don't Run Away." I am glad it took just five days to get out. Tommy and Kim's second secret meeting is coming in the chapter after the next one. I am looking forward to doing that. I decided to change the physical sceince class's assignment to states of matter. I felt it was better suited for it. It was also to coincide with this chapter. Stay tuned for chapter thirteen.
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Chapter 12: Physical Science Lecture/Detention
Janelle wrote about liquids on her classroom's whiteboard with her red marker. She mumbled inaudible words. Her students wrote down her notes. Tommy erased a word he had written and jotted down another. Connie mimicked both of his actions. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes before clicking her tongue three times.
Skull stopped writing and looked at Violet, who sat in the desk in front of him. He stared at the back of her head. He remembered when Janelle announced to everyone that the girl was ill with the stomach virus that had been going around at the beginning of class yesterday. He joked about her getting sick of coming to school. He was disappointed when no one laughed at his joke. He saw himself as a funny man. Others didn't think so with the exception of Bulk.
Skull gazed at Tommy and Connie. He returned his attention to Violet, a mischievous smile forming on his face. He played with her braid using his pencil. She tried to grab it, but he took it away. He snickered and poked each of her shoulders. She flinched, but she stayed focused on her worksheet. He gave neck a poke. She grew frustrated and glared over her shoulder at him.
"You need to stop bothering me, Skull," Violet said sternly.
"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything," Skull answered in an innocent voice.
Violet growled angrily. "Don't pull that crap. You played with my braid and poked my shoulders and neck with your pencil."
"No, I didn't," Skull said with a shake of his head.
"Yes, you were," Tommy blurted out.
"Tommy and I saw you," Connie added.
Skull glared at the duo and balled his hand into a fist. "Mind your own business, you idiots!"
"Tommy, Connie, Skull, Violet, don't talk unless you need to ask a question or make a comment on what I am writing about," Janelle said, ceasing her writing and turning around.
"Yes, ma'am," the four students said as they turned to her.
"Skull, I am warning you. I am not in the mood for your shenanigans today," Janelle said in a stern voice. "I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night because my two-year-old daughter had an ear infection. I can't go to Lilli's daycare to comfort her."
"At least the workers can give her over-the-counter eardrops," Violet pointed out in comfort.
"That's true, Violet," Janelle said, looking at her. She turned to Skull. "As for you, Skull, I'm keeping a close eye on you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," Skull answered.
Janelle snorted. "Good."
Janelle turned around and resumed writing on the whiteboard. Her students jotted down her notes.
"Cohesion is the tendency for the same kind of particles to be attracted to each other. This accounts for the surface tension of a liquid. Surface tension could be called a very thin 'skin' of particles that are more strongly attracted to each other than they are to the particles surrounding them. They can be surprisingly strong as long as they are undisturbed," Janelle said.
"That's quite interesting, Mrs. Markel," Tommy commented.
"It sure is, Tommy," Janelle agreed as she stopped writing. She faced the class. "The surface tension of water is great enough to support the weight of insects."
"Wow," Connie whispered in amazement.
"I'd love to turn into an insect and walk across the surface of water," Skull said with pride.
"You'd have to find a magic lamp first, Skull," Violet said, looking over her shoulder at him. "A genie will grant you only three wishes, so you'd have to use them wisely."
"Who knows? Rita Repulsa just might capture you and turn you into an incest," Connie said. She saw Skull look toward her.
"Of course, it wouldn't an ordinary insect," Tommy added. "It'd be a giant one. You wouldn't want to be an insect monster, would you?"
"I guess I shouldn't be an insect. I'd have to avoid being stepped on by people, especially geeks like you and your friends, Tommy," Skull snapped.
"I know you are, but what am I?" Tommy retorted.
"All right, that's enough," Janelle said, waving her hands in the air. She faced the whiteboard to write on it. "Cohesive forces are greatest beneath the surface of the liquid. This is where particles are attracted to each other on all sides. Surface particles are more strongly attracted to the identical particles within the liquid than they are to the surrounding air. This allows liquids to form spheres. That is the shape with the least amount of surface area. They form the classic raindrop shape when gravity distorts them."
Janelle wrote down the rest of the words she spoke. Her students mimicked her. Tommy and Connie found words they didn't need and erased them. The teacher turned around once she was finished.
"No two raindrops look the same. Some are big. Some are small," Janelle commented softly.
"My family has several Christmas ornaments that look like raindrops. They are circular at the bottom and thin all the way to the top," Connie explained.
"I bet you like to put them to your face and pretend you are crying," Skull teased with a snicker.
"Yes, I do," Connie hissed in annoyance. She glared at him. "So what?"
Tommy looked at the bully. "Lots of people who have raindrop ornaments do that. They think it is fun."
"Guys like you and Bulk think you're tough," Violet said, looking over her shoulder at Skull. "In reality, you are big wimps who run at the slightest bit of danger."
"In reality, you are big wimps who run at the slightest bit of danger," Skull replied mockingly.
Janelle cleared her throat, causing the four students to look at her. "Okay. Cut it out."
Some students snickered, but their teacher quieted them by shushing. She faced the whiteboard to write on it some more. They wrote down her notes. She ran her tongue over her teeth.
"Adhesion is when forces of attraction exist between different types of particles," Janelle commented. "Particles of a liquid are not only attracted to each other, but they are generally attracted to their containers' particles." She emitted a small yawn.
"In other words, the liquid particles love the container particles," Tommy joked.
"You could say that, Tommy," Janelle said, chuckling to herself. "Liquid particles are drawn up above the surface at the edges on the container's sides." She rubbed her nose, followed by her neck. "The combination of cohesive and adhesive forces means that a slight concave curve exists at the surface of most liquids. This is known as the meniscus. The most accurate measurement of the volume of a liquid in a graduated cylinder is observed by looking at the volume marks closest to the bottom of this meniscus."
"Why would looking at the bottom of the meniscus be the most accurate way of measuring a graduated cylinder's volume? It doesn't make sense at all," Skull murmured, tapping his pencil on his notebook.
"I don't know why, Skull. That's the way it is," Janelle answered honestly. She continued writing. "Adhesion accounts for capillary action when a liquid is drawn up into a very narrow tube. One example is when someone collects a sample of blood by touching a tiny glass tube to the blood droplet on the tip of a pricked finger."
"Pricking your finger is quite painful," Connie muttered irritatingly. "I hate it when it happens." She shuddered in disgust.
"Who doesn't, Connie?" Janelle asked, giving a shrug. "Viscosity is a measure of how much a liquid resists flowing freely. A slow-flowing liquid is more viscous than a fast-flowing one. A substance with low viscosity is thinner than a substance with higher viscosity is. For example, honey is more viscous than water. Honey is thicker than water and flows more slowly. Viscosity is easily reduced by heating the liquid. When heated, the particles of the liquid are able to move faster. They can flow more freely."
"Hey, stop that!" a female voice yelled.
Janelle stopped writing and turned around to see Skull using his pencil to play with Violet's braid. Violet tried to grab it, but he pulled it away. He poked the girl in the shoulder. She growled in anger and looked over it at him.
"You better stop it right now!" Violet yelled. Skull shook his head and gave her other shoulder a poke. "Stop!"
"Skull!" Janelle screeched.
Skull was startled and looked at her. "What, teach?"
"You are to go to detention for bothering Violet!" Janelle answered firmly.
"I didn't do anything," Skull said, trying to look innocent. "Honest."
"Nice try, Skull. The teacher caught you," Connie blurted out in a blunt voice.
"You're not getting out of this one," Tommy added.
"You two will shut up if you know what's good for you!" Skull screeched, shooting the duo a glare.
"That's enough, Skull," Janelle yelled with anger. She saw the bully look at her. "You shouldn't do the crime if you can't do the time. Gather your things, and go to detention."
"But—" Skull started.
Janelle stomped her foot. "Now!"
Skull grunted in frustration and closed his notebook. He stood up and grabbed it and his book from underneath his desk. He got his backpack to place it over his shoulders. He headed over to Janelle, who approached the desk. He watched her write on a pink slip. He received it from her. He mumbled inaudible words while going toward the door.
Skull shot a dirty look at Tommy, Connie, and Violet, who waved at him while smirking widely. The trio was relieved they wouldn't have to deal with him for the rest of the period. They observed him going into the hallway. Janelle returned to the whiteboard to resume writing on it. Her students proceeded to jot down her words.
00000
Mr. Kaplan sat at his desk in detention. He was chewing gum while reading To Kill a Mockingbird. He blew a big bubble in it. He popped it and used his tongue to get it back in his mouth. He finished reading one page and turned to the next. He whispered inaudible words before rubbing his nose. He shifted his position in his chair somewhat.
The principal looked around the classroom. The classroom happened to be medium-sized. It had sixteen desks arranged in four rows with four in each one. The back wall had a world map with all seven continents on it. A table was next to the first desk in the first row. Veronica read her economics notes while sitting in the first desk in the second row. Bulk sat at the third desk in the third row. He tapped his fingers on it.
Mr. Kaplan blew another bubble in his gum, this one being small. He got it back in his mouth with his tongue after popping it. He cleared his throat. He, Veronica, and Bulk gazed toward the door when they heard it open. Skull walked in, closing it behind him. He approached the principal, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Skull, I'm not surprised to see you in detention again," Mr. Kaplan said, laying his book down.
"Nice to see you, Mr. Kaplan," Skull replied sarcastically. "I'm in for bugging Violet." He showed surprise as he handed him his slip. "By the way, what are you doing here?"
"Ms. Jones is sick, so I am overseeing detention first and second period," Mr. Kaplan explained. "Damn. That stomach virus is affecting both students and teachers alike."
"Hey, you just said a bad word, Mr. Kaplan!" Bulk blurted out.
"You need to put yourself in detention," Veronica quipped and started snickering along with the bullies.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha," Mr. Kaplan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He looked toward Bulk and Veronica. He heard them and Skull become quiet. "That was so funny that I died laughing." He eyed Skull. "You can sit anyone you want. Just don't cause any trouble."
"Yes, sir!" Skull said, saluting him. "I hope you don't lose your toupee."
Mr. Kaplan touched his toupee as Skull laughed raucously while walking away. He didn't like it when someone made jokes about it. He wished it fit better. He was tempted to remove it. At the same time, he thought showing his baldness off would make him look unattractive. He was thinking about getting a better-fitting one. He looked down at his book. He picked it up to resume reading.
Skull grew silent as he approached the third desk in the fourth row. He set his backpack on the floor. He put his book and notebook underneath the desk before sitting down. He folded his hands and laid them on it. He twirled his thumbs around. He and Bulk heard giggling and looked toward Veronica, who waved at them.
"Mr. Kaplan should start charging you two rent. You live here," Veronica joked and smirked.
Bulk pointed his finger at her. "Why don't you shut that big mouth of yours, Veronica?"
"Hey, you two have bigger mouths than I do," Veronica hissed in fierceness and pretended to spit at the floor.
Skull scoffed. "Just put a sock in it before one of us comes over and shuts your mouth for you."
"Bring it on. I dare you," Veronica taunted and waved her hand toward herself.
"No, thank you. We don't want to get in any more trouble," Bulk answered matter-of-factly.
Veronica blew a raspberry. "You are such chickens."
"I know you are, but what am I?" Bulk retorted and wiggled his eyebrows.
Veronica waved the bullies off and shifted her attention to her notes. Bulk and Skull looked at each other.
"So, what are you in for, Bulkie?" Skull wondered.
"I am in for cheating on a surprise quiz," Bulk responded with an annoyed scoff. "Ms. Teasdale just had to spring it on the class."
"At least I know what to expect when I have her for fourth period," Skull said in relief.
"I hate it when teachers spring surprise quizzes. It gives me a damn headache," Bulk whispered, sighing heavily.
"It's a good thing Mr. Kaplan didn't hear you say that word," Skull commented, motioning toward the principal. He licked his lips. "He would've been all over you for cursing."
Bulk turned a bit tense. He didn't want Mr. Kaplan to be all over him for cursing, whether it was in school or elsewhere. He thought it was hypocritical for him to get on someone's case for it, yet he did it a minute ago.
"There is nothing more I'd love to see is Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kim get sent to detention for once," Skull said seriously.
"Me too, Skull," Bulk agreed. "They're such goody two-shoes that it makes me nauseous." He acted as if he were vomiting.
"Wait a minute. Kim does have a detention on her record," Skull pointed out thoughtfully.
"That was way back in junior high, dimwit," Bulk retorted in much annoyance. "This is high school." He rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. "You need to catch up with the times."
"I was just making a point that one of the group's members doesn't have a spotless record," Skull blurted out defensively. "You didn't have to bite my head off."
"Whatever. It will be satisfying to see those geeks get sent to detention," Bulk said, smiling as he imagined Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kim heading to detention. "Maybe Tommy could join them."
"That'd be so cool," Skull commented, expressing excitement. "Tommy deserves a detention just for insulting you." He snickered. "You did not deserve that."
"You're right about that. Once the geeks are in detention, we'll do our happy dance," Bulk said and began moving forward and backward along with his best friend. "It will be a lot of fun."
"Yeah," Skull agreed in much joy.
"You two might as well slip into your pajamas because you are dreaming," Veronica said, looking over her shoulder at the duo.
Bulk and Skull groaned as they became still. They turned toward the snob. They watched her make a funny face and wave her fingers in the air. She laid her hand on her desk and formed a big smirk on her face.
"Butt out, Veronica. We're not talking to you," Bulk growled frustratingly.
Skull nodded sharply. "Yeah! Mind your own beeswax."
"You're such a hypocrite for telling me to mind my own business when you butt in on other people's conversations all the time," Veronica retorted, pointing her finger at him.
"You're an even bigger hypocrite for saying that," Skull said, turning his nose upward.
"Don't hold that nose so high, Skull. You will drown because it is pouring down rain today," Veronica warned.
"That's so hypocritical," Skull replied, gazing at her. "You tell me not to hold my nose so high, yet you do it all the time."
Veronica scoffed. "So?"
"There is no so about it, Veronica," Mr. Kaplan said in seriousness and looked up. The trio gazed at him. "It's not good to be a hypocrite when it comes to anything. Then again, most of us are hypocrites by accident. I am one myself. We could go on all day about our hypocrisy, but let's just get this detention over with instead."
"Yes, sir," the three students responded.
Mr. Kaplan smiled. "Good."
Mr. Kaplan turned back to his book. Veronica returned her attention to her notes. Bulk and Skull looked at each other and started a conversation about lizards.