Chapter Twenty Six
Heidi Turner was a good student. She wasn't a great student but she was always consistently towards the top of her class. Studying wasn't her main priority in life so she didn't pose any threat to the class valedictorian or anything but she generally did well. Heidi's best subject was chemistry. She enjoyed the experiments, the theories and how different substance matters could react so differently if the conditions were altered just that little bit.
Being such a good student Heidi should have noticed that the conditions for her forth period practical had been altered just that little bit. Or rather the equipment had been. It wasn't her fault really because the simple innocent ingredient bore a striking resemblance to a more reactive substance.
Wendy shuffled back on her high wooden chair trying to pay attention to Mr. Mullen ,who resembled more an exotic looking plant than any kind of teacher, but she couldn't. Her eyes were focused on Heidi and her lab partner, Red, as they gathered together the ingredients for their prac. Wendy was sure that she didn't breathe the whole time. She was scared that at any moment her scheme would be discovered.
Heidi was definitely aware of her watching eyes, she kept turning back over her shoulder and smiling triumphantly. It would only make Wendy's success more sweet. She did her best to look unhappy so that Heidi would gloat more.
There were another pair of eyes on Wendy too. Eyes that she was having an even harder time avoiding. Stan sat up the front row and was constantly twisting his neck to look back at her. Kenny sat beside him patting his back and trying to get him to turn around. Stan was not having a good day, it hadn't taken long for the gay rumours to circulate around the school. Wendy wasn't sure who had circulated them but she wouldn't be surprised if it was Heidi herself, or of course Cartman, even money there. Stan was doing the best he could to shake them off but Kenny was the only one who would sit with him.
Even Kyle sat up at the back by himself not saying a word to anyone. Butters, in particular was having a fun time picking shit at him, the blond glad not to be on the bottom rung of the social ladder for the moment. Kyle let it all brush off him with a stoic sort of maturity uncommon in most of the South Park boys. Well at least he tried to, Wendy could see that he was bothered and was almost glad for his sake that Cartman wasn't in this class.
Wendy herself was left to sit with Tammy, not her first choice of lab partner, the girl after all had been kept down twice now, but she didn't exactly have an abundance of offers from other girls. Bebe was still not talking to her and instead elected to spend her time flirting amongst the boys in their class, all of whom were happy to have her back on the market.
Wendy watched her sadly. She knew that Bebe was putting on the display in hope of making Kyle jealous but she had no hope of that. Kyle's eyes were too securely fastened to the back of Stan's head, which kept twisting around in hopes of catching Wendy's eyes, which of course were too busy glaring at Heidi.
It was a mess.
"So who wants to be my partner?" Bebe asked fluttering her eyeslashes. "For the science prac of course?"
She almost created a storm as several boys rushed to offer their assistance nearly overturning tables in the process.
"Okay then Craig", Bebe said smiling conveniently choosing the boy sitting closest to Kyle so that she could scowl at him. Kyle paid her no attention and pretended to be immersed in writing up the prac.
"Careful Craig, you know she turns boys gay", Heidi muttered smirking.
"What's your excuse then Heidi?" Bebe simpered back. "Why do all the boys always avoid you so much?"
"All right class settle down", Mr. Mullen's plant like head bobbed up and down as he turned away from the whiteboard. "We have to concentrate this is a dangerous experiment".
"So what really happened on the weekend?" Tammy asked shuffling closer to Wendy. "Did you really catch Stan and Kyle making out on the dining table? That would have been so hot!"
Wendy rolled her eyes. In a small town like South Park rumours were all the locals had to keep themselves entertained (well until Mecha Streisand turned up again), and this one had gotten way out of control. Wendy had heard several versions of it all more extreme than the next.
"That's not what happened Tam", was all Wendy had the focus to say.
"So are you going to tell me or not?" Tammy was growing impatient. Wendy nudged her with her elbow.
"I'm trying to pay attention okay, we'll talk later", Wendy tried to hush her up and Tammy rolled her eyes annoyed. Whatever, Wendy thought, let her be annoyed, it wasn't like one more pissed off person would make much of a difference in her life.
"Okay class once you've written down and thoroughly read the instructions you may begin your prac", Mr. Mullen said. Wendy almost flew out of her seat in anticipation. It was just a simple little experiment that they were doing. Testing heating agents with the standard use of Bunsen burners and beakers to see how quickly substances would melt.
But Wendy had gotten up early and already swapped several of the ingredients Heidi would use, ingredients that would do more than just melt. The oily, heavy liquid was made up of many components one of them being a drop of nitro. Not a large part mind, nothing big enough to blow the class up, just to blow Heidi up or at least singe the hair from her head.
She waited with bated breath barely able to concentrate on her own experiment as she watch Heidi light the Bunsen burner. At any moment now, even in small doses the stuff was incredibly unstable, any moment it could just go off.
"Okay class make sure that you're measuring this accurately", Mr. Mullen said walking around. "We want to record proper results".
Wendy watched as Heidi put her gauze mat over the flame to shield the petrie dish. Any moment now, any moment. . Wendy was tittering on the edge of her toes even though she knew that she shouldn't get too close, this substance was incredibly temperamental she was surprised that the thunderous movement around them hadn't already set it off.
"Heidi can I borrow your lighter?" Kenny had moved away from Stan to bug Heidi. His frequent death rate didn't slow as he grew older and the staff of South Park High figured it was best to keep him away from anything that may cause general destruction. It didn't prevent him from trying though, after all death was a pretty good excuse for getting out of a science test.
"No you may not", Heidi said paying him no attention as she lifted up the mysterious water like liquid to put it above the flame.
Wendy held her breath. Heidi had barely touched the dish when
KAAA BLAMMMMM!
The entire classroom rocked with the impact of the explosion and everyone felt to the ground. The force of the explosion had thrown Wendy into Tammy. Every single piece of glass had shattered but the general foundations of the classroom still seemed intake if a little screwed. The smell of burnt hair smacked Wendy's nostrils so violently her head reeled back.
"Oh my god! That killed Kenny!" Stan cried from his position on the ground. His hair and face blackened like everyone else's in the room. Wendy wiped the dirt from her eyes.
"That bastard", Kyle responded obligingly.
It was true the orange haired boy lay unmoving by Heidi who was still holding the offending petrie dish her hands shaking.
"Miss. Turner what is the meaning of this?" Mr. Mullens boomed at a bewildered Heidi.
"Sir, I swear, I didn't" Heidi looked genuinely rattled before turning to Wendy and glaring. "Someone set me up!"
Wendy did her best not to look at her.
"I think you have a lot of explaining to do", Mr. Mullens said pulling her from the room. Wendy had to refrain from cheering. Sure there was a student death and a destroyed classroom but it was worth the price of humiliating Heidi. Perhaps she'd even get expelled now.
Everything was going right to plan until Stan starting violently coughing, falling to his knees, his face slowly turning blue.
A/N- Thanks so much everyone for reading and reviewing. It seriously means a lot. Happy New Year and may it be filled with much Candy :D