Chapter 3 – Lunch break
Dr. Strickland entered his chemistry classroom now, having conducted his business with young Marie. This room was one that would likely excite any young mind of chemistry. The sleek black desks shined like a new penny due to the thick amount of lacquer upon them. The room was flanked on all sides by lab stations, sporting shiny new chrome faucets and gas valves (recently paid by a scientific grant given to the school). The teacher's desk stood in front, a large clunky Gateway computer sat atop it, adjacent to a corny name plaque that read Mark Strickland, PhD. The opposing wall contained the certificate that granted this prestigious award, gifted to him by Ohio State University for no less than six years of diligent research examining the physical structure of organic-metal compounds. No one, not even Double D, was quite sure why this highly qualified chemist was teaching at a dinky high school. Rumors abounded, ranging from the morbid to the silly, and he never took up to say why it was. At one-point Double D did question his decision, and he simply replied with a "I like a nice quiet, easy going life. And teaching high school chemistry affords me that." Whatever the case, Double D worshiped the very ground that this man walked on. Chemistry was Double D's favorite subject, and so the knowledge that Strickland contained was definitely something he wanted to gain from. Strickland was probably the only person that Double D could talk to and not feel ashamed or nerdy. His two friends, while fun as ever to be around, never could satisfy his disparate urges to just nerd out on occasion. Double D's dad was constantly out of town in his profession, only coming home on those rare occasions that mattered. This father figure was of course passed on to Strickland, though the man felt very awkward in his dealings with Double D, having no family of his own.
As Double D sat at his desk, he perked up quite a bit as his favorite teacher strolled in and swigged his coffee. He slid down the squeaky pull-down screen and flipped on his clunky old overhead projector, illuminating the screen as the one in the Whispering Room had illuminated Marie's face just moments before. As Strickland began drawing out the derivation of Gibbs Free Energy on the projector with a squeaky dry-erase marker, Double D closed his eyes momentarily to take in the aura of what he considered to be simply sublime.
A strong odor of acetone and isopropanol concentrated itself in the air, against the backdrop of one particularly noisy fume hood, which ricketed and racketed as if its last moment was fast approaching. Silent sounds of binders opening, the occasional pop of three-rings opening was muffled under the sound of pens clicking and chairs scooting under the weight of pupils eager to learn. It was a small class, consisting of only ten people (the minimum required by the school district). Double D removed his textbook gently from his satchel and also opened his notebook before him, clicking his favorite pen open with a certain euphoria, with the chemical fumes certainly assisting in the latter. He furiously copied down the notes Strickland had just finished jotting on the projector face, and my what impressive letters that G, H, and S were when they constructed such fabulous equations. Double D carefully drew out his deltas, being sure that no line was out of place in his derivation.
The class went in its normal, fifty-one-minute fashion. Equations were derived, phenomena explained, exceptions covered; enough learning had been done for the day. The bell clanged its great metal hand against its great metal cup to alert the students that the class was indeed over, but not before Strickland could squeeze out whatever few sentences he had left before the class finished packing up the belongings and heading out the door, destined for other subjects in other rooms. Many of the students had physics directly afterwards, so to the Fright Light hallway they were bound. This was the case for Double D as well, but not before old Strickland gave him some eye contact and stopped him at his desk.
"Edd, do you have a moment to spare, I'd like to have a word with you." Strickland glanced up over his glasses, standing over his desk like a lawyer ready to argue, his tie swaying back and forth with the breeze generated by that rackety fume hood.
"Why certainly Dr. Strickland, what is it that you require from me?" Double D approached his desk solemnly as Strickland drummed his fat fingers on the desk. He now took his squirt bottle of alcohol in hand and sprayed down the overhead like a dying rose bush, wiping with the other hand vigorously, destroying any evidence of Gibb's miraculous achievements.
"You know that tutoring thing I had asked you about earlier in the week?" he said, stopping briefly from his wiping to glance at Double D over those large glasses of his.
"Why certainly sir, I do indeed!" Double D said as he grinned wide and closed his eyes proudly.
"Well…." Strickland began in his normal monotone way, "I talked to the student this morning and she's agreed to the conditions. I asked her…" (he now tossed his paper towel in the trash bin and forcefully placed his squirt bottle back in its rightful place) "…I asked her if Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays would work and she said yes, and seeing how today is Friday, I was wondering,…that is, if you're not busy or anything…."
"Gladly sir, I would love to, it would be a tremendous honor for me to assist fellow minds in understanding the wonders of chemistry!" Double D's smirk broadened into a very proud grin.
"Good." Strickland's flat voice replied as he scooted into his office chair and turned his desktop on, the whirling sound of the computer fan now competing with the clacking of the fume hood.
"May I be so bold, however, to ask one question sir?" Double D asked, raising up his right hand ever so slightly.
"Sure, go ahead…" Strickland responded, scrolling his computer mouse and typing his password.
"May I know the identity of this student beforehand, or would that be private information only you yourself may know?"
Strickland bapped the ENTER key with some force, logging himself in and turning now to Double D, looking up at the young man with his flat-as-ever expression.
"Her name is Marie Kanker. She's a student in my two o'clock gen chem class. She's short, got blue hair, very shy little girl. She's not a dummy or anything. She just needs to apply herself better, needs a little guidance. She failed last year, and I did all I could do in my capacities to help her, but I think she's too scared of me. She needs a fellow student to help her out, someone that won't talk down to her. I figured you were nice enough, and I know you don't have much of a home-life…."
Double D sunk a little at Strickland's response. He was certainly nerved by the mention of Marie's name. Marie didn't really bully or bother Double D anymore, she had turned too shy for those childish games anymore. But he still contained a certain level of boyish fear that grazed his mind anytime her name happened to be mentioned. He was also slightly nerved by Strickland's judgement of his home life. Sure Double D didn't have much of a social life outside of his fellow two Eds, but he had a lot of responsibility from his parents. He didn't feel it was right for Strickland to make such a comment, but he thought it was best to say nothing. He understood the man's dry personality and his respect for his knowledge did not diminish.
"Well sir, you're certainly right about that!" Double D replied with a fake grin and a thumbs up. Nothing to upset the doctor, after all.
"She told me that she knows you in a kind of offhand way, so that might work out really well. A familiar face might aid her studies a little better than a complete stranger. Lord knows that if I'd gotten Seymore to do it, she would have pounded his poor little face in. I'm glad that you're up for it, this girl needs all the help she can get. Well I won't keep you too long Edd, you better get over to physics now. She's gonna meet you in this room directly after school, I told her it'd be about an hour. I'll be gone but I'll leave the door unlocked for you."
"May I ask what topics I should focus on, sir?" Double D asked.
"Well, right now I'm trying to balance their final exam review with the last few topics we're talking about. Getting a good grade on this final is her only shot at passing, so I'd probably focus my energy on the exam review stuff. The exam overs the entirety of the second semester, which includes some quantum stuff, VSEPR, electron config, a little rate stuff, a little equilibrium stuff, and basic thermo. I just finished thermo with them, and right now we're talking about some nuclear chem stuff and acids and bases. My curriculum for regular chem is pretty dumbed down compared to honors and AP chem, so the material might feel a little weird for you. I gloss over the math a lot because trust me, those kids can't even handle basic algebra. It's probably be best to start with the beginning and work your way down. Hopefully that's not too much for you to handle...?"
"Ohh...not at all..." Double D gulped, a few nervous beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He wasn't nervous at all about helping with some dumbed-down chemistry; but he was nervous about facing Marie, someone he learned to fear a long time ago. Had she really changed...?
"Good..." Strickland replied, leaning back in his office chair and sipping the last of his coffee. "See you later..."
"Farewell, doctor. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning for our usual discussion of this wonderful subject! And I'll be sure to help Marie all I can!" Double D said with a smile as she shuffled his way towards the door, looking back slightly on his way.
"Bye…" Strickland flatly replied as he typed away on his computer, never looking the way of Double D.
And with that, Double D departed down the hall. In his head, memories of Marie played like a montage video. The harassment, the threats, the forced kisses, all of it came back like a bad case of indigestion. But then he remembered the image of that girl, the one that he had seen just before he came to class; the shy, blushing girl who was likely now just as scared of him and he was of her. He quietly pondered her changes as he pushed his feet down the hall, drawing closer to that flickering light that beckoned him to physics. How could he help a girl who had repeatedly hurt him as a child, who essentially stalked him for years? Was this going to be as difficult as he wondered? Or will she behave and actually learn from him? His head began to hurt underneath all the confusion and memory games. He went into physics and hoped that it wouldn't bother him after he went through some complex math to distract him.
It was 11:30 when the lunch bell finally rang, and Double D excused himself to his locker to gather his nourishment for the occasion. He had the same thing packed every day: turkey on wheat sandwich, a banana, and some plain yogurt. He didn't mind the blandness, as long as it was scientifically sound and nutritious. His mother was a stickler for health, and she wasn't about to let her little man bite into something that would hurt him later in life.
He scurried past the troves of hungry pilgrims to that established eating quarter, the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a rather large, open room located on the first floor of this four-floor school. The sounds of plastic strays sliding on metal bars filled the air as the amplitude of hundreds of students talking attempted to drown it out. Food was shoveled into faces, and cartons of milk were opened and drank from without care. Double D carefully attempted to squeeze through the gathering masses at the entrance door in order to get to the table that he and his friends called home. Double D was known to sit with the cul-de-sac gang, unless Dr. Strickland needed him for anything. There was Eddy, Ed, Rolf, and Johnny, all assembled daily to discuss the current events and gauge each other on the happenings of the day. Rolf typically carried in some strange concoction assembled by his loving Nana, usually some form of sandwich with tentacles and fish heads poking out of the sides. Jonny, Ed, and Eddy always got their lunch from the cafeteria, which wasn't known to serve the swankiest chow in these parts, but in many cases it was passable. Ed used to just get three tubs of mashed potatoes and gravy anyway, along with two slices of toast. Eventually Double D located his comrades and joined them for a little food.
"Afternoon, genltlemen!" he politely said as he gently placed his lunchbox on the table before him and took a seat. "How are we all today? Anything extraordinary happen, perhaps?"
"Yeah…" said Eddy, taking a swig from his carton of chocolate milk, "Ed here accidentally ate a glue stick in art class, isn't that right Lumpy?"
"It tasted like peanut butter, Double D!" Ed said with a happy grin before devouring his first piece of toast.
"Very…..interesting Ed…" Double D said with a half-disgusted face, before placing a napkin in his lap and pulling out his sandwich, cut neatly into two triangles.
"Hey Rolf, tell us the story about how your great Nano conquered the giant sea cucumber again! Please please pleasssee" Jonny begged as he tugged at Rolf's short sleeve from across the round table.
Rolf's face sturdied itself as he placed his tentacle-and-fish head sandwich down on the table, his eyes devolving into a thousand-yard stare.
"Melon headed Jonny-boy, you dare bring up the tragedy of Great Nano on this day that Nana's plums turn pink…" Rolf said in a very low and deep voice, pursing his lips as his voiced trailed off on the word pink.
"Rolf will gladly recount of this tale!" he said as he slammed his fist on the table, startling the neighboring table for a brief moment. "It was a dark and gloomy morning for great Nano, the great son of a shepherd that he was! Yes! He first mounted the giant clam, before removing his great spoon in order…"
The Eds turned to each other as Rolf continued to delight Jonny with his story in the background. Eddy, now sporting a very handsome milk-moustache, turned to Double D.
"So, anything new in the world of science today, Sockhead?"
"Well, now that you mention it, Eddy, we went over this fabulous equation derivation in chemistry today, and it looked so beautiful as I copied…." Eddy stopped him short:
"Yeah yeah, enough with the technical mumbo-jumbo Double D, my brain already hurts from sittin' next to Ed all day!" he said as he pointed his thumb over to Ed, who was happily licking the gravy clean from the bowl.
"I wasn't finished, Eddy…" Double D responded with a stern tone, "Then after class, Dr. Strickland asked me to be a tutor for one of his students who, well to put it nicely, isn't doing so well."
"Yeah, so…?" Eddy replied as he took the final swig from his second milk cartoon, brushing off his wonderful moustache with his sleeve.
"The student just happens to be…" he leaned in closer to Eddy's ear, with Ed leaning in as well, "Marie Kanker".
"MARIE KANKER!" Ed and Eddy shouted out as the jumped back in their seats.
"Shh, shh, shh you two! Did you ever think that she might be able to hear you, for Christ's sake man, she sits just a few tables over there!" Double D quipped in repose to their reaction.
At this point Rolf and Jonny took notice, and their story-time ended abruptly in order to inquire on the situation at hand.
"What is the meaning of all this yelling and secrecy, head-in-sock Ed boy! Tell Rolf now!" again slamming his fist on the table.
"Calm down Rolf, please!" Double D said, "We were just discussing the fact that I've been assigned as a chemistry tutor to Marie Kanker, you know of her, correct?"
"Aah yes, Rolf knows this woman. Blue hair, cyclopes, angry face. Reminds Rolf of a nightmare he had after eating too much of Nana's clam stew one time."
"Stop it Rolf, you're scaring Plank with all these scary images, you know he's fragile!" Jonny responded as he held Plank in his arms.
"Geez Jonny, if you didn't want Plank to be so fragile, why didn't you go for the pressure-treated lumber inste-" Eddy's attempted wise-crack was stopped short by a thump from Double D on the head.
The bell ending the lunch period rang out and echoed all across the hollow cafeteria, signaling the students to collectively gather their belongs, dispose of their trash, and form their mass exodus back to class. As Eddy slammed his plastic tray against the big trash can and placed it on the adjacent table, he was greeted by Double D hovering directly behind him.
"Jesus Double D, ever heard of a little personal space?" He said as he brushed his friend back a few paces.
"Sorry Eddy, but I'm serious this time! Do you honestly think that I could be in any danger of bodily harm from Marie? I'm scared, Eddy!"
"Relax, will ya?!" Eddy said as he reached for an unopened milk that had been left on the table next to the door, as the two filed out into the hallway. He pinched the corners, pulled, and took a big gulp before burping loudly. "She's just a chick, what's the worst that could happen. You might get lucky; she might really dig ya and start puttin' her hands down your pants buddy!"
"Ooh hush that right now Eddy! I doubt Marie is that kind of girl at all! The kinds of girls that show up in your pubescent dreams might act that way, but I'm sure she is a much more upstanding girl than that."
"Double D, you have got to be joking! She's a Kanker, man! They're like nymphos, every one of them. I've heard their mom really knows how to get around, know what I'm sayin'? You gotta be careful buddy, she'll have ya hooked and raising kids if you're not careful. And that's the last thing a man needs in his life, some no-good skank Kanker girl telling him what to do." Eddy said as the two walked further down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor.
"Come now Eddy, be serious, do you think it'll be okay?" Double D asked for a second time.
"Yeah yeah, lighten up a little Sockhead! It'll be fine, just teach her a little chemistry and that'll be the end of it. But just in case, you're up to date on your cooties shot, right…?"
"Cooties, Eddy…?" Double D responded with a puzzled and annoyed look on his face, looking down at Eddy next to him.
"Yeah, ya know, that's stuff dangerous man. You know, I've heard that AIDS is a form of cooties…." Their conversation trailed off as the two exited the top stair and down the second-floor hallway. Up the now-empty staircase came Ed, flying on his feet in his usual goofy run.
"Wait for me, guys…!" Ed cried out as he rounded the top of the stairs, chasing after his friends.