AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Polaris!” said Jeff.
“Correct!” I threw a beanbag to him. Before he even caught it, I fired off the next question. “What are the three basic kinds of rocks?”
“Igneous, sedentary, and metamorphic!” yelled Larry. He was excitable, to say the least.
“So close!” I said.
“Igneous,sedimentary,and metamorphic,” said Abby with a sneer. Pain in the ass, that one. But smart as a whip.
“Yes!” I threw her a beanbag. “What wave do you feel first during an earthquake?”
“The P-wave,” Abby said.
“You again?” I threw her a beanbag. “What’s the speed of light?”
“Three times ten to—” Abby began.
“C!” yelled Regina from the back. She rarely spoke up. Good to see her coming out of her shell.
“Sneaky, but correct!” I chucked her a beanbag.
“I was answering first!” Abby complained.
“But shefinishedher answer first,” I said. “What’s the nearest star to Earth?”
“Alpha Centauri!” Abby said quickly.
“Wrong!” I said.
“No, I’m not!”
“Yes, you are. Anyone else?”
“Oh!” Larry said. “It’s the sun!”
“Right!” I said. “Larry gets the beanbag! Careful with your assumptions, Abby.”
She folded her arms in a huff.
“Who can tell me the radius of Earth?”
Trang raised his hand. “Three thousand, nine hundre—”
“Trang!” Abby said. “The answer is Trang.”
Trang froze in confusion.
“What?” I asked.
Abby preened. “You askedwho could tell youthe radius of Earth. Trang can tell you. I answered correctly.”
Outsmarted by a thirteen-year-old. Wasn’t the first time. I dropped a beanbag on her desk just as the bell rang.
The kids leapt from their chairs and collected their books and backpacks. Abby, flush with victory, took a little more time than the others.
“Remember to cash in your beanbags at the end of the week for toys and other prizes!” I said to their retreating backs.
Soon, the classroom was empty, and only the echoing sounds of children in the hallway suggested any evidence of life. I collected their homework assignments from my desk and slipped them into my valise. Sixth period was over.
