Biology

'Yes, Sineas..!' She looked like she could cry at any moment. 'It felt like…like desolation…misery, hopelessness. Pain. I, myself can't even describe it.'

Sineas was now through with his lunch as well. He twiddled his thumbs under the table for about a minute. He slid across the bench and stopped by her side. He realised he was too close. He thought about it, but he did not move away, worried that the action would make the scene even more awkward.

'Claire…I'm sorry,' he said after a moment of silence.

She sighed deeply. Her expression quickly abated. 'No, Sineas, I'm sorry. I think these days I'm becoming a little too paranoid. A few minutes into your room and I felt something seep into me…into my soul (if there is such a thing). It was just the cold, and my mind quickly started jumping to conclusions. Sineas, I'm really sorry.'

He shrugged understandingly. 'I get it, Claire. There are no lights and it was your first time in there. If I were you I would have been scared too, I mean; I was the first time I walked through that door. I just learnt to get used to it.'

She smiled. 'I'm sorry I left too early. I hope your aunt didn't get mad.'

'Of course not. She just slapped me clean across the face and called me a freak,' he said smiling too.

She broke into a laughter, 'My gosh, Sin, I didn't know you were so funny!'

'Hey, neither did I.'

'It's quite a relief though,' she grinned whilst stroking her hairpin with her fingertips. Her head was tilting to the side. 'I hear girls are suckers for guys with a good sense of humour.'

'And aren't you a girl?'

She placed her chin in her palm and turned her head swiftly in the opposite direction. 'I guess so,' she answered him.

An age of silence succeeded.

'Any chance we could still work on our assignment?' he asked her.

She immediately returned her gaze. 'We at least have two more days so why don't we work on it over the weekend…at your house?'

'You sure?' He looked sceptical.

She shrugged. 'Why not? I think it's high time I got used to your room, right? But this time, we do that project when the sun is up,' she concluded with a broad smile.

'Yes, ma'am.'

Soon after Lunch, the Science students headed to the laboratory for their Biology lesson. The laboratory was just like any other classroom: desks, chairs and a chalkboard. All the cylinders and test tubes and other Biology apparatus however had been locked up in the storeroom just behind the teacher's desk. Their Biology teacher, Miss Bale, had made the decision to give them notes for at least half the year before they could start conducting the real experiments. Just like in the Math project, the Biology students had been paired up and sure enough, Clarissa and Sineas had become partners. The pairing up in Biology class however was for the entire semester, probably until they left for college and therefore Miss Bale had advised them to choose their partners carefully. 'You choose a slob, a dumb-dumb, a hooky player, then he or she shall be your life partner,' she had said.

Sineas and Clarissa had chosen a table at the front of the class to the far left just beside the window. After two minutes of sophisticated debating, Clarissa was the clear winner and got to sit by the window. 'Studies have proven that girls need more fresh air than boys,' she had argued.

Miss Bale was a goddess. At least that's what most boys referred to her as. Others settled for the term, Slim Queen. The reason was behind her looks. Miss Bale possessed an unseen power that could make any man turn to catch a view of her backside when she walked past them. She also inspired the same attention from girls and women as well but for an entirely different reason: envy. She had silky, black hair that she always let free to brush her shoulders. Her eyes were narrow, which made her face look quite thoughtful if not ominous. The red lipstick applied on her lips was not too excessive but the sparkling glint it gave them made them look very alluring. Her breasts were quite large, at least the largest Sineas had ever seen. They made it quite hard for most of the boys to keep their attention on the books in front of them let alone the notes she was dictating as she slowly paced the room, her hands behind her back. She was wearing a bright red top and black leggings. On her feet were black stilettos.

'Well, this is painful,' Clarissa whispered into Sineas' ear when Miss Bale walked past their table now slowly walking to the back. 'I thought we were coming in here for a Biology lesson and yet here we are, listening to some cheap bimbo dictate irrelevant mumbo-jumbo to us.'

He frowned suspiciously. He smiled and turned back to scribbling in his notebook. 'Now I know why all the girls are jealous of her,' he said making gripping gestures in front of his chest.

She hissed then rolled her eyes at him. 'Gosh, no!'

'Then why?'

'She's clearly unqualified for this job, Sineas. She's just stalling by giving us these notes because she knows nothing about Biology. She's obviously going to quit after six months after she has enough money to pay for her six children from seven different fathers.'

He laughed quietly, looking over his shoulder at the same time.

'This job isn't for her, Sin. Just look at her. She probably slept her way into this school.'

'Claire, she looks like she's in her early twenties and she's a very attractive woman. It's obvious a lot of people should think that. Beauty is the greatest deceiver, that's why people judge it so quickly.'

'Beauty? Got your phone? Look up the word, "slut".'

'Silence, please,' said Miss Bale as she walked past their desk for the second time.

The two immediately turned their eyes into their books. Miss Bale once again moved up their row, continuing with her slow dictation. Even her voice sounded seductive.

Clarissa looked over her shoulder. She turned back to Sineas. 'Heard she's got a mouth too,' she whispered into his ear. 'I don't think The Grinch stole Christmas. Just tell her to open her mouth and you'll find it there.'

Sineas chuckled quietly. 'You hate her that much?'

She shrugged, her eyes bulging innocently. 'No I don't!' Her tone acquired a higher pitch. 'I just don't like her…her morals. I think she's giving this school a bad name.'

'But are your jabs based on empirical evidence or just mere hearsay?'

'Well…' she maintained a shrug, '…sometimes rumours are all the evidence you need. Just look at the way she dresses, Sin. I've seen ghetto hookers dress better, and on their bad day.'

Sineas burst into loud laughter. He immediately cupped his mouth. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. He now had the attention of the entire class. Including Miss Bale.