Presentation

The morning sun filtered through the classroom blinds, casting thin streaks of light across the desks. Students murmured amongst themselves, some frantically reviewing notes, others whispering last-minute prayers.

Marcus sat comfortably, casually unwrapping a lollipop as Alex went over her notes with laser focus.

"You look way too relaxed," she muttered.

He smirked, slipping the candy into his mouth. "I just have faith in our work."

"You mean my work," she shot back, giving him a pointed look.

Before he could respond, their teacher clapped his hands. "Alright, class, let's get started! First up—Dunphy and Carter."

Alex sighed and stood up, nudging Marcus to follow. They made their way to the front, where their project board was neatly arranged with diagrams and charts.

Taking a steady breath, Alex began.

"Our project focuses on thermodynamics, specifically how energy transfers and why heat behaves the way it does."

She pointed to the first diagram. "The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed—only transferred or converted. For example, when food is consumed, its chemical energy becomes kinetic energy, allowing us to move."

Marcus picked up smoothly. "The second law is all about entropy. Basically, heat spreads out instead of staying concentrated. That's why if you put a hot drink in a cold room, the drink cools down instead of the room getting warmer."

Alex continued, gesturing to their experiment setup. "We demonstrated this using two experiments. The first involved heating one end of a metal rod and measuring how quickly the heat traveled to the other end. This showed conduction—how energy moves through direct contact."

Marcus leaned against the desk. "The second experiment involved heating water. The warmer liquid rose while the cooler liquid sank, showing convection—how heat moves through fluids. It's the same process that drives ocean currents and weather patterns."

A few students actually seemed interested, and even the teacher looked engaged.

Alex glanced at Marcus, mildly surprised. "You actually studied for this?"

Marcus smirked. "I listen when you talk. Sometimes."

She rolled her eyes but looked slightly amused.

Wrapping up, Marcus added, "In short, thermodynamics explains why things heat up, cool down, and why your phone gets warm when charging. Energy is always on the move."

Their teacher gave an approving nod. "Well explained. Any questions?"

Silence. Then, a slow nod from the teacher. "Alright, next group."

As they walked back to their seats, Alex shot Marcus a look. "That was… surprisingly competent."

He popped another lollipop into his mouth. "I aim to impress."