Elise

"Senior year..." I grumble, as I walk through the corridors of school to class. It's the third of January, a Monday, but I felt dead. So dead inside.

Disgusting, long, tiring, stressful, everything my planned life wasn't going to be, is happening this year. Why? I gotta leave this place with good results, and move on to my next institution. I gotta.

And I'm stressed up. No. That's not the word.

I'm messed  up.

"Elise? Its good to see you!" Selena, my best friend, being with me through my tough times in school comes by as I give her a hug.

"Its good to see you too, Selena!"

"Oh yeah, did you know? I heard we have a new Physics teacher this year. Apparently he's different from every teacher I've seen."

"What?" I reply, confused by the statement she made.

"Didn't you see the Ferrari parked in the staff parking lot earlier this morning?" I shook my head, because I didn't spot any.

"Girl, you didn't see it? You have to. It's a bloody chrome silver, so reflective it just blinds your eyes!"

Chrome silver? Now that's really something even typical car owners that I know are rich can't afford.

And a Ferrari? The guy's fucking rich. And he's teaching our class?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I'll check that car later... we got to get to class." With that, Selena and I head off for English... but I can't fathom who could possibly be the owner of this Ferrari, who I will meet just an hour later.

"Class dismissed!" My English teacher leaves the classroom, and we repack our things to get ready for Physics.

I was just waiting to see who the teacher is, but everyone around me, except Selena - who was sitting beside me, was literally gossiping about this teacher.

Honestly - what can be...

"Hi all, I'm Mr. Jackson and I'll be your Physics teacher this year. This year will be really tough as you're balancing everything, but just put in your best effort, and everything will go smoothly." My Physics teacher smiles, as he gestures for a greeting.

"Good morning, class." I greet the teacher back along with the rest, as I study this dude more carefully.

Well, he's a hot guy for some, perhaps, with his caramel skin and lean figure. I feel that he's just... overdressing for the occasion.

Who the hell wears a formal suit to class in this school?

Our class sits back down on their chairs and so do I, as I decide to just let the thoughts erase themselves while I handle mugging Physics for now.

"Today will be revision on Dynamics, also known as your basic Forces unit, Newton's three laws, as well as your free-body diagrams, etc. Also, if you're wondering why we're not starting from the first topic, if you remember it, Physical Quanities, Units and Measurement - we will be doing that in a lab session to let you have a better grasp of the ideas behind the usage of each instrument, as well as helping to prepare for your practical exam, happening in the third quarter."

Did you survive hearing all of that? I didn't. I was not exactly a hater of Physics, since I chose this subject myself, but I was just about to... doze. Off.

"Elise... Elise... c'mon, not now." Selena repeatedly nudges me, keeping me awake. Thank the Lords I have her around. Really.

"Thanks." I was seeing Mr. Jackson write the laws in shortened form on the whiteboard now, as the projector shows that we're on the three laws.

"You didn't miss anything, at all. No worries." She reassured me, thus telling me as well that he was just beginning the lesson.

"He doesn't look that bad - he looks quite hot, doesn't he?" Selena nudges me again, as I was staring down the board, trying to commit these goddamned three simple laws to memory, of which my memory was already in a goddamned mess.

The extent? I can place a pen in one place, and forget where I placed it just 5 minutes after.

I'm lucky I can even do exams, honestly.

"I don't know, Selena. He's just... too overboard with the dress code. Even our old Physics teacher, Mr. Ferrett, won't even do such a thing. None of the teachers here... well, except Mr. Aurelius, that is. He works at Google besides being a Geography teacher, after all."

"Well, we don't know where he works at, but it sounds swell if he does work outside of school! It's probably very high class."

"Okay, Selena... lesson... focus..." I was trying so hard to keep my goddamned self in check, with my constant fidgeting, my constant need to do something instead of hearing someone out, the fact that I'm trying SO hard to register things into my head...

Okay. I got the three laws down.

1. A body will remain stationary or in continuous linear motion unless acted upon by a resultant force.

2. Resultant vector sum of forces on body is given by F=ma, where F is the force, m is the mass and a is the acceleration.

3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Still not done with the topic, but at least... I committed stuff to memory... I think.

"Okay, a quick question, and since I don't know all of your names, I would like to call upon one of you to answer the question I have here... which is find out what is the forward force on the boat due to the water." He shows one of the questions that I've been always trying to figure out for the past year...

A.N. this is a drawing based on a question I've done in a O Level Physics Topical TYS book. Question copyright goes to the original owners. And yes, I did everything on my phone... so my stylus isn't the best of course, since I'm using a disc tip on a S10+.

"... You, this lady over here. Your name?" Mr. Jackson points to me, and the class stares at me immediately.

I'm not gonna fare very well here... but I only see Mr. Jackson's smile and all, as I reluctantly stand up and figure my way out of this question.

"Uh..." I was really focused on the question since he had drawn it. I really couldn't make a thing of it, but based on the resistive force on the boat, since Newton's 3rd Law... (basically, I was letting thoughts rush by my brain and a ton of shit is happening)

"1800N?" The class just stared at me more.

"2000N?" I quickly say again, referring to the next value, and they lean back on their chairs in relief.

"Sorry, I've been struggling with this question for a while..." I'm caught totally embarassed, for a question I honestly was trying to do.

I really can't survive here... I don't know if it's just him, or I have messed up terribly last year. I just feel like... sleeping. I'm struggling to stay awake.

"It's 2000N, Elise. No worries, at least you got it correct on your second answer. Could you explain why it is so?"

"Uh... Newton's 3rd Law, but I can't pinpoint exactly what."

"The question asked for forward force on the propeller due to the water. Thus, you should be directing your attention to values affecting the propeller, which is 2000N. Thus, you use Newton's 3rd Law, which will cause the forward force, the answer, to be 2000N as well. Does that clarify?" Mr. Jackson was surprisingly very, very patient. He was locked on to me as a potential student needing study support. Argh.

"Y... yes, Mr. Jackson. Thank you." I sit back down, and he continues. I just struggled my way through.

I barely could stand as we broke off for recess. Mr. Jackson had asked similar questions to the classmates after me, but of course in different forms, all relating to Dynamics.

Selena was literally holding me when we both took our things for recess.

"You okay?" I weakly nodded, really about to sleep. But recess would wake me up again since I could get some music.

"Hi, Elise and..." Mr. Jackson walks over to us as he gets ready to leave.

"Selena. Nice to meet you, Mr. Jackson."

"Ah, Selena. Nice name. I just wanted to check on Elise, whether she has any... doubts she wants to clarify on forces." Mr. Jackson was looking at me, smiling gently, such purity... such innocence.

I had just stuffed one of my true wireless earpieces playing music into my ear, so I was becoming more awake and alert. I was literally staring down Mr. Jackson's face.

"No, sir. Not that I know of. I just... suck at this chapter. Linking this back to vectors, that's another one, as well as Thermal Physics. Those just... they are really theoretical and I can't see, visualise stuff sometimes." I just blurt out my response, because it just came and went.

"Hmm, if you are okay with it, I would like to discuss with you about this in detail, since its the start of the year and we can get things right. Thanks for telling me about your troubles in Physics, that way I can cater my lessons better, not just for you, but perhaps for the class as well. Maybe you would like a dedicated consultation session after school on certain days with me?" Mr. Jackson asks.

"Elise, you look okay now, so I'll just wait outside?" Selena was in a very, very awkward position, so she was eager to leave.

"Selena, I will be holding her back for a while - no worries, she will have her recess with me." I gulped. Uh... I'm dead, definitely.

Just over a question that's probably basic of the basic.

"Uh..." I start a sentence, trying to make a lie to get out of this mess, but...

"No running, Elise. Your results aren't exactly ideal, but I can get you back on track to a distinction. Just need to start as early as possible, which I would say... now. We can discuss this more over recess in my office. Come." He gets his things and leave, and I have no choice but to do the same, but just for my recess.

What the hell? On the first day of senior year, and this bullshit comes in. If my results aren't shit, what else is?

I don't know why this new teacher is calling on me immediately after his first lesson. Is my Physics that bad? Or on the positive side, perhaps I do have potential, just that I'm too much of a lazy ass to even bother, and he's found out somehow through my speech and behaviour, and decided to help me out a ton with that.

Congrats, Elise. Now it's time to see what hellhole you've gotten yourself into on first day.

I drag my shoes across the floor as I follow behind Mr. Jackson to his office, anticipating anything that's to come next, whatever it was. I am on high alert, and nothing will stop me from being so, until I know what the hell's going on.

A.N.

Hey all! Here's to the first chapter of Senior Year.! Firstly, I just want to say that honestly, the question is truly something I've been struck dumb about for over a year till recently when I realised what the heck was going on. Also, the topics Elise struggles with here, I struggle with them too. XD and not just Physics! I've got a ton of subjects I'm half dead for.

At least you know this author is still alive, even after all the result bullcrap. XD anyways, here's chapter one and I hope you liked it :) thanks for reading!