Nathan entered the large auditorium-sized classroom. There were twenty three students already present.
The subject was Analytic Number Theory. He looked around and noticed four of the colored kids in the classroom with him; Corinne, Bianca, Zeke, and Fred.
Nathan settled into a bench next to Fred.
The professor, standing at the front of the class looked very eccentric. His hair was wild, curling brightly in reddish-silver. Had a large round belly, but was skinny everywhere else, his face was a little splotchy with rosacea, and a wild mustache.
He looked... overly-enthused.
"WELCOME! WELCOME! WELCOME TO -ANALYTIC. -NUMBER. -THEORY!," he yelled, making most of the students in his class, jump.
"I'M PROFESSOR PULANSKI!!
"NOW!" he said, clapping his hands together, "-That I have your attention, I can speak at a normal auditory level."
He gave a big toothy grin and dramatically jogged to the board and tugged the shade hanging over the chalkboard, making it roll up quickly, flapping around a few times.
"Look at this board!" he said, just above a whisper, still talking in an excited tone. He crouched down low, intimately meeting the eyes of random students,"Look at these incredible equations!" he said rubbing his hands together, like a greedy man anticipating a delicious meal.
Everyone was smiling. A smattering of giggles reverberated throughout the class. He was enjoying this. Professor Pulanski seemed a little crazy...and fun.
On the board were three equations. E=MC (squared) And two very long ones, written in small print, easily covering half of the very long board.
"What is analytic numbers theory? Discovery! -The art of using math to create, to decipher-!"
"This one? Is the most famous of all! -REL -LAH -TIVITY. It's been there all along. Einstein just discovered it. It was used to advance our civilization to places we would never would have known, otherwise."
He ran to the other side of the chalkboard and pointed to the jumble of numbers and symbols.
"YOU!" he yelled, pointing at Bianca. "Solve this."
He hooked his thumb back at an equation on the board, indicating the one he wanted her to solve.
Bianca slid from her desk confidently, immediately writing down several numbers and symbols, taking quite a while to so, because the process was so long. It almost extended beyond the board.
He frowned as she did this, his eyes suddenly brightening up as she completed it.
"EXCELLENT!, EXCELLENT! -IT'S WRONG!!" he said, with that big, stupid, grin still plastered on his face, his words all said in that same happily enthused tone.
The entire class laughed. Bianca's mouth fell open.
"GO HAVE A SEAT!!-SHOO!!" he said, mock kicking her off the stage, aiming his foot at her behind. He shuffled across the floor behind her, doing a little dance, as she headed back to her desk, sulking. The class laughed even harder.
She slid low in her seat, shame-faced and clearly embarrassed.
"YOU!" he said pointing at Nathan.
"Solve it."
He took a moment, scanning the problem. Then, he erased the mistakes Bianca had made, writing his own symbols and numerals in their place.
YOU ARE READING
ASHWOOD ACADEMY
Historical Fiction[EDITORS' CHOICE, June 2020][#1 History June 2020] -- Five black students make history as the first to integrate a prestigious school for gifted students in 1950's Vermont. One student, Anita Prescott, is a young girl whose strength and leadership...
