“Another fool who wants to leave, huh?”
Seating beside the window at the last row in one of the classrooms of Lewis Highschool, a student, whose elbow resting on the window sill, his hand forming into a fist supporting his tilting head, and his other hand holding an iPhone while that hand’s thumb sliding and scrolling the phone’s screen in a quick pace, inwardly talked to himself as he literally skimmed through the novel depicting on his gadget.
Like other students in the class, he was wearing a school uniform consisted of white shirt, yellow and red striped tie, black trousers, and shiny black shoes. But unlike other, the way he dressed up was messy. His shirt’s bottom hem was hanging outside his trousers. His tie was loose and not properly laced around his neck. His feet squashed the shoe’s heel counters, and he was not even putting on his socks. Together with his jumbled dark-brown hair, one would think that he came here straight from his bed.
Even though he dressed like that, other students did not seem to care and intensively focused on the lecture. The squeaking sound of a teacher writing something on the whiteboard incessantly reverberated within the classroom.
The teacher, on the other hand, had garmented himself in the exact opposite to that student. Only the word ‘perfect’ would be enough to describe the entire set. His classic slick back hair was orderly set and combed. His white shirt, black necktie, scarlet vest, trousers and suit were as smooth and neat as one could be. His shoes were shinier than some Rolls-Royce on the street. Even though his look was not as handsome as the Hollywood stars, with jet-black hair and stubble, his manly aura could be sensed from miles away.
Once he finished what he intended to pen on that board, the teacher turned back to his students. His eyes scanned across the room and finally came to a stop at the guy playing with his phone: “Mike!”
The rest of the class simultaneously shifted their attention to that corner of the room. Some started gossiping with their mates. While some were giving contemptuous gazes toward the callee, some other glances were sympathetic.
Pretending to be a deaf person by ignoring the call and whispers, the student earnestly carried on with his reading, like it was his life mission to finish this story today.
“Who would want to return to this wretched place?”
Another comment emerged in his mind. The web novel he was reading could be considered an otherworld novel, describing how the main character accidentally fell into another world and tried his hardest to get back to his family in the real world.
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“Hey, Mike!”
Another call was made by the teacher, and this time the student decided to respond, only because if he did not, the guy would continue to pester him endlessly. He tuned off his iPhone’s screen and put it into his trousers’ pocket. After his eyes fixated upon his teacher, with a lazy voice, he said.
“What is it, Mr. Dawn?”
“May I ask why you don’t pay an attention to my lesson, Michael Wallace?”
“Then why do I have to pay an attention to your lesson?”
“Because you have to learn what I’m teaching.”
“Why do I have to learn what you’re teaching?”
“Because you will need it when you take an exam of the university you wish to enter.”
“And if I don’t want to get into the university?”
“Why don’t you want to get into the university?”
“Then why do I have to get into the university?”
“Higher degree, higher chance with the job opportunity.”
“Why do we need a higher chance with the job opportunity?”
“Better job, better money.”
“Why do we need money?”
“Because we need to eat.”
It was like someone switched on two robots and had them engage into conversations. There was no tone nor emotion whatsoever in every line of questions and answers. Everything was brought down to the simplest thing of human’s mind: logic.
After one short and silent pause, Michael resumed.
“What if I have enough money to eat for the rest of my life?”
“There’re still many things for which we need money.”
“Such as?”
“Clothes, shelter, medicine, and whatever make you happy.”
“What if I have enough money for the first three and nothing else can make me happy?”
“Then you don’t need any more money.”
“Then I don’t need a job, a university, and first of all your lesson.”
“That’s right.”
“May I leave now?”
“Of course, Mike. But are you certain that nothing in this world can make you happy?”
Mr. Dawn eventually smiled after he asked the last question, but the smile did not make Michael felt better in the slightest, instead he furrowed his brows as his rage boiled up from the inside. Still, after one deep breath, his complexion returned to normal. With a gentle push against the table, he slid his chair backward, then got up and prepared to leave.
As he walked toward the room exit, the rest of the class chattered amongst each other. They did not understand why their teacher let him off that easily.
When his hand tightly grabbed the door handle, before he opened it and left, the student coldly said to the teacher.
“Don’t act like you know me, Mr. Dawn. You have no idea what I’ve been through. Although our previous conversations were logical enough, don’t misunderstand me. All of them were what ifs. And I do need money even more than anyone else in this room. But not for food, clothes, or any nonsense that would make me happy like you said! The only reason I don’t need your lesson is because I already know everything you’re going to teach. The answer for the first question on the board is 2x. The second is 4/3. The third is 0.237 while the fourth is 75.86%. And for the last one, with all the traps and tricks you’re trying to confuse the lower-standard students, the answer is a simple zero. Draw out more challenging cards next time, Mr. Dawn!”
Upon the finish of his sentence, Michael brushed the door open and left the class. As for Mr. Dawn, he could only give out a light chuckle at his student’s behavior and continued his lesson as normal.
“Who can tell whether Mike’s answers are correct?”