Nikolai stared in confusion at the test, and despite its formula seeming simple the rest of the problem just gave him what one might call the "ick". It was long-winded and full of complication Nikolai never knew he would need proficiency of any kind in. Yet, if he didn't do the question that's a lot of points off.
He began with the last part of the question, downhill. Plugging in the values listed and solving for the radians in deg and their effect on acceleration, he was able to get it done. Then, he moved on to the ascent. It was even easier as the ascent was in a straight line, just plug in a set of values and solve an easy distance formula type question and it was over. But then, the loop.
Nikolai stared blanky at the question just like he did in the beginning, and began yet again to question his sanity. How could a problem be this long and this difficult to solve? Worse yet, Mr. Ryabinin's voice rang out sharply; "Ten minutes remain. If you are not already finished, work quickly. Better to have a chance at success then not have any at all.
Now he really began to panic. "Well, I have scratch paper on me." He reassured himself and began to scrawl out the equation. Plugging in the numbers wasn't enough, though. He still had to figure out the acceleration! "Okay, so say that the accel is distance over time. 40 meter radius so that means 251.3... Okay, so it takes..." He continued to solve methodically and with time, he could do it!
But he had three minutes left, which was not nearly enough to do that. And so, the debate inside him had began, as both sides roared for supremacy. On one hand, he might be able to do it. That nearly guarantees a right answer, which would lead to a better grade on the test. Imagine his parents' surprise if he ends up with a high grade in Physics, which his older brother passed with a 3-!
But the other side with him roared back as he continued to tap his feet on the floor. At this point, he could easily ballpark the answer considering the available options and his chance of getting it right wasn't really that low. Also, as Mr. Ryabinin said, it's better to have a shot at getting it right then have no shot at getting it right.
But the debate took away valuable time, as the other side had conned him. Only twenty seconds remained in the test as his heart and feet pounded in rapid unison. He looked over the answers, each set similar yet different. Three of them had the values he solved for, and he looked hard. Was it 7,250? 3,500? Or 6,750?
With only six seconds remaining, Nikolai crossed out 3500. Two options remained. But Nikolai decided in a split-second that it would be 6,750, shoddily filling in the last answer as Mr. Ryabinin told the class to put their hands up and drop pencil.
"Well, the exam is over. I believe most of you finished, so that's good to hear. Anyways, your next class will be starting soon, so it's best you head over there."
Nikolai let out a deep sigh as he handed in his exam, the rush of adrenaline from the last question still coursing through him. He gathered his belongings and headed out to his next class, Ancient Literature.
The school hallways were abuzz with activity as students streamed between classes. Nikolai navigated through the crowds, up two flights of stairs, and down a long corridor to reach the literature classroom.
Inside, students were already seated while Ms. Pavlova, the eccentric yet brilliant literature teacher, scribbled furiously on the blackboard. Her salt-and-pepper hair was piled haphazardly on her head and her floral dress hung loosely from her slender frame.
"Ah, Mr. Solovyov, cutting it rather close today aren't we?" she said without turning from the blackboard. "Please take your seat, we're about to begin."
Nikolai slid into his desk just as the bell rang. Ms. Pavlova set down her chalk and faced the class, launching into a lecture on Chekhov's short stories. Though literature was not his strongest subject, Nikolai found Ms. Pavlova's passion infectious. He did his best to take careful notes as she expounded on the symbolism behind fallen leaves in The Black Monk.
Before he knew it, the lecture was over and students were packing up for their next class. Nikolai felt his adrenaline finally settling, the physics exam behind him. There was still the rest of the school day to get through, but the comfort of routine was returning.
The shrill bell marked the end of literature. As Nikolai gathered his belongings, his thoughts turned from Chekhov to the train ride home. Nikolai had one thing on his mind at the end of the day, and that was going home and having fun.
The day continued as he passed through Precalculus, Drama, and finally Systems of Government. None of the three were particularly interesting today, as the very exciting Mr. Kukushkin was not here for Drama and the rest he took because he had to after all.
But finally, he could break free of the prison known as school and head back home. Thankfully as he went to the train station, he saw no sign of the earlier girl. That would've been very awkward, huh? Despite any lingering tension, he was no extraordinary man. 'I wonder if she could even recognize me?" Nikolai wondered. After all, he had a common haircut, oak brown hair, no glasses or other sensual aid, and wore a tracksuit jacket and fleece pants. This was the look of many a man.
But he had to get back to reading the e-book he discovered last night, Return of the Immortal Dragon Cultivator! Its high-octane pace, likeable main character Zhou Feng, and beautiful women and culture were the highlights of the novel, as it was with... surprisingly few?
One of the reasons Nikolai liked to stay away from books written by nonprofessionals is the character design. Protagonists were too edgy, too asshole, too self-centered. He wished he wasn't the same and doubted he was. But this one, it was too good to stay away from.
The train got to the station and he boarded and sat towards the back in his usual spot, where to his surprise he met his friend Alexander. He ran up to him and gave him a very firm dap.
"Alexander, nice to see you!" He said enthusiastically. He didn't see him in any classes, so this is how they would meet.
"You too, Nikolai. So, what are you up to?"
"I was just reading this new book. You know how I'm so interested in eastern culture?"
"Well, yeah, but remem-"
"So, I found this awesome book about cultivation!" He quickly showed him an image of the Divine Jade Beauty, Feng Li.
"Be honest, smash or pass?" asked Nikolai.
"Well, if it was real, no brainer. Smash it till pass out." Alexander stated. "But, it's not real. So pass."
"So you don't get the point? Or are you being a smartass?" Nikolai was a bit pissed.
"The latter." Alexander said.
The two friends then continued to catch each other up until the train reached Nikolai's stop. "Goodbye, see you tomorrow!" He called out to Alexander and left as he too said his farewell. Stepping off into a pothole, he tripped. No bazoingas this time, just concrete, a scrape, and a loud exclamative блять.