About thirty minutes after Professor Calerio had arrived in the classroom, he remained silent, sat on his desk as he watched his students formulate plans about their capstone project.
One of the group approached them.
"Oh look what we got here," Calerio said, looking up at Samantha. "You already have an idea for your capstone project?"
"We do," Samantha confirmed simply.
"Okay then…what is it?" Calerio asked.
"It's an electric vehicle," Samantha revealed.
"Electric vehicle?" Calerio repeated with a serious tone.
"Yes," Samantha confirmed.
There was a tense moment of silence as Mr. Calerio processed the information, and then, out of nowhere, he bursted out laughing, drawing the attention of the other students.
Samantha's face remained stoic, but Matthew's jaw clenched, and Saimon and Leo exchanged uneasy glances.
"You've got to be kidding me," Calerio said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "An electric vehicle? Out of all the possible projects, you decided to aim for something completely out of your reach. Do you even understand what you're trying to accomplish here?"
"We do," Samantha replied firmly.
Calerio smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Do you? Because I don't think you realize what you've signed up for. Building an EV isn't just about pretty schematics and some ambitious ideas on paper. It's about execution. It's about turning those designs into reality. And I guarantee you—you won't."
The classroom was deathly silent, the tension palpable. Samantha narrowed her eyes but said nothing, while Matthew's fists tightened at his sides.
"Let me spell it out for you," Calerio continued, his voice dripping with condescension. "Even if your design is flawless—and that's a big if—you're going to hit roadblocks at every turn. Do you have the tools? The materials? The expertise? No. You're students with no industry connections, no resources, and barely enough knowledge to grasp the basics of what an EV requires."
"You are supposed to be our professor, yet you look down on your students," Samantha said.
The classroom fell into a hushed silence. Mr. Calerio's smirk faded, replaced by a stern expression.
"Excuse me?" he replied, arching an eyebrow. "Care to repeat that, Miss Ortega?"
Samantha met his gaze unflinchingly. "As our professor, we expect guidance and support, not ridicule. We're aware of the challenges, but belittling our efforts doesn't help us grow."
A few murmurs arose from the other students, some surprised by her boldness, others nodding in quiet agreement. Matthew felt a surge of respect for Samantha's courage.
Mr. Calerio crossed his arms. "Bold words. But this isn't about belittlement; it's about realism. You're setting yourselves up for failure."
"Respectfully, sir," Matthew interjected, stepping beside Samantha, "we've done extensive research and believe we have a solid plan. We understand it's ambitious, but we're prepared to put in the necessary work."
"Oh so you already have papers on your project? Looks like you have used your Christmas break and semestral break working on an impossible project."
"We did, which is why we are going to defend it and turn it into reality," Matthew replied firmly.
Calerio chuckled. "Since you already have papers, can you defend it next week? If you can, then I'll pass you instantly in Capstone 1. If you fail, then you fail this course."
Hearing that, the four exchanged glances. Matthew knew that if they were to bite his offer, they would have a lot of time working on their EV project, but if they fail, they'd risk failing this course.
But Matthew was confident that they could pull this off. After all, he had the usb on him that would guide him how to make an electric vehicle. The only thing they have to do is to copy it.
"Deal," Matthew accepted.
***
"What the hell were you thinking, Matthew?" Saimon hissed, glancing back toward Calerio, who was now watching another group. "You just agreed to defend our project next week? We barely even started!"
Leo nodded emphatically. "Dude, do you understand what this means? If we screw up the defense, it's game over for us. Calerio will fail us without a second thought. We can't afford that kind of risk!"
"I know it's risky, but you have to trust me on this one. If we succeed next week, we will have it easy for the rest of the semester. If we fail, then I'll be the one paying for your tuition this semester and the next, how about that?" Matthew offered.
The two looked to one another and then back to Matthew.
"Do you have the money? I thought you were kicked out."
"I do, I'll show you tomorrow…but I need the deal now," Matthew urged.
"Okay," Leo agreed with the deal, and Saimon followed.
"Okay, 12 pm sharp," Matthew said.
Samantha spoke. "I'll join you after my classes. But I won't arrive until 4:30 PM. Machine Design 2 and Industrial Plant Engineering aren't classes I can afford to miss."
Matthew nodded, understanding her point. "That's fine. Saimon, Leo, and I will start working on the framework and presentation before you arrive. Once you're there, we can refine the technical details together."
Samantha nodded.
"Alright, see you tomorrow. But first, we have to create a group chat so we can easily communicate to one another," Matthew brought his phone out. "Miss Samantha, what's your facebook name?"
Samantha raised an eyebrow at Matthew's casual tone but pulled out her phone. "I don't use Facebook much," she replied, her voice cool. "But here's my Messenger ID." She tapped on her screen and showed it to him.
Matthew quickly added her to the group chat. "Alright, everyone's in."
"Make sure to share the materials tonight. I'll review them after my classes," Samantha said as she confirmed that she was in the group chat.
"Already planned," Matthew said. "I'll upload everything by tonight."
"Good," Samantha replied curtly, then glanced at her watch. "I have to get to my next class. Don't slack off tomorrow."
With that, she turned and left the group.
Saimon sighed and turned to Matthew. "Well as this is our only class, I guess that we will go home?"
"Yeah…"