throwing up

                                    

                                          
Evie gazed at Chad dreamily, her mind wandering. "Any chance he's in line for a throne? Anywhere in line?"
Doug, sitting next to her, leaned in to explain. "Chad. Prince Charming, Jr. Cinderella's son. Chad inherited the charm, but not a lot of substance, if you know what I mean."
Evie, ignoring Doug's remark, made eye contact with Chad and smiled. "Looks like there's plenty of substance to me."
The teacher's voice snapped her out of her trance. "Evie. Perhaps this is just review for you. So tell me, what is the average atomic weight of silver?"
Evie tried to make a joke, hoping to lighten the mood. "Atomic weight? Uh, well, not very much. I mean, it's an atom, right?"
The teacher gave her an unimpressed look and pointed at the board. Realizing she had to give a serious answer, Evie stood up, walked to the board, and discreetly looked into her mirror for help. She quickly wrote down the answer. "Let's see. How do I find the average atomic weight of silver? That would be 106.905 times .5200, plus 108.905 times .4800, which, Mr. Deley, would give us 107.9 am..."
Doug, surprised by her sudden display of knowledge, added, "Amu?"
Evie turned to face the teacher, confident now. "I forget. It's always a mistake to underestimate..."
The teacher interrupted, finishing her sentence. "A villain? Don't make it again."
With a satisfied smile, Evie returned to her seat. As she sat down, Chad discreetly handed her a note, indicating a time and place to meet later. Evie looked at the note, a mischievous smile spreading across her face as she tucked it away. It seemed her day was about to get even more interesting.
Ben stood on the tourney field, replaying his conversation with Elina in his mind. Her advice to be less naive still echoed in his thoughts, leaving him in a pensive mood. Snapping out of it, he looked up and saw Carlos getting ready to sprint.
"Okay, Carlos, we're gonna do some sprints. You ready?" Ben asked, holding a timer in his hand. Carlos nodded, focused on the task ahead. But before they could start, a dog suddenly came bolting across the field, heading straight for Carlos. Panicking, Carlos took off running, screaming as the dog chased after him.
Ben, at first, was focused on the timer and nodded approvingly at Carlos's initial speed. But when Carlos didn't stop running and continued to scream, Ben looked up, confused. He quickly spotted Carlos sprinting away, the dog hot on his heels. "Carlos? Carlos!" Ben called out, chasing after them.
Carlos, desperate to escape the dog, ran into the woods and scrambled up a tree. "Ben? Ben?" he called out, clinging to the branches. Ben arrived moments later, stopping at the base of the tree with the dog at his feet, wagging its tail happily.
"Ben, help me! This thing is a killer! He's gonna chase me down and rip out my throat. This is a vicious, rabid pack animal!" Carlos cried out, pointing down at the dog. Ben, however, just picked up the dog and chuckled.
"Who told you that?" Ben asked, still holding the dog and trying to soothe Carlos's fears.
"My mother," Carlos replied, his voice shaking.
"Cruella?" Ben guessed.
Carlos nodded, still perched on the tree. "She's a dog expert. A dog yellerer. Why are you holding him? He's gonna attack you!"
Ben laughed, finding Carlos's fear both amusing and sad. "Carlos, you've never actually met a dog, have you?"
"Of course not," Carlos admitted, his fear making him grip the tree tighter.