Chapter:1 (The wrong Reaction)
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲:(𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻)
𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐚'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Chemistry class, it’s this:
Nothing good ever starts with, “Now pay close attention.”
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Because whenever a teacher says that sentence, it usually means one of two things.
Either we’re about to get extra homework.
Or someone’s about to accidentally destroy something.
Knowing our group...
The second option was much more likely.
“...and when these two chemicals are mixed incorrectly, it can result in a very violent reaction.”
Mrs. Lucy tapped the board dramatically with her stick.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Honestly, she acted like she was performing in a theatre instead of teaching Chemistry.
I stared at the two transparent liquids sitting inside the beakers in front of me.
Clear.
Harmless.
Boring.
Very violent?
Yeah.
Sure.
Totally believable.
I mean... look at them.
They looked like water’s boring cousins.
I rested my chin on my palm.
How can something that looks so innocent suddenly decide to explode?
Chemistry is scary.
People talk about ghosts all the time.
Nobody talks about Chemistry.
That’s suspicious.
Maybe Chemistry is the real villain.
“Teacher, I have a doubt.”
I didn’t even need to turn around.
Ace Donovan.
Of course.
Who else?
“Oh.”
Mrs. Lucy crossed her arms immediately.
“So now even the backbenchers have doubts?”
That answer came faster than lightning.
Honestly, I think she was secretly waiting for an opportunity to roast him.
Ace wasn’t offended at all.
He smiled.
Which was dangerous.
Because whenever Ace smiled...
Someone suffered.
Usually us.
“What happens if I mix those chemicals?” Ace asked casually.
Mrs. Lucy narrowed her eyes.
“You will regret it.”
“Oh.”
Ace nodded.
“Interesting.”
Interesting?!
Who says “interesting” after hearing they might regret something?
This boy genuinely scared me sometimes.
“Shhh,” I whispered.
“She’ll hear you.”
Ace leaned closer.
“Does she have a personal grudge against us?”
I almost laughed.
Honestly...
Sometimes it did feel like that.
Mrs. Lucy was strict with everyone.
But with us four?
It was a completely different level.
Especially Ace.
I swear she had developed a sixth sense for detecting his existence.
Even if he breathed too loudly, she’d somehow know.
Ace sighed dramatically.
“I don’t like school.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Here we go again.”
“I mean it.”
He whispered dramatically.
“Who invented Chemistry? I want to fight that person.”
I stared at him.
“That person is probably dead already.”
Ace gasped.
“Exactly.”
“And somehow they still managed to punish students generations later.”
I couldn’t stop myself.
A smile escaped.
“You’re impossible.”
“No.”
Ace grinned.
“I’m creative.”
“That’s even worse.”
He looked offended.
“Rude.”
Before I could answer, Mrs. Lucy slammed her stick against the board again.
“Enough talking!”
Everyone immediately became quiet.
Well...
Almost everyone.
Ace wasn’t exactly famous for following instructions.
I tried to focus.
I really did.
I promise.
But my brain had other plans.
I’m in 10th standard.
And I still don’t know whether sodium is a metal or a non-metal.
Should I cry?
Probably.
Maths hates me.
Chemistry hates me.
I take tuition classes.
Extra classes.
More classes.
And somehow...
Nothing changes.
At this point, even my notebooks are tired of me.
I sighed quietly.
Life is difficult.
Then my eyes moved towards Zein Ashford.
As always...
She was reading.
Seriously reading.
Not pretending.
Actually reading.
Her glasses sat perfectly on her face while she adjusted them without even looking away from her book.
How?
How does she do that?
I genuinely wanted to know.
This girl studied all the time.
Morning.
Afternoon.
Evening.
Night.
If someone told me she slept with books under her pillow, I would believe them.
She always got second position in school.
Always.
Never third.
Never fourth.
Always second.
Which honestly made absolutely no sense.
Because if anyone deserved first place...
It was Zein.
Then...
My eyes shifted towards another person.
KEIFER Hart.
There he was.
Sitting beside the window.
Not paying attention.
Again.
One hand inside his pocket.
The other resting lazily against the desk.
Staring outside.
Like always.
I don’t understand him.
I genuinely don’t.
He barely looked at the board.
He rarely asked questions.
He never panicked before exams.
Yet somehow...
He always came first.
Every single time.
Meanwhile...
Zein worked twice as hard.
And still got second place.
Life wasn’t fair.
Not at all.
KEIFER suddenly glanced inside the classroom.
Our eyes met for half a second.
Then he looked away.
Okay.
That was awkward.
I looked away too.
Why am I the awkward one?
I didn’t even do anything.
A soft paper ball suddenly hit my arm.
I didn’t need to look.
Ace.
Obviously.
I opened it.
His handwriting looked like a chicken had fought with a pen.
It said:
Look at Mrs. Lucy’s sandals. I think she owns only one pair. They don’t even match her outfit anymore.
Oh no.
Not again.
I immediately covered my mouth.
I shouldn’t laugh.
I shouldn’t.
I shouldn’t.
But...
I failed.
A small laugh escaped.
I quickly wrote underneath.
Please behave for five minutes. That’s all I’m asking.
I tossed it back.
Two seconds later...
Another paper ball returned.
Impossible.
I sighed.
Then another one came.
Also, look at her chalk-holding technique. She’s angry at the chalk.
I almost laughed again.
This boy is ridiculous.
Sometimes annoying.
Sometimes stupid.
Sometimes both.
But somehow...
He always knew how to make us laugh.
Even on terrible days.
Mrs. Lucy suddenly clapped her hands.
“Enough.”
Everyone straightened immediately.
“Now you may begin the experiment.”
Oh no.
Experiment time.
The worst words a Chemistry teacher can ever say.
I stared at the beakers again.
Still harmless.
Still boring.
Still scary.
What exactly am I supposed to do?
I looked around.
Everyone had already started.
Even Zein.
Even KEIFER.
Zein was adjusting her coat carefully.
KEIFER was fixing his gloves.
Both looked like professionals.
Meanwhile...
I looked like a lost tourist.
Wonderful.
I fixed my goggles.
Adjusted my coat.
Pretended to know what I was doing.
Acting confident is important.
Even if you’re absolutely clueless.
Then I looked at Ace.
Bad idea.
Very bad idea.
Because he was already holding both beakers.
My eyes widened.
Oh no.
Not him.
Anyone but him.
“What are you doing?” I whispered immediately.
“I’m observing.”
I stared.
“With your hands?”
He nodded confidently.
“Yes.”
I blinked.
He blinked.
I blinked again.
This boy...
One day...
One day he’ll be the reason all four of us get expelled.
I can feel it.
Somewhere inside my soul.
“Put them down.”
“I’m being careful.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m trying.”
“That’s even worse.”
Ace grinned.
“You have no faith in me.”
“Correct.”
“I feel offended.”
“You’ll survive.”
He placed one beaker down dramatically.
Then the other.
Then picked them up again.
I narrowed my eyes.
“No.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“You’re definitely doing something.”
“I’m innocent.”
“That’s impossible.”
He put a hand over his chest.
“You hurt my feelings.”
I sighed dramatically.
Before I could answer...
A strange feeling suddenly settled inside my chest.
Something felt...
Off.
Too quiet.
Too normal.
And whenever things became too normal around us...
It never stayed that way for long.
I had absolutely no idea...
That in the next few seconds...
Everything was about to go horribly wrong.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Too normal.
And normal never lasted long around us.
I was still staring at Ace when suddenly...
Someone bumped into him.
Hard.
It happened so quickly that my brain couldn’t even process it.
One second, Ace was holding both beakers.
The next second—
His body lurched forward.
The two liquids tilted.
And then...
They mixed.
My eyes widened.
Oh no.
No.
No no no no no.
Please no.
For a second...
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The entire room fell silent.
Even the sounds of glass clinking stopped.
Everyone simply stared at the beaker.
Then...
A soft hissing sound came from inside it.
Hssssss...
I froze.
“...Did that just make a sound?” I whispered.
Ace looked equally shocked.
“I didn’t do that on purpose.”
Then...
The beaker began vibrating.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
“Move back!” KEIFER shouted immediately.
But it was already too late.
BOOM!
The sound echoed through the entire laboratory.
Not a huge explosion.
But enough to throw everyone into chaos.
Students screamed.
Someone dropped a tray.
Glass shattered.
Chairs scraped loudly against the floor.
“What happened?!”
“Open the windows!”
“Everyone move back!”
“Oh my God!”
Smoke spread everywhere.
My eyes immediately started burning.
I covered my nose with my sleeve.
I couldn’t even see properly anymore.
The whole room had become white and blurry.
“What did you do, Ace?!” someone shouted.
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Then why did it explode?!”
“I said I didn’t do it on purpose!”
“You always say that!”
“I know!”
“This is bad!”
“Really?!” Ace yelled. “I couldn’t tell!”
Even now...
He was arguing.
Unbelievable.
I started coughing.
Beside me, Zein immediately covered her nose with her sleeve.
KEIFER quickly took out his handkerchief and covered his mouth.
Meanwhile...
Ace looked completely shocked.
His eyes were wide open.
His hair was messy.
His mouth was slightly open.
He genuinely looked confused.
And honestly...
For once...
I believed him.
Because this wasn’t his usual behaviour.
He loved being funny.
But he wasn’t reckless enough to intentionally explode a laboratory.
Especially not this badly.
Then...
Everything suddenly clicked inside my head.
Lucas Reed.
I immediately turned my head.
And there he was.
Standing a few desks away.
Perfectly fine.
Perfectly calm.
Too calm.
Our eyes met for a second.
Then he quickly looked away.
My eyebrows furrowed.
Wait...
Wasn’t he standing beside Ace a few seconds ago?
Then my brain replayed everything.
His arm.
The movement.
The push.
Oh.
Oh no.
He did it.
He pushed Ace.
Intentionally.
Before I could say anything...
Mrs. Lucy shouted.
“EVERYONE OUT!”
Students immediately rushed outside.
The room was filled with chaos.
People were coughing.
Running.
Pushing each other.
Trying to leave.
Within seconds...
The laboratory was almost empty.
Then suddenly...
It became quiet.
Too quiet.
I blinked.
Only four people were still standing there.
Me.
KEIFER.
Ace.
And Zein.
Our group.
As always.
KEIFER spoke first.
“Only the four of us are here.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“Let’s leave before someone notices.”
Honestly...
I don’t know how he stays calm all the time.
If it were me...
I would’ve already cried.
“Yeah.”
Zein nodded.
“If the principal catches us, we’re dead.”
Ace groaned dramatically.
“Can everyone stop talking about death today?”
I stared at him.
“You almost exploded a laboratory.”
“Technically...”
He raised a finger.
“...it was a chemical reaction.”
“Oh my God.”
“No.”
Ace corrected immediately.
“Oh my Chemistry.”
I stared at him.
Then stared again.
This boy...
There is genuinely no cure for him.
Then Zein suddenly spoke.
“Ace.”
Her voice was serious.
“Why did you mix them?”
Ace immediately looked down.
“I didn’t.”
Nobody spoke.
He slowly lifted his head.
His eyes looked watery now.
“I swear.”
“I didn’t do it.”
For a second...
Nobody said anything.
Then I finally spoke.
“He didn’t.”
The three of them looked at me.
“I saw Lucas Reed.”
Their expressions changed immediately.
“He pushed Ace.”
Zein frowned.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
“He did it intentionally.”
Ace blinked.
“Wait.”
“He pushed me?”
I stared.
“...You didn’t notice?”
Ace shook his head.
“There was too much happening.”
KEIFER narrowed his eyes.
For a second...
Something flashed across his face.
Annoyance.
Then it disappeared immediately.
“He did it on purpose.”
KEIFER said quietly.
Zein crossed her arms.
“Why?”
Ace scratched his head.
“I don’t know.”
Then he paused.
“Oh.”
“Maybe because I’m handsome.”
We all stared at him.
Nobody spoke.
Three seconds passed.
Then...
“No.”
All three of us answered together.
Ace sighed.
“Tough crowd.”
KEIFER shook his head.
“We’ll deal with Lucas later.”
Then he looked around.
“But right now, we need to leave.”
He was right.
Very right.
Because if there was one person we absolutely didn’t want to meet today...
It was the principal.
The entire school already hated us.
Or at least...
That’s what it felt like.
Every incident somehow involved us.
Every problem somehow involved us.
Every complaint somehow involved us.
Even if we were innocent.
Sometimes.
Very rarely.
But still.
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder.
“We should get our bags first.”
Zein nodded immediately.
“Exactly.”
“If we leave without them, we’ll have to come back.”
Ace gasped dramatically.
“And risk dying twice?”
“Absolutely not.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Then let’s go.”
The four of us quickly walked out of the laboratory.
And somehow...
None of us noticed...
That Lucas Reed was still standing there.
Watching us.
And smiling.
A smile that didn’t feel normal at all.
The four of us walked out of the laboratory as fast as possible.
Actually...
No.
Not walked.
We were speed-walking.
Because there is a huge difference.
Walking means you’re calm.
Speed-walking means you’re trying not to look suspicious while being extremely suspicious.
And that’s exactly what we were doing.
Nobody spoke for a few seconds.
Only our footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Honestly...
The entire situation was weird.
Too weird.
Schools are never this quiet.
Never.
There are always students shouting somewhere.
Teachers scolding someone.
Someone laughing.
Someone running.
Someone forgetting their homework.
Someone crying because of Maths.
Schools are supposed to be noisy.
But today...
It felt different.
The corridor felt empty.
Too empty.
I glanced around.
No students.
No teachers.
No noise.
Nothing.
Just us.
A strange feeling settled inside my chest.
I don’t know why.
But it almost felt like...
The school itself was watching us.
Okay.
That sounded creepy.
Maybe I was overthinking.
Hopefully.
“Classroom first,” Zein said.
“We need our bags.”
I nodded immediately.
“Yes.”
Ace groaned beside me.
“Can someone carry mine?”
“No.”
The three of us answered at the same time.
Ace gasped dramatically.
“Wow.”
“So this is betrayal.”
“It’s called responsibility,” Zein said without even looking at him.
Ace sighed.
“You people don’t appreciate my existence.”
KEIFER spoke without turning around.
“Keep walking.”
Ace put a hand over his heart.
“That hurt.”
“You’ll survive,” KEIFER replied.
I almost laughed.
Honestly...
I don’t know how these two do it.
Ace says something dramatic.
KEIFER destroys it within three seconds.
Every single time.
We reached the classroom.
KEIFER immediately walked inside.
As always.
Straight to the point.
No unnecessary talking.
No wasting time.
He grabbed his bag.
Then Ace’s bag.
Then handed it to him.
“Here.”
Ace took it.
“Thanks.”
KEIFER simply nodded.
Meanwhile...
Zein picked up her own bag.
Then grabbed mine too.
“Here.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
She adjusted her glasses.
“You’re welcome.”
Honestly...
If Zein wasn’t my friend...
I’d probably forget half my belongings every day.
I was putting my bag on my shoulder when Ace suddenly spoke.
“Guys.”
We all looked at him.
“I have an important question.”
Oh no.
That’s never a good sign.
“What?” I asked.
He looked very serious.
Too serious.
“Do you think Mrs. Lucy is going to call our parents?”
I froze.
Oh.
Right.
Parents.
I forgot about that.
Actually...
No.
I didn’t forget.
I just intentionally pushed that thought out of my brain.
Because thinking about it was terrifying.
Zein sighed.
“Probably.”
Ace looked horrified.
“That’s horrible.”
KEIFER calmly replied,
“That’s the least horrible thing that can happen today.”
Ace blinked.
“...There are worse things?”
KEIFER looked at him.
“Yes.”
Ace blinked again.
“Oh.”
I slowly nodded.
He’s right.
There are definitely worse things.
Like...
Getting expelled.
Again.
Well...
Not again.
But almost.
I adjusted my bag.
“We should leave.”
Everybody nodded.
And then...
We started running.
Not too fast.
But fast enough.
The corridor stretched ahead of us.
Long.
Silent.
Empty.
Our footsteps echoed loudly.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
I don’t know why...
But I suddenly felt nervous.
Very nervous.
Maybe because today had already been terrible.
First...
The laboratory exploded.
Then...
Lucas Reed pushed Ace.
Then...
Everyone would blame us.
Wonderful.
Just wonderful.
Sometimes I genuinely think we have bad luck.
Or maybe...
Bad luck has us.
Honestly...
I don’t know anymore.
Ace suddenly pointed ahead.
“The main gate.”
I looked up.
And there it was.
Freedom.
Beautiful freedom.
No laboratories.
No Mrs. Lucy.
No explosions.
Perfect.
We started walking faster.
Ten steps.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Then...
A voice echoed through the corridor.
“STOP.”
We froze immediately.
Every single one of us.
My feet stopped moving.
My fingers tightened around my bag.
I didn’t even need to turn around.
I already knew.
We all knew.
That voice.
We knew it.
Very well.
Slowly...
We turned around.
And there he was.
Mr. Vance
Standing behind us.
Arms folded.
Expression unreadable.
Oh no.
No.
No no no.
Not him.
Anyone but him.
He slowly walked closer.
His shoes echoed against the floor.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Nobody spoke.
Even Ace.
Which honestly...
Was terrifying.
Because Ace is never quiet.
Mr. Vance stopped a few steps away from us.
His eyes moved towards Ace.
Then Zein.
Then me.
Then finally...
KEIFER.
He stared at us for a few seconds.
Nobody dared to move.
Then he finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Which was honestly scarier than shouting.
“Interesting.”
Nobody answered.
Smart decision.
Very smart decision.
Then he spoke again.
“So...”
He tilted his head slightly.
“Can somebody explain...”
His eyes narrowed.
“...why the four of you are running away from the Chemistry laboratory...”
He paused.
And then said the sentence that made my stomach drop.
“...right after an explosion happened?”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
I looked at Zein.
She looked nervous.
I looked at Ace.
He looked terrified.
I looked at KEIFER.
His expression was unreadable.
And then...
My brain screamed one thing.
We are doomed.
Completely doomed.
And somehow...
I had a strange feeling...
That this was only the beginning of our problems.
Because none of us knew it yet.
But this tiny accident...
This one small explosion...
Was going to change everything.
