During the Math Olympiad study session that followed, Ms. Sharon walked into the classroom with a face like stone. She kept her expression icy and deliberately avoided making eye contact with Katie.
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.
The other Math Olympiad team members, who had heard whispers about the friction between Ms. Sharon and Katie, kept their heads down. They were on their best behavior, terrified of accidentally setting the teacher off.
As soon as the session ended, even Kevin—the team captain who was usually bouncing off the walls—quietly slipped out of the classroom.
Before long, only Sharon, Katie, and Mike were left in the room.
Seeing that Ms. Sharon was packing up her lesson plans to leave, Katie quickly hurried over to her.
"Ms. Sharon... I-I'm really sorry about the rumors I spread earlier. I truly apologize," Katie said sincerely, handing over a handwritten letter.
Clearly, Katie was taking a double-pronged approach to make amends.
Ms. Sharon glanced at Katie with a poker face, then scanned the letter in her hand.
"Your main job right now is to study. Everything else is none of my business. Just... look out for yourself," Ms. Sharon said, maintaining her cold demeanor.
After saying her piece, she didn't spare Katie another glance and turned her back to leave.
"Did she... did she forgive me?" Katie asked, sounding unsure.
Judging by Ms. Sharon's reaction, Katie couldn't get a read on the situation at all.
Mike, however, watching from the sidelines, saw it clearly. Although Ms. Sharon wasn't being warm and fuzzy about it, it was obvious she had let it go.
"Relax, Katie. She forgave you," Mike assured her.
"Really?" Katie still sounded doubtful. "Her face didn't look very forgiving..."
"What did you expect? That's just her resting face. Were you expecting her to give you a big hug?" Mike shook his head with a smile, then opened his own arms teasingly. "But hey, if you need comforting, my arms are open."
"Thanks..." With Mike's reassurance, the weight finally lifted from Katie's chest. She didn't hesitate to lean into Mike's embrace.
---
Friday afternoon rolled around. It was time for Dr. Ronald's public lecture at Medford High.
The school had canceled all outdoor activities for the afternoon, gathering the entire student body in the large auditorium.
In the sea of students, Sheldon—fueled by his passion for science—had once again snagged a prime seat: front row, center.
"What's wrong, Mike? You don't look too happy," Sheldon asked, noticing that Mike, sitting next to him, looked a bit out of it.
"Nothing, I'm good..." Mike shook his head.
In reality, his week had been rough. Ever since his relationship with Regina had been exposed, things had been rocky with the other girls. Even though Katie and the others hadn't said much outright, there was definitely some underlying tension.
Karen, in particular, had the strongest reaction.
Mike had spent the whole week doing damage control to keep everyone happy. Even with his practically superhuman stamina, he was feeling the burn.
"Good to hear," Sheldon said, his concern fleeting as he pivoted back to his favorite subject. "What do you think Dr. Ronald is going to talk about?"
Sheldon had been looking forward to this day for a long time. He was desperate to learn something actually useful from a real scientist.
"Aerospace knowledge, probably. Rocket launches, thrusters, recovery systems... there's plenty to cover," Mike replied casually.
Listening to Mike list the possibilities, Sheldon's eyes lit up. He was practically vibrating with anticipation.
Dr. Ronald didn't keep them waiting long. Once everyone was seated, the auditorium doors swung open.
Escorted by Principal Tom, Dr. Ronald walked in.
He was a little over five-foot-three, portly, slightly hunched over, and balding significantly.
Dr. Ronald's appearance immediately shattered the students' mental image of a dashing astronaut type. Mike could hear a collective sigh of disappointment from the girls sitting behind him.
Sheldon, on the other hand, was thrilled. To him, this is exactly what a brilliant scholar was supposed to look like.
"Hello, everyone!" Dr. Ronald greeted the students with a humorous tone.
It was immediately clear that this fifty-something aerospace Ph.D. had a very easygoing personality.
"I'm Ronald from NASA in Houston, and I'm currently in charge of a Mars landing project..." Ronald skillfully introduced himself, grabbing the students' attention with the mention of Mars.
"As you all know, there is no gravity in outer space. So, how do our astronauts live up there?"
Dr. Ronald apparently didn't think a room full of high schoolers could digest complex aerospace theory. So, he decided to stick to the "fun facts"—like how astronauts eat, drink, and go to the bathroom on the space station.
It was the kind of trivia that was easy to tell and usually a hit with general audiences.
As Dr. Ronald cracked jokes and kept it light, waves of laughter rippled through the auditorium.
The atmosphere was cheerful. Dr. Ronald was fulfilling his promise to his old classmate, Principal Tom was happy the students were entertained (and distracted), and the kids were having a good time.
By all accounts, it was a win-win-win situation.
However, down in the front row, Sheldon's face was scrunching up in frustration.
He couldn't believe it. This was the aerospace lecture he had been waiting for? What Dr. Ronald was talking about wasn't technically unrelated to aerospace, but it was incredibly superficial.
Sheldon's hand shot up into the air.
"Oh, looks like we have a little volunteer down here," Dr. Ronald said, using an exaggerated voice that earned him another round of laughter from the crowd. "What's your question, little buddy?"
Being treated like a toddler annoyed Sheldon to no end, but he held his temper. "Dr. Ronald, I would like to know some actual useful information. For example, the theories or formulas regarding rocket lift-off."
Ever since his last failed attempt at building a rocket, Sheldon had been obsessed with the mechanics of lift-off.
However, his childish face meant Dr. Ronald didn't take him seriously at all.
"You're too young to worry about that stuff," Ronald chuckled. "How about I tell you how astronauts use the toilet in space instead?"
The mental image of poop floating around in zero gravity sent the auditorium into another fit of laughter.
"No, I don't want to know about the toilet. I want to know the principles of rocket propulsion," Sheldon insisted, his face tightening. He felt insulted.
"Okay, okay..." Dr. Ronald waved his hand dismissively, like he was shooing away a fly. He looked out at the crowd. "Can anyone here answer our little friend's question?"
Clearly, Dr. Ronald was still in "stand-up comedy" mode. He didn't actually expect anyone in a high school gym to know the answer.
"Three-stage propulsion method," Mike spoke up, tired of watching the guy patronize Sheldon.
"Hmm? Interesting..." Dr. Ronald paused; he recognized the terminology. He looked at Mike with genuine interest. "Care to elaborate?"
In this era, rocket launches hadn't fully optimized multi-stage reusability yet. To a professional, Mike's suggestion sounded incredibly advanced.
"The three-stage propulsion method involves assembling the thrusters in multiple segments. When one segment's fuel is spent, it detaches and can be recovered..." Mike explained the theory of multi-stage rocketry.
Rocket lift-off has massive requirements for thrust, and theoretically, shedding dead weight in stages helps maintain velocity and efficiency. If this could be perfected, it would save the space agency a fortune.
"That is a very interesting hypothesis..."
After listening to Mike, Dr. Ronald fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. However, he eventually shook his head.
"Unfortunately, our current technology isn't quite there yet..."
While multi-stage propulsion could theoretically save massive costs, the technical requirements to pull it off safely were extremely strict.