Page 42 of Inside Out
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
~Friedrich Nietzsche
“There’s no logic in love, but sometimes the chaos just makes sense.”
~Julius Shepherd
The anticipation and excitement of seeing Rome again was greater than I had ever experienced before in my life which felt both strange and right at the same time. I thought it was odd I was more antsy over a simple lunch date than I was during my first solo cello performance as a kid or the first time I stood in front of a class of high school kids as their teacher. Those were moments when things could either go really good or really bad for me, and my blossoming relationship with Rome was no different. There was no way to know things wouldn’t blow up in my face, but it just felt right. I couldn’t turn back now if someone offered me money.
I gave myself a mental shake to get my head back in my classroom where it belonged. There was no room for that kind of distraction, any distraction, with twenty-five kids needing my best. I had exciting news to share with the class, and that’s where my focus was required.
“I have a special announcement to make,” I said. The students looked up from the homework assignments they’d already started. “Have any of you ever heard of the Ohio Science Olympiad hosted at The Ohio State University in August of each year?” A few students nodded but most shook their head. “It’s the state’s premier science competition that allows us to show what skills Blissville is teaching in science, technology, engineering, and math. I can only take fifteen students, and there will be twenty-three events we can compete in. I’ve coached teams in a similar competition in Philadelphia, so I’m familiar with the structure and rules. The maximum number of seniors I can take for our division is five, and I must pick the remaining members from the other three classes. Because this contest won’t be held until the next school year, this year’s seniors aren’t eligible. I truly wish I started teaching here a year earlier because you are some of the brightest, inquisitive minds I’ve taught.”
“That is a bummer,” Clara said. “I would’ve loved to compete in the Science Olympiad.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, and I wouldn’t have brought it up, but there aren’t just seniors in this class.” My classes had a mixture of seniors, juniors, sophomores, and a few freshmen.
“I hope there is more interest than there are slots because it shows how much you all love science and math. I’m going to pass around a clipboard with a signup sheet. Once I know how many people are interested, I will form a game plan.”
“Does that mean you’re going to have some kind of competition and the winners make the team?” Mark Vaughn asked.
“That’s the only fair way to do it,” I told him. “The contest will be threefold. You will submit a concept for approval; once approved, you will document the building of your project with detailed notes, photos, or videos; and the final phase will be the demonstration. I must complete the paperwork in November if we’re to take a team to the competition in August.”
“That’s a lot of planning,” Bobby said from the back row. “This must be a big deal.”
“OSU is a highly respected school in the fields of science, medicine, and engineering, Bobby. Placing well at this competition will look amazing on college applications.”
“I bet,” he replied.
“As you can imagine, this won’t be cheap, so we will try to offset some of the cost by hosting fundraisers throughout the year.”
“Not more cookie dough,” one of the boys in the far-right corner said.
“No, I thought we’d try to do something a little more entertaining, but I’m going to need school board approval.” Clara perked up in her seat, eager to help. “I will take this to the board on my own.”
“Fair enough, Mr. S.”
“I’m going to pass this clipboard around, and the only thing you’re indicating today is if you’re interested in being on the team. I will put together a packet of information to share with your parents which will include dates, costs, and the things required of you and therefore them.”
I started with the table on the far left and handed the clipboard to Mark, who eagerly wrote in his name before handing it to his partner, Daniel. I knew the boys were an inseparable duo and did almost everything together, so I wasn’t surprised when Daniel wrote his name down too before passing it to the table behind them.
I returned to my desk and started looking over the notes I’d made about the competition and ways to defer cost so the parents wouldn’t be facing a steep fee. I looked up when Bobby set the clipboard on my desk.
“Here you go, Mr. S.”
“Thanks, Bobby.”
I glanced over the list and saw every eligible student had declared their interest just like the four classes before them had. I was deliriously happy to see so many kids sign up, but that meant I was going to face a hard task of eliminating some of them. I realized it was something I couldn’t do alone and decided to ask my fellow science teachers if they wanted to help choose and coach the team.
When the bell rang, the students were quick to their feet and shuffled out the door. My pulse leapt because I knew Rome would be waiting in the hallway to enter my room. He stepped inside as soon as the last kid walked through the door. I rose to my feet, unable to stay still. My hands were suddenly damp and nervous energy buzzed through my body until he smiled at me. Then all the noise and chaos went away until it was the two of us alone in my room.
“Hi,” I said lamely.
“Hello.”
“Um,” I said, looking around. “Do you want to eat at one of the tables or scoot a chair over and eat across the desk from me?”
“We should probably keep the desk between us, Jules.” The deep timbre of his voice made me shiver. I nodded because the things I wanted to do weren’t appropriate for my classroom. “I didn’t know what kind of beverage you wanted, so I bought white, chocolate, and strawberry milk and an apple juice.”