After the math pop quiz ended, the class-change bell rang not long afterward. The last class before dismissal was Physics. Ms. Sri explained the lesson on vectors.
The sun was beginning to dip westward, while the sky outside looked overcast. The classroom grew quieter than usual. A few students yawned, some propped their chins up while staring at the whiteboard, and others occasionally glanced at the wall clock, hoping the dismissal bell would ring soon.
Ms. Sri drew several arrows on the whiteboard to explain the direction and magnitude of a vector. “Do you still remember the difference between a scalar quantity and a vector quantity?” Ms. Sri asked, pointing toward Vania.
Caught off guard when she was suddenly called on, Vania looked startled, then answered calmly. “A scalar only has magnitude, while a vector has both magnitude and direction.” Her answer was confident.
After hearing her answer, Ms. Sri nodded. “Exactly right. Now try solving the problem about the resultant of two vectors on page 73 of your textbook.” The whole class began working on the problem. Some were still quietly discussing it with their seatmates, while others were starting to lose focus because they were already tired.
“May, what did you get for number two?” Stella asked Mayra, confused. Mayra immediately answered, “The answer is fifteen newtons east. Try checking your calculation again.”
After hearing that, Stella immediately rechecked her answer. Oh, no wonder. I entered the numbers wrong, she thought.
Ms. Sri walked around checking the students’ work. Afterward, she said, “If you’re still confused, feel free to ask. The important thing is to understand how to determine the direction and magnitude of the resultant first.”
The classroom fell quiet again. The only sounds were pens scratching across paper and pages being turned.
Ding-ding...
When the dismissal bell rang, the students who had been ready to leave stopped again because Ms. Sri still had an announcement. She assigned homework from the textbook exercises on page 80, numbers 1–5, which would be discussed at next week’s meeting. After making sure everyone had written down the assignment, Ms. Sri ended the lesson and left the classroom. The students then put their books into their bags.
At the bus stop in front of the school, Stella stood with Mayra while they waited for their respective rides. Not long afterward, Mayra’s pickup car arrived. After a brief goodbye, Mayra went home first. Stella was now alone at the bus stop in front of the school, occasionally glancing at her phone.
A few minutes later, a motorcycle stopped right in front of her. “Ella!”
Hearing her name called, Stella turned around. It turned out to be Rayyan, a friend from another class and her neighbor. “Come on, let’s go home,” Rayyan said.
Stella was startled when she heard that. “Oh, Ray.”
Rayyan then explained that he had come because he’d received a call from Stella’s mom earlier. During the call, Stella’s mom had said she couldn’t pick Stella up yet, so she’d asked him to take Stella home while he was at it.
Stella immediately shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just order an online motorcycle taxi,” she refused.
Rayyan frowned when he heard that. “Why take a motorcycle taxi? Our houses are in the same direction.”
“It’s okay. I can go home by myself,” Stella said reassuringly.
Rayyan looked up at the increasingly dark sky. Overcast clouds were beginning to cover it, while the wind blew fairly hard. Not long afterward, thunder boomed in the distance.
“See? It’s definitely going to rain soon,” Rayyan remarked, raising one eyebrow slightly.
“It’s fine. It’s easy—I’ll just order a motorcycle taxi,” Stella argued, trying to reassure Rayyan.
“But what if it takes too long to arrive and then it rains? You’ll get soaked,” Rayyan cut in.
“But I don’t want to bother you,” Stella interjected. Rayyan heard her and continued, “This isn’t about bothering me. If your mom finds out you kept waiting for a motorcycle taxi in weather like this, she’ll definitely worry. So come with me.”
Stella fell silent. She realized Rayyan was right.
The sky grew darker, and another rumble of thunder made Stella even more hesitant to keep waiting for a motorcycle taxi.
“Enough. Don’t be stubborn. Hurry up and get on before the rain really starts pouring.”
Stella let out a soft breath and nodded, then said, “Sure, okay, if you insist.” She finally gave in.
Rayyan took a spare helmet from the seat of his motorcycle and handed it to Stella. Stella put it on, then climbed onto the motorcycle. Not long afterward, they left the bus stop in front of the school. Only a few minutes into the ride, raindrops began to fall.
A few minutes later, they finally arrived in front of Stella’s house. Rayyan quickly stopped his motorcycle on the porch so Stella could get off without getting too wet.
Not long afterward, Stella’s mom came out of the house. Apparently, she had arrived just a short while earlier. Seeing Rayyan bring her daughter home, she immediately thanked him.
“Thank you, Yan. Thanks for taking Stella home. Come in for a bit—the rain’s getting heavier,” Ms. Sarah greeted him.
Rayyan smiled politely and shook his head. “Thank you, Auntie. Maybe next time. I need to get home before the rain gets even heavier.”
Ms. Sarah understood Rayyan’s decision and didn’t pressure him. After saying goodbye, Rayyan put his helmet back on, started his motorcycle, and continued his journey home through the rain.