Tale of the Math Class Hero

I’m Cassi, and I’m in Mr. Paulerson’s 5th period math class. I am here to tell you one of the best days in that class since Mr. Beaker retired. It was three weeks or so before the last day of school. This guy who sits next to me, Sean, changed the atmosphere in the class from that day on. I mean, he has changed the atmosphere for Chris and me many times because he is so funny. Jokes and insults or just plain nonsense.

Ever since Mr. Beaker left, all Sean complains about is how he hates math. Well, Sean is no normal guy. He can change his fingers into paperclips. He attacks Chris on a regular basis. Like the other day, Sean attacked Chris when Chris was sitting down and Chris got mad…and…that’s another story so I’ll tell you that one another time. Anyway, Sean has another power that no one but Chris and I knew about until that day.

Mr. Paulerson was up in the front of the class, like usual. He talks and talks and talks. It was too boring to remember what he was lecturing about, but Sean was about his normal comments about how he hates math and how he hates Mr. Paulerson. Chris and I were laughing at his side comments, as always. Mr. Paulerson was assigning us more homework and writing on the board when I hear Sean stand up. I figured he was going to throw away trash or something, so I looked back to the board and tried to pay attention, not that I was going to give him my undivided attention like some students.

Apparently Chris saw otherwise. I felt him tapping me. I looked back and he smiled, so I smiled back and turned back around. I wanted to concentrate because according to Mr. Paulerson this was the hardest chapter. Chris tapped me again. I turned around and he was still smiling. “What?!” I asked angrily.

He pointed to where Sean was sitting, or should I say still standing. “What are you smiling at?” I whispered to Chris again.

“Look at Sean.” He said in a whisper back.

I looked at his facial expressions. His face was clenched and he gritted his face. His fists were balled into tight fists. I knew what he was going to do. I looked back at Chris.

At the same time, we both whispered, “Fire!” Then a wide grin came over my face. I wanted to burst out laughing, but I knew it would blow Sean’s cover and concentration because Mr. Paulerson was ignorant and had no idea that a student in the front row was standing up, looking very mad. Mr. Paulerson went on talking and writing on the board. I can’t remember what he was writing but I know he wrote a problem. He then went on to solve it, and explain it, and what to do on our homework. BORING!! Could that man be any more ignorant?

I felt the room heating up slowly, probably because I was sitting next to Sean. My smile grew wider and I risked a glance around the room. Most of the better students had their eyes on the board and Mr. Paulerson. The other students who can’t pay attention were staring at Sean because he was still standing. I smiled at Chris again before turning back around and he had the biggest grin on his face that I have ever seen.

I started to hear paper rustling. Then a small wave of heat reached my side. I knew that his power was strong enough. I looked at him and smiled slightly. He raised his eye brows and gave me a knowing smile. I wanted to burst out laughing. He held his hand out and something orange, yellow, and red was forming. I gave a small suppressed giggle. Chris tried not to laugh.

Mr. Paulerson, being as ignorant as he is, was still teaching, not that he had any of his students’ attention. Sean’s smile widened. He had a look of longing and anger on his face. I knew that he had wanted to do this for so long now. He was also angry at Mr. Paulerson for all the times he gave us so much homework and everything else. He liked to pick on people who just learned what they needed and just shrank into the walls. In other words, he liked picking on me, Sean, and Chris.

Sean pulled the fire ball back into throwing position and gave one last smile to me and Chris. He then chucked the fire ball at Mr. Paulerson as hard as he could. It was as if the ball was flying in slow motion. Mr. Paulerson was still talking, but then it hit him, right in the back of his head. He fell over and was out cold.

Sean sat down quickly, not to attract too much attention. (He didn’t like many people to know about his talent.) Chris and I smiled. Sean smiled back, he looked very happy and pleased with himself.  “He won’t be teaching for the rest of the class.” Sean said to Chris and me an undertone.

“Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean!” Chris began to chant. I joined in, and soon we had the whole class chanting.

“Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean!!!” We all chanted.

“Hey!” Chris shouted. I stopped but the class didn’t. “HEY!” They all stopped chanting. “Let’s give it up for Sean! The Math- Class Hero!”  The class cheered.

Later, we found out, that Mr. Paulerson woke up during lunch. He thought that he had fallen asleep. He couldn’t remember what happened. None of us cared about that part, but we thought it was a shame that he still was going to collect our homework. (Not that any of us had it done.)

Chris and I still joke around with Sean about the whole ‘math-class hero’ thing. It’s his new name. We always have a good laugh about it. Sean still hates Mr. Paulerson, so do Chris and I and just about everyone else in the class. Sean still hates math, of course, who does like it? Sean still attacks Chris with his paper-clip fingers whenever they get into an argument. Chris still taps me when he wants me to help him with his work. And I just get to be the narrator. But no one knows that I can fly. Just kidding.