Bae stepped out of classroom to find Epson Moore waiting for her. “Has here been a change of plan?” she said.
“I wasn’t sure when lunchtime is, and for that matter when after lunchtime is, and so…”
“You’ve been here this whole time?”
“No no,” said Moore, “I spent one period in English. I hadn’t read the Kafka they were talking about, but I got an attendance mark.”
“You were in the right place by chance?” Bae acknowledged Moore’s shrug. “Nevermind. I’ve got to have lunch first, before we go to Smiths.”
“I’ll buy you lunch,” Moore blurted, surprised at the outburst of generosity. “It’s the least I can do. I’ll get us lunch at the refectory.”
The blackboard at the refectory was customarily unreadable. They surveyed the serving trays in the counter. Chips were depleted, and probably cold. The breaded forms could contain anything from white fish to Spam. Finally they reached something that resembled cottage pie.
“Two pound eight-five!” Pam announced from behind the till.
“For two?” said Moore.
“That’s right, love!”
They cleared trays, cups and other litter from an unused table and occupied the space. Within seconds, and without asking, Frazzle joined them, nursing a plastic cup of black tea. Noticing Bae’s glance, he nodded. “This isn’t for drinking. This is for physics. Here’s something you girls have never seen before. Pass me the sugar.”
Moore pushed the sugar cube dish to him. Frazzle sneered his thanks, and began to construct a structure from the cubes. “This is what we call The Fortress. It’s the strongest structure known to man.”
“Who are “we” who call this The Fortress?” said Moore.
“Never you mind, girlie! Now press down onto its roof as hard as you like. See? You can’t break it. A man could put a mammoth on that, a gold bar, and the result would be the same.”
Moore began to swipe at The Fortress with her hand. Frazzle stopped her. “No no no no, that’s not how this works. Longitudinal force is a whole other hill of beans.”
“These are sugar cubes,” Bae reminded him.
“So they are, mate,” said Frazzle,”you have what I describe as a scientific mind. Not so common in the female of the species. Now the question we need to be asking ourselves is how we can defeat The Fortress,” he flashed a warning look at Moore, “under the legitimate rules of the game.” He checked their reactions for a rhetorical moment. “That’s right! Hot tea!” He poured half of the cup to the base of The Fortress and marvelled at the immediate structural shift.
“Are you gonna clean that up?” bellowed Pam.
“It was these girls what put me up to it!” Frazzle adopted a persecuted tone of voice.
“Can you please just let us eat?” said Bae.
Frazzle looked back and forth between them. “Sorry girls! I didn’t know this was a date. And just look at me blundering in here without so much as a how’s your father. I’ll take my leave and wish you a pleasant afternoon.”