Silence reigned in the classroom, tense, even thicker than the morning mist in the mountains. All the students were silent, frozen in their seats. Their gazes were locked together, as if a silent conversation was being held only through their eyes. The sight, to the five girls watching, was strange, almost surreal.
"Teacher... fainted..." said a voice, thin and almost inaudible.
However, the lyrics were like a mantra.
"HOORAYY!" One cheer erupted, triggering another low rumble. The class, which had been frozen in silence, now broke out in a wave of excitement. Students jumped, cheered, and some hugged each other tightly, as if they had just been released from the clutches of a terrifying beast. Their "killer teacher", Mr. Arnold, lay helpless.
"Come quickly... Hurry up...!"The cry broke the momentary excitement. Instantly, all the children surrounded Mr. Arnold who was lying unconscious on the floor. Quickly, a child rushed over with a gurney. This was a golden opportunity, a rare chance to be free from this killer teacher's "hell class", and they didn't want to waste it.
"Uh...It's heavy!"Six burly boys exerted strength to lift the stocky Mr. Arnold onto the gurney.
"One... two... three... Lift...!" they shouted in unison, lifting the huge body with all their might.
"Uhkk!"
"Brukk...!"
"Pyuh...!" The six boys gasped for breath, fanning themselves, trying to inhale as much as possible. Sweat poured down their foreheads.
"Come on, it's time..." one of them nodded, signaling to switch tasks. By now, everyone's eyes were round with impatient enthusiasm.
"Let's push!"
"Push!"
"One... two... three...!" shouted the entire class simultaneously. Little and big hands now grasped the iron gurney tightly, preparing to push it with full force. Indeed, it took six boys to lift Mr. Arnold onto the gurney due to his stocky build. Now, they were all preparing to exert their full strength to push the gurney all the way to the end of the hallway, where the UKS was located, right at the end of their class hallway.
Drakk... drakk... drakk... the sound of the gurney wheels began to creak, breaking the silence of the corridor.
The uncontrollable pace of the gurney
The gurney accelerated, almost uncontrollably, zipping smoothly down the long hallway between rows of sealed classrooms.
"Yeah... we're finally free!" they shouted in unison, cheering.
"Wuah..."
Clap... clap... clap....
In other classes where lessons were taking place, the students were oblivious to the chaos outside. The history teacher, who was teaching, turned her head when she caught a glimpse of a shadow passing quickly from behind the glass window of her classroom. He frowned, puzzled, then went back to his explanation of the past.
Meanwhile, the five girls who witnessed it all were still transfixed, amazed by the actions of their classmates. The five of them looked at each other, trying to digest what had just happened. After a while, they simultaneously shrugged their shoulders, signaling not to care, and returned to their respective activities. They didn't want to interfere with the affairs of children who they thought didn't know the rules. Let the mess be their own business.
Mrs. Rebecca, the UKS officer, was busy tidying up the medical equipment when her ears caught a loud thud coming from outside. The sound of a heavy object falling was enough to startle her, making her hurriedly run to the door to check what was happening.
"Oh my, Mr. Arnold!" exclaimed Ms. Rebecca, startled. In front of her, Mr. Arnold was lying helplessly. Somehow, he had fallen off the gurney and was now plunged into the large trash can that stood right in front of the UKS door. The empty gurney lay on its side a few meters away from him, as if it had been abandoned.
Meanwhile, in the classroom that now felt like heaven, the students were engrossed in their own activities. Since Mr. Arnold failed to enter the classroom to teach, they could relax.
Some were busy with portable game consoles, while others were watching movies on the classroom projector that they had somehow managed to turn into an impromptu movie theater. Some groups were seen devouring snacks while gossiping about Mr. Arnold in hushed voices, occasionally punctuated by giggles.
The five girls could now breathe a sigh of relief. Quietly, they had quietly hypnotized the entire class, making them busy with their own world and not paying much attention to the five girls' existence.
"Wow, it turns out that this school is more surprising than expected," said Bella, propping up her chin while observing the hustle and bustle in the classroom. She smiled. It's true what they say, high school is indeed the most exciting time, full of unexpected things.
"Well, I didn't even expect it to be this shocking!" added Suzy, shaking her head in disbelief. Imagine, students could sabotage a classroom projector and turn it into an impromptu movie theater. Even more astonishing, every classroom in this school is soundproofed. So, no teacher would come to reprimand them, no matter how much noise they all made. They truly have almost unlimited freedom.
"Hey guys, let's join in and have a snack!" Someone came towards them. Without the "charm" that usually made them invisible, curiosity had drawn the student closer. He wanted to know if the five girls really sincerely wanted to be friends.
"Ah, no. We just want to sit here. You guys just relax, continue your activities," Suzy refused gently. However, when she turned her head, Suzy found sparkling eyes in her four friends. It was clear that the four of them were eager to join the impromptu snack party.
"That... looks like gathering and eating snacks is good too," said one of them, as if he couldn't stand it anymore.
Knock... Knock...
The sudden knock on the door made the four girls flinch and return to their seats. The brown-haired man who had invited them just now also suddenly froze, his face as pale as paper. The whole class tensed up, swallowing hard. The previous low boisterous atmosphere was now replaced by a tense silence.
"Uh... isn't it...." Everyone now looked at each other, panicking. The items in their hands fell, causing quite a loud thumping sound. They were immediately taken aback, forgetting that their classroom was supposed to be soundproof.
"We're finished," someone whispered, desperately.