The school bell rang sharply through the hallway, loud and clear. To most students, it was just the usual signal to get back to class. But for Stephen, Albert, and Vinci, it meant pressing pause on one of their usual mind-blowing conversations.
They had been talking about time travel again—dreams, theories, and things their classmates wouldn't understand.
But class was class.
Without a word, the three boys walked into their classroom together. They didn't say anything, but there was a silent understanding between them. They always entered the room first, always early, always focused.
But then—just like always—they split.
Not because they wanted to.
Because Madam Bella made them.
She had grown tired of their endless debates and whispered challenges during lessons. She couldn't teach with the three of them sitting together. So now, Vinci sat by the window with his sketchpad, drawing crazy inventions. Einstein stayed near the front, writing down physics equations on scrap paper. Stephen Hawking settled quietly in the back, his eyes always lost in space… or maybe in time.
One by one, the rest of the class started filling the seats.
The energy changed.
And then came Maria.
She walked in like she owned the room. Well, to be fair—she kind of did. Her father was the principal. She walked with two of her best friends, always dressed sharp, always loud. She went straight to her seat at the back-right corner and dropped her bag with a thud.
Then she looked toward Einstein and sneered.
"Him again?" she said loudly enough for half the class to hear. "Still wearing those ugly glasses? I swear, they look like something from a trash can."
Her friends giggled behind her, covering their mouths.
Einstein didn't react.
He just kept writing.
He heard her—everyone did—but he stayed calm.
Maria leaned back in her chair, speaking even louder now. "He thinks he's smart. I bet he doesn't even know how to talk to a girl. He's so quiet—like a scared little cockroach!"
That did it.
Stephen Hawking, who had been silent at the back, slowly lifted his head. His eyes narrowed, not in anger, but with a kind of warning calm.
He stood up.
"Maria," he said, loud and clear, "if Einstein is a cockroach, then you must be a lepton."
Maria blinked. "A what now?"
Hawkings didn't smile. He looked straight at her.
"It's a particle so small, it can barely be seen. Just like your humility."
The class murmured in amusement, but Hawkings wasn't done.
"In fact," he added, "your waist is so tiny, it looks like it was measured with a micrometer screw gauge."
That was the final blow.
From the middle row, one guy shouted, "Daaaaaamn!" like it was a live diss battle.
The whole class erupted in laughter.
Even Vinci chuckled from across the room.
Maria's mouth dropped. "Excuse me?"
Stephen just raised his eyebrows.
"You said he's small," he said calmly. "But your sense of logic is even smaller."
"Ooooh!" someone gasped.
Maria stood up, fuming. "Are you seriously defending him? He couldn't even say anything. He just let me talk!"
Einstein finally looked up.
He stared at her calmly, eyes behind his glasses, and said, "Because people who talk too much don't always deserve answers. Sometimes silence is smarter."
More laughter. More stares.
Maria looked like she was about to explode. "You three always think you're better than everyone!"
"No," Vinci added from his seat, "we just don't think you're better than everyone. Big difference."
Before she could respond, the classroom door opened.
Madam Bella walked in holding a thick stack of books. She looked around and noticed the chaos—but said nothing for a moment.
"Take your seats," she said plainly, with her usual no-nonsense voice. "Or I'll separate you all into atoms."
The room fell silent in a second.
Maria sat down hard, still fuming.
But her eyes stayed locked on the trio—especially on Stephen.
It wasn't over. Not in her mind.
She had been embarrassed.
And she wasn't going to forget it.
But for now, the boys went back to their books. Calm. Unshaken.
Three friends. Three minds. Three legends… quietly preparing for a future even they couldn't fully predict.