Walking down the third-floor corridor of the school, Anurag Sir carried a bundle of notebooks and files. His face bore a calm expression, though a trace of concern seemed to linger.
As he passed through the corridor, students looked up one by one. Anurag Sir's composed demeanor, his poised steps, and his classic good looks always seemed to carry an aura of gentle seriousness. Some students suppressed giggles, while others looked him straight in the eyes before quickly lowering their gaze.
But Anurag Sir had no curiosity about any student.
In fact, Anurag Sir deliberately avoided developing any interest in his students beyond teaching them.
And yet, just before heading to teach the eleventh-grade Section A girls, a thought of Sneha suddenly crossed his mind.
But why?
The next moment, Anurag Sir reminded himself,
"I must control myself. She's just a student, nothing more. I have no right to think anything inappropriate."
As usual, Anurag Sir entered the eleventh-grade Section A classroom during the second period.
The moment he stepped in, the girls' eyes were drawn to his face. The students were already quite curious about him. Just one class the previous day had made him the center of attention.
But today, he seemed different.
There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept all night.
The whites of his eyes were red, his gaze drowsy.
He gently massaged his head, as though trying to suppress a headache.
There were creases on his forehead. The sunlight streaming through the window seemed more irritating than usual—he squinted against the glare and walked toward the board.
A soft murmur rose across the class.
Megha, sitting on the third bench, whispered to Baishali beside her,
— "Did you see? Sir's eyes look red! Maybe he didn't sleep?"
Baishali replied with a concerned expression,
— "Yes… there are dark circles too… I'm really feeling bad. He seems so quiet today."
From the back row, Diya joked,
— "Maybe he was up all night watching vampire movies!"
Immediately, Tanvi burst into laughter,
— "Aww! If my beloved Sir can't sleep, it makes me so sad!"
Some others chuckled softly at that.
Anwesha scrunched her nose and said,
— "You really go overboard with your affection!"
Then Riya, the self-declared leader of the group, scolded them,
— "Oh, shut up! Maybe he's not feeling well! Can't you see how tired he looks?"
Megha, Riya's closest follower, added,
— "Maybe Sir is someone who thinks a lot… perhaps he just can't sleep at night."
Megha and Baishali were practically Riya's personal assistants.
More accurately, they were like her minions—always circling around her, echoing her every yes and no.
Meanwhile, Sneha was sitting at the very back bench today.
She had come in wearing a loose, ill-fitting school uniform. Her expression carried a unique seriousness. Yesterday's experience still seemed to weigh heavily on her heart. She looked like someone who wanted to withdraw into herself.
Anurag Sir noticed her.
His eyes lingered on her for a moment before turning away.
Then he looked at the board and began writing the day's date and the topic of the class.
He thought to himself,
"Is it because of me that she's like this? Am I the reason for her discomfort?"
But within moments, Sir regained his composure.
First, he called roll like a machine. Then, in a firm voice, he asked:
Anurag Sir (in a serious tone):
"Who remembers yesterday's lesson? Let's begin today by recalling that first."
The class fell silent. Some students began flipping through their notebooks.
The class topper, Aishika Dutta, ever eager to showcase her brilliance, raised her hand eagerly and said,
"Sir, may I answer?"
She was unattractive—short, overweight, with a dusky complexion.
Her face was marked with pimples and scars, her nose was broad, her lips thick.
Her eyes were small, hair unkempt, and her teeth uneven. Her facial features were unbalanced, and fat had gathered under her chin. She walked with a stoop.
Though she was 17, she looked 25.
Because of this, her classmates often teased her harshly.
Yet, she was extremely intelligent and spent her days buried in books.
Sir responded calmly,
— "Yes, go ahead."
Some students groaned,
— "Here we go again! Miss Know-it-all is about to deliver another speech! Sir barely asked the question, and she'll go on for half an hour!"
Aishika (with a slight smile and eager eyes):
"Sir, you had started explaining the structure of the atom.
First, you said that the word 'atom' comes from 'atomos,' which means indivisible.
Then you talked about Dalton's atomic theory—how every substance is made of tiny atoms, and how atoms of the same element are identical.
After that, you said Dalton's theory couldn't explain everything, because later it was discovered that atoms are not indivisible—they contain electrons, protons, etc.
Then you spoke about Thomson—how he discovered electrons through the cathode ray tube experiment, and that electrons have a negative charge.
Finally, you mentioned Canal Rays—how Goldstein discovered positively charged particles, which were later identified as protons.
That's what you taught yesterday, right Sir?"
The entire class was stunned.
"Now that's a topper!"
The classroom buzzed with admiration.
There was no doubt the eleventh-grade topper had brightened the room with her answer.
Sir, with a calm tone but encouraging smile, said,
— "Very well said. Keep paying attention in class like this.
Alright, now sit down."
Aishika was overjoyed.
Meanwhile, the envious girls in class had already started gossiping—
"What kind of answer was that! As if no one else understands anything! She just started putting on a whole act in front of Sir!"
"I'm telling you, she looks like some kind of monster! That's why she tries to impress with words."
"Can someone so ugly even try to act smart? I don't know what she thinks of herself!"
Riya, in a venomous tone, added,
"Such pretentious behavior! Always trying to act so good! Has she ever looked at herself in the mirror? Such a fat little thing!"
Riya considers herself the most beautiful girl in class.
She judges all girls by their looks.
She insults those who are less attractive than her, and she envies those who are more attractive.
Even the other top-ranking girls in the class were jealous of Aishika.
Madhurima, the second topper in class, burning with envy, said to her friend Parinita—
"Did you notice? The way she talks—like she thinks she's something special… that attitude… as if the entire class is here to learn from her!"
Parinita, trying to calm Madhurima's usual jealousy, replied,
"I actually thought for a second—can she even see anything without her glasses? She never smiles, and with that grumpy face when she talks—I feel like laughing out loud!"
Madhurima got even more irritated and snapped,
"What do you mean? Are you saying I'm blind too? I wear glasses too, you know."
Parinita bit her tongue.
She realized she'd made a mistake.
Instead of calming Madhurima, she had accidentally provoked her further.
Tanisha, the third topper in class, whispered to her friend Debasmita out of jealousy—
"Tell me something, where does she even get that confidence from? Has she ever looked at her own face? She looks like one of those owls from old stories!"
Debasmita joined in and said,
"I sat next to her yesterday, and honestly, I felt like someone had drawn an angry cartoon—puffed-up nose and all—just sitting there!"
Even though Aishika gave the correct answer to Sir's question, she had to face waves of jealousy and hostility from her classmates.
Now, Anurag Sir turned to Baishali, because she had been repeatedly looking back and whispering during class.
Sir suddenly said,
"Baishali, stand up."
Baishali was startled.
Then, in a slightly stern voice, he asked,
"So, tell me—how did Thomson prove the existence of the electron?"
Baishali was taken aback.
After scratching her head for a few seconds, she said,
"Sir… I mean… he used some kind of tube, but I can't really remember..."
The whole class giggled quietly.
Anurag Sir gently replied,
"It's okay that you tried. That's what matters. Review it again tomorrow—it'll stick."
The girls in class started whispering among themselves again, reacting to Sir's kind response.
Sir stepped forward and patiently explained:
"See, Thomson used a cathode ray tube, which contained a high vacuum. He observed that certain particles emerged from the cathode and traveled in a straight line. When he applied electric and magnetic fields, the path of these particles deflected. From that deflection, it was clear that the particles carried a negative charge. Those particles were electrons."
"This is how he first proved the existence of the electron."
Baishali nodded and said,
"Sir, now I'll remember it for sure. I'll go home and revise it again."
Sir smiled and said,
"Forgetting isn't a crime, but not trying is. I'll ask you again tomorrow, okay?"
All the girls excitedly shouted,
"Yes, Sir!"
Sir asked Baishali to sit down, and she did.
Megha (whispering to Baishali):
"That sweet behavior from our handsome Sir… ah, your day just got made!"
Baishali beamed with joy.
After a few more questions, Anurag Sir walked toward the board.
He wrote in big letters:
"Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment"
Sir said:
> "Today, we're going to learn the foundation of the modern atomic model. For that, we must understand how Rutherford introduced a new concept of atomic structure. He conducted a very important experiment—the gold foil experiment."
Sir drew a circle on the board, along with a small lead block with a tiny hole in front of it and a fluorescent screen behind it.
The class was paying close attention.
But suddenly, in a quiet moment, Sir's eyes met Sneha's.
A long, silent pause.
No one said anything, but it was clear—something stirred inside both of them.
Sneha lowered her gaze.
There was a hint of discomfort in Sir's eyes too.
Sneha (in her thoughts):
"Why does this happen? I didn't do anything.
Yet it feels like… I'm guilty of something.
Everyone's looking… as if I've done something wrong."
Sir picked up the chalk again and resumed writing on the board.
His hand trembled slightly.
Riya's eyes, meanwhile, kept drifting back toward Sneha.
There was a clear bitterness on her face.
The jealousy from the day before was even more apparent today.
Riya (thinking):
"Why does Sir keep looking at her?
And what about me? Am I invisible? Why?"
Some girls were observing everything very keenly.
> "Sir and Sneha… something is definitely going on.
Or maybe, something is about to begin.
But I can't quite figure out what…"
To be continued…