60 Newton’s Law
After class, Noah walked through the hallways to the canteen.
The rumours about him cheating were dead, killed off by both the principal’s stern warning and Mark’s very public humiliation. Word had spread fast—every last-year student knew the truth now. Noah wasn’t someone you could easily provoke or spread lies about without consequences.
And with final exams just days away, most students weren’t interested in stirring up trouble anymore.
Why risk anything now? They weren’t as dumb or reckless as Mark. They had futures to think about, university applications to submit, and no one wanted to burn bridges for no reason.
It felt good, Noah admitted to himself. Not the fear or respect necessarily, but the simple fact that he could now focus on what mattered—his plans and beyond without worrying about pointless high school drama.
Heading to the canteen with Aiden, his stomach rumbled, reminding him that despite all the drama, hunger was still a constant in life. He joined the line for food, chatting casually with Aiden.
When Noah reached the serving counter, today’s special was lasagna, and the smell was heavenly. The lady serving the food, an older woman everyone fondly called “Aunty,” smiled warmly at Noah. Without saying a word, she scooped an extra-large portion of lasagna onto his plate.
“Thank you, Aunty,” Noah said, his eyes widening in gratitude.
Aunty chuckled and gave him a playful wink. “Eat up, young man. You need to maintain those muscles, don’t you?”
She then struck a playful pose, flexing her arms like she was showing off her biceps, though they were more like soft pillows.
It was such an exaggerated gesture that Noah couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re right, Aunty. I’ll do my best!” He grinned, thanking her again before moving to find a seat.
Noah and Aiden found a spot in the far corner of the canteen, a quieter area where they could chat without interruptions. As soon as they sat down, Aiden wasted no time.
“You know, I still can’t believe that idiot Mark actually went through with it,” Aiden said, shaking his head with amusement. “Running around the hallway, calling you his dad. That’s… that’s just gold.”
Noah smirked, taking a bite of his lasagna. “Yeah, he finally learned something about humility.”
Aiden snorted, leaning back in his chair. “Humility? That guy? More like humiliation, my friend. He buried himself with his own hands! You didn’t even have to do much—just watched him dig his own grave. And now look at him! He should be honoured to call you dad, after all…” Aiden paused, his grin widening as he prepared for the punchline, “You are Noah Wayne! HAHAHA!”
Noah almost choked on his food.
“Cough! Cough!” Noah coughed as he hit his chest, to down the food.
Aiden leaned in, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously. “You really are Batman aren’t you, Mark must be the joker. He truly behaves like a clown,”
“I must be in a simulation, something is wrong with this school,” said Noah, as he squinted into the air as if he is trying to find a glitch in the simulation.
“Calm down man, you are exaggerating… Mark can’t even touch the Joker’s feet in terms of everything.”
“That’s true, Mark is too stupid to be the joker. He is at most a small villain that dies a few chapters after he is introduced.” 18:43
Just then, Claire, the girl with the ponytail who had stood up for Noah during Mark’s bullying, approached their table. She smiled shyly, her cheeks slightly pink. “Hey, Noah. I just wanted to say that I’m really happy you were proven innocent. Mark can be such a bully, and it was nice to see you humiliate him. Good luck on the final exams!” She gave him a small wave and quickly walked off.
Noah smiled after her, feeling a wave of appreciation. Claire was the only one who had stood up for him when Mark accused him of cheating. She hadn’t needed to, but she did, and Noah respected her for that. She was a good person. “Thank you,” he called after her. “And… I appreciate you standing up for me. It meant a lot.”
Claire’s blush deepened, and she quickly scurried away to join her friends, who were watching from afar. They huddled together, whispering excitedly amongst themselves, casting glances at Noah.
Aiden, meanwhile, leaned forward with a grin that could only be described as pure mischief. He rubbed his hands together like a scheming villain. “Well, well, well, look at you, Newton.”
Noah frowned, confused. “Newton? What does that have to do with anything?”
Aiden wiggled his eyebrows and smirked. “Oh, you know… Newton’s law. The greater the mass, the greater the attraction.”
Noah stared at him, still lost. “I don’t get it.”
Aiden sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “Come on, man. You’ve always understood Newton’s law, right? The greater the mass… the greater the attraction. And Claire…” He made a dramatic pause for effect.
Noah blinked, and then it hit him. His eyes widened in horror as the realization of Aiden’s joke sunk in. “Are you saying—” He groaned, dropping his fork. “Oh no, you didn’t just—”
Aiden burst out laughing, doubling over in his chair. “I did! I did! I went there! HAHAHA!
Noah rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but laugh along. “You’re terrible, you know that? She’s just a nice girl, Aiden. No need to turn everything into one of your crazy fantasies.”
Aiden wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. “I can’t help it, man! It’s what I do. But hey, on a serious note, Claire’s a good one. You’ve got her respect, and honestly, not many people would’ve stood up for you like that.”
Noah nodded, his expression turning more thoughtful. “Yeah, I know. I appreciated her doing that. People like her are rare.”
“Rare indeed,” Aiden said, his tone softening for a moment. “But, I mean, still—Newton’s law, dude.”
Noah shook his head, laughing again. “You really won’t let that go, huh?”
“Nope,” Aiden grinned. “Not until you admit it’s a solid joke.”
“Fine, fine,” Noah sighed, raising his hands in mock surrender. “It’s a good joke. But next time, you better watch out for Newton’s third law—’for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.’ ”
Aiden’s face twisted into an exaggerated expression of mock terror. He threw his hands up in surrender, dramatically pushing his chair back as if he were retreating from an impending doom.
“Whoa, whoa, okay! I surrender! No need to invoke Newton’s third law on me, my lord!” he exclaimed, leaning back with his arms still up, palms open, as though bracing for impact. “An ‘equal and opposite reaction’ from Noah Wayne? No thanks—I value my life! I’m too young to meet my maker!”
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!