Raye was still frozen on her seat still processing how and why life was so hard .
And maybe if she offended someone in her last life to warrant such problem.
Mr Ellington raised his eyes to look at Raye a very dark scowl on his face and maybe a dark cloud above the sun .
Jane scrunched her face ...wondering whether it hurt when he barbed the hair .
Not like she felt pity _ ok a little she wasn't heartless .
But the light it was blinding !!! .
Literally !
He looked like he was going to click fail now if she didn't stand up .
Jane who was smiling quicky shoved Raye by the shoulder who finally moved for once .
"Go on Mr Ellington don't like to repeat himself , he would just fail you ".
Raye lips trembled like she was about to cry as she stood up very slowly muttering to herself like it was an incarnation .
"Okay, this is fine. I read one paragraph. Maybe two. Let's freestyle this science smoothie."
She walks to the front with the confidence of someone who absolutely should not have confidence.
But inside ,her mind was in turmoil , her heart was beating way more faster than a normal human being heart should .
But she still managed to speak loud _ a little too loud .
Partly trying to sound smart and also fear too _ mostly fear . She cleared her throat as she began
"Um, so. Cellular adaptation in, like, uh… extreme zones… is actually… really cool. For example, we have organisms that live in, uh… boiling places. Hot. Like volcanoes, not like hot boys. They're called… thermo… thermoflex…?"
Professor Ellington raised a brow clearly not amused _ he was never anyway .
"Do you mean thermophiles?"
Raye bit her tongue nodding her head to quickly .
"Yes! Those. Thermophiles. Love them. They adapt by, you know… not dying."
Jane bit her lips , that was one grammar error she looked at Mr Ellington who typed something in his ipad as she smacked her head .
She just said hot boys too Jane thought hiding a grin _ this wasn't even good .
How could a person be feeling happy and anxious at the same time .
She wanted to laugh at her best friend presentation at the same time she was anxious about the both of them ...life was really cruel .
That was a mark , oh heavens help us both Jane prayed silently eyes closed as she slowly opened them watching Raye spiral while biting her nails anxiously.
Awkward silence.
A cough in the back.
Raye leans dramatically against the podium.
She received a nod from Mr Ellington to continue as she quickly tried to remember where she stopped at before she continued .
"Like, they have this wild ability to keep their enzymes stable, so their proteins don't get fried like eggs. It's like, survival of the unfazed."
This was real survival of the unfazed indeed Jane thought still smiling as she looked at her nails where she has scraped some of the nail polish off .
" Ugh " she groaned silently as she tried to keep her hand on her thigh to stop herself from assaulting her nails .
Professor Ellington rolled his eyes before checking his time .
" that it, times up , sit down before you give Darwin a heart attack."
He said something funny but there was no traces of smile _ and OH _ no one even laughed out .
If anyone did laugh at the joke , just prepare to fail the test ..like test was literally over .
Raye sighed tiredly scrambling from the podium with lightning speed as she sat back down on the chair .
"Fair."
She looked at Jane who offered her a small smile as she rolled her eyes .
"By the way girl , did you know , you said hot boys "Jane asked covering her lip with her palm to hide the grin spreading slowly on her face .
Raye sighed tiredly shaking her head slowly , eyes closed .
"Yeah sure girl , it slipped out ,I did it ...do I regret it ? ... sure ..."
"And you wish to disappear , that was epic ".
Raye stared at Jane who was trying hard not laugh before rolling her eyes tiredly .
Her mouth just slipped at that point - partly because she couldn't remember what was suppose to be there , so she said anything that came in to her mind .
Raye slapped her forehead lightly rubbing it slowly and tiredly .
Professor Ellington called
"Evan Griggs ."
The room was utterly quiet , Raye eyes moved to look at Evan who as always _ held his head up high .
T-shirt tucked smartly in his jean pant _ like he was summoned from the 90s.
She rolled her eyes turning to Jane who also rolled her eyes too .
Evan walked proudly meeting Mr Ellington he gave a curt bow .
"Thank you, sir."
"Show off " Jane muttered scoffing loudly.
He steps to the front with calm, calculated footsteps like he was walking into court to win a case.
Evan flawlessly cleared his throat before he started talking .
"Cellular adaptation in extreme environments showcases the remarkable versatility of biological systems. Let's begin with halophiles—organisms that thrive in high-salt conditions like the Dead Sea. Their cells produce compatible solutes such as potassium ions to prevent osmotic imbalance. Meanwhile, acidophiles, often found in acidic mine drainage, maintain internal pH homeostasis through active proton pumps—preventing cytoplasmic acidification..."
Raye to Jane, whispering while watching Evan .
"Why does he sound like a science audiobook I can't afford?"
Jane gritting teeth glancing at Raye she said .
"I feel like I'm being insulted in HD."
Evan smiled stopping in his track he walked back to the center before ending .
"In conclusion, cellular resilience is not accidental—it is the result of evolution sculpting survival through molecular ingenuity. Thank you."
Silence. Then, a slow clap from Professor Ellington.
The reluctance was there , but student still ended up clapping _ begrudgingly.
Raye clapped twice or so before dropping her hands .
"He actually is very confident ,he moved around ".
"Yeah you were like a lady auditing for best statue of the year award ".
" But I did move a little remember, I leaned on the podium like some classy queen " Raye said with a small smirk .
Jane slowly dragged her eyes from Evan to Raye , a brow raised high she said .
"You leaned on the podium like biology now affected your waist ...granny ".
Raye stared at Jane for a few minutes huffing loudly she muttered .
"We will see how yours goes ".
"Well. That was… correct. Sit down before you make the others cry." said Mr Ellington still no smile _ the clap was enough for you to know you did well .
Don't push it !!.
Evan casting a glance at Raye, smirking he walked down the podium slowly , steps graceful as ever .
"Already done."
"Jane Lennox . Let's go."
Jane standing stiffly legs wobbly as ever , she walked slowly to the podium having a stupid grin .
She tried to put it down but her face was just too stiff to even move .
Raye chuckled silently watching Jane ridiculous face .
She looked like someone auditing for a clown job she thought rolling her eyes before setting it on her bestfriend.
"I—I would like to talk about organisms that adapt to the cold. Like the ones in, um, Antarctica."
Professor Ellington didn't allow Jane to even breath before he threw a question .
"Name one."
Jane brain was half blank for a few minutes before she said . "The .... penguin ."
"Save yourself, baby." Raye muttered softly to herself smiling brightly .
Jane cleared her throat watching Mr Ellington give a subtle nod, taking it as a cue to begin she said .
"Some cells produce something called, uh, anti-freeze proteins that keep their insides from turning to ice cubes. Which is… honestly relatable."
"Next time, prepare. Half credit for not dying of stage fright." professor Ellington said sighing tiredly before calling out the next person . "Simi Valley you are up next ".
Raye gave Jane a thumbs up as she walked to her chair slowly , she turned to stare at the brown skin girl who walked to the center of the podium.
She hadn't gotten a chance to talk to the girl _ but most of the times they spoke the girl seemed nice and too quiet also .
She hardly spoke to people, not like she didn't have friends but a few of them .
Though she had good sense of fashion Raye thought staring at the girl outfit .
She was wearing a black wrap crop top and a tight white high waisted pants .
Classic .
Simi, the always-perfect one, walks up like she's giving a TED Talk and proceeds to drop terms like "extremozymes," "crenarchaeota," and "desiccation-resistant spores."
Evan looks mildly impressed but still keeps his cool as always .
Raye rolls her eyes so hard it's audible.
She didn't understand the heck what those words mean _ maybe a few but the crenarchaeota was something foreign.
"Jane do you know what Simi meant by that ?".
Jane yawned partly dramatic _ the other from stress as she rubbed her stomach softly ,she said " she lost me at the introduction of her name seriously Raye".
"Trevor Owens."
Trevor strolls up like he just woke up from a nap.
"I'm gonna talk about those things that live in hydrothermal vents. Y'know, the ones that look like smoke stacks underwater. Super hot, super pressure-y. The bacteria down there? They eat chemicals instead of sunlight. Which, I guess, makes them kind of metal."
"Chemoautotrophs. But yes… metal." Mr Ellington said clearly not finding it amusing _ he never did anyways .
But in way Trevor was kinda of boring _ he was sort of the student that sort for attention and we'll you know where that ends ....
When you yawn for a certain thing it becomes so hard to get them _ then you look like a weird creep eventually .
After all the student did their presentation Professor Ellington walked to the front of the class closing his tablet.
"Well. That was a mix of brilliance and barely-contained confusion . Jane,Lisa , john — I expect improvement. Evan… You can stop showing off anytime."
Evan smiled not even the least offended by the man words .
Raye looked at him turning to Jane she said .
"I wonder what would ever rile this guy up ".
"Even I don't know " Jane muttered glancing at Evan who had a cool , casual smile on his face like he owned the world .
Then Mr Ellington walked out of the class ,the student finally heaved a sigh as the chattering began .
Jane and Raye stood up packing their books as they walked passed Evan who still had a smirk on his face _
Raye tried to ignore him as she turned to Jane saying ."Yeah, well… next time I'm presenting on how to survive the trauma of university."
Jane laughed out about to say something but Evan beat her to it .
"Just say you weren't ready and go."
Jane did a twirl _ more like a spin as she turned to face Evan with a very hard glare .
"She wasn't talking to you Evan , stop being so nosy "
"let it be Jane , some people just don't know how to mind their business ." Raye said scoffing loudly while Evan just walked passed them making sure to give his final smirk .
Weirdo.....