It was the collective thought of Mr. Boer's third period science class.
Mr Boer, a thin, bushy-haired man with huge horn-rimmed glasses was a very stereotypical science teacher. He had a droning monotone voice; it was impossible to listen to him for more than a few minutes straight, otherwise a person's brain would shut down in self-defense. Not that it mattered anyway, since Mr. Boer had a tendency to ramble off the subject. It was very unusual for him to talk for more than five minutes on any one subject, and no matter what subject he started with, he ended up with a lecture on lima beans (the beans being an unusual passion of his).
He was avoided by most of the student body, not to mention the teachers. In fact, it was Mr Reynold, the Phys Ed teacher who came up with Mr. Boer's nickname, "Ima" as in "Ima Boer". Of course, the students, who couldn't call him by his first name (which was actually "Hortense") usually called him "Lima" and/or several variations which lay along the same lines.
Back to the science class. It was a very ordinary science class, consisting of roughly the same number of girls and boys, who were average students except for two people: Justin Carter, who was a very slow sixteen-year-old, as shown by the fact he had been in grade nine for two years straight, and still couldn't grasp the basic atomic theory, and the Brilliant Teenage Girl, who was fourteen and was able to grasp the theory of just about everything.
The Brilliant Teenage Girl was a quiet, shy girl, with mousey-brown hair and brown eyes. She sat in the far back seat and usually didn't pay any attention to Mr. Boer. (After all, she had been well versed in almost everything since she was six).
What made that particular third period special was the fact that Mr Boer had not talked about lima beans in almost fifteen minutes.
Only BTG had noticed this, as she was the only person not involved in a discussion on what had happened to everyone else on the weekend, and she also was astounded to find that Mr Boer was telling the class how to make an actual, working bomb! Taking a few notes, BTG quietly pondered over the recent turn of events.
Why would Mr. Boer teach us how to make bombs? she thought. It doesn't make sense.
To tell the truth, Mr. Boer didn't even realize what he was talking about. He had started on a lesson about light rays, gone on to lima beans (surprising nobody) and ended up talking about terrorism. This led to his adding his thoughts on how bombs should be made, and that is where the BTG had come in.
Mr. Boer glanced at the clock. Suddenly he noticed that he had spent almost the entire class talking (again, surprising nobody), and he cleared his throat, trying to get the attention of the class. This went on for several minutes until finally everybody (for the most part) was paying attention.
"I hope everyone has finished their science project. I have already received a few examples, and I don't find any of them encouraging, especially the one done by the young lady in the back." he said in a wheezing voice.
At this remark, the whole class, simultaneously, turned to look at the BTG, who looked mortified. After all, it was no secret she had spent three weeks researching her project, not to mention her almost magical power to pull A's out of thin air.
"I have never read a more nauseating piece of drivel than the one I received yesterday. It totally ignored the guidelines I set, and besides, it was overwhelmingly boring." Mr. Boer was cut off from making any more insulting remarks by the sound of the end-of-the-period bell.
The Brilliant Teenage Girl walked silently home. Her best friend, Lucy, walking beside her, wore a concerned expression on her face. She had of course heard of the third-period incident; it was all over the school.
"Is everything okay? I mean, you're noting thinking of, like, suicide, are you?" Lucy blurted out. The BTG laughed.
"No. 'Course not!" she replied. She seemed more relaxed after that, and Lucy went home contented. But the BTG was by no means content. She was furious with Mr. Boer. How dare he embarrass her in front of the whole class like that! She had worked really hard on the project, and she felt so ashamed. Which, of course made her even more angry. How dare he call her project "boring"! Mr. Boer of all people! The King of the Lima Beans! The teacher the Staff made public fun of for being boring!
Her mind boiled with ideas of revenge. Somehow, though, none of them fit quite right until she remembered what she had been taught that day.
Of course! Why didn't I think of it before! I'll use his own lesson against him! she thought with a evil chuckle.
It was Friday before the bomb was complete. She had of course used her own plans, improving on what Mr. Boer had told her (Mr. Boer knew a lot about lima beans, but as it turned out, he wasn't all that knowledgable about bombs). The BTG carried the very small, almost harmless explosive inside her backpack to school.
It had been ridiculously easy to build, although getting all the right parts had been harder than expected. Still, everything was going along on schedule, and the BTG felt like she would burst if she didn't tell someone about it. But she knew she couldn't, for security reasons. She couldn't even tell Lucy.
Everything was set up. All that happened now was to go to school on Monday and watch the pandemonium set in. The BTG giggled to herself.
Having to go through that utterly humiliating experience would be almost worth it when the School Board found the (anonymously signed) note explaining that the bomb had been created as per Mr. Boer's instructions. She giggled again. Her mother, who was driving her home from school and who happened to be a renowned physicist, asked her daughter what was so funny.
"Life," The BTG answered. Her mother said she was forced to agree with her, and then asked what she (the BTG) wanted for dinner. And so the conversation ended, and all thoughts of her revenge stopped until...
Monday Morning
The school was in utter and (completely predicted) pandemonium. Once the news got out that there had been a bomb in the science lab, it was totally impossible to calm everybody down. In fact, the only sane person in the entire school was the heroine, and she was rather disappointed, due to the fact that somebody had been looking for a beaker after school and had found the bomb and safely detonated it outside. There had never been any true danger, as the bomb was the equivilent of a small firecracker, but the BTG had been hoping for broken beakers and maybe a scorch mark or two. The note however, had been recovered, and there was an inquiry into just what Mr. Boer was teaching in his class. So the Brilliant Teenage Girl's day wasn't a total loss, especially as school was dismissed for the day.
On the way home, Lucy was talking excitedly about the whole thing, until the BTG felt inclined to interrupt her.
"It was a rather stupid idea, you know. I mean putting the bomb in the science lab." she said, quite matter-of-factly. Lucy stared at her. "What do you mean?" Lucy asked, suspiciously.
"I just mean, well, I've been thinking. You know, mulling it over in my head. The bomber should have put the bomb somewhere where nobody would have been likely to go. Like study hall." BTG said soothingly. "I didn't mean that I did it. Why would I want to blow up a science lab?"
Lucy relaxed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just glad nobody got hurt."
"Me too," replied the BTG. After all, "murder" wouldn't look good on my permanent record.