"Mr. Park!" the lunch lady gasped. 

Tiffany was quick to act. She dropped her tray and grabbed a damp cloth. She pushed me out of the way and out of the man's grasp and began wiping the red sticky soup off his shirt.

"Does it burn? Are you alright?" she asked him as she continued to dab the cloth.

"I'm alright," he gritted angrily through his teeth. The lunch lady helped him as well with some moist cloths. He thanked her and brushed past her and myself. I felt a horrible pit in my stomach. 

"I-I'm sorry!" I called out to him. He paused in his step for a moment. I thought he was going to turn around and face me, say something mean but nothing happened. He stopped for a moment but walked on anyway. With a grim expression, I watched as he left the cafeteria hastily.

"Minyoung?" Tiffany waved her hand in front of me.

"Huh?" I spun around, facing her.

"You seemed to have out. Are you alright?"

"Yeah it's just..." I chewed on my lip. Tiffany rubbed my shoulder sympathetically.

"That could have happened to anyone. I feel so bad for Mr. Park though..." she frowned. "Loosing his wife not long ago..." she bowed her head as she lifted the bowl of empty kimchi soup.

"Mr. Park? The physics teacher?" I asked, a dawning realisation falling upon me.

"Yes, why?"

"I... I know him," I stared into the space where he was standing previously. "Not personally, of him," I corrected myself briskly. He was that teacher. That teacher was the reason I decided to transfer to Burren High. He was one of the rare Korean scientists sent to work with particle physics in C.E.R.N. He was the moral reason behind my sudden transfer. I've watched all of his presentations and speeches and got him to sign my copy of his book on 'Matter and Radiation". If he ever did a photoshoot, I would have had a poster of him on my wall in bedroom, next to Einstein sticking his tongue out.

My stay here in Burren high was relatively pleasant over the next few days. I got to meet new people but with my not-so-much-social-skills, I was unable to keep friends. Tiffany dragged me out to a few events but it wasn't anything special to me. So what if boys did a few tumbles and jumps in the air? It wasn't my piece of cake but I managed to keep Tiffany company while she screamed and jumped around in excitement.

The following Friday night, I stayed inside the dorm. I laid in bed and played on my playstation after finishing my read on one of Mr. Park's old thesis. Lara Croft jumped off a fountain and dived into the pool of piranhas, dying instantly. I had fun. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn't anything special to me as I had finished the game before.

I jumped off the bed and turned off the playstation. Should I go to bed? Should I read a bit more? I couldn't decide what to do with my time. But something particular happened that day that made my decision-making a little easier.

There was a sudden bang and a clatter in the hallway outside the dorm. In my loose white shirt and jeans, I opened the door and peeked out into the dark hallway. Not many students were here, most returned home for the weekend to visit family. I mentally debated with myself whether or not to step outside. It was a little creepy.

Finally I saw something. A boy was thrown against the wall, falling down on his chest. He groaned and coughed, winded from the rough collision. I didn't move until I saw another individual approach the boy and lift him by his collar. He pinned him up against the wall, swearing and spitting in his face.

There was a sudden boiling bubbling feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn't control. I gritted my teeth and took a brave step forward, approaching the both of them.

"Hey!" I called out, briskly making my way towards him. "Let him go!" I yelled. In the darkness, I could only make out his height. He turned his head towards me and dropped the boy back on the floor before fleeing. I was going to run after him but thought tending to the boy would be more important. I jogged over to his side and bent down beside him. From the other hallway light, I could see half of his beaten up face. 

"You alright?" I asked him, taking a look at the bump on his head.

"What did you just do?" he hissed at me.

"Excuse me?" I blinked twice.

"You're... they... they're going to hurt you," he told me, out of breath.

"Don't worry about it," I rolled my eyes at him, trying to lift him up.

"Let go of me," he pushed me away. "If they find out you helped me," he gritted through his teeth, rising up on his feet by himself, "they will hurt you."

"Don't worry about me," I almost yelled at him, "you're the one with a bleeding nose," I pointed out.

"Go, get out of here before they come back and see it was you," he told me. I didn't move from my spot, shocked and appalled by his statement. He, however, limped away. I watched him walk into the darkness of the hallway until he blended in with his surroundings, disappearing. I chewed the inside of my cheek a little, unable to think of what to do next. I knew there would be bullying in this school but... with this much force?

Author's Note: Hmmmm if you noticed I've been naming the chapters with physics terms that have some connection to an event, a sentence or a thought mentioned in the chapter. Try and figure out where Newton's Second Law comes into place here. For the first chapter, Boson Particle was simply mentioned. Second chapter, catalyst is something that speeds up a reaction, hence when the kimchi spilled on top of Mr. Park, it sped up their introduction. Guess Chapter 3 :)