Page 16 of Inferno
“Explain how you reached the solution,” he instructed tersely.
“Okay, check this out.” Pointing to the chalkboard, Manning rattled off the steps he’d taken. “Using the factoring method, I moved the non-zero terms to the left side of the equation, setting the polynomial equal to zero. Next I factored the quadratic and set each factor equal to zero to solve the smaller equations. After that I plugged each answer into the original equation to make sure the quadratic equation was true and—Shazam!—problem solved.”
As laughter erupted around the room, Mr. Langenkamp scowled.
Smothering a triumphant grin, Manning asked innocently, “Would you like me to demonstrate how to solve the equation using the quadratic formula?Or by completing the square?”
“Ah, no, that won’t be necessary. Please have a seat, Manning.” Mr. Langenkamp paused, then added gruffly, “Andstopdaydreaming in my class. I won’t go so easy on you next time.”
“Yes, sir,” Manning said with mock solemnity.
As he sauntered back to his desk, his classmates stared at him with varying degrees of admiration, amusement and envy. A pretty blonde seated near the front winked flirtatiously at him. Even as Manning smiled back, his gaze was already skipping past her to rest on the girl with the thick eyeglasses. But her head was bent as she scribbled furiously in her notebook.
When the dismissal bell rang, the teacher asked Manning to stay behind.
As the other students filed noisily out of the classroom, Mr. Langenkamp leaned a hip against the corner of his desk and folded his arms across his chest. “You set me up, Mr. Wolf.”
Manning eyed him blankly. “What do you mean?”
“You were never worried about not being able to solve the equation. But you pretended you were so the joke would be on me.”
Manning gave him a look of exaggerated innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Langenkamp.”
“Sure.Whatever you say.”The man smiled wryly at Manning. “Do you know how rare it is for ninth graders to take precalculus? You and Miss Chastain are the only freshmen enrolled in precalculus in the entire school. We’ve barely started the unit on quadratic equations, and you already know all the methods for solving them. How do you explain that?”
Manning shrugged. “Every summer my mom makes me and my brothers read a certain number of books, and she gives us math and science lessons to get us prepared for each new school year.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Mr. Langenkamp mused, shaking his head. “Your mother’s the youngest superintendent we’ve ever had. Of course her children are wunderkinds.”
Recognizing the term, Manning chuckled. “I wouldn’t say allthat.”
“You don’t have to. Everyone else will.” Mr. Langenkamp smiled. “On that note, have you ever considered becoming a math tutor? For a few hours a week after school, you could earn some extra cash and help your less fortunate peers who weren’t gifted with your mathematical brilliance.”
Manning thought about the conversation he’d just had with his mother about him and his brothers getting involved in various activities. He knew she’d be pleased with him becoming a math tutor, even ifhewasn’t exactly sold on the idea.
“What do you say?” his teacher prodded.
“I’ll think about it,” Manning said, making no promises.
“Please do.”
After leaving Mr. Langenkamp’s classroom, Manning headeddownthe noisy hallway toward his locker, sidestepping a group of rowdy freshmen who were tossing wads of paper at one another. Not for the first time, Manning wished he were back in Atlanta attending high school with Mike, Quentin Reddick and the rest of the crew from their neighborhood. Although Manning had made a few good friends here, none of them could replace the homeboys he’d left behind.
“Nice work in class.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Manning saw the nerdy-looking girl from precalculus.The girl with the beautiful smile.
“Thanks,” he told her.
“I knew you could do it,” she stated, falling in step beside him.
Manning cocked a brow at her. “How’d you know that?”
“You’re smart.Gifted.”
Manning shook his head with a grimace. “That word gets thrown around too much.”
She eyed him knowingly. “If you weren’t gifted, how else could you have spaced out for most of class and still come up with the right answer to the equation?”
