Not All Sunshine and Rainbows - Bouncing Back, Book III

4

Jaxon wrote something down in his notebook, then turned his eyes back to the podium. The professor was droning on about coding concepts—things he and Lukas already knew and practiced at home since they were twelve. There was really not much difference between the teacher droning on and Trace’s stoicism.

"Alright, as a review, and to see who was actually paying attention, what is a variable? And will someone kindly wake Mr. Roberts up out of Dreamland?"

"Luke," Jaxon hissed as the laughter of the other students echoed around him. "Dude, wake your ass up, man."

Snorting, Lukas jolted awake as Jaxon stabbed him with the blunt end of his pencil. Startled for a moment, the teen slowly came to his senses. Glaring at his friend, he grunted, "What the hell, Jaxon?"

Lowering his face to hide his grin, Jaxon said, “You fell asleep. Again.”

“Oh, shoot!” Wiping the drool from his chin, he sat up. “Sorry, Sir. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Fair enough," the teacher said. "Since this is the last class of the day, if you get the question on the board right, the whole class can leave early."

Lukas smirked back at the professor. "Bring it. I was born for this.”

“As was I,” Jaxon grinned. Putting their stuff into their bags because they knew they would win without fail, the boys got ready to leave.

The man smirked knowingly. That the two boys had landed in his class was enough to make him giddy. He knew that the Board was antsy about their abilities, but he didn’t put much stock in the hush order all the professors were given. Straightening, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have two very special cases among us. Jaxon Marks and Lukas Roberts came to our school with glowing recommendations."

One of the girls in the class giggled. "What's so special about a couple of newcomers, Sir?"

"At sixteen," the man replied, successfully gaining the attention of the entire class. "They are two of the youngest attendees at the moment. They were tested twice by the Board; both times proving they were worthy of their status in joining this prestigious university. Gracing us with a genius that most of us will get to see first-hand."

The whispers rose around them, mocking their ages and boyish looks. Lukas couldn't care less, but he knew that his sensitive bestie would suffer the brunt of it all. “You still doing your training after school?”

“Yeah, but I still don’t know how to tell Dad who’s training me. I don’t need him on my ass because Russell’s helping me out.” Jaxon shook his head, wincing as he tried to hold his anxiety off.

As he and Lukas eyed the question on the board, someone threw a paper ball at them. Lukas caught it before it hit, watching as the smiles fell from a few of the student’s smug faces.

"Sir, you've just violated our right to anonymity and went against the blanket order to not draw attention to us. Period. We got in based on skill alone, and the only reason we’re here is to further our technological knowledge. Both of our fathers specifically requested that our ages not be mentioned in any of our classes or the school would face a visit from our lawyer, and an inspection by the Auditor General. Just so you know, I will be going to the Dean after class to report you for the infraction," Jaxon said, a hint of animosity lacing his smooth, baritone voice.

Paling, the teacher backtracked on his statements, but it was too late. Before sunrise tomorrow, the entire school was going to find out things that should never have been made public. Each student was already on their devices, looking into the claims the teacher made. Most of them had probably already shared the information all over social media.

"A variable is a value that can either be known or unknown. In programming, a variable is a storage location that uses a symbolic name containing a certain quantity of information or data. That information can be known or unknown but lends itself to the overall mastering of specific programming processes," Lukas stated in a voice that commanded respect. Unlike Jaxon, he was used to full-on confrontation.

"So, how much longer do you think you're going to have a job when my father is through with you?" he asked, a slow smirk drawing his lips into a slight curve. He knew how much he could get away with, and he was going to take full advantage of the fact that his father explicitly told him to behave maturely at the university. Calling people on their bullshit was part of his personality, being mature was a choice he was willing to make.

Swallowing, the professor licked his dry lips and nodded. "That is correct. Uh, Mr. Marks, what is data structure?"

"Seriously?" Jaxon muttered. Shoving his books and laptop into his bag, he rose to his feet and motioned for Lukas to follow. Agitation flashed in his dark eyes as the teen turned to the teacher and raised a brow. In all honesty, he wanted to be a kid for a moment and flip the man off. Breathing deeply, he said, "Data structure is a way to avoid using multiple variables in a program. A good data structure will be dynamic, which means that it allows the outcomes produced to change based on the variable used at any given time."

Murmurs rippled through the class as the rest of the students glared at the two teens.

The professor licked his lips again, his hands shakily wiping the sweat off his brow with his checkered handkerchief. "Yes, that's right."

As the door clicked shut behind the two teens, the professor dropped into his chair. Looking at the other students, he noticed his son walking up to his desk. The young man scowled at the closed door of the room. “Dad! What the hell? Are they telling the truth? Was there a hush order over the staff because of their ages?”

“Not just because of their ages, son. They’re protected by Professor Roberts, and it was his demand that his son and the Asian boy not have more attention than they’re used to.”

His son was perplexed, staring at his father like he was seeing him for the first time. “Can they seriously make you lose your job?”

The man nodded. “Not to mention that this would have me blacklisted from teaching at the university ever again.”

“Are you kidding me?” his son snapped.

Once again, the door to the room opened, and the Dean walked in with the Head of Admissions. “Professor Wendell, I’m going to need you to pack up your desk and leave the premises. With the information you spilled, one of our benefactors is threatening to pull out of funding the new Computer Science building.”

Wendell paled. “What?! No! Why would they do that?”

“Alumni Phoenix Callumsson graduated from his courses here, and he is the one funding our Computer Sciences building. He expects the same amount of respect and dedication from each and every staff member in this facility. Since you cannot follow a simple rule of not opening your mouth about Professor Roberts’ boy and the son of David Marks, I have no choice but to let you go until the Board of Directors have completed their internal investigation,” the Dean replied.

“You can’t be serious!” Wendell’s son demanded. “All because of two little brats?”

“The directive was clear from day one. No one was to bring attention to the pair, but your father seems to have forgotten that he is not the highest power in this school. Wendell?”

Lowering his eyes, the man’s shoulders slumped with guilt as he looked at his son. “Dean Hargrove is right. I deliberately ignored the directive. In my defense, I felt that they should have been praised for being young technological geniuses.”

“That was exactly why the directive was made,” the Dean snapped.

An hour later, Trace confronted the Dean. Though he was pissed, he was also rational, which only made him that much more lethal. The tension in the room was palpable as the German man’s steely gaze locked onto the other man. Trace's protective instincts had kicked into overdrive the moment he heard about the professor's indiscretion, and he wasn't about to let this slide.

Now that the spotlight was on the sixteen-year-olds, they were sure that people they wanted nothing to do with would be crawling out of the woodwork to beg, plead, threaten, or pay for their help. Jaxon felt a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach as he thought about the potential onslaught. He knew their skills were highly coveted, and the last thing they needed was unwanted attention disrupting their lives and their education.

Trace's voice was calm but carried an edge of unmistakable authority as he addressed the Dean. "You need to understand the gravity of this situation. My son and his friend are here to learn, to expand on their already heightened abilities, not to be paraded around like trophies. Jax is still half a month away from his official sixteenth birthday, and this puts a proverbial target on his back. Your best obviously isn’t good enough if one i***t can’t keep his damn mouth shut!"

The Dean, visibly uncomfortable under Trace's intense scrutiny, nodded. "I assure you, Professor Roberts, we are taking this matter very seriously."

“Your assurance needs insurance, Dean Hargrove. This is an unacceptable breach of confidentiality,” Trace growled out. “I want the issue fixed, or I’m going over your head.”

As the door slammed shut behind the pissed off father, Kyle Hargrove fell to his plush leather swivel chair and groaned. All because one of his teachers couldn’t keep a lid on the delicate information, he was now under the scrutiny of the mob who, until that moment, had kept a fair distance from the school. The weight of the decision hung over him as he began drafting a memo to the Board of Directors.