Mr. Tangent stood at the blackboard. He was drawing a triangle.
"Pythagoras," Mr. Tangent said. "A squared plus B squared equals C squared. The hypotenuse is the longest side. It is the direct path. The shortcut."
Alex sat at his desk. He looked at the triangle.
He did not see lines. He saw passing lanes.
A is the winger. B is the midfielder. C is the through ball.
"Mr. Finch," Mr. Tangent asked. "If side A is 30 yards and side B is 40 yards, what is the length of C?"
Alex blinked. He thought about the football pitch.
"Fifty yards, Sir," Alex said. "But only if you put enough backspin on the ball to account for friction."
"Just fifty, Alex," Mr. Tangent sighed. "Please leave friction out of geometry."
Mark sat next to Alex. Mark was wearing a pair of glasses with no glass in them. He looked very studious, or very confused.
"I like triangles," Mark whispered.
"Really?" Alex asked.
