Crossover

Chapter 4 Special Hair

Chapter 4

Special Hair

    "I've told you, Vanessa," Walter stated with exasperation. "I'm not going to just give you the answer."

    Vanessa glared at him, slamming her hand against her desk, and protested, "I'm not asking you for an answer, Walter. I was just wondering what the function of RNA is."

    Walter raised his eyebrow. "So I suppose this is your idea of a conversation starter."

    Vanessa's eyes moved downward as she started tapping her fingers on the desk. "Uh... yeah, sure."

    "And your conversation starter just happens to be number 5 on our homework assignment?" Walter asked, eying Aria who, at the moment, was frantically flipping through the pages of her Biology book.

    "Come on, Walter," Vanessa pleaded as her expression softened. "We only have a few minutes until Mrs. Stevens gets here and she always immediately takes up our homework."

    "Found it!" Aria panted, slamming her finger against the paragraph. "It's a temporary copy of genes and gene information."

    "Well, there's more to it than that," Walter muttered.

    "It'll have to do," said Vanessa as she scribbled the answer.

    "Did you two really not have any time last night for school work?" Walter inquired with a hefty sigh.

    "Well, I did have Flute sectionals after school," Aria reminded, him though still felt a twinge of guilt, "and Vanessa had volleyball practice."

    Walter nodded but then asked, "Okay, and what about after that?"

    "We may have talked on the phone, a little," Aria admitted, avoiding his eyes.

    "You know what, Walter?" Vanessa turned to him, her cheeks, slowing transforming to red. "Not everyone is as smart as you are! Some of us can't just read a textbook and immediately know the all the answers!"

    "I understand that but you don't even try," Walter pointed out in an irritated tone. "At least Aria took the time to look for the answer. You just spent the past ten minutes pestering me to give it to you when you could have been trying to find it for yourself."

    Her fury rising even higher, Vanessa pounded her fist on the table and opened her mouth, but before she had the chance to say anything, the classroom door opened. 

    "Good afternoon, class," Mrs. Stevens, a plump little lady with thick glasses, greeted as she walked into the room. "Please pass up your homework."

    Together, Aria and Vanessa sighed with relief, having both finished just in time since number five was the final one they needed. Aria's consolation, however, came more from her teacher showing up when she did before her friends' bickering evolved into a more serious battle. The three of them had all been friends since the eighth grade and over that time Walter and Vanessa tended to find themselves victims to petty arguments. Aria had grown accustomed to this, but still deep down in her gut, rested the fear that one of these smaller, less meaningful fights may somehow lead to something that could put a permanent end to their friendship.

    After the bell rang and the three of them headed for lunch, Aria let out another exhale of contentment when Walter and Vanessa both seemed to have forgotten their argument and decided to discuss something else, though she did not care for this topic.

    "Hey, did you notice the way Derek was looking at Aria last period?" Vanessa asked Walter with a grin.

    Walter looked up and nodded. "He did seem to pay more attention to her than the lesson."