"Boo this class." Maya says resentfully.
"Do you even know which one it is?" Riley asks.
"She's going to need a clue." I say while Maya picks up a beaker.
"Doo dah, doo, dah, doo doo dah, da da da da da dah!" Farkle says while jumping through doorway of science laboratory, enthusiastically dancing by pointing in random directions.
"Science." Maya says dreadfully.
"Morning, Farkle! What's new?" Mr. Norton asks.
"I'm reading this great book on anti-gravity. I can't put it down!" Farkle says.
"Hah!" Mr. Norton laughs.
"Hah!" Farkle laughs back.
"I hate this class." Maya says while sitting next to Zay.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to join me on a journey of discovery. Your midterm experiment." Mr. Norton says while the whole class but Farkle groan.
"Yay." He say happily.
"Do I look sleepy to you?" I ask Lucas with my eyes closed.
"In front of you, each team will find a beaker of a clear liquid solution." Mr. Norton explains.
"Oh, boy, he's like a sleep machine." I say with my eyes still closed.
"And next to that, and here's where it gets exciting - a mystery marble!" Mr. Norton points out while holding up an example of the marble.
"Goodnight!" I say to Lucas, almost falling asleep in his hands. I get up and move over to Farkle and Riley, seeing as they are my partners. Maya gets up and moves over to Lucas.
"Right after school, precisely at 3:15, one member of each team will drop the marble into the beaker. The elements in the marble will break down overnight and turn into sludge. Then the other team member will discover what that sludge is and what it takes to turn the beaker back to clear." Mr. Norton tells us.
"Who's supposed to do what?" Riley asks.
"Well, that's up to you! You're a team! Divide the responsibilities as you see fit. I've been conducting this experiment for thirty-five years. I've kept thorough notes. Very few have cracked it." Mr. Norton tells Riley.
"Well, you can add my name to your journal right now, sir." Farkle says.
"I hope so, Farkle. Let the games begin!" Mr. Norton finishes.
"Okay, you get that?" Lucas asks Maya.
"I have to do something?" She answered annoyed.
"All you have to do is come in this afternoon and drop a marble." He says.
"I have to drop a marble?"
"I will pick it up and hand it to you."
"I have to take it from you?"
"That's it."
"But how's my hand supposed to get to the beaker?"
"You know what? Let's just move the beaker to the very edge of the desk so you don't even have to lean forward."
"But I have to put this in that?"
"That's it."
"It's too much."
"Okay, Riley, Rachel. You drop the marbles, I'll figure out the sludge and earn us yet another A." Farkle says to us.
"Okay, that's all I have to do?"
"Well, I am the scientist around here." He says.
"Farkle, I don't understand why I can't-" Riley says.
"You do want an A, don't you?"
Riley and I look at him, then look back at the marbles, holding them up.