The Odd Sister Out

Nothing At All

Hahaha... it turns out I'm not only bad at life, but at science as well. Well, it never came as any surprise to me. I'm no good at anything as long as it involves making people laugh or giving Dashi a heart attack, but I'd been getting good at biology. I could even name all the abiotic and biotic factors in a coral reef (which Tweak couldn't even do, and she's the smartest person ever), but I was still useless at everything else, chemistry and physics especially.

I'm not sure why Shellington was teaching us about the periodic table before we were even 10, but he was. Valence electrons and atomic numbers made no sense. Actually, nothing about chemistry did. Tweak tried to help me with it, but when she left the room to "think" about the issue, but I'm not entirely sure "thinking about it" is supposed to consist of her yelling, "Dammit, Google! What'd ya have to betray me for?!"

Dashi was currently busy, so I couldn't ask her just yet, and you couldn't ever pay me enough to ask Inkling for help.

"And I have a test tomorrow." I sighed as Tweak poked her head back around the corner in a panic.

"Shellington never said nothin' about a test!" She shrieked.

"He gives us surprise tests." I explained.

"Well then how'd you know 'bout the test?" Tweak asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Whenever Shellington starts biting his nails and wringing out his paws when Pinto and I don't get any of his questions right, then we have a surprise test the next day." I told her as she chuckled.

"Well whaddya know? I've gotta tell him you've already figured him out." She smiled.

"OK, how many protons are in oxygen again? Seven?" I guessed.

"Baby girl, you better ask someone else for help; I don't even know what a proton is." Tweak sighed.

"Mmm, no." I decided.

"Why not? You have a test tomorrow?" Tweak reminded me sternly.

"Dashi's busy, I've already spent enough time with Inkling today, Koshi doesn't know what's happening either, Squirt refuses to talk to me after I thought Lithium was a Nirvana song, and even you couldn't figure out Google." I ticked off the people I'd usually go to for help on school stuff.

"Is there no one else ya know of who understands chemistry?" Tweak teased, "There ain't a wrong answer here."

"Kwazii!" I answered with the most serious tone I could muster. Tweak stared at me blankly for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Oh gosh, you're so cute when you try to keep a straight face." She choked.

"No I'm not." I protested, "I'm too old to be cute anymore."

"Oh, really?" Tweak snarked, "I think 9 years old is little enough to still be cute, oh, and Jane, what does Shellington actually want you to know for this test?"

I thought hard for a moment, "He wants us to know where protons, neutrons, and electrons go,where the atomic number and mass number are on one of the little square thingies on the periodic table, and what they are."

"And do you KNOW any of that?" Tweak asked.

"Some of it, I guess." I shrugged. That was only partially a lie. I knew what a proton and a neutron and an electron were, and I knew where they were supposed to go, but I knew nothing else.

"Well, you've got a foundation." Tweak told me, "If I'm not mistaken, lil hellhound, I think you've some studying to do."

"What-"

"It'll be better for you to learn by yourself in the way that suits you than try to learn from someone else in a way your brain don't process." Tweak said surely, "And I know you well enough to know that you're smart enough to figure it out on your own, so how 'bout you go and draw a picture of atomic neurons and mass... whatevers, show Inkling, and let him help ya? That sound alright to you?"

"OK." I agreed and ran off, eager to get this drawing started. I'd never even thought to do this kind of thing before, and it sounded so so so much easier than reading from a textbook, but Tweak's a genius, so did I expect anything different from her? No.