"No, fries are better." Odd said, walking to his next class with Aelita and Ulrich.

"Odd, you're insane. Potato chips are much better than fries." Ulrich replied.

"Fries have the superior texture, and they don't need "unique flavors" to taste good." Odd rebutted, causing Aelita to speak up.

"Would you two stop? Neither of you is ever going to convince the other, so why do you bother?"

Ulrich and Odd both opened their mouths to respond, but both were quickly cut-off.

"Besides, you're both wrong; Fries potatoes are the best." Aelita stated, laughing about her comment internally.

Aelita paused as she felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled her bright pink phone out and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Aelita, it's Jeremy. We think we're got useful data on how to defeat X.A.N.A., but we need your help here soon."

Aelita was overjoyed by this. She wasn't excited about the work, but rather that Jeremy still felt secure in her ability to help him, something she worried he had called into question.

"Okay, I'll be there soon." She replied, hanging up the phone.

Ulrich and Odd had been standing through her call on guard, prepared for it to be a potential X.A.N.A. attack, something Aelita noticed.

"It's okay guys, no attacks. Jeremy just needs me at the factory. Good luck in history!" She said, turning towards the forest.

"Wait, what do you want us to tell Mr. Fumet?" Odd asked.

"Just make something up for me." Aelita responded, headed for the factory.

Odd and Ulrich looked at each other for a second before Ulrich spoke up.

"Well, what are we gonna say?"

Odd thought for a moment, the more abstract areas of his mind hard at work. Suddenly, he was struck with a genius idea.

"We'll just say she had some bad potatoes."

With that thought in mind, Ulrich and Odd laughed all the way to class.

—

"Hmm... a little shading there, some repositioning here..."

Herb sat at his computer, both Sissi and Nicholas standing in his room watching.

"Would you hurry up!" Sissi complained. "If I don't get this to those two brats before 3:00 p.m. they won't run it!"

Herb sat there still for a moment, another ounce of anger filling his already overflowing cup.

"Well do you want it done fast or do you want it to look good?" He said, standing slightly an turning his body to face her.

"What I want is Ulrich to go out with me, and that won't happen if you waste time complaining, so get back to work!" Sissi snarled, causing Nicholas to laugh.

"She's right," Nicholas laughed, "get back to work."

Sissi turned to Nicholas and, to his surprise, slapped him across the face.

"Ow!" Nicholas yelled, his face already marked red. "What was that for?"

"That was for distracting Herb." Sissi looked over to Herb, who cringed for a moment before returning to work. "Now, can't you do something useful?"

Nicholas rubbed his cheek, his skin raw from the massive impact. "Like what?"

"Like... like stand guard outside the door, just in-case Jim decides to check the dorms." Sissi suggested.

"But wait," Nicholas said, thinking her plan through, "if I just stand outside the door, won't Jim see me if he walks by?"

"Exactly, now go keep watch." Sissi said, Nicholas walking outside the room, hoping to avoid another one of her forceful "suggestions".

—

Nicholas had been leaning against the wooden door for over half an hour, slowly twiddling his thumbs.

He was taken off guard when he heard a faint noise coming from down the hall, which he theorized were footsteps. As he leaned towards it, it grew louder and louder until it seemed almost next to him. He turned towards the noise, only to find out it was just next to him.

"Poliakoff! What are you doing here during class hours?" Jim said, standing only a couple feet away from the boy.

"Umm..." Nicholas was desperate for an answer, but when he couldn't think of one, he resorted to plan B.

"So Jim, how would you like to experience a fantastic and breathtaking experience in the moonlight tonight?"

Nicholas's face was still red from being slapped, but nowhere near as read as Jim's face had just become.

"To the principal's office Poliakoff, NOW!" Jim exclaimed, pointing his finger down the hall.

"I take it that's a no." Nicolas said, walking down the hall with his hands in his pockets, Jim following behind him.

—

Well, this was short, but I worked hard to get something posted even with my being sick. Next chapter has some pretty big stuff, so stay tuned, and make sure to review and follow for constant updates!