8Anatomy Test
Sitting among his friends at the loud table in the middle of the school cafeteria was probably the worst thing that John could have done today. He had an Anatomy test later and really needed the study time. They were excited about the big varsity football game coming up and it's all they were talking about. With the entire lunch period free due to his study hall, John was stuck in there-the loudest place on the face of the Earth as of right now.
Finally giving up on trying to get his team to shut up, John packed up his books and headed for an empty table in the back of the cafeteria without another word to them. There, it was at least quieter. John let out an exasperated sigh and decided to put his ear buds in and turn his music up so he didn't have to hear the rest of the cafeteria. He wanted tunnel vision and nothing else.
John sat there for a good half hour; well through the next lunch. He didn't even notice when a tall, slender figure took the seat opposite of him and just watched the blonde study. Only when John finally looked up to reach for his water bottle did he see the boy with dark curls staring at him.
He took out his ear buds and smiled softly at the other. "You know, you could say 'Hi' or something to let me know you're here." He popped the lid open on his water bottle and took a few gulps. The boy across from him, Sherlock Holmes, simply smirked and folded his fingers underneath his chin.
"Oh, but I did. Your music is too loud. And, by the nature of your actions, and the tempo of your music, you're listening to the Mozart I put on your iPod last week. Good choice John, I'm impressed." Sherlock's tone was his usual, sarcastic nature.
The blonde rolled his eyes and pushed some practice questions towards Sherlock. "Quiz me." Sherlock raised a brow at him.
"You can't possible expect me to read these questions, which will do you nothing by the way, can you?"
"Then ask questions you think will help me. We're working on the brain right now." John replied, pausing his music on his iPod and locking it before looking back to Sherlock as he placed it in his bag.
Sherlock seemed bored already, having at least a hundred different questions for the blonde within a couple seconds. John nodded to him, giving him the "go" to start.
"I'll start out easy for someone of your IQ." John narrowed his eyes at that. "What are the four lobes of the brain?" John thought for a moment before speaking.
"Frontal…Temporal, Parietal, and…" He felt the back of his head, going over a way to remember the lobes that his teacher taught him. "Occipital." Sherlock nodded.
"Good, where are the sensory and motor strips?" John pursed his lips this time, trying to picture a diagram of the human brain in his head.
"The motor strip is at the back of the frontal lobe, and the sensory strip is right behind it, but part of the parietal lobe." Sherlock nodded again, keeping his face neutral.
"Three parts of the brain."
"Forebrain, hindbrain, midbrain."
"What is the main fissure in the brain called?"
"Longitudinal Fissure."
"Explain 'all-or-nothing' principle."
"Uh, its when neurons fire. They release their entire charge, or nothing at all."
"Good. Now name, and briefly describe the three main parts of a neuron." John stopped at that one, swallowing in thought.
"Uhm..." The blonde bit his lip. Sherlock smirked, enjoying the other's small momentarily lapse in his memory. "Ah, there's the axon, the dendrite, and the uh, myelin sheath?" John asked, doubting himself. "Either the myelin sheath or the cell body." He corrected himself and Sherlock let out a soft laugh. He was incredibly amused by John.
"The cell body is the answer." He said, with that light grin of his. John nodded and began to explain the parts.
"Let's see, the cell body contains the nucleus and provides energy for cell function." He reached for his water bottle to take a swig. "The dendrites receive messages from the other cells, and the uh, the axon carries the messages."
"Where are the messages being carried?" Sherlock asked.
"Away from the cell body to the other neurons." Sherlock nodded, glad the response was almost immediate.
"Name three parts of the limbic system." John had to think for that one.
"Okay, uhm, there's the hippocampus…the uh, thalamus…" He paused to stare off into space for a moment, obviously thinking. "The amygdala." The blonde finally said. He looked up at the clock, five minutes until his class started. "I have time for one more question." He said, leaning forward in his chair, getting a bit anxious. Sherlock shook his head.
"You're going to do fine, John. You know anatomy, it's your best class." John frowned lightly and sat back in his seat, trying to relax a bit before class. They sat there in silence for the rest of the time.
Once the bell rang, John packed up his stuff and sighed softly. "Wish me luck." He said, throwing his bag over his shoulder. Sherlock just smirked and waited until everyone was out of the cafeteria before pulling his boyfriend close. He tipped his head up and kissed him softly, letting him go with a light chuckle.
"Luck."