In a school full of teenagers, news usually travelled around like forest fire, and so it was no surprise that the departure of a certain math teacher reached the wolverine's hyper sensitive ears. He soon found himself barging into the office of the school's first resident telepath.
"Chuck! Is it true that one eye is leaving the school?" The short tempered man asked for confirmation.
"That would be correct Logan" The professor's answer earned him a smirk from Logan, which according to him did not seem appropriate considering that there was no humor in the current situation.
"And that is why Jean left his sorry ass. How old is the kid again? He needs to man up and accept the reality not run off just because his girlfriend dumped him! He's too young for her anyways and has a lot of growing up to do. This latest temper tantrum proves it. Jean needs a man, not a boy"
"Age is not everything Logan, and if you knew Scott at all you would not pass your judgment on him in that manner. There are many sides to Scott and many things that you have no inkling about; therefor it is not your place to ridicule him"
Logan's eyebrows arched in disbelieve. Chuck was telling him that he didn't know Scott? He has known the jerk for over a year now. He was an obsessive, arrogant control freak! That is how you sum up Scott Summers in three words.
"Sure thing Chuck" He sarcastically replied before leaving the office and shutting the door behind him.
In the meantime, the center of the students' latest gossip bit was already packing up his belongings when Jean barged into his room in the same fashion Logan has at Xavier's office.
"What the hell Scott!" She exclaimed. Without really turning to face the seething red head, Scott acknowledged her presence.
"Well hello to you too Jean"
The cold shoulder Scott gave in response to Jean served to make her angrier as she took quick strides and stood directly in front of her Ex fiancé's face.
"What kind of game are you playing? Huh? Are you trying to make me look bad by leaving? Or you're trying to make me feel guilty?" She yelled at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Scott kept a stoic face and answered.
"No. And not everything has to be about you Jean"
"Then why are you leaving Scott? Where are you gonna go?" She asked him in a softer tone this time. Scott froze for a second. He hasn't done anything this impulsive since god knows when.
"I honestly don't know where I'm heading Jean. I'll figure it out as I go. As to why I'm leaving, there's no need for my services anymore. I already found another bright math teacher to replace me. He starts next week." The level of coldness in Scott's voice shook Jean to the core. This place had been his life, how could he walk away so easily?
"What about the X-men?" Jean questioned. Scott gave her a smirk and patted her shoulder.
"I'm happy to pass the torch to Logan now" Unsure of how to respond to Scott, Jean just awkwardly stood in her place. She never thought he would strike her like that, but then again it was justified. Scott turned his back again to leave. He really didn't feel like being in the same room with her at the moment.
"You're being ridiculous Scott!" She shouted after him, but he paid no attention to her at all..
In another part of the mansion, particularly located in the ground levels of the ancient property, the weather witch was reacting to the news in her own way.
"I cannot believe Scott has behaved like this. It is not like him" She confided to the man standing in front of her, who was busy inserting updated information on his latest research project. But, even Dr. Hank McCoy was aware of this latest predicament, which was odd considering that he was confined to the sanctuary of his lab most of the time. Hank sighed. No one understood Scott like he and the professor did.
"You know Roe, Scott is human too. I feel bad for the kid and the burden he has taken upon himself, to always be the strong one and try to protect everybody. Even if it makes him look like an, excuse my choice of words, an ass. We all have our breaking points, and I think Scott just reached his. Especially when he feels unappreciated and disliked by everyone"
Ororo pondered his words a bit. It is true. She never really thought about how difficult that must've been. But still, why quit now? It is as if Hank predicted what was going on through her mind, he added a few points to his previous discussion.
"Jean was the only one that kept him here Roe, whether he likes to admit it or not. He knows his students aren't fond of him and he just doesn't know how to show love or affection. If you ask me, I think leaving the institute might be good for him. Scott built his life around people, he needs to learn to do things for himself, find himself, and value himself more. Maybe then he'll learn that there's nothing wrong with being vulnerable and allowing people past your walls sometimes"
"What about us? His friends! You and I and the professor. Do we not mean something to him?" Ororo intercepted Hank in a rare fit of anger. She felt betrayed. Her pulse was erratic and her face was flushed with heat radiating off her in waves.
"Uh, grammatically speaking it's 'You and the professor and I' "
If looks could kill, Hank would be dead by now. As smart as Hank was, his social skills weren't that great. Judging by the murderous glare he was currently getting from his female team mate now was not the time to correct someone's grammar. The gentle beast gave her time to cool down a bit before ending their discussion with one last sentence.
"Scott wouldn't leave us if he felt that we needed him Roe. While he loves us all dearly, there is a lot of hurt in his soul that neither of us can heal"
Later in the afternoon, Scott headed to class to announce his departure to his students. Even though he was sure they already knew. Upon his entrance the chaotic noises vibrating through the classroom walls stopped.
"Well, at least this time I didn't have to tell you guys to be quiet" Scott said, pulling his chair and sitting in front of 30 young and curious mutants.
"Tomorrow you will all be meeting your new math teacher. His name is professor Sebastian Willows. He has more experience than I do, a stronger educational background than mine, and he is very smart. I believe that he will be a great addition to this school. I'm also expecting all of you to make him feel welcomed, alright?"
The students silently nodded.
"Oh, and another thing. Seeing as I will be busy moving out and your new teacher will be busy moving in, this week's classes are suspended. Don't worry though; we're already ahead of all the other schools so it shouldn't be a problem. Tomorrow you'll just meet professor Willows and get to know him"
Scott was met with silent nods again and a few whispers of "Ok" and "Yes Mr. Summers" .
"Good. Anyone has any question for me?"
The students glanced at each other, each contemplating whether they should ask the question they're dying to know the answer to or just forget about. Until one girl put them out of their misery by raising her hand.
"Yes Marla? What would you like to know?"
The shy girl took a deep breath. She wasn't fond of being the center of attention, but right now she couldn't care less.
"Why are you leaving us Mr. Summers?"
Out of all the kids in this class, Marla was the least expected to be so daring. She usually kept to herself and had very few friends. Not to mention that she was a bit socially anxious.
"Sometimes we need exciting changes in our life, Marla. I have been in the institute for ten years, and I never really took the time to discover new things out there or find myself. Believe it or not, the school always came first to me. And you guys might not believe this too but, I care an awful lot about you kids. It's true I have been pushing you, but I only wanted you to be the best. Look at us! Ahead of all the other schools and scoring best grades in exams. Even the ones who were struggling came through and did a fantastic job" Scott said, giving Marla a wink.
He remembered clearly the late nights he would spend with her. She was so embarrassed that she understood things slower than the rest of her class. Every time she came to see him Scott would try his best to explain math to her, but her fear and insecurity about her intelligence created a strong barrier that kept her from learning. She was convinced that she was stupid and she would never get it, but Scott believed in her. He told himself that he would not stop tutoring her until she got good grades, even though there were times where Marla felt like giving up, he wouldn't let her.
"Just start by believing that you can do it, and then it will all become easier" He would say to her. Now, Marla recently became one of his best students.
While Scott focused on delivering his speech, the far back of the class was engaged in its own conversations. Jubilee clicked her tongue while leaning casually in her seat. She then took a pencil, using it to nudge Rouge on her side therefore catching her attention.
"What?" Rouge whispered in a harsh tone looking clearly upset that her friend broke her concentration.
"He is so lying to us" Jubilee whispered back, her words reaching the ears of Bobbi and Kitty who were sitting right behind her and Rouge. Curiosity made them lean closer to hear everything Jubilee currently knew about the situation.
"He is totally leaving because his precious Jean cheated on him" That piece of information shocked her friends immensely. They were the school's "It" couple! They were supposed to get married!
"With who? And how do you know it's true?" Kitty asked.
"With the Wolverine, and I know its true cause Mr. Summers emptied his room and he had an altercation with Jean. Also wolf man has been tip toeing around the red head and bein all awkward and stuff"
"Back row, when you are done discussing my private life, let me know so I can resume this class" Scott suddenly announced.
Embarrassed by being called out in front of everyone, Jubilee blushed a deep red and stopped talking.
"Ok. So I'm almost out of the way finally, then you will all get to party like rock stars. Just hear me out for a few minutes" Scott joked. All of his students were laughing but the exception of Marla, who was currently frowning.
"I tried to be fair as much as I could and treat everyone the same. If I ever wasn't fair against any of you, I ask you to forgive me. Contrary to popular belief I'm not a robot, I do make mistakes" Scott's sincerity was starting to get to his students. They were all focused on him now, trying to resist the sudden sadness they were experiencing.
"I know I'm not your favorite teacher in the world. All rules, no fun, and strict as a sergeant in a military drill. But that's only inside class or missions. We cannot get distracted during our missions. If anything were to happen to any of you under my watch I would never have been able to forgive myself. I would die slowly on the inside. It would eat at me. It would kill me.."
It was unfamiliar to the kids to watch Scott be so vulnerable and wear his heart out for everyone else to see. It made them feel absolutely horrible about all the times they made fun of him or wished he would just leave. But they were just kids. They didn't know better. They didn't know how deeply their teacher cared about them.
"I remember at one point tucking each and every one of you to sleep when the night mares got so bad, or having heartfelt conversations about how awful people can be sometimes. It's funny, I feel like a parent at 25 but I'm not complaining. When I was your age I wish I had someone to talk to, someone to go to when life had its way with me, but I didn't. It was a terrible feeling, and I tried to give back what I didn't have as a kid growing up. So that none of you would go through this feeling at all"
The young mutants felt ashamed of themselves. Going through their teen years they only cared about those who bowed to their demands. They forgot all about those who dried their tears and helped them stand up on their feet when they were little. The youth often believe themselves to be invincible, and that was why a lot of them stopped coming to Scott for help once they hit puberty. They all knew though that Scott would always be there for them. No one questioned it, they just forgot it.
As all the memories of long sleepless nights came back to the class, Marla stood up and bolted out of the class, not willing to accept that her teacher was leaving.
"Marla!" Scott called after her but to no avail. She wouldn't listen to him. She was clearly upset. It tugged at Scott's heart strings to see her upset. She is such a sweet girl, but he already made a decision and arrangements were made as well.
"Class dismissed" Scott ended his class and quietly left. The students were stunned for a moment before they packed up and left as well.
Scott found himself standing outside Marla's room. He knocked on her door gently and he was met with red rimmed eyes and a stuffy nose staring right back at him.
"Marla" The math teacher uttered her name in a soft tone, hoping to soothe her.
"I don't wanna talk to you" She whimpered and tried to close the door, but Scott held it open with both his hands.
"Marla please.. tell me what's wrong" He tried prompting her to open up to him.
"You're just like all the other teachers! You don't really care about our wellbeing and how good we do, you just wanna get your paycheck and get your classes out of your way"
Her words stung, but Scott knew a wounded person will try to release frustration by inflicting pain.
"That's not really fair Marla" Scott replied patiently.
"Then why are you leaving us? Why are you giving up on us? When I was struggling you were the only one who believed in me when no one else did. What changed?"
"I only showed you the ropes Marla. You had it in you all along. You did the heavy lifting, it was all you. I'm so proud of you"
Scott was suddenly interrupted by a strong hug from Marla. He patted her back slowly as she started sobbing against his chest.
"You know Marla; I think you're about the only person who's going to miss me in this place" Scott absent mindedly remarked, and it just so happened that a passing by Rouge had caught on what he said. It made her heart bleed to hear him say that, and at the same time fury built inside of her against someone she never thought she'd be mad at: Logan.
(A/N): This chapter is all about how I truly believe Scott's character is like. I hope I did him justice. I always felt like he was misunderstood. What I was aiming towards was showing that sometimes strength can be a weakness. I also hate that some Marvel fans describe Scott as whiny and bitter and over all a horrible person, so I tried to erase those associations. I'll be honest here, I don't know where I'm going with this fic. The ideas are building up as I go, but for now I have no clear direction. Any help would be more than welcomed .