Dear Mom,

Decided not to sell blood plasma after all, although I do need the money. But I did find a way to pay for my next semester of college -- I've gone from being a part-time Original Character to a full-time Original Character for the extent of the holidays. The hours are pretty bad, though. I guess I'm too used to having free time -- I mean, as it is, I'm amazed I can even write this letter. The work isn't too great and the pay's only all right, but there's not really that many jobs in this area of Chuckwalla and you take what you can get . . .

"Hey, Rafael, you up yet? Fic's starting and we're going to hone right in on your first day at school. The script's a riot, too! I'll enjoy it, even if you won't!"

Sorry, Mom -- gotta run. Don't worry about me . . . you know I'm a whiner. Oh, and here's something funny -- my Original Character background demands I don't have any parents so I'm practically breaking a law by sending this. I'm such a rebel. Wish me luck . . .

A smallish, dark featured kid slunk into the Phys Ed room like a particularly skittish rat caught with a piece of . . . I don't know, something or the other. He quietly presented a signed pass to the teacher and sat at an empty seat in the back of the room. Rafael had finally entered the classroom. There was something very angsty about that.

Rafael dragged out his notebook, feeling a gnawing flutter in his stomach. A pencil quickly followed the notebook onto the desk and he tried to concentrate on the teacher . . . although he had very little idea of what was going on in the class.

A girl whose hair was oddly white in front was sitting next to him. She wasn't . . . bad. Hmmm . . . not at all. Rafael didn't mean to stare, but she caught him doing exactly that, her eyes narrowing into a belligerant glare. "Can I help you?"

"Uh . . . sorry, no." Rafael blushed and looked away, cursing himself. "Sorry."

"I haven't seen you before. New?"

"Yeah, I'm new here. Just moved in from Utah, uh . . . . kind of a change, huh? Uh, I'm Rafael." He smiled sheepishly, trying to ignore the painful knot twisting in his stomach.

The girl snorted and might have said something, but the teacher tapped the top of the video console, scowling at the class and, Rafael thought, him in particular. "This video," the teacher barked, "is about the dangers of non-comformity and why we should all be cheerleaders and football players. Pay attention. This will be on the test and if you flunk that portion of the test, you will be expelled from school." With that, the teacher punched the remote and a garishly pink and blue title flashed on the screen "Being Happy and Popular at School: For Girls and Guys."

Rafael's eyes widened slowly at the title of the video. "You have got to be kidding."

The teacher scowled murderously at him until he bit his lip and averted his eyes -- using the oppurtunity to give the script concealed under his backpack a covert glance. Yeah, it was there all right. [Garishly pink and blue title flashes "Being Happy and Popular at School: For Girls and Guys."]

The girl next to him was audibly fuming. He could oddly make out every word of her mutters. "Stupid school, trying to keep us down. It'd be worth flunking to teach them they can't oppress us like this . . . "

"Uh," he found himself saying, "I don't think this is . . . real -- it has to be a . . ."

"Shut up," she spat, "You're just like them if you aren't angry. You nerds always support the system!"

"Uh . . . " he began, wondering how the girl could be practically shouting and the teacher be totally oblivious. "He can't really expell you, I don't think, for . . ."

"They can do whatever they want. It's horrible! I hate my life!"

"But . . . "

"You don't understand. You think you do, but you don't. No one ever understands! Xavier doesn't understand, Scott doesn't understand!"

"Xa . . . who? Hold on -- who are you?"

"It ain't your business, you creep!"

"Uh . . . okay. Sorry, I . . . "

The girl leapt to her feet, one pale finger pointing imperiously at the teacher, "You force of evil!!!"

The teacher finally looked at her. "What?"

Her imperious finger swung down at Rafael, "See! I'm expelled and it's all your fault!!"

"But . . . "

"Don't you dare give me 'but' you slimy insidious worm!!"

"But you're not . . . "

The teacher ran a hand through his hair, "Uh, it's time to proceed to the . . . gym portion of our class. We'll see the film later."

"I'll kill you, you subversive wretch, as soon as we get outside," the girl hissed through her teeth as she gathered up her books and stalked past him.

Rafael's jaw hung open for a long time before he followed the class out -- almost involuntarily. It would probably be wiser to hide in the bathroom for the rest of the millenium.