Disclaimer: Despite my interest of the series I haven't been keeping up with the episodes because of the constant change in their time and the station of airing. I also am under the impression that the series has been cancelled (I shall mull about this later). But they are playing in syndication somewhere sometime. Due to my lack of attention I might get some stuff wrong. For all of those nitpickers out there that see my story as way way off from what the series left off as: neener neener neener, this is my story, ha!

Chapter Two: Dead Frogs, Stubbed toes and an Invite

It was ironic, in all that had happened to him in the past year, of all of the foes he had fought and all of the battles he had been a part of coming back to school seemed like such a daunting task. He snickered at his own inadequacy. When had he ever been inadequate? Always. But when had he ever shown his inadequacy? Ach, never! Still, as he held his schedule in his hologram hands, it seemed daunting.

He was a junior now. But the name meant nothing to him. It only meant yet another year of pretending to be "normal" as defined by everyone around him. It meant another year of seeing all of those who he held dear to him be glared at by the others while he was safe behind his holographic form. He sighed.

"Ach!" he exclaimed at the sudden push he received from behind. A boy with a shaved head brought him out of his own thoughts. No, he corrected his perception, a girl with a shaved head.

The girl turned apologetically towards him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm just a little...I'm sorry. I don't-actually maybe you could help me." She flustered about some more until she settled on his eyes with a pleading look.

"Ja," he said, a little disoriented himself, "Are you new here?"

"Kinda," she flustered again looked around at the crowded hallway and rubbed the back of her shaved hair self-consciously, "I sort of dropped out. I'm going for it again," she said with faked enthusiasm. "I was actually wondering if you could direct me towards room..." she looked down at her own schedule which was in less than perfect shape, folded and refolded until exhaustion. "Ugh, uh...201?"

Slightly amused at her ability to get agitated by a simple question he smirked at her, "Ja...that's right down zere..." his two fingered point lead her to the end of the hall, "Right beside zhe water fountain."

"Thanks," she said sincerely tucking a red dyed bit of hair around her ear. In truth it was three colors. The roots of her natural color, which was very dark, the bleached part and the half red dye job sat like a rainbow down the string of hair. It was quite a feat to pull off in a world of appearances such as high school. "I'm India," she held out a hand, which Kurt hesitated at.

"Kurt," he said in nervous courteousness his own hand inches away from hers.

"India!" screamed a slightly overweight red headed girl down the hall. Kurt breathed as India's hand jerked away from his to wave at her friend.

"Sorry," she said, "I'll talk to you later, Kurt!" To Kurt's surprise she lay a hand on his arm causing him to gasp. Did she feel the deception underneath his hologram? She turned around confused as her hand lingered. The mutant panicked.

"India!" yelled the girl down the hall that Kurt was slowly becoming extremely thankful of. "Hurry up, we're going to be late. We have first period together remember?"

"Right," she said back, "I'll...uh...talk to you later, Kurt." She wasn't even aware that she had already said that. "It was nice to meet you," she whispered still confused. Finally she removed her hand and rushed down the hall.

Kurt breathed out until his lungs were fully deflated. He put his palm up to his forehead. How the heck was he going to explain this? What would happen if he saw her again? His brain worked full power as he made his way to his first class.

'I have a skin condition...no. It's a magic trick, I use it for all of the new comers...wow that was really stupid. This is all just a dream...just a dream. Quick! Look over there, Elvis!' the imagined excuses just kept getting worse. Perhaps if he hadn't been worrying so much he wouldn't have stubbed his toe, which caused the entire class to turn their heads.

"Ach!...Who put that chair there?" he said laughing nervously, "Those zings just pop out of nowhere don't zhey?" He sunk down into his seat with a whimper, toe throbbing.

*

The smell of formaldehyde reached up her nostrils. It reeked from every orifice of the biology room. The walls were stained yellow as if to reflect the disgust that she felt. She looked down for the second time in disbelief. It was the first day of school for pete sakes. Why in the hell did she have the equivalent to road kill on the small black lab table in front of her?

She looked up at the black on white clock that slowly ticked on the wall in the front of the classroom. Three thirty was so painfully close and she hadn't touched her frog once. She hoped that if she just kept looking at the clock then it wouldn't matter, but when has anyone ever been so lucky?

"Is there a problem Ms. Scarbough?" The name made India cringe when said by her skinny pale teacher with dry red hair.

India did not look up from her intense study of the clock face, "I'm a vegetarian."

She could hear the tiny bony body beside her rattle with a strong breath. "Ms. Scarbough, I realize that this is your second time around," it was if the words gave the teacher a sour taste in her mouth, "so I am going to say this only once. If you do not join in the exploration of your frog with the rest of the class..."

"I know. I'm sorry," India finally looked across to her counterpart. The bell rang suddenly, "But I've got to go now..." she said hurriedly, "I can make this up?"

There was another rattling breath, "Only this once."

She smiled as she raced out of the door into the fresher air of the hallway. In truth the high school hallway was not much better where smells were concerned. Overbearing cologne from insecure guys mixed with horrid body spray scents like cotton candy and bubble gum reeked from the students that passed her. B.O. was sprinkled in by those who had not yet discovered the joys of deodorant. Somehow the smell of lunch from the cafeteria had wafted down the hallway creating a kaleidoscope of smells that would drive a dog to insanity.

India rushed through the crowd of awkward teenagers disappointed, for a moment, that many were taller than she even though she was older. Spying red hair she ran for it through groups of jock arms and a forest of cheerleader legs. She grabbed the soft arm and brought Sandra out of the chaos for a moment.

"India," she cried, her cheeks redder due to the gathered heat from bodies trying to escape from the confines of the small brick school. "How did you like high school?"

"It never changes, Sandy. I don't think it ever will." It was true. She had gotten the same strange looks before she dropped out because of her appearance. She was treated with the same caution of a teenager that must be high all of the time. There must have been some secret rule that if a student's hair is a certain color then that student must be some sort of delinquent. It also didn't help matters much that she was known as "the drop out" by all of her teachers and many students.

"I think it's great that you're coming back though," Sandra said bouncing with glee. The crowd in the hallways had let out a bit. The only ones that were left now were scraggly freshmen rushing to buses that were probably long gone. India watched as the nervous lower-classmen rushed through the hallways with their oversized backpacks causing them to bend over like little turtles.

"You know what tomorrow is!" Sandra interrupted India's thoughts. She smiled; she had completely forgotten that tomorrow was Friday.

*

There she was, talking to her red haired friend. Perhaps if he just slinked by she would not notice him there. Could he avoid her the rest of the year? Sure he could.

"Hey! Kurt!" He sighed at her voice. Next time he had to remember that if he was going to fall asleep in math then he should tell someone to wake him up before the bell rung.

He listened to the pairs of footsteps echoing among the now empty halls of the school. He could teleport. This was always his first instinct. He had learned to ignore it but the idea was always tempting.

Slightly out of breath from the jog India beamed at the young boy, "I was wondering if you would want to come to my apartment tomorrow."

Oddly enough India's friends face mirrored Kurt's in shock.

"Oh, this is Sandra..." India said ignoring the looks that she was getting. "So can you come?"

It was weird how in times of stress one's senses became better. For instance, Kurt didn't smell the formaldehyde on India until this moment. Somehow he couldn't imagine the girl cutting up dead animals. "Actually, I really shouldn't. I mean...I could...but-"

"It's okay," India waved it off but there was some regret that flickered in her dark eyes that made Kurt a bit guilty. Not for the first time Kurt started to panic. "But think about it?"

"Sure."

They stood for a moment before India walked away, Sandra trailing behind her. "It was nice to meet you, Kurt," Sandra called.

"Nice to meet you too," Kurt said turning around and sighing only to gasp at the sight of a small girl clad in pink behind him.

"Kitty!" he exclaimed, "You surprised me."

"Like, what was that all about?" She held her books up to her chest. If one were to look closely there was a hint of jealousy mixed in a seemingly innocent question. Kurt was too busy with his own thoughts to notice.

"Chicks dig the fuzzy dude." The anthem of Kurt seemed a little trepidated.

"Riight," Kitty jested.

"Oh come on," Kurt insisted, his mood lightening a bit. "You know you can't resist my charm and good looks!" He smiled cheesily as he rested an arm around the young girls neck.

"As much as I can resist a slug!" she exclaimed

"You love me, admit it," he continued bantering as she walked out the door.

"As if," she said, though, unlike the former years, Kurt knew that this was all in jest. It was a game they played, a dance of star-crossed lover and unwilling participant. The banter continued into the distance toward the school's broken parking lot.

***

Author's Note: Granted, this wasn't the best chapter I've ever created.