Well, here it is: the beginning of the end. For me, two days remain of my freshman year of high school. This chapter will be based a lot on what happens here, as ALL of my work in this story is...earlier I told you that it was about 3 weeks before the end of the year. Well, in order to move things along, I had to bump it up so that for our beloved TNG crew, 5 days remain of school. So, this being one of the last chapters, read on.

[It's during lunch and Beverly is in the restroom, well, using it. She's almost finished as a janitor approaches her stall.]

[Janitor opens stall.]

Beverly: What the hell?

Janitor: I need that toilet paper miss.

Beverly: Why?

Janitor: Budget cuts.

Beverly: But I'm not done.

Janitor: I noticed. Here, I'll be nice and give you one square.

[Rips of a square of toilet paper and hands it to Beverly. Beverly just stares at it in her hand.]

Janitor: Have a good day!

[Janitor leaves restroom. A few minutes later, Beverly leaves also and goes to her table.]

Jean-Luc: Beverly, you look stunned. What happened in there?

Beverly: They took the toilet paper.

Will: All of it?

Beverly: Everything except one square.

Deanna: The janitor must be in a good mood.

[Tasha, Data, Geordi, and Guinan come back from being in the lunch line.]

Guinan (amazed): They didn't give me my change.

Tasha: Hey, where's my drink?

Geordi: This ain't cool. [Geordi pulls the bun off of his hamburger. All can see that the only thing on the bun is some moldy ketchup.]

Data: They refused to acknowledge my need for condiments.

Tasha: Data, you don't even have a burger.

Guinan: Well still...

Jean-Luc: They are making significant cuts in order to stabilize the budget.

[Jean-Luc, ever informed, whips out a newspaper with an article entitled "TNG-LOSING MONEY?"]

Jean-Luc: It reads: 'Once one of the "richer" school districts in the county, TNG has lost all of its money. How, though, has yet to be answered. Many residents of Paramount County are questioning if perhaps the influx of money was used to refurbish the football field, get a parking lot for the football field, or give the football staff higher pay. Irate residents claim "the administrators only care about football." School board president Rick Berman refutes the accusations, saying, "We do NOT care only about football. We NEEDED to renovate the four-year old field. We NEEDED to get an additional parking lot to compliment the other two. And finally, we NEEDED to increase Coach Braga's pay, for he has stayed loyally with us for the past three years. It was time."'

'Only time will tell if TNG can fix it's problems. Until then, inhabitants of Paramount County are going to complain much louder.'

[Our entire cast of characters sits blankly as Jean-Luc finishes.]

Deanna: That article makes it sound as if the students don't care.

[Everything stops. You know the drill, in comes Q.]

Q: A protest will liven up THIS story.

[A female enters and approaches Q.]

FQ: Q, as your wife and mental stability, please return to the Continuum.

Q: Never!

FQ: The council is worried you might do something...something dangerous.

Q: I won't. Just let me stay until the end of the school year.

FQ: I'm worried. You haven't yelled at our son in days.

Q: He hasn't come to get yelled at.

FQ: You know what? I'm through with you! I'll let the council deal with this one.

[Female Q leaves in an angry huff.]

Q: Back to the old grind.

[Q leaves and initiates the flow of time.]

Guinan: We should protest. This is ridiculous.

Will: Yeah, for the toilet paper using man's sake.

Deanna: What about the toilet paper using WOMAN?

[Will pauses.]

Will: Uh...you too.

[Deanna nods. Geordi makes whip-cracking sound.]

Jean-Luc: Stop squabbling.

Data: I am not babbling.

[Jean-Luc hits his head with his hand.]

Beverly: I'll get everyone I know to do it!

Tasha: Um, Bev, we ARE everyone you know.

Geordi: Ouch.

[Worf, who has been quiet the entire time, speaks.]

Worf: It is not honorable to "short-change" someone, or to protest. Are we sure we want to do this?

Beverly: Yes. Still...okay, we'll do it alone.

[They begin to use the rest of lunch to plan their protest.]

Disclaimer: I think my disclaimer is spelled out earlier in the story...i.e., during the newspaper article.

(Yeah, it's a short one. I just feel to lazy today to come up with anything else, so be happy. Besides, the more chapters, the happier you are right? Besides, my work will be of higher quality if I spread it out. Sorry it took so long to add on, but I've been busy. Happy trails!)