Back To School
Not too many days after the incident with X23 Xavier called a meeting. "I have some good news," He told the students and faculty. "We've agreed to a settlement with the arbitrator. Starting Monday the majority of you will be returning to Bayville High for a while."
"A while?" Scott asked.
"Yes," Xavier nodded. "The school board has decided to readmit mutants to Bayville High provided that they do not use their powers. They are going to use this final semester as a test to see if mutants and humans can integrate into high school. I don't think I need to stress how important it is for all of you to be on your best behavior."
"Professor…" Kitty stated. "I'm afraid to go back there. We don't fit in anymore. Everybody hates us."
"I know it will not be easy," Xavier told her. "But in time you will be accepted for everything that you are."
"You said the majority of us were going back," Jesse asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"Jesse, Paige, Jamie I'm afraid to inform the three of you that you will not be joining them," Xavier said. "Jamie because you're still underage and you still need help controlling your powers. As for you two…"
"It's not just because we're new with our powers isn't it?" Jesse sighed.
"I'm afraid not," Xavier shook his head. "The school refuses to admit any new mutants at this time. They think thirteen is more than enough this semester. No other school in the country has mutants openly attending school in such a number. So you can see why all of you need to be on your best behavior and not take any chances."
"Well to be honest I'm kind of relieved," Jesse sighed.
"You still will keep up your studies," Xavier told him. "Forge will tutor you. For obvious reasons he will not be attending school as well."
"The fact that I'm a thirty something year old mutant in teenage body might screw up the transcripts a bit," Forge grinned. "Besides I passed my GED's before I came to the mansion. And I just got my undergraduate degree as well."
"How?" Sam asked.
"Online colleges baby," Forge grinned.
"Lucky stiff," Tabitha groaned.
"I want you all to prepare yourselves and have a good first day back," Xavier said.
"Yeah in other words good luck cause we're gonna need it," Rogue muttered.
***********************************************************************
Logan paced back and forth. "You're going to wear the floor out," Hank observed.
"I'm just on edge that's all," Logan said. "This is the kid's first day back and from what I saw on the news this morning it wasn't pretty." The images of the students of Bayville High taunting the X-Men kept replaying in his mind.
"So how was your first day back?" Logan asked. A chorus of groans and evil stares met him. "That bad huh?"
"Oh no," Rogue said sarcastically. "It was peachy keen! It's so much fun when the entire school hates your guts!"
"When you walk into a room and everybody just stares at you like you just dropped in from another planet it's such a joy," Tabitha grumbled. "I thought the teachers hated me before…"
"Yeah Scott had a run in with Duncan and his cronies," Kurt sighed.
"Good thing Kitty and I got his back while you were cowering behind the wall!" Rogue snapped at him.
"Yeah Kurt tried to hide he was a mutant all day!" Kitty fumed.
"What?" Logan asked.
"Some reason they think I only turn into the Fuzzy Dude," Kurt sighed. "They don't know I'm him 24/7. And I'd like to keep it that way."
"That I can understand," Rogue said. "But you tried to pretend that you weren't a mutant period!"
"Look being normal was the best thing that ever happened to me!" Kurt protested. "I just wasn't ready to give it up yet."
"Well neither were we!" Ray snapped. "But you didn't see us acting like a coward! You wanna hide, go do what Evan did and go to the Morlocks!"
"Cool it!" Scott told them. "Look nothing happened, no one got hurt today. That's the important thing. We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves. We all have enough to deal with so can we try not to make it worse? Okay?"
"I'm sorry Scott," Kurt deactivated his inducer and swished his tail apologetically. "I didn't mean to chicken out on you I just…"
"I know," Scott put his hand on his shoulder. "Besides Duncan was more interested in fighting me personally anyway. He's no real threat anyway with or without his buddies. I know you're scared Kurt and I don't want you to expose yourself any more than you have to. And that goes for all of you. We're trying to keep a low profile as possible."
"Yeah well with all those news cameras that's not gonna happen," Amara groaned. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, thank the gods there's no TV in Nova Roma!"
"Okay is there any one of us who didn't get detention today?" Jean sighed.
"You got detention?" Rogue asked.
"For allegedly cheating in class," Jean groaned. "Just because I knew the answer to a tough problem. Of course he couldn't prove it so he gave me a detention. I can't believe that just last year Mr. Henessey was my favorite teacher and now he hates me."
"They all hate us!" Kitty groaned. "Not one teacher there was willing to give us a break."
"If we were lucky they ignored us in class," Roberto groaned. "Some of them really wanted to humiliate us."
"Yeah you should have seen Mr. Thompson's face when I was able to answer some questions he deliberately made up so he could embarrass me," Tabitha grinned. "I guess hanging around the Misfits when they're arguing about trivia does have it's bright side."
"In other words we all have to work twice as hard as before in order to prove we're just as good as the other students," Kitty groaned.
"Six weeks of this?" Bobby groaned.
"Come on," Scott put his hand on his shoulder. "We just have to put up with it for a little while."
"Easy for you to say," Rogue grumbled. "You and Jean are seniors!"
"I'd be too if it wasn't for those stupid…" Remy muttered something under his breath. "I don't know why I'm putting up with it!"
"So other mutants won't go through with it in the future," Scott told him.
"Yeah well, don't hold your breath," Remy grumbled.
"Wow," Paige blinked. "It sounds really bad."
"I'm glad you ain't going," Sam sighed. "At least that makes me feel a little better."
"Yeah I wish we could stay back at the Institute," Remy grumbled.
"Careful what you wish for Cajun," Logan pointed out. "You just might get it."
The irony of those words did not register in anyone's mind until after the incident the following day.
