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Where Do We Go From Here, chapter 5
Conner had an uneasy feeling. He wasn't sure why, but as Max and he got into the Kent family truck to go to school, he had a feeling that something bad would happen. It was Max's first day at school, and the potential for disaster was high.
Max and Uncle Jonathan went to the office to complete the paperwork for Max's enrollment. Conner thought it was very unfair that Max didn't have to wear glasses yet. Since he wasn't going to be using his powers and he had looked different enough with his long hair and weight loss, it was decided that Max could do without glasses. It also helped that Match was not widely known.
He was getting settled in homeroom when he heard one of his classmates say, "Have you seen that new girl? She's hot!"
Conner resolved to keep an eye out for this new girl. Maybe the day wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Yeah, she's hot even though she dresses a bit tomboyish," another one said. "She came with Kent; think she's a relative of his or something?"
Conner wanted to put his head in his hands and groan. He knew he should have stayed in bed. Thankfully, talk returned to the usual topics of people trying to finish homework and making plans for when school ended.
In his first class (English), the teacher announced that they would put on a production of Romeo and Juliet. Normally, Conner would be okay with this except the class was going to be combined with another one and there were twice as many students as parts. The teachers had decided that they would put Romeo and Juliet on as done in Shakespeare's days, that is, with an entirely male cast. The girls would put on A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Everybody had to give a brief sample to see what part they'd be assigned. Conner went first and gave a decent sample. However, he was horrified to see that every other boy was being purposely bad. Nobody wanted to do well and get cast as Juliet, not even the drama-oriented boys.
Near the end of class, he heard someone whisper, "There's the new girl!"
Conner turned to see Max handing his schedule to the teacher. He was immediately prompted to give his sample, and he gave a pretty good one. The bell rang after he finished, and the teachers announced that parts would be posted by the end of the day. Max went over to Conner.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"We're giving a performance of Romeo and Juliet. I think you nailed one of the lead roles."
Max blinked. "I wasn't that good."
"Sure you were. You weren't here to see it, but the others were being bad on purpose. Let me see your schedule."
Conner took a glance at it. It was the same as his.
"Come on, we've got math next."
One of the boys went up to Max and asked, "Would you like me to carry your books for you?"
Max blinked in confusion, and Conner started to drag him off.
"Sorry, we're going to be late," Conner apologized.
On the way to class, Max asked, "Why did he want to carry my books? Is this some kind of joke or was he being nice?"
"He thought you were a girl."
"Oh."
"You're taking this calmly."
"I guess I should cut my hair."
They got to class right before the bell rang, and Max showed his schedule to the teacher before retreating to a seat by Conner. He was quiet in class but seemed to understand things fine.
These events basically repeated themselves until lunch. While the two were eating, a couple of the popular girls came up to them.
"We're here to welcome you to Smallville High," one of them addressed Max.
"I love your hair," the other gushed. "Is it your natural color?"
"Thank you," Max said. "It is."
"And I know we've just met, but you're a big topic here. Where are you from? Do you have a boyfriend from your old school? Have you considered how good you'd look in a pale pink dress?"
Max paused before answering. "I'm from the northern part of New York. I'm not dating anyone at the moment. I don't wear dresses because I'm a man."
The two girls were shocked at this news. "No way!"
"It's true."
"But, but your hair! Your figure!"
"I was in an accident recently," he explained. "My hair grew out while I was recovering. I also dropped a lot of weight I haven't put back on yet."
The two girls walked off, still stunned.
"Do I look that much like a girl?" he asked Conner.
Conner considered the question. "Yeah, I guess you do. Which is scary because it means if I lost the weight and grew my hair long, I would too."
"I suppose I had better make sure that all my teachers are aware."
Conner nodded. "Especially the English teacher. She's casting parts in the play."
After finishing eating, Max went off to do that while Conner reviewed the physics chapter. He had a test next period and wanted to do well on it.
After a time, Max came back. "Our English teacher was very happy. She said that it made things so much easier."
Conner would have responded, but the bell rang indicating that lunch was over. "Physics class is next."
Conner wondered briefly how Max would do on the test without any studying. He hoped that the teacher wouldn't count it or would let him do a makeup test.
The last class of the day was gym. There was a little commotion in the locker room as some hadn't heard about Max. He had to state "I'm a man" a couple more times.
At the end of the day, the two went to see what their assigned roles in Romeo and Juliet were. Conner had mixed feelings on being cast as Romeo. On one hand, he was happy to have done well. On the other hand, it meant he would have to put a lot of work into it.
They had to go see the teacher one by one, so Conner was flipping through the script while waiting for Max to receive his assigned part. Conner looked up as he left the room.
"What part did you get?" he asked. He had already told Max that he had gotten Romeo.
"Juliet," Max answered.
Conner stared. "I guess you won't be cutting your hair then."
The Kents were delighted to hear that the two were cast as the leads in the play. Actually, they were a little tentative when they first heard Max was cast as Juliet, but when it was explained that it was an all-male cast like in Shakespeare's time, the apprehension turned to delight.
After dinner was finished and the dishes were washed, Max excused himself and went to his room. When Conner entered, Max hastily wiped his eyes and turned away.
"You're crying," Conner said softly, not wanting to alert the Kents. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Max sniffed, an obvious lie.
Conner closed the door and put a hand on Max's shoulder. He was trembling. He turned Max around to look him in the face.
"What's wrong?" he repeated. "I'm here for you."
"I can't do this," Max said softly. "Everybody's been so nice, but all the people...I'm not strong enough to do this."
"You're overwhelmed," Conner said, surprised. "It is a lot to take in, and it's happened so fast."
"I can't deal with people. I don't know how to do it."
Conner hugged Max. "It's okay. You'll learn how to do it. I'm here for you. You don't have to do it alone."
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