Okay, roxy-sweetie93... part of this chapter may look familiar. Let me say now, yes, it was from your suggestion... as for the other part of the suggestion... well, I want to do that too, so you just might see that later in the story. We'll see. Okay... may as well make this author's note worthwhile. Listening to "There's No 'I' in Team" by Taking Back Sunday... okay, 3, 2, 1... make chapter go now!

"I'm still mad at you," Keely said to Phil, as the two walked down the hall.

"Why?" Phil asked.

"Because you said I had a drug problem. Or implied it, anyway. Which I don't..."

"I just… I just noticed that you've been acting a bit differently lately, that's all."

Keely frowned. "Whatever, Phil," she said. Keely walked into the video productions lab, and Phil was about to follow when he ran into Via in the doorway.

"Hey," she smiled. Phil laughed nervously after they unsuccessfully tried to pass each other. Via threw her head back and sighed. Then, a look of curiosity spread across her face. "Phil," she said, gesturing to the doorframe, "do you see that?"

"Yeah… that weed grew back," Phil said, taking the mistletoe in his hand, and throwing it on the ground. They heard a laugh come from the other side of the room.

"What?" the two asked Keely.

"Do you guys even know what mistletoe is?"

They didn't. Mistletoe wasn't around in the 22nd century.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Keely muttered. "When you bump into somebody under the mistletoe, you're supposed to kiss."

"What's a 'mistle'?" Phil asked.

"Isn't that one of those weapons launched from a pad?" Via responded. "Like a rocket?"

"They have toes?"

"I don't know… I think she's a bit nutty."

"I'm not crazy," Keely protested. "The mistletoe is the plant Phil just threw away…"

"That's a plant? I thought it was a weed that took root in the roof or something…" Phil muttered.

"Well… it's a parasite, really, but… you're supposed to kiss if two people are standing underneath it…"

"Why?" they both asked. Via continued, "You said yourself it's a parasite; why would you kiss under it? What's the meaning?"

"I don't know! Jeez, I can't believe you don't know about this…" Of course, Keely didn't know that Via was from the future, nor did she know that the mistletoe plant was wiped out in 2068.

"It's just…" Keely said, picking up the plant, and putting it back in its place, "it's so weird that you didn't know that…"

"Not our fault," Via muttered, as Phil walked to the door. Owen came in, and he stopped in the doorway, seeing that Phil was about to leave.

"Do we have to kiss now?" Phil said, laughing.

"Just, go, Phil… you're too weird," Keely muttered. "And remember- you're helping me with my math homework after school.."

"I remember…"

Keely sat in her room. Phil had called, saying he'd be a few minutes late.

She absentmindedly twirled her cane between her fingers, pondering…

Just had to happen to me, didn't it, she thought, popping a pill into her mouth. Now I won't be able to walk on my own for the rest of my life… that's just great…

Why couldn't she be like anybody else? Why couldn't she have full mobility? Why did she, the picture of health, get deep vein thrombosis?

Ashley told Phil that Keely was in her room as Keely stood up.

She tossed her cane across the room onto her bed.

I used to be able to do this? Why can't I now? she wondered, as she took a step forward with her left leg. That was easy. However, the one with muscle death wasn't the same.

Phil came in as she pitched forward. He barely snagged her before she hit the ground. "What are you doing?" Phil asked.

"Don't ask," Keely replied, sitting on her bed, grabbing her leg, which was now in searing pain.

"Have you… taken any… lately?" Phil asked, looking at her pained expression.

I shouldn't… I just took some… she thought.

To hell with it, her leg screamed out. I don't need this pain.

"Thanks for reminding me," Keely said, hesitantly taking another.

"Well… guess we should get to work on that homework," Phil sighed, taking out his binder. Keely nodded, and took her binder out of her backpack.

Maybe Phil was right… just maybe… her mind kept nagging her. After a while, Keely was tired of her mind talking to her, and said aloud, "That's ridiculous!" She looked at Phil, fearfully.

"No, see," Phil said, thinking she was referring to the problem, "you forgot to take the square root of both sides right here…"

"Oh…" Keely covered. "Right… thanks." She breathed a sigh of relief as they got back to work.

Had lotsa homework, my pretties... sorry it took long to update... (heheh... for me, over 24 hours is long...)