A guidance counsellor swipes through several slides of a student's document on his Mompad. He wears a modern suit of a shiny green fabric, and his hair is combed neatly back, his face shaved. He pulls a puzzled expression as he reads the document.

The door swished open as a teenage girl with the biggest bluest eyes, hair of the colour fuchsia, with orange peekaboo, and warm freckles, walked in. Her fringe was slightly licked upward, and was long and layered. She wore a baby pink shirt, a belt, with baggy black pants, and (colour) platform boots. She wore a LoJack-O-Mater on her wrist. She held a binder graffitied with drawings of planets and ships.

"Sorry I'm late sir." She says.

"Hello, nice to see you, Sherri." says the counsellor. He places the Mompad on his desk. He gestures toward the seat in front of him. She sits down, and places her folder in her lap.

"Turanga Sherri Fry." she says proudly, clasping her hands and resting them on her folder. The counsellor shows no expression for a moment, before looking Sherri up and down in a judgemental way.

You don't look like a mutant. He thinks to himself. He sighs.

"And what are you hoping to do when you graduate?" He leans back in his chair.

Sherri thinks for a moment.

"I will be a ship captain just like my mother." she pauses for a moment, before continuing.

"My mother owns Planet Express, across town… She might let me take over eventually I guess?" Sherri nervously looks down.

"It's a delivery company."

"Hmm." the counsellor thinks for a moment.

"Can you fly ships yet? Do you have your licence?"

Sherri nods.

"Yep. Just last week I passed my final test." she continues proudly, "Mom lets me go out on Fridays and Saturdays now on my own."

The counsellor nods, picking up the Mompad again to look at her file.

"Hmm, well it seems that your grades are average."

He pinches the screen, holding it closer to his face, looking confused.

"Is this a mistake? It seems-"

"Yes, that is my father's age." Sherri smiles falsely at him.

Gleesh, I should just write a show about Dad. She drops her smile, while looking down again.

"He's biologically 49 if that helps."

The counsellor nods, still slightly confused.

"Interesting Sherri. And it says your mother is a mutant as well." He stares at her for a moment, still trying to find something wrong with her..

Sherri rolls her eyes.

Does he want proof of a giant leg coming out of my neck ? She thinks to herself.

"Ugh." She scowls. "What does this have to do with what I want to do after school?"

The counsellor clears his throat, and turns off the Mompad.

"Have you considered college instead, Sherri?"

He sits forward in his chair.

"Yes, and I'm good."

"Mars University seems like a college you could get into."

"Yeah… no thanks." Sherri feels slightly frustrated. "My Dad dropped out of Mars University anyway…

I think."

The counsellor smiles falsely at her, staring at the clock on the wall.

"Alright then Sherri I'm afraid that's all the time we have left." He gets up from his desk, before shoving his hand in front of her. Sherri stands up. She shakes his hand, holding her binder in her other hand, feeling bewildered.

"Thanks Sherri." He says lamely, before sitting down again and flicking through other students' profiles on his Mompad. He sips his coffee. Sherri makes her way out of the office.

Sherri walks down the hallway, staring at the floor. She hears alien languages being taught in one classroom, and robot hygiene being lectured in another as she makes her way down the corridor. She arrives at her locker and scans her lock with her LoJack-a-Mater. It opens, with a few empty Slurm cans spilling out loudly in the quiet corridor. She picks them up and throws them in the nearest hovering trash can.

She stares into her locker. A few cans of unopened Slurm, a jacket, notes, drawings and a holographic photo frame and a Mompad accumulate. She sighs, and opens a fresh can of Slurm. She sips it, thinking, What an ass. Spleesh! Why can't some teachers accept the fact I don't want to go to University? She puts the can on her locker shelf. She smiles to herself for a moment, ' My Dad dropped out of Mars University anyway... I think.' Why did I say that? Oh Lord. She clasps her face feeling embarrassed. She takes a swig of Slurm before closing her locker door. One more class then I can be free… She sighs. The bell rings. She begins making her way to class.

-

As the final bell rings, Sherri makes her way down her school's entrance steps. She stops at the end of the stairs, checking her LoJack-a-Mater for the time and for any messages. A teenage Neptunian girl runs down the stairs to Sherri holding a few textbooks in one set of arms, and a coffee cup and binder in the other. She wears a dark turquoise jumper with purple stripes on the arms, a purple shirt underneath, a blue skirt, with knee high purple platform boots. Her hair is long, black and wavy with a thick fringe.

"Sherri! Hold up!" She catches up to Sherri and they begin walking.

Sherri turns off her LoJack and lowers her arm.

"Sorry, Perlo. It's just that if I don't get back to Planet Express soon, Mom will think I'm in the sewers like I was last week."

"What's wrong with the sewers?" Perlo sips her coffee. A hover car whizzes by.

Sherri sighs.

"She wants me to visit my Grandpa and Grandma nearly every week because they're my only grandparents."

Perlo looks confused.

"But what's wrong with that?"

"I want to do other stuff! Besides, Martin Luther Thing High is really dodgy. There's a guy there who has a crush on me and always somehow knows I'm there most Fridays. He's always asking if I'm at their house apparently!"

Perlo laughs.

"Spleesh! Okay yeah you've mentioned him before. He does sound creepy, especially the arms."

Sherri frowns.

"No, it's not that, it's his heavy breathing, and obsession with me." She turns her face away from Perlo, pretending to be looking at something else.

Not cool Perlo, some of us are still part mutant.

They walk under a billboard selling squid juice. Sherri feels a tiny panic in her chest.

Oh God, and some of us could get squidification too.

"Oh and Grandma is always asking me about Dad. She still doesn't like the fact Mom is with him."

Sherri rolls her eyes. Perlo finishes her coffee and throws it in the trash with a loud thud.

"I hate it when Grandparents go on about your own parents like that." says Perlo.

An old and rusty robot stumbles out from behind the trash can, looking furious. "HEY! Who threw that?" he yells. Perlo hides behind Sherri.

"Sorry!" Perlo grins, trying to act innocent. Sherri rolls her eyes.

"Give me your money!" He says, in a rough New New Yorker accent.

Sherri glares at him.

"No. Now leave us alone!"

Sherri pulls Perlo by one of her arms and tries to walk away. The robot takes out a knife, and grabs Sherri, holding the knife near her neck. Perlo gasps, but cautiously stands back.

"Hey!" Perlo yells. "Okay, okay, look, uh… I might have a few dollars on me." Perlo reaches into her skirt

pockets.

In an angry fit, Sherri quickly grabs his arm holding the knife and flips him onto his front with a loud clunk, and pulls his arm behind his back onto the ground. She stomps her boot onto his back. Panting, she pulls the knife from his hand.

"You should be more careful." She says, frustrated and trying to catch her breath. The robot groans, glitching and sparking. She kicks the robot before grabbing Perlo by one of her arms again and running away.

They slow down after a while.

"How did you do that Sher? That was amazing!" Perlo asks.

"My Mom taught me martial arts and self defence." Sherri smiles. "She's pretty cool like that."

"That is really cool. I wonder if she'll teach me." Perlo smiles too.

"My Mom taught me when I was a kid. She used to just teach me different moves." Sherri smoothes out her shirt.

"My Dad is useless with that stuff. He's always preoccupied with work." Perlo says, feeling jealous.

"Yeah, so was my Mom most of the time. I actually have more memories with my Dad playing with me or watching TV with me n' stuff. But anyway, my Mom isn't as nimble as she used to be, but you can always get classes, Perlo." Sherri says.

They stop outside a food shop named PURPLE SLUG. Perlo nods.

"Hey, my Dad made spice weasel biscuits last night, wanna come in and have a few?" Perlo half opens the door, standing in the doorway.

"Nah, I'm ok. I'm gonna head home." Sherri gestures behind her. Perlo nods.

"See you Monday then ?" Perlo smiles.

"Yep. See ya. And be careful who you throw your trash at, Perlo." Sherri jokes and waves, slowly walking away. Perlo waves and closes the door.

Sherri uses the Tube Station to Planet Express.

-

Sherri puts her bag on the chair next to her. Fry, Sherri's Dad, is asleep on the couch, his feet on the coffee table with the TV on. Sherri rolls her eyes. This man can sleep anywhere. She sits next to him. A rerun of All My Circuits is on the TV. She gently shakes him. "Dad?"

He snores, waking up slowly before yawning.

"Huh?" He looks around confused for a second before adjusting. He hugs her before sitting up, lifting his feet off the table.

"Hey, how was school?" he smiles at her.

Sherri shrugs. "Eh, it was okay. A robot tried to mug Perlo and I when we were walking home."

Fry immediately looks worried and wide awake.

"What?! Are you alright?"

He grabs her by her arms.

"Yeah! I totally kicked his ass! It was so cool! He was an older model anyway." Sherri says proudly.

Fry still looks worried.

"Well, I'm glad that you're okay." He says, unconvinced.

Sherri pulls away from him, frowning.

I wish he didn't worry so much about Mom and I.

"Aren't you glad I fought him all by myself?" Sherri's face falls.

If anything Mom and I are worried about you sometimes.

"Well, yeah. But what if you got hurt? I wouldn't have been there to save you." Fry grabs Sherri's hands. "Be careful Sherri."

Sherri pulls her hands away, folding her arms.

"I am Dad, spluh." Sherri stands up. "Aren't you proud I stand up for myself?"

"Of course I am. I just want to make sure that you're careful out there." Fry then folds his arms.

She takes a deep breath.

"I can take care of myself Dad."

Looking worried and annoyed, he sits back.

No one messes with my daughter! He thinks angrily to himself.

Sherri quickly changes the subject. "Where's Mom?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." his expression relaxes, like he forgot the conversation.

"Is she on a delivery?" Sherri makes her way to the door.

"I 'unno." Fry shrugs.

"I'm gonna say hi." Sherri says, leaving. She enters the conference room.

"Mom?" Sherri yells.

"Sherri?" Sherri's Mom yells back. "I'm over here!" Sherri looks puzzled. Where? There's like a million ships here now.

She makes her way down to the ships that are parked. She sees her mother, Leela, Sherri's mother, is clearing up buckets from washing the ship. Leela's hair is pulled back into a practical bun.

"Hi Mom." says Sherri.

"Hi Sweetie." Leela kisses her forehead. They make their way to the kitchenette.

"Ugh, just once would your father stop falling asleep in front of the TV." Leela says, washing her hands.

"I have to do nearly everything around here."

Leela angrily dries her hands. She sighs.

"Can you feed Nibbler for me?" Leela pulls out a can of food from the fridge and puts it on the counter.

"I doubt Fry remembered that too." She mutters to herself.

Sherri places the can onto the can opener and turns it on. Leela smirks to herself for a second, as she gets a coffee from the machine.

"Y'know Bender got cut open once on that thing."

Sherri laughs. "Really ?" Sherri imagines it.

"That must've been horrible for him." Leela sips her coffee.

"Not really, he got to tour with Beck after that actually. Oh and your Dad bought this ancient hippie van and we all followed him on the tour!" Leela smiles reminiscing.

"The stuff you and Dad used to do…" Sherri shakes her head.

She dumps Nibbler's food into a bowl. Nibbler scampers towards the bowl, and devours it, making loud, slobbery eating noises.

Sherri leans on the counter next to her mom.

"Mom?" Sherri asks.

Leela smiles, "Yes?"

Sherri looks away. "What are Dad's parents like?"

Leela sips her coffee again. "Well, you're actually named after your Dad's mom."

"I am ?" Sherri looks surprised. She decides she likes this new information.

Leela looks disheartened. "I would've loved to have met them physically, and not in dream form."

Sherri looks up. "Wait, you did meet them ?!"

Leela frowns. "In a way, yes… but technically no. I don't think they'd like me anyway, as there weren't any mutants in your dad's time." She sighs.

"Oh." Sherri puts her hands in her pockets, leaning on the counter ledge.

Fry enters the room, and opens the fridge, taking out two cans of slurm. He hands a can to Sherri and opens his own can. Sherri opens her can before sipping it.

"I don't like you guys drinking that stuff you know." Leela gives Fry a dirty look.

Fry and Sherri mischievously grin at each other.

"Dad, what was your Mom and Dad like?" Sherri asks.

"Uh," Fry scratches his head. "Well, my Dad was ok I guess, I got on better with my Mom though." Fry guzzles the Slurm in one go and throws the can away.

"We named you after my Mom." Fry smiles, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sherri decides to sit on the countertop. "What was she like?"

"Well, she was big into sports, uh, she used to wear this cheese hat when she supported the Green Ball Packers." Fry's whole expression turns wistful. Leela rubs his shoulder. "Aw, I know you miss her." Says Leela.

Fry watches Nibbler eating as he slouches next to the fridge. Leela gestures cutting her throat, as a sign of changing the topic. Sherri feels ashamed, and desperately thinks of a different topic.

"Uh, Mom, I fought a guy in the street today!" Sherri blurts out, immediately regretting it. Sherri grins at Leela, trying to pretend it's normal.

"And did you kick his ass?" Leela puts her empty mug in the sink.

"Was he heckling or mugging?" Leela says. Fry checks the fridge for more food.

"Well,Perlo threw her coffee in the trash, and it landed on some homeless robot." Sherri fiddles with the metal tag on her Slurm. "He pulled this knife on me then, looking for money-" she says.

"For money?" Fry closes the fridge door, and folds his arms, standing in front of her.

"Yeah! And Perlo was gonna pay him, even though she never has money on her. So I grabbed his arm and flipped him into the pavement and took the knife off him, like how you showed me." She uses big hand gestures before smiling at Leela. Leela nods, smiling too, approving.

"That's my girl." She says softly, as she admires Sherri's hair.

Fry scowls.

"Leela. We're not going to tell her to be more careful? What if she died or something?!" He says.

"No. Because she can handle the situation. I'd like to think I prepared her enough for that."

Leela shakes her head. "I didn't teach her those moves all those times when you were watching TV with Bender for nothing." Leela rolls her eye.

"I'm glad you didn't get hurt though, Sher."

Fry gets frustrated.

"No fair. I taught her loads of things too." He says.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Leela smirks.

Sherri sighs. "Guys not now."

Fry looks hurt.

It's an off week for them again. Gleesh. "You're both great, you both taught me stuff, parents teach their kids stuff all the time! And I'm still alive, no scratches, see? So Dad, chill out!" Sherri gestures to her perfect neck and smiles. She finishes her Slurm and puts it on the counter next to her.

"Also, the guidance counselor was being so rude with me today." She says.

Fry's expression relaxes.

Sherri continues. " Every. Time. Someone at school has to say something about Dad's age, or it's 'mutant mom' or 'where's your one eye?' It's so annoying." Sherri shakes her head. "He was so rude. And it was like he was searching for the extra leg or the gills or something, he stared at me all judgy."

Sherri feels annoyed while talking about it.

"Just cuz' I don't have Mom's eye."

Leela rubs Sherri's shoulder. "I know, and I'm kind of glad, because you've missed out on a lot of bullying that I had to go through in the orphanarium." Leela looks at Fry's expression. He also looks concerned.

"But I'd love you either way, even if you had three eyes or tentacles or whatever." Leela says.

Fry nods, looking slightly proud. "Blessed with my dominant gene thingy of two eyes." He says.

Leela glares at him.

"One eye can also be a blessing." Fry considers this for a moment.

"Eh," he shrugs. "Even if you were bright green and had a gazillion eyes I'd still love both of you."

Suddenly they hear laughter in the distance. "You?! The dominant gene? Ha!" Bender enters the room, holding a cigar. "You couldn't dominate a whole planet!" He puffs from his cigar.

"I was king of a planet once." Says Fry. Bender's expression falls.

"Oh. Right."

"Hi Bender." says Sherri.

Leela nods at him before leaving to get something.

"Hi Squirt. Welp. I'm out of here, I've got, uh… stuff to do." He opens his compartment door and pulls out a beer.

"Hey, uh Fry are you coming over tonight?" Bender says, taking a swig.

"Oh, sorry buddy I promised Leela. It's date night." says Fry.

Sherri makes fake retching noises as she gets off the counter and picks up Nibbler before leaving with him.

"Aww, man we used to do stuff together, Fry. Ever since-" says Bender.

The door swishes closed behind Sherri as Nibbler makes happy noises. Sherri feels sorry for Bender, and wonders what it was like when it was just the three of them. Sherri shrugs, petting Nibbler. Nibbler purrs.

Maybe they just hung around like that all the time, doing boring stuff like washing ships and feeding Nibbler.

-