Wow, er...hey there guys! It's been a really long time, hasn't it? Since...last June, I think? When I promised I'd be posting more often? Well, yeah, about that...obviously I did not. But I had all this written since then, trust me. I've finally gotten bored enough to update my old stories, so I think you'll be pleased with my writing in this chapter. If anyone's still reading it, that is. I promise, I haven't abandoned it, I just have so much to do in real life.

Please, read on!

-FIRST CLASS-

Previously in First Class…

Ever since I had met Jean Grey…it was like I'd entered into a new world. And maybe…maybe I had. There was so much that I didn't know about her…unlike my other friends. Ororo was from a village in Africa…Hank was a regular American kid who just happened to be covered in blue fur. But Jean…there was something that surrounded her that told me that she wasn't like any of the others. There was just something…almost like an invisible force…something so strong…that separated her from the rest of us.

At times, my curiosity almost got the best of me. But at other times…I almost didn't want to know. Something told me that I'd be better off not knowing. And me…being just plainly who I was…I couldn't help but to wonder: Who can have the ability to scare me to death? What is Jean Grey hiding under her beautiful green eyes that look haunted and her flowing red hair that mesmerizes me?

And it was on these thoughts that my mind dwelled as I accidentally entered a new part of Professor Xavier's Mansion…that would end up becoming my life.

I would risk everything…sometimes too much…for the team that ultimately ended up being affectionately known as the X-Men.

-FIRST CLASS-

As I stepped out of the elevator, I found myself staring at the silvery-white walls that seemed to be endless. I smiled in awe…or at least, I think I did. I might've just been staring with drool creeping down from my lips, because my mouth was hanging open. My eyes were extended as far as they could possibly be as I heard a voice call my name. I did know the voice…didn't I?

"Scott," the Professor's gentle voice repeated. So I did know the voice, after all. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to face him, prepared to meet the glance of a disapproving teacher who had found a student who just happened to be skiving off a lesson. But he wasn't angry. He wasn't displeased. He was smiling warmly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He simply said, "Walk with me," and so, of course, I did, my legs shaking slightly as I continued to stare at my surroundings that so contrasted the dark wood of the upper levels.

"What-" I cleared my throat, realizing I sounded like I had at the age of twelve. "What…is this place?" Xavier didn't answer immediately, his eyebrows narrowed in thought. For a moment, I thought it to be incredibly unfair that while I was thinking, he could easily read my thoughts, but when he was thinking, it was still a complete mystery to me.

"This place is…" His eyes bored into mine (or at least the red ruby glasses), and it wasn't the first time that I'd felt like he was tuning into the radio station that could be called "Scott's brain." Then he smiled suddenly. "This is our lower level. Welcome." But ironically, once he had said that, I started to feel awkward and out of place. I swallowed nervously.

"Um…yeah," I said, my voice cracking. "Uh…Professor…I'm sorry about-" Xavier chuckled good-naturedly and smiled that damn smile again.

"Curiosity is only natural, Scott," he said, looking around at the corridor himself. "Would you not agree?" He clapped me on the shoulder, stopping his pacing. "Yet…I sense that something else is bothering you." I looked down, suddenly very interested in my shoes, mindlessly fingering the top buttonhole on my shirt. "Trust me, Scott."

"Professor…" I looked up warily. "I don't mean to be…paranoid…but there's this girl…"

"Miss Jean Grey, am I right?" he asked, the twinkle in his blue eyes shining. For merely a second, that tendency of his bothered me, but then I was back to thinking, Thank God he's listening to me…he's got to be the best teacher ever.

He beamed at me, but I shook my head.

"It's not what you think," I corrected. "I'd like it to be, but it's just…" I broke off, my words having been jumbled. When I looked up into his still-smiling face, I blushed, my face turning the same color of my glasses. "What I meant to say, is…why do I feel like she's…" I stopped there to look warily at Xavier, who was nodding gravely, the smile gone from his face.

"Unusual?" he suggested. "Strange?"

"Well…" I struggled for another word, but I couldn't find one. "Yeah. Why is she so…different?"

"Jean is a very powerful mutant, Scott," he explained, the twinkle gone from his eyes. "I do not know if even she knows the extent to which it can be used. And I believe it would be unwise to inform her." I opened my mouth to argue, but a single glance closed it. I silently nodded.

"But…that doesn't explain the haunted look in her eyes," I suddenly burst out. My voice toned down a few levels. "Whenever I'm with her…I feel something…something that I can't even explain."

"When she was a very young girl…" Xavier looked at me, still frowning. "Jean will tell you when she is ready. If she feels that she can trust you."

"She can trust me!" I said confidently, standing up straighter on impulse. "I…" My eyes widened as I realized what I had been about to tell the Professor.

I think I love her.

"Yes?" Professor Xavier's voice broke through my disconcerting thoughts and brought me back down to reality. I shook my head to clear it.

"Never mind," I muttered, sure that my face was turning a very violent shade of red. "I…I should go." And without another word, without looking back, I ran down the hall and stepped in the elevator that would take me back upstairs.

-FIRST CLASS-

How was it? I feel like my writing has greatly improved since last June, so I'd really like a review to see if I'm still writing Scott well or not. Or if you just want to drop me a line and ask "Hey, how ya doin'?" that's okay too. :)

Thanks!

Er...I guess my name now is Teddy R. Lupin. So, anyway, until next time! (Which I swear won't be that long from now.)