Lovable Loser (Solo)

So. Life kind of sucked.

At least it did for Darren, who squirmed under his wrinkled sheets, unable to sleep. He petulantly kicked and wiggled his legs, frustration and fatigue getting the better of him.

Things were getting out of hand if he couldn’t sleep for three consecutive days. What teacher was going to believe he was falling asleep in class because at night he suffered from a severe case of the growing pains?

He’d rather be short than have to endure such pain for the sake of a few more inches.

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“Mr. Argo? Mr. Argo! DARREN!”

“W-what??” the teenager exclaimed, straightening up so fast he almost slipped off his chair.

“Please, try to stay awake. This is important review for your final exams, and may I remind you that you were not here for the majority of the semester?”

Darren blushed and stared at the tiled floor sheepishly. “I-I’m s-sorry…I’ve j-just been having t-trouble adjusting, I-I guess.” If Mrs. Sutton understood what he meant at all, she didn’t say anything and simply made a noise that suggested he get his act together. It was true though, that he’d not been having the smoothest transition from his old school to this new…mutant school. It was difficult to not be in awe or frightened or surprised by the sights he saw daily. It didn’t help that he inadvertently offended someone every time he gasped in shock or said something without thinking about a person’s mutation.

Sigh.

And Mrs. Sutton was right about his current academic status. While the subjects were the same, the subject matter was not. European History at his old school and Xavier’s shared the same basic outlines and timelines, but the exact dates and battles and people were different. Thus, Darren found himself learning some things for the first time during the finals review week, felt relieved when he already knew some information, and was utterly disappointed when he found some of his knowledge irrelevant in Mrs. Sutton’s classroom. And that applied to all of his classes.

To top it all off, all of the fun electives were taken for second semester. He was stuck taking Self-Defense, the last class on earth he’d want to take, not only because he was a total wimp, but because conflict was something he loved to avoid. He’s had his fill with childish brawls back in middle school, and he knew he wasn’t cut out or interested in that kind of thing anymore.

And he’d heard the instructor was a real hard ass too.