Genesis
by Kittie

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

_Oh no, it's Bulk...._ He hurriedly bent down to pick up his things, which had gone flying. "I apologize profusely, Bulk. The previous collision was caused by my own carelessness."

"I know it was your fault, geek. Who else could be such a klutz?" Boomed Bulk, as Skull laughed hysterically from somewhere behind him.

Billy rolled his eyes. _I know, I know. I do not posses the greatest of coordination. This conversation has occurred before._ He stood and straightened his glasses. Bulk snatched his class schedule away from him. "Hey!"

"What's this? Hey look at the geek's schedule, Skull! Magick: the Lost Legend?!?"

"Hey, Bulky, didn't you get thrown out of that class?"

Billy smiled to himself as Bulk began to sputter. "No, I didn't, Skull. Shut up!"

"Sorry, Bulky, but I thought—"

"You don't think, Skull!" Bulk slammed the piece of paper into Billy's chest so hard that he fell over onto his back. By the time he was able to sit up and straighten his glasses, Bulk and Skull were gone. In their place, there stood a smiling girl with long, jet black hair. He recognized her as Trini, from last year's gym class.

"Are you okay, Billy?" She held out a hand to help him up. "Bulk and Skull can be so mean sometimes."

He found himself at a loss for words. He hadn't remembered her being this pretty. "Um..."

"He hit you pretty hard, didn't he?" She grabbed his arm and physically pulled him up. "Sometimes I think he doesn't realize his own strength." She stopped and thought for a moment. "Or maybe he does." She bent down and picked up his schedule. "Here you go."

"Thank you." He snatched it away before she could look at it. _I must not allow her to observe what is written here. She'll think I'm a geek. No, she'll KNOW I'm a geek._ "Bye." Before she could even speak, he turned and hurried toward the Dean's Office. _I must investigate the cause of this alarming change in my schedule. And with alacrity!_

~*~

"My physical health is in a satisfactory state, Mr. Kaplan. But in actuality, I had hoped to confer with the Dean—"

"I know. I was expecting you. This is about the class on Magic, is it not?"

Billy jumped, surprised. _Certainly Mr. Kaplan does not personally approve the schedules of all of his students?_

"I was concerned that you had not chosen a very well-rounded course schedule. All of those science and math classes!"

"But Mr, Kaplan, I have taken the obligatory courses in all fields offered at Angel Grove High!"

"Yes, and that includes the math and science classes up the the senior class level. But you have made the effort to go even further in those areas, why not the others?"

"The Sciences seem to be my forte, Mr. Kaplan. I enjoy them."

"Believe me, I understand that, Billy. But you simply cannot take a one-sided view of the world. I added the magic course to your schedule to give you an opportunity to explore other views, other theories. Science and Technology are not the answers to everything, no matter how much you'd like to think they are."

Billy was silent, eyes cast downward. _No, they're not the answer to everything. But at least I feel comfortable in those classes. At least with them I'm not a "geek," or a "nerd."_ He spoke without raising his eyes from the floor. "Mr. Kaplan, is it absolutely necessary for me to complete this course?"

Mr. Kaplan smiled. "I'm afraid so, Billy. And who knows? Maybe you'll even learn to like it."

Billy got up to leave. _Yeah, sure. And my fairy Godmother will come and take me to the ball._

~*~

Her friend, a long-haired girl in a yellow jumper, looked thoughtful. "I guess. But it still seemed pretty weird to me."

"Come on, Trini. You said yourself he was kind of a klutz in gym last year."

"Yeah, he was pretty pathetic. All of the guys made fun of him, and the girls used to rub his glasses for good luck."

"You see? He's afraid of you."

"Come on, Kim, afraid of me?"

Kimberly finished her sandwich and took a few last sips from her soda. "Yup. He probably thought you were gonna make fun of him."

Trini's eyes narrowed determinedly. "Then he doesn't know me very well."

~*~

Lost in thought, he was startled when the door opened. Billy was surprised to see Ms. Appleby, his teacher from senior year chemistry, standing there. "Billy! I didn't think you'd be taking this class!"

"Neither did I," he allowed. "Mr. Kaplan made me."

She laughed. "Ah yes, Mr. Kaplan. He's always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, isn't he?" Billy nodded and she laughed. "Well, come in, then! It's almost time for class."

He took his usual seat at the front of the class and began to put his books away. He was comfortable now that the room was empty, but he dreaded the moment when the rest of the students would begin pouring in. It didn't matter how many times he told himself that no one was looking at him. In his mind, he could hear the whispered taunts and wisecracks. Geek, Nerd, Einstein, Teacher's Pet, Showoff... the voices were always there, except when he was alone.

As if in answer to his thoughts, the first bell rang and students began to enter the room. Billy felt the flush rise into his cheeks and the familiar uncomfortable feeling in his gut. He lowered his eyes to the desk and concentrated very hard on the lines of the wood and the penciled-in graffiti. "Jenny-heart-Jason Scott." "Angle Grov Hiye Sucks!" Billy sighed. Some people couldn't even spell the name of their own school. "TG + WH 4 ever."

He jumped slightly as someone slid into the seat next to him. "Hi, Billy, I didn't know you were in this class!"

Before he could stop himself, he looked over, right into the person's eyes. The shining, beautiful black eyes of the girl named Trini. "Um... I... Hello." He turned back to his desk and cursed himself. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID!_

Trini was putting her books under her chair. "I thought math and science were your fields."

Billy didn't answer. _I refuse to walk into that today. Maybe tomorrow._

"Hello, class!" Ms. Appleby began. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Ms. Deborah Appleby. This is Magick: The Lost Legend. If anyone is in the wrong class, please leave quietly now." The class snickered as one boy jumped up from his seat in the back and ran out. Ms. Appleby smiled. "Don't laugh. It will happen to you one day. Well, we're going to do a little variation of the usual roll call today. I'm going to let you all introduce yourselves."

Billy's stomach flipped and he held back a vomit-burp. _No, not that! Anything but that!_

"We'll go by the Alphabet, starting with—"

_Please don't start with A, Please don't start with A...._

"A. It's always good to start at the beginning, is it not?"

_No. Never._ Billy felt like he was going to throw up. One by one, the students stood and introduced themselves at Ms. Appleby's probing.

"Anderson?"

"I'm Sarah Anderson, I'm a junior, and... I'm... that's it."

"Bacon?"

"Jackson Alexander Bacon. Senior. Captain of the football team. All-around great guy. Call me Jack."

Billy found himself shrinking deeper and deeper into his chair as three more students stood. _I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die right here on the floor and then I won't have to...._

"Cranston?"

Billy clenched his fists. _This is it. Okay. I can do this._

"Billy? Aren't you going to speak?" prodded Ms. Appleby.

_I thought you were different, Ms. Appleby. I thought you were human._ He gulped and opened his mouth. "My nnng...." His voice came out as a choked gasp.

"Please stand so the class can see you, Billy."

_No!_ He stood slowly, holding the desk for support, and managed to blurt a few words out. "I'mbillyi'masophomorethankyou." When he sat down, he was shaking so hard he thought he would fly apart. _There. It's over. Calm down._ The taunts grew louder in his head.

The girl next to him leaned over and placed a warm hand on his arm. "Don't worry," she whispered, "You did fine!" When it was her turn to stand, she did so confidently. "My name is Trini Kwan. I'm a sophomore, and I'm taking this class to broaden my outlook on the world."

_She's incredible!_ Billy realized with horror that he was in love.

~*~

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Shaking? Why?"

"Come on, Jase, you mean you never get nervous when you have to speak in front of people?"

"Not in front of a little class like that. What's his problem anyway?" Kimberly punched Jason on the arm. "Ow!" He rubbed it, wincing. "What gives?"

"The last thing he needs is you making fun of him!"

"What? He's not even here!"

"It doesn't matter. It's the principle of it," Kimberly said disapprovingly.

Zack Taylor came up behind them, laughing. "Man, Jase, you let yourself get beat up by a girl?"

"You saw that, huh?" Jason looked embarrassed.

"Excuse me?" Kimberly was suddenly standing right in front of Zack, hands on her hips. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Zack's smile faded. "No, of course not." He held his hands up as a gesture of surrender. "Girls can fight, too."

"Darn right."

Now it was Jason's turn to laugh, and he did so. Loudly. Trini shook her head at her friends' antics. The guys could be so oblivious sometimes. At least Kim seemed to understand. "I think we should try to talk to him," she said suddenly.

"What?" Kim had been too occupied with the boys to hear.

"I said, I think we should talk to him. Seems like he could use a couple of friends."

"You know what? You're right. Let's go find him!"

Zack rolled his eyes. "Great. Their latest charity case."

Trini narrowed her eyes. "He's not a charity case, he's a person. And I happen to think he's a nice person at that."

Zack nudged Jason, who tried unsuccessfully to hold back his grin. "Whatever you say, Trini."

Trini sighed and stalked away, Kim following her obediently. This was not going to be easy.

~*~

He came here a lot when he wanted to be alone. Not many people bothered to hang out at the lake because of the squirrels. They were thought by many to be vicious. Billy had learned that all it took was a few bread crumbs and these "vicious" animals became your best friends. _You know you've hit bottom when a couple of rodents are your only friends,_ he thought. As if they had heard him, the squirrels began to gather around him, chattering angrily. "Sorry, guys," he said, throwing out some more crumbs to pacify them. "I didn't mean that in a bad way."

They quieted down and began to eat ravenously, eying him curiously. He decided to continue. They seemed to like the sound of his voice anyway. "It's just that sometimes I wish I had someone to talk to." Again, the angry chattering. "I mean, someone I could understand when they answer!"

They quieted down again, and one of them crawled up into his lap. He began rubbing its soft fur slowly, and let this thoughts flow. "Me and my Mom used to talk all the time. She could talk about scientific theories, mathematical functions, and classic poetry all in the same breath. We would go for walks in downtown Chicago (that's where I used to live) and we'd be out for hours, just talking." He laughed a little, remembering. "Once we got locked in a department store overnight. She made friends with the guard dog and we played lifeguard on the waterbeds. They were shocked when they saw the three of us the next morning! I hope that dog didn't get into too much trouble. He was sweet."

Billy stopped and looked out over the lake. There was no breeze, and the water was completely still. The ripples from the skipping had faded, and he could see his reflection over the stones at the bottom. "But then she died." The squirrel on his lap scurried up onto his shoulder and remained perched there. He absentmindedly handed it a large crumb, and it took it gratefully. "She was hit by a car. I saw it coming, but I—" He stopped, and felt tears well up as the vision floated before his eyes for the thousandth time. "I couldn't move. I wanted to tell her, but...." He gulped. The squirrel on his shoulder seemed to sense his distress and it leaned over, touching its cold nose to his cheek, almost as if in a kiss. Then it scurried away and disappeared into the trees. Billy was left alone with his thoughts.

~*~

Kimberly nodded and followed Trini's lead. "I wish I wasn't so sentimental," she remarked through her tears when they were out of Billy's earshot. "I absolutely ruined my mascara!" Trini absentmindedly handed her a tissue. "Thanks." Kimberly blew her nose and tried to compose herself. "So what do we do now?"

Trini shook her head. "I don't know."

~*~

He got home in a record five minutes, sheepish and out of breath. Hank Cranston was waiting just inside the door. "I see you finally decided to come home."

"I apologize profusely, Dad. It seems I lost track of time."

"Don't you realize I was worried sick about you?" Hank exploded, grabbing him in a fierce hug.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I was at the lake and—"

Hank sighed. "I know, I know. You lost track of time." He went ahead of his son into the house. "I called the police an hour ago."

"What? Why?"

"They said I had to wait until you were gone for 48 hours."

"Dad, why did—"

"All I could think about was you lying near death somewhere...."

All at once, Billy's blood went cold. "I told you, that was an accident."

"Accident?" Hank exploded. "You are not the type to mix ammonia and bleach 'by accident,' Billy!"

Billy turned away. "The containers were labeled wrong," he said, but he knew his father didn't believe him. He wasn't sure he believed himself. Three weeks in the psych ward in Chicago had confused him.

He heard Hank sigh and a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. "Billy, look, I know you and your mother were very close." Billy shook his father off and headed upstairs. "You've got to stop blaming yourself!" Hank was still yelling after him when he went into his room and closed the door.

~*~

"Tell me about it," Kimberly agreed. "I'm getting choked up just thinking about it. The poor guy!"

"I feel bad for him and all," said Zack, "but talking to squirrels? This guy's missing a few screws."

"Who else does he have to talk to?" Kimberly snapped with unusual venom.

"What's all the yelling about?" Trini joined them at the table.

"I wasn't yelling," sulked Kimberly.

Zack shot her a look out of the corner of his eyes. "I'd hate to be around when you are yelling."

"Kim was telling us about that guy, Billy, you saw by the lake," explained Jason.

Trini look at Kim, wide-eyed, and her mouth fell open. "You told them?"

Kim looked confused. "Was it a secret?"

"Kimberly, we weren't even supposed to hear that! How could you do this?"

Kimberly bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.

Trini sighed. She was a sucker for Kim's wounded puppy voice. "I'm sorry, Kim, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know you meant well." She put an arm around Kim's shoulders to reassure her. "It's just that... these two aren't exactly the most sensitive guys...."

"What do you mean? I can be sensitive," objected Jason.

"Yeah," added Zack. "If I wanted to."

Jason nodded. "Right."

Trini raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Then you can come with us when we invite him to have milkshakes at the Juice Bar."

Jason balked. "But—"

"I thought you two were sensitive?" Kimberly said, with a grin identical to Trini's.

The two boys looked at each other. "Okay," they said without enthusiasm.

~*~

"Hi, I'm Zack Taylor." Billy just stared.

"I'm Jason Scott. We've seen you around."

"Y... you have?" _And you're not going to beat me up?_

"Yeah. Was that your last class?" asked the taller one in red.

"Um... yes."

"Wanna come to the juice bar and hang out?" asked Zack.

Billy was speechless. _This has to be a trick. They just want to get me somewhere deserted so they can inflict more damage._

They were waiting for an answer. "Well?"

"No thank you," he said hurriedly, and tried to push past them.

"Okay," said Zack. "But Kim and Trini will be pretty disappointed."

Billy whirled around. "Trini?" Her name left his mouth before he could stop it.

Zack looked amused. "Yeah. You know her then?"

"She's..." _Absolutely incredible._ "In one of my classes."

"Uh-huh." That was Jason. "So you coming or not?"

The one named Jason gave him the willies. He was standing very tall, and had bulky arms folded across his chest. He looked like he could snap Billy in half in an instant. Zack looked a bit more approachable. His face seemed locked in a permanent half-smile, and his arms hung leisurely at his side. He was big, too, but not obviously so. Billy made his decision. "Okay."

~*~

"But Jason's just a big teddy bear!" objected Kim.

"Billy doesn't know that. He probably just sees a really, really big guy."

Kimberly giggled. "Jason can handle it."

"I hope so." Trini took a sip from her Peach-banana shake.

"You seem pretty anxious, Trini. What's going on here," asked Kimberly mischievously.

Trini looked incredulous. "Nothing! I just want to help him!"

"Uh-huh. He could be cute if he lost the glasses...."

"Oh, stop it. Wait, here they come!"

Kimberly turned to the door and had to stop herself from laughing. "Oh my God, look at that!"

Trini shook her head in resignation. Billy looked so small and helpless standing between Jason and Zack. The look in his eyes reminded her of a frightened rabbit.

Kim smiled and waved at them. "Over here!"

The boys spotted her and hurried over. "Hey," greeted Zack. "Look who we brought!"

Kim smiled brightly and held out a hand. "Hi. Billy, right?" He nodded wordlessly. "I'm Kim. You know Trini, right?"

Trini smiled at him and noticed with amusement that he blushed when her eyes met his own. "Hi." He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he shut it again. Trini put an arm around him. "I think he means hello."

Jason laughed and sat down. "You want a milkshake, Billy?"

Billy tried to force the butterflies out of his stomach. "Um... yes. How much are they?"

"Don't worry about that, man," said Zack, pulling out his wallet. "I got it."

The girls looked at him, impressed. Zack looked right back at them triumphantly.

~*~

Trini noticed his silence and turned to him. "You've been quiet. Are you okay?"

He looked around at the smiles on all of their faces. "I'm... I'm fine." He was surprised to realize he meant it.

"Billy, jeez, I didn't even see you," boomed the big something. "I'm sorry, lemme help you up."

Billy looked up and was relieved to see Jason, one of the kids he'd met the day before. Jason physically picked him up and placed him down steadily on both feet. Billy gasped and thanked the stars this Jason was on his side. He could really do some damage if he wanted to. "You okay?" Jason handed him the books he'd dropped.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm late. I gotta go." Billy rushed off.

Jason shook his head as he stared after Billy. "That kid really needs to relax."

~*~

"Not anymore, four-eyes," said Bulk, pushing him back down into the chair.

"Yeah, geek," said Skull, punching him in the chest. "You owed us."

"For what? I don't owe you anything!" Billy couldn't understand why in the world he was even talking to the two bullies. He figured he must be delirious from hunger.

Bulk reacted just as he expected and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him out of the chair. "What did you say?"

Billy's delirium faded and the panic set in. "N-nothing. I didn't say anything. Did you enjoy your lunch?"

"NO! Next time bring me a decent sandwich!" Bulk threw him aside and he landed hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him. As he struggled to breathe, he could hear Bulk and Skull laughing somewhere in the distance.

"Billy, relax," someone was saying. "Breathe slowly."

His sight was blurry. _I'm dying,_ he thought dimly. Someone was right there next to him, but he couldn't think clearly enough to tell who it was. _Where are my glasses? Who?_ He was still gasping for breath without success.

"Stop it, Billy. Slow down," said the voice soothingly. Billy concentrated on the voice. "You just had the wind knocked out of you. Slow down your breathing and you'll be fine."

Billy began to count. _One, breathe in. Two, breathe out. Three, breathe in._ By the time he got up to twenty, his breathing had regulated itself and slowed down to normal. Someone took his hand and closed his fingers over something. His glasses! He put them on and looked around. He was still lying on his back, and there was a crowd of people standing over him. Most of them were laughing. He felt like he was going to cry, until he saw Trini sitting there, looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked, holding out a hand to help him up.

Billy nodded. It had been her voice urging him to calm down and breathe. How had he not recognized it?

"I saw what Bulk and Skull did to you," she said as he stood shakily. "They can be such jerks!"

"Yeah." Billy could feel his throat tightening. He had to get out of there- fast. He yanked his hand away from a surprised Trini and ran out of the room. He ended up in the bathroom, holed up in one of the stalls. He had become an expert at crying silently.

~*~

Jason shook his head. "Yeah, he's not exactly equipped to defend himself. You'd think Bulk could find something better to do with his time."

"He didn't show up to class," Kimberly added, concerned. "Do you think he's okay?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I haven't seen him since lunch either. He's supposed be assistant teacher in my science class." Zack looked to Trini. "Maybe we should look for him."

She nodded. "Good idea. Kim and I will check the park."

"We'll look around here," agreed Jason, standing. "Maybe he's still around somewhere."

"Right. We'll meet back here in an hour."

~*~

He contemplated running away from home. He could use his savings to catch a train back to Chicago, where he would find an apartment, get a cat, and live by himself for the rest of his life. A nice thought, he decided, but unrealistic. He wouldn't last long without a job, and he couldn't get a good job without at least a high school degree.

He sighed and warily poked his head out of the stall door. No one was around. A quick peek assured him that no one was in the hallway either, so he hurried to the door and out onto the streets. The walk home was uneventful- he made sure to keep to the shadows so no one would notice him.

His father was waiting at the door when he walked in. "Where have you been, Billy?"

"Um.... school. Of course."

Hank shook his head disapprovingly. "Three of your teachers called me and said you'd missed their classes. Care to change your answer?"

"Well, actually, no. I was at school. Just not in class."

"Billy—"

"Don't say it, Dad! I wasn't finished!"

"I'm waiting."

"I was sick." Normally, Billy couldn't tell a lie to save his life, but that short case of the dry heaves gave him an excuse. "I was in the bathroom all afternoon."

Hank looked at him hard. "Sick? How?"

"I was... throwing up. You know, sick. I still don't feel very well, Dad." He started up to his room. "I think I'll just lie down for a while."

~*~

When he'd listened for a while and heard no sound in the house, Billy risked a peek out into the hallway. Sure enough, Hank's bedroom door was closed and the lights were off. Billy tiptoed down to his lab and began to prepare a strange mixture of liquids. _This will make me pretty sick, but it's not lethal,_ he thought as he carefully measured the ingredients. _What's a few hours of uncontrollable vomiting, as long as I don't have to face Bulk and Skull anymore?_ He finished the brew, mixed it up, and drank it in one gulp. _Now we wait._

~*~

~*~

"Yeah, he didn't come to school at all today," agreed Zack, slurping up the last of his milkshake.

"I guess so. But if he's sick, he probably needs cheering up," said Trini thoughtfully. "Why don't we stop by his house and say hi?"

"We don't know where he lives," objected Jason.

"So what? We'll get a directory." Zack stood and headed toward Ernie's counter. "I'll bet Ernie'll let us borrow his."

"That's right! The directory lists everyone's address and phone number!" Kim excitedly placed a hand on Trini's arm. "He'll be so surprised to see us!"

~*~

"Some friends are here to see you, Billy," called his father. "Should I let them up?"

_Friends? What friends? I don't have any friends..._ "Uh... okay." He opened his eyes a crack and looked toward the door. He could hear voices getting louder and louder, until they were right outside his door. Without his glasses on, Billy had to squint to see who the new arrivals were. There was someone really big wearing a red shirt.... "Jason?"

The blob uncomfortably into the room, followed by three other blobs wearing pink, black, and yellow. "Hi," said the red blob in Jason's voice.

"Man!" Zack breathed, immediately taking a seat next to his bed. "You look totally shredded!"

Billy just stared. _What are they doing here? How did they find my house?_ Then he saw the school directory in Kimberly's small hands. _Oh._

"Billy?" Trini knelt down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Billy managed a nod. "Sick."

"I can see that!" exclaimed Kimberly, taking in his pale and sweaty face. "You look horrible, Billy!"

"I think what Kim means," Trini clarified, "Is that she's worried about you."

Billy looked around at all of them. "Really?"

"Hey, man, I'll bet you've never missed a day of school before, am I right?" said Zack conspiratorially. Billy nodded, wide-eyed. "You see?" said Zack triumphantly. "Something had to be wrong for you to miss a day and a half of school!"

"I guess."

"So what's wrong with you?" asked Jason loudly, folding his massive arms across his chest.

Billy hesitated. _Should I tell them? They'll think I'm crazy._ Trini was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. Her black eyes were full of concern, and he felt himself being drawn in.... "I poisoned myself," he heard himself tell her.

"What?" Trini jumped to her feet, gasping.

Billy felt his words coming out in a rush. "It's not lethal, really, I just didn't want to go to school and I knew if I was sick I wouldn't have to go and then I wouldn't have to see Bulk and Skull and I wouldn't get beat up or made fun of anymore you see?" He stopped, gasping for breath and worn out. They were all staring at him, open-mouthed. _I knew it. I've just lost the only friends I'll ever find in this stupid town!_ Billy felt tears spring into his eyes. "You all hate me now, don't you?" he managed, as the first tears began to trickle down his cheeks.

Zack snapped out of his shock and put a soothing hand on Billy's shoulder. "Hey, relax! We don't hate you!"

"We could never hate you," said Trini, sitting next to him on the bed. "We were just surprised, that's all."

"Yeah. You'd rather be this sick than go to school?" Kimberly was still wide-eyed with shock. "I mean, you look really bad, Billy."

"You don't understand," he said miserably. "You don't know what it's like. Anything is better than school. I get beat up and made fun of every day. I know people are laughing at me and I hate it. I can't help being different." He hated himself for crying in front of them, but he couldn't stop. He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, muffling his sobs.

Vaguely, he heard Zack talking to the others. "Can I talk to Billy alone, guys?"

He heard their consent and then the door opening and closing. Zack waited for a while before he spoke. "Yo, Billy," he finally said, his voice unusually subdued, "Look at me." Billy didn't respond at first, but Zack insistently grabbed his arm. "Look at me!"

Billy rolled to look at him blankly. "What?"

"I mean, really look at me, Billy. What do you see?"

Billy looked hard, but he couldn't figure out what in the world Zack was talking about. Then Zack grabbed his arm and held his hand next to Billy's. Understanding slowly dawned, and Billy looked up at Zack, confused.

"Big difference, isn't it?"

Billy nodded wordlessly.

Zack dropped his arm and began to speak. "I know what its like being different, Billy. Did you know there are only four black kids at Angel Grove High, including me?"

Billy shook his head.

"It's true. And I notice it every day. I can't help being black any more than you can help being smart, Billy. And there are people who hate me for being black just as they hate you for being smart. But you know what the difference between you and me is?"

"No."

Zack smiled brightly. "I don't let it bother me. I ignore those small-minded people and concentrate on people like you."

"Like me?"

"Yeah. People who don't notice I'm black until I point it out. Your problem is you focus on the small-minded people instead of the ones worth associating with."

Billy considered what Zack was saying. He'd never thought about Zack's situation, but now that he'd mentioned it, it seemed like a pretty hard place to be. Zack was speaking again, and he listened carefully.

"I get a lot of flack from the other black kids 'cause I hang out with the Jason and the girls. They want me to only associate with 'my kind.' Man, sometimes I can't believe the way people think! You know why I hang out with Jason? 'Cause he's fun! And I hang out with Trini 'cause she's the sweetest and smartest girl I've ever known. She's like a mother to all of us. And Kim?" Zack laughed. "You've seen Kim in action. I just can't get over her!"

Billy allowed himself a small smile. Kim really was a handful.

"And now, we've got you! You are the smartest guy I have ever met! And I'll bet if you talked every once in a while, you'd say some pretty cool things. Am I right?"

"I guess...."

"Of course I'm right! Zack Taylor is never wrong!" Zack punched him good-naturedly on the shoulder. "So, are you coming back to school or not?"

Billy considered. "What about Bulk and Skull?"

"What about 'em? You can handle those punks. Just say something real smart and walk away. They'll never know what hit 'em!"

Billy chuckled. He could almost see the looks on Bulk and Skull's faces when he spewed out a mouthful of what Zack would probably call "techno-babble." It might actually be fun. "Well," he said, the cramps in his stomach seeming to ease up all at once, "I guess I could go back to school...."

"Yesss! And it's another win for the Zack-man!"

~*~

Lunch was wonderful. The gang had all come, and they'd talked and laughed the whole time. Trini marveled at Billy's peanut-butter-Nutella-marshmallow-fluff-sandwich with Oreos, and he wondered how in the world Trini could eat raw fish. They swapped portions of one another's meals and mutually agreed never to do it again. Billy's good fortune lasted until four o'clock, when he bumped into Bulk and Skull after his last class.

_Uh-oh._ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jason start forward, but Zack stopped him with an arm. _Okay,_ Billy told himself. _I can handle these two. Remember what Zack said._ He drew himself up to full height and looked Bulk straight in the eyes. "Is there something I can help you with, Bulk?"

"I... well, I...." Bulk stammered in surprise.

"You insignificant, supercilious, sarcastic flow of ignorance." Billy sneered. "How dare you insult someone of my capacity? If my language is too copious for your diminished comprehension, I shall endeavor to elucidate more explicitly. GET BENT!"

He turned and walked away before Bulk and Skull could even say a word. He reached Jason, who was grinning ear to ear, and spoke quietly. "Are they gone?"

Jason burst out laughing. "Man, they scampered off so fast I thought they had ants down their pants!"

Zack pounded Billy on the back- a little too hard, but Billy didn't care. "You did it, man! Didn't I tell you?"

Trini gave Billy a big hug and whispered in his ear: "I'm proud of you, Billy." He grinned from ear to ear and felt himself turn bright red. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

End