Template:Featured Articles/46-2016
 "Are you — not everyone graduates high school, Miles, and some of us do perfectly fine." Gabriel's face was still hot; this was exactly the kind of uncomfortable conversation he'd hoped to avoid. "I've gotten this far without one," he reminded the younger man, dropping the book and crossing his arms, "and I'm doing alright. School smarts really didn't help me get to where I am, I'll tell you that much. So then, it's like, why bother? What's a piece of paper? I read. I can have a conversation. Plenty of high school graduates are fucking morons." The pointed tone stung Miles like a ravenous mosquito. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying, if it's an option then why not? You don't have anything to lose. And you could definitely get it." "I don't know." Gabriel shrugged and let out a little sigh. He was blowing this conversation by somehow being both aggressive and defensive, and it was toward one of the few people at Xavier's whose opinion actually mattered to him. "I just — the whole thing just seems like a dumb concession to all these stupid standards and, like, fucking, system bullshit that don't even really matter. And, like, I know it's stupid, because whatever, but what if I can't? I mean, I left school before I had a chance to figure out if I was too dumb to graduate. And if I take it and fail, then they really win. And if I take it and pass, they still win." He wasn't entirely sure who they were - his parents, his teachers, the state, somebody. But they'd let him down, whoever they were, and he'd turned his back on them. Miles half-expected snow to spontaneously start falling. What Bizarro world was he in? "Since when do you care what other people think about you? That's a good thing," he added before he was misconstrued again. "You're not a loser." "That's not — I know that, it's just, you know, being here." He shrugged. "Everyone's got a Ph.D. or they're going to grad school or college or whatever, and suddenly, it doesn't feel like enough. I dunno, I can't explain it, I guess." "All of a sudden? You've been here for like two years, why . . . Oh!" Miles pursed his lips, trying to hold back a wicked smile. "It's because I'm going to college next year and you're going to miss me! Eso es. Ay, Gabo. No te dejo." "Ay, Dios!" Gabriel groaned, rolling his eyes. "It's not that at all." Actually, it was, a little, in that it felt like part of a larger trend. People moving forward and moving on, and Gabriel feeling like he was staying the same. It wouldn't have bothered him before he got to Xavier's, and it wouldn't bother him before M-Day. But he'd spent enough time treading water and trying to stay afloat. He couldn't explain all of that to Miles, though, so he settled for shaking his head and a smile. "Fine," he relented, "I'll miss you a little." The new levity untied the twist of anxiety and shame that had knotted itself in Miles's chest when he'd offended his friend. He settled more comfortably on his perch and adjusted the bookbag resting between his legs so it wouldn't fall off. "I mean, I'm not gonna leave leave. I'm staying in New York, that's for sure. I'm still Spidey and there's still the X-Men. And not just me. I haven't heard about anyone else leaving." "Please," Gabriel waved a hand. "You're smart as fuck and you work harder than any teenager should have to." He shrugged. "You're going to get into Columbia or Yale or one of those super-intense schools with four fucktons worth of homework a night, dude. Assuming you can find a way to put your extracurricular activities on your resume." "I thought about it, but they don't offer scholarships for superheroing, so nah. But, no, stop, we're not talking about me. You. You should do it. The GED. My dad has it. He and my uncle also both dropped out of high school. And neither my mom or dad went to college. Which, to go back to me for a sec, is why they're so freakin' loco about me going." "Yeah, I'm sure," Gabriel grinned. "Your dad mentions college, like, every time you guys have me over." He glanced down at the study guide and the pamphlet. "I dunno. I'm thinking about it. That's the first step, right?" |
