Cass was worried. She had overheard quite a few students discussing Tiffany's visit to the counselor, nearly all of them in none-too-understanding terms. She sighed and decided to try and do her part to alleviate this as she entered her next class. She sighed and began.
"Okay, folks, listen up. I heard some people talking about Tiffany's visit to the school counselor like she's nuts or something. I don't mean to assume any of you would do this, but I'd like to point out that many people got to the counselor's office this year about their changes... Yes, Matt?"
Matt was also known as "Sider", from "Outsider", a nickname he wore as a badge of honor. He was an otherwise normal human dressed as a stereotypical mad scientist. His change changed his clothes and hair - whatever he wore became "mad scientist-y" and his hair was now silvery and always unkempt - and - when among science implements - his outlook on reality and ability to alter it as well. He had raised his hand.
"Ms. Wilkins, you know I have no dog in this fight, right? So, permission to speak freely."
Cass sweatdropped at the way he put it, but answered. "Granted."
"Look. Even before the Sun, I did my very best not to enter the kind of popularity games all schools have. I come in, I study, I watch my grades, I have a small circle of friends, I walk out. I trained judo before, so that I'd not have to deal with - say - Biff Meadows and friends - because I could plainly see what happened to those like me and that didn't practice some sort of martial arts at the hands of these people."
Cass nodded. It was why Matt, or Sider, didn't have a dog in this fight, as he had said.
Sider kept on. "Now I don't really need judo. People know not to mess with mad scientists." - he smiled - "But the problem is the people who participate in this game, willingly or not, will frequently be stepped on by those that are better at it, or more ruthless, or more willing to do whatever it takes to win."
Cass sighed. She could see where he was going with this, and, though she did think he had a point, that didn't mean she had to like it. Nor did it mean she could let the way people were treating Tiffany go unchecked.
"This brings us to Tiffany. Before the Sun, she was popular, perfect, and had collected quite a few enemies due to her efforts to be popular and perfect. Now. These enemies can be classified in two kinds: The people she stepped on that had tried to step on her in order to "make it" in school, and the people she stepped on that were just minding their own businesses. But the result is basically the same. It gets people mad at her. And these people now see Tiffany, after a nice while reigning supreme in her own mind as some sort of succubic sex-pot or something while stepping on others even more, in a moment of weakness. I'm not justifying whatever they do, but how do you expect them to react? Tiff snapped open Sarah's top in the cafeteria once, as of her first transformation! She watched and laughed while Sheldon Wesker got his ass kicked by Biff Meadows once for no reason once, before the Sun changed and Sheldon changed from a nerd into this huge golem type. And quite frankly, just by way of example, Sheldon's a friggin' saint not to enjoy his new physical power on his former bullies. Most people aren't saints, though. Stevens visited the counselor too. Yet no one says a thing about him. So did I. No one says a thing about me either. And mind you that I'm crazy as part of my change. But Tiffany? Quite a few people are treating her on her perceived way down exactly as she treated them on her way up. And I'm not saying this is good, or fair, or just. I'm not saying this is bad, or unfair, or unjust. It just is."
Cass sighed. This was gonna be harder than she thought.
