I am NOT and Never Will Be A Jedi

Study Buddies

        "If you are in a room filling with poisonous gas, what should you first do before finding an escape route?"

        I bit my lip, "Um... be aware of your surroundings?" I guessed. Floppy shook his head as he peared over his text book. Wheeze mimicked a buzzer sound, "Errrrrrr! Wrong! You'd be dead by then. You need to put on your Aquata Breather so it can filter out the toxic air," he answered proudly. Floppy rolled his eyes, "Wheeze, we're supposed to be helping Kevin. You've already passed the Field Scenario course." Wheeze fiddled with his cloak, "Sorry Kevin," he apologized. I sighed, "It doesn't matter. I'm going to fail the class anyways."

        A month had nearly passed since my first day at the academy and I couldn't even beat the six-year-old youglings in sparing matches. On top of that, I had a D- in Piloting 101, a C in Balster Defense, and an F in Lightsaber Mechanics. Even worse, Numa Strye- the gorgeous girl I had met when I got shot in the leg- barely even noticed I exsisted. It was all the same though, as I had found out, Jedi were forbidden from love.

        I hid my head in my arms, "I'm hopeless." Wheeze and Floppy gave me sympathetic looks. Floppy patted my shoulder, "Come on, don't count yourself out just yet. Let's try another question." Wheeze grabbed the text book, "My turn! Okay, if a droideka is within blast radius from you, the best Form to use is what? Niman or Ataru?" I thought hard for a minute and couldn't decide. The Forms of Lightsaber combat were impossible to remember. "Niman?" I answered without confidence. "Errrrrrrr... wrong!" Wheeze scolded, "Trick question! The best form to use against droid blasting is Soresu, AKA: Form 3: Way of the Mynock, AKA-" I covered my ears, "Alright alright! I get the idea!" Wheeze glanced innocently at me, "AKA the Resilience Form..." he added under his breath.

     "Gahh!" I shouted in frustration as I shot a dirty glare at Wheeze. Floppy rested a hand on me calmly, "You ought to find some better tutors. The two of us are barely getting by with our grades as it is and we've never taught anyone," he admitted. Wheeze spun around in his swivel chair, "Why don't you ask Anakin Skywalker? Wasn't he your friend?" I shrugged the subject away, "I don't really talk to him much anymore..." I answered vaguely. Floppy's jaw dropped, "I can't believe you you Nerf herder! How could you let the most respected Padawan in the entire history of the Jedi, slip right through your fingers?" he asked in bewilderment. I looked down at my book as I searched for a valid answer. It wasn't right for me to be afraid of Anakin because of what Big Brains had told me, but I had done it anyways.

     "Anakin is probably busy. He doesn't have time tutoring," I lied, knowing that Anakin now had plenty of free-time on account of the Brotherhood of the Padawans ending thanks to my intitiation. 

     Wheeze and Floppy exchanged glances as if they knew something I didn't. Turns out that they did. "Listen Kev, we're not sure you understand what's at stake here," Floppy began softly. I sat up straight, "What are you talking about?" Wheeze sat down on his bed, "Only the best of us are picked to become Jedi. Kids that fail their classes and don't pass mid-terms get released from the Academy..." he informed me slowly. I felt my head spin. If I was cut from the Order, my perfect academic records would be thrown out the window. I couldn't let that happen. There was no way I would go down in history as the kid who almost became a Jedi and didn't. So I decided to do what I had to do: Give up.