Jimmy Phoenix - 01 - Freshman Yr

Jimmy Phoenix was born of Maxis parents, but to his dismay - he doesn't know who.
His birth certificate tells his sorry story - found in a box with his name written on the side - Jimmy Phoenix.

 
With no relatives, and no one to look out for him - Jimmy learnt early to rely on himself for everything. He spent his childhood years in and out of foster homes, and eventually through hard work and determination - he got admitted to SCU (Sim Central University).
But his insecurity came out in his need to be liked. School kids however, are often cruel with children who are different - and Jimmy was no stranger to the teasing - his nickname of "Box Boy" was something that was chanted at him almost daily. He learnt to swallow his hurt - and to keep how he felt to himself.
When he got admitted to SCU, he was excited - none of the other kids made it in. Here was a chance for him to start afresh. To go where no-one knew his dark past.

He didn't get enough scholarship to get a place of his own. So he moved into the cheapest dorm he could find. Chose a room downstairs, and moved his stuff into it. A phone call later and he started his path to an Archaeology major. He thought that the dorm was pretty stark, but it wasn't too long until he had started a light flirtation with Stacy.

It only took one visit to the Campus square to see he needed a new look. He got himself a new haircut - with a colour change, grew a beard... or what he could of one, and replaced the glasses he used for reading, with coloured contact lenses. He spent the last of his scholarship money on some new clothes. He also worked out at the gym until his muscles rippled.
(And B.H.I.S. drooled).

He started to get noticed. Most of the dorm talked about him behind his back - "OMG He's sooo cute!" the girls drooled. The boys "Those are wicked muscles, and have you heard him bend those guitar strings? He's wicked cool man!"

But he wasn't happy with all the attention. He realized that what he wanted - wasn't friends and attention and being liked.... it was the family he'd never had. 

Then half-way through first semester, he got a phone call from one of the professors.

"Hi Jimmy? I'd like to come over and talk to you about your progress in my class. 101 The History of Everything."

Prof. Zoe Barret, was not known for her teaching style, or the quality of her lectures. Most people slept through them. Jimmy needed to keep his grades up to get the scholarship money. What he made busking on the guitar or piano covered his dorm fees, but his tuition fees needed the annual scholarship money.

Jimmy fretted that he was not doing well in class.



It wasn't too long before he found out what Prof. Zoe REALLY wanted from him. What Prof. Zoe didn't know was that she was being internally investigated by the academic board. A number of students marks mysteriously went up in the final exam, after a mediocre mid-term result.

Stacey fumed, and slapped Prof. Zoe silly whenever she caught them together.

"He's mine!" Stacey raged "Keep your filthy paws off him!"

"What do you think you can do, little girl?" Zoe taunted her back.

Jimmy just looked puzzled.

He finished his freshman year with a GPA of 4.0. Stacey did not.