Kitty sat down on the opposite side of Xavier's desk.
"I've tolerated your behavior up to a certain point because it was understandable that you were angry," Xavier said. "But now this has gone too far. I do not normally use such terms, but you need to get over the fact that you are not on the X-Men anymore."
"I'm not getting over it anytime soon."
"I was going to make you the leader of the New Mutants, given your greater experience with the X-Men. But there is no chance of that happening if you continue to make them hate you."
"I don't want to be the New Mutants' leader! I want to be an X-Man!"
"Why?" he demanded. "Why are you so determined to risk your life instead of taking this opportunity to be with other kids your own age? Why is it so damn important to you that you remain an X-Man that you can't wait until you turn 18?"
"Because of what happened to Illyana!" Kitty screamed.
Xavier closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "What happened wasn't your fault," he said softly.
"Don't give me that. I've gone through the scenario in the Danger Room a hundred times. If I'd been a little faster, a little stronger, a little smarter, I could have saved her."
Kitty choked back a sob. "I could have saved her, and I didn't. That's on me."
She continued: "I also grew up a lot that day. I learned that when we're less than perfect when we make mistakes, real people suffer. So I've stopped treating it like a joke. I've given 110% to my training, so the next time a little girl needs saving, I won't fail again."
"If you were kicking me off the team as punishment for failure, I could live with that. But to do it like this, to tell me to just wait until I'm 18 after everything that's happened, it tells me that what I learned from this failure doesn't matter. My failure to save Illyana doesn't matter because of my age. But it has to matter. I need it to matter."
Xavier looked down in thought for several minutes. "I understand," he said at last.
"This is against my better judgment, and it may be a mistake, but I am going to trust that you are as grown up as you claim to be. However, there are conditions. This childish feud you have with the New Mutants must end. You will treat them with respect and as your peers. If I hear the word 'X-babies' or anything of the sort, you are off the X-Men again."
Kitty nodded excitedly. "Sure. I can do that."
"And you must keep your grades up. At the first sign being an X-Man is affecting your GPA, you're off the team. That means no more playing hooky without my explicit permission."
"Understood. Thank you, Professor. I promise I won't let you down."