FicWad

Author's Note: Cripes the writing in this section is 4-5 years older than most of the stuff that I've posted on this site. It shows. >.< Really ugly writing. Really really ugly writing. I have got to go back and rewrite this chapter some time. Warning in advance: character bashing.

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John passed Rogue several folded up sheets of paper as she slid into her seat only ten seconds before the tardy bell.

Mr. McCoy had them diagramming sentences today and this was one area of English that Rogue had problems with. She carefully copied down the notes off the board, but her attention always strayed back to the pile of papers that she had carelessly shoved into her back pack.

Chemistry, her next class, didn’t allow her any time to take a look at what John had given her. They were now studying the chemical changes brought on by heat. With John as her lab partner Rogue had to divide her attention between the experiment and the Bunsen burner obsessed Saint.

As she left class Scott grabbed her arm. Marie felt a hot rush of blood to her face, but she disentangled herself from his grip almost as soon as she had made it. He pushed his red tinted sunglasses further up his nose and shrugged. Rogue sighed and walked into an alcove where they could speak better.

“Yah wanted somethin’ Summers,” she tried to make her voice sound harsh and cold. This was the person who couldn’t eat or sleep without thinking of Jean Grey, why should he care that an outcast Goth had feelings for him?

“Yeah, what’s this John said about you coming over to the Academy after school?” the warm baritone didn’t sound too happy.

“What are you--” Rogue began, but then she stopped. John wanted her to come over, huh? There must have been something in the papers he had handed her about it. Oh well, if he wanted to invite her she might as well come, it would probably be the only time that she would ever get in, “Oh, yeah. Was that tonight? Ah thought it was tomorrah. Thanks for tellin’ me Scott, it completely slipped mah mahnd.”

“You mean you actually are coming? I thought that it was just a joke.. Why are you coming? I thought that you hated us,” Scott looked worried.

“Ah was invited wasn’t Ah? What’smattah Sugah? Are yah revokin’ mah right tah come?” Rogue grinned at herself, from the expression on Scott’s face he was just dying to do that. It hurt that he didn’t want her to come over, but if this was his reaction then just think of everyone else’s.

“No! No, only the Professor can revoke visiting rights, and he sanctioned John’s,” The way Scott said the word sanctioned made Rogue think that Scott believed that his ‘Professor’ had made a serious mistake.

“Hey, look, Ah gotta go. Ah have no intention of bein’ late tah mah study hall. See yah in drama, Scott.”

Rogue walked off down the hall. She could feel Scott’s eyes boring into the back of her head. Honestly, she thought, I’m not going to make off with the silver while I’m over there. Why does he have to be so mistrustful of me? What have I ever done to him? Well, besides call Jean Grey a slut in front of the whole school, but she deserved it.

“Yo, Rogue? Wakey, wakey Ice Queen,” Todd waved a hand in front of her face, “You want to go get a pass to go out of grounds? The screaming siren is givin’ them out to everyone who wants to quote unquote ‘enjoy the freedom and healthy air outdoors’ or somthin’ to that effect.”

Rogue nodded and walked up to the study hall teacher, Mrs. Syren. She requested two passes, and headed out to the courtyard with Todd. There were five different trees out here, and Rogue chose the one with the most glass under it, on the assumption that no one else would want it.

Her book bag was laid down with a thwap, and she spread her denim coat over the glass strewn ground. Todd hopped up into the tree, the guy preferred to be up high. He swung down on a branch and held on by only his knees.

“What have you got there, yo?” he indicated the sheaf of papers that Rogue was finally bringing out of her book bag.

“Nothin’ really, just some stupid English project I have to work on with Johnny,” she brushed a few dirty smears off of the pages.

“Oh, so that’s why he has been avoidin’ us. I thought it was because he was a no good X-geek,” Todd spit and hit a dandelion dead center.

Rogue winced; she hated Todd’s annoying habit of spitting at things, though his aim was remarkable. She looked down at the papers. On top was the list; on the same page was a yellow sticky saying that she should meet John at the Institute after school so that she could get to know the characters of the people that they would be writing.

So that was his little game. It was good advice; they could do a lot more if they had two view points instead of just one. Rogue also decided that she would want a blue print of the school. That way she could put in secret training areas and things like that.

She flipped a page; this one seemed to be a bio of Scott. It had his full name, height and age; some general characteristics, like hair and eye color, as well as some personality quirks. Then there was a long section entitled notes. There was still plenty of space at the bottom for further observation.

The next few pages were the bios on Jean Grey, Professor Xavier, Kurt Darkholme, Ms. Darkholme, and one of Todd. The last one she quickly pushed to the back, in case her friend might see it.
So this is what he gathered in that little notebook of his. Well, she would do him one better. Rogue smiled as she patted her book bag. It was good that she had brought her journalism homework to school, after all.

Her smile abruptly vanished as a shadow fell across her face. Todd flipped down from his branch, ignoring the scrapes the glass made on his hands. Jean Grey stood over the two of them. Rogue kept her face calm and neutral.

“Soo, Marie, Scott told me that you were coming over to visit us,” Jean sounded like she was keeping herself from yelling with a great effort.

“An’ if Ah am?” Rogue didn’t bother to hide her disgust.

“So you are. How nice that is for us,” Jean plastered her best photogenic fake smile on her face, “It’s really wonderful to see that Jonathan has made a friend outside of the Academy.”

“An’ it’s really nahce tah know that St. John,” Rogue stressed the name hard, “has people who are lookin’ out for his safety an’ makin’ sure that he doesn’t make friends with the wrong crowd. After all, ain’t it awful when yahr new in town tah find out that the person yah considered yahr best friend was really only bein’ nahce tah yah tah win some stupid bet!” Rogue spat at Jean.

Two red dots flashed into life on Jean’s cheeks and she glared at Rogue.

“Well, at least I don’t hang around with some womanizing albino creep, his thick skulled car junkie friend, a walking tub of lard, and a pick pocket Toady freak!” she yelled.

“Hey, at least we don’t hang around with a boy who constantly wears sunglasses for his ‘image’, yo. Though I heard your teammate Taryn say that he looks very sweet with them off, and with a few other things off as well,” Todd came to Rogue’s rescue.

“What’smattah Red, feelin’ jealous?” Rogue nodded, “Just as Ah thought. The only question is: who are yah jealous of? Taryn, or Scott?”

Jean smiled nastily, “Ha. Ha. I’m not jealous of anyone,” she sounded like she was on the verge of tears, “I just hope John gets what he’s paying for.”

Rogue and Todd watched her run off with her arm over her eyes. Crocodile tears, thought Rogue, just the perfect act for everyone who witnessed that scene. Nice and caring Jean Grey is yelled at by the heartless bitch-queen Marie Alder.

“You actually going to the X-Mansion, foo’?” Todd looked at Marie.

“Well, if Ah wasn’t before Ah am now. Sweet Jeanie’s gonna pay for that last remark,” Rogue folded her arms with a look of determination on her face.

“OK, yo. We’d better get in, the bell,” the shrilling of the bell cut through Todd’s speech, “is gonna ring,” he finished with a haphazard smile.

“Naw, really?” Rogue made a sarcastic face, “Hey, thanks for helpin’ me out against the Grey Lady, Ah thought Ah was going tah explode when she said that about you, Lance an’ everyone.”

“Hey, what are friends for, if not to stop a bitch fight?” Todd looked at Rogue as she bent down to pick up her book bag, “Hey, you don’t think that Jean was really upset by what you said, do you?”

“Naw, that was just her and her crocodile smile, as they say,” Rogue started off to the door that led from the courtyard to the auditorium.

Rogue and Todd chatted about anything that came to mind as they walked along. Rogue knew that she sounded a little desperate as she talked. Like she was resolutely trying not to feel guilty about something.

Freddy called them over and they all took seats at one of the five tables dragged up to the orchestra pit. Lance was already there and Pietro rushed in just before the teacher. John showed up three seconds after the teacher and bout five seconds before the tardy bell.

He slid into his seat and then looked around. There was something missing from this picture. He noticed that Scott was looking around, too.

“Hey, guys have any of you seen Piotr? The big Russian exchange student. Draws a lot. Doesn’t talk much,” John said in response to the uncomprehending stares that he was getting from the rest of the table, “I talked to him at lunch today but he isn’t here. It’s not like him to skip a class,” John looked worried.

“Nope, haven’t seen him. If we’re lucky he got deported,” Lance said darkly.

“Uh, why’s that, Lance? He seemed sortta nice to me,” Freddy said in his slow way.

“You didn’t hear Kitty during chemistry. It was all ‘Piotr’s so nice, and kind, and artistic. I wonder if he likes me. He’s got really nice legs. I just love his eyes. Did I mention that he was artistic?’” Lance rolled his eyes and then slumped at the table, looking depressed.

Pietro snorted, “Lance, face it, the pretty Kitty is just outta your league. I am a little worried about giant, stupid, and Russian though. Knowing our luck, one of us will be accused of kidnapping him,” he glanced over at Rogue, “Is it true that you are getting to go into the X-Geek’s secret lair this afternoon, oh implacable Ice Queen?”

“Yeah, Ah didn’t know until Summers cornered me in the hallway but Ah guess Ah am. If only because Ah need to see how many others of the X-Freaks are gonna give me the third degree. Ah already got it from Jean and Scott.”

“Oh, sorry ‘bout that. If I had known that they were gonna grill you I would have kept quiet,” John looked a little abashed.

“No problem, they only wanted tah make sure that Ah wasn’t gonna make off with the silver,” Rogue smiled bitterly.

‘Hey, maybe you should make off with the gold instead,” Pietro laughed harshly.
Everyone around the table fell silent each thinking their own thoughts about the way the senior students of the Xavier Academy for Gifted Students had automatically assumed that Rogue was up to no good.

John felt angry at his fellows and ashamed of them.

Rogue was feeling that it was a sad state when people thought that she would stoop to stealing something.

Todd was still angry at Jean.

Freddy couldn’t really believe that anyone would suspect any one of their group, except for Todd, of stealing.

Lance felt that there ought to be some way to get back at Scott and prove to him that Rogue wasn’t a thief.

Pietro was seething inside. He would admit that if he had been the one asked the worries about the silver would have been reasonable, considering some of the stuff he was doing this year. But Rogue was above that sort of thing, she was too proud to steal.

Pietro and Lance exchanged a look. It simply said that the X-Geeks would pay.

The class started and everyone got caught up in the activity. It was one of those improvisation games known as park bench. The only hint of animosity was when both Scott and Lance were up together. Even then, it was broken up by Piotr coming late, without an excuse. That was when Ms. Monroe, the drama teacher, decided to call a halt to the proceedings. This was pretty lucky because Scott and Lance looked like they were about to kill each other.

The rest of the class went on without incident, although it was noted that Scott seemed to become extra clumsy when Pietro was around, tripping over things and knocking into other people. However, after Rogue took Pietro aside during one partner activity and whispered a few things to him (John was pretty certain that he had been able to catch the words ‘just ‘cause he’s a stupid dick head doesn’t mean you have to be’) Scott miraculously regained his balance.
As the last bell rang and everyone headed for the exit Ms. Monroe called Pietro back to ‘discuss a few things’. The rest of the gang waited for him in the hall.

“Excuse me. I vould like to speak vid Ms. Alder, if dis is OK vid you,” Piotr the Russian walked up to them and addressed Lance.

“Yeah, it’s fahne with me,” Rogue pushed past Lance who was grinding his teeth together, “What did yah want tah talk about? If it’s about me going to the Academy, yeah Ah’m goin’. Ah’ve already told two people this today.”

“This is not what I am vishing to be speaking vid you about. Could ve talk somevere vere der are no prying ears?” his accent was thick, and Piotr spoke very slowly, as if he didn’t wish to startle anyone.

“Yeah, ovah here,” Rogue walked over to a window against the strong growls of protests coming form Lance.

“Good. I vas late to class because I found Jean Grey, a housemate of mine, crying in an unused class room. She seemed quite upset. I heard one of her friends say that she had been vid you. I vas vudering vhat happened to make her so upset. She vould not even let her friends come near her,” Piotr looked genuinely concerned.

“She started insultin’ me, an’ Ah decided tah insult her right back,” Rogue’s face was stoney, “Ah figured it’s about tahm that she’s the one in tears.”

She turned and walked down the corridor. Her back was stiff and she was looking for an excuse to kill something. Lance raised his eyebrow at Todd, who nodded a silent conformation. They all followed their friend out the door into the beautiful autumn sunshine.

Piotr looked after them and then he followed, too.

Pietro risked a peek outside the door and felt relief wash over him when he saw that no one was there. He looked at the sunshine, still enough time to go jogging around the park for fun before going home.