"And exactly how long have these migraines been going on?" asked the nurse, a thin, bespectacled woman with a pointy chin. Haddy believed that her name was Lucinda, but she wasn't quite sure. The woman definitely looked like a Lucinda. She wore a tight pencil skirt paired with a black turtleneck, despite the warmth of summer that had continued into late September, and high heels that looked quite painful.
Haddy winced, rubbing at her temple with the base of her palm. "I don't know," she said. "A few months, maybe?" It had gotten worse after she had started attending Bayville High, she knew that much, but if she told the school nurse that she'd be getting therapy, not help.
The nurse hummed tunelessly as she scanned her clipboard, jotting something down with a pencil. "Any other symptoms besides the headaches?" she asked.
Haddy shook her head. "Just the migraines, and they've been getting worse. Could I have an aspirin or something so that I can go back to class?"
"If you're not feeling well, you should go home," said Lucinda, glancing up from her work and looking at Haddy over her wire-framed glasses.
"I only have so many sick days," Haddy said, shrugging the suggestion off. "I think I'll be fine for the rest of the day if I just have something to take the edge off."
The woman looked skeptical, but handed Haddy a couple of circular white tablets and a paper cup decorated with little rows of multicolored, flying squiggles that Haddy guessed were supposed to be birds. She pointed at a water fountain in the corner and watched Haddy closely, as if she didn't trust her not to steal something or sneak the aspirin out of the office and sell it on the street. Haddy downed the pills and shouldered her backpack. Her head still throbbed, but it wouldn't be too long before the aspirin took effect, hopefully.
"Thanks. I'd better get to class."
The nurse gave another low hum and gestured at the door, returning to examining her clipboard. Haddy slipped out of the office and down the hall, scanning room numbers until she reached the door to her math class, at least twenty minutes late.
She tried entering unnoticed, but, of course, the door made a loud squeaking sound as it opened, causing several heads to turn in her direction. She flinched at the noise and slid into an empty desk, lowering her backpack to the floor and withdrawing her Algebra book, conscious of the snickers of a few kids in the back. She gnawed at her lip nervously, then jumped as she heard a loud noise behind her.
She turned around to see a brunette, perhaps a year older than her, grin at her and wiggle her fingers before returning a school book to her desk. Looking to the side of the girl, she saw a boy with a dark tan and an outfit that resembled what a rocker might wear if he was on a tight budget reeling from what she presumed was a blow to the head from the Algebra book.
Haddy smirked. Maybe today wouldn't go as bad as she had initially thought.
After stuffing her backpack into her locker, Haddy walked down the hall to the cafeteria, digging her hands in her pockets to find her lunch money. A few students still peppered the hall. The tan guy from her algebra class, along with a pale boy with stringy brown hair and another one with slicked back white hair and an athletic figure. She was fairly certain he was on the basketball team, but wasn't quite positive. The last member of their company dwarfed them all be comparison. He had a blonde mohawk going down an otherwise bald head that glistened with sweat. He wore a pair of jean overalls that must have had several X's in the size. The boy from her class glared at her and the others followed his lead. She obviously hadn't made friends with them.
She'd been at Bayville High for a few weeks now, but didn't know anyone's names except for the teachers. No one had really bothered to tell her. The tan boy's name was Lance, or at least something like that. The boy with the white hair was Pietro and the one with the brown hair was named Todd, but she wasn't entirely sure how she knew that. She didn't know what the giant's name was, but she'd heard him referred to as the Blob.
"What're you staring at, fish?" Lance asked.
"Nothing," she muttered, rubbing at her head. The migraine was back. "Don't you have detention today for getting into that fight?"
Lance seemed surprised. "How did you know that?" he asked, allowing his tough demeanor to falter. He quickly recovered. "Even if I was, I don't see how you'd be able to do anything about that, fish."
Fish. So that was what he had decided on calling her. Interesting choice, but not very original. Everyone called the freshmen fish.
"I think Fishy-fishy is looking for a fight," said the giant one.
Pietro's lips tilted upward in a smirk, as if he found the idea as endearing as the Blob. Todd crouched in anticipation, awaiting a single word from Lance.
Lance flexed his hands experimentally and grinned. "Let's rock, fish."
Somehow, Haddy knew that those words would be followed by something extremely unpleasant. She backed up until she was against the lockers, then the floor began to shake. She felt the lockers rattle behind her and her eyes widened. Lance was a mutant? She moved her head out of the way just in time to avoid a long green tongue. What the heck was going on?
Scott walked down the hall with Jean as Kurt skipped along, sometimes behind them, sometimes in front. It made Scott antsy, Kurt using his powers in public like that. He frowned and drew his eyebrows together. Jean put a hand on his arm.
"Settle down, Scott," she said. "No one's here. They're all in the lunch room. Best for him to let it out out here instead of in there."
"Hm," was all Scott said.
Sounds of angry voices came from around the corner and Scott grabbed Kurt's tail. The boy yelped and pulled it back, tucking it into his jacket with a very hurt expression on his face.
"What was that for?"
"Sh." Scott gestured with two fingers to the turn of the hall. The trio advanced silently, or, at least, nearly silently.
There was a girl pinned up against the lockers as Lance shook the floor of the hall with a miniature earthquake. Todd kept bounding about, trying to hit her with his slimy tongue, but she seemed to anticipate the action and narrowly avoided each attempted strike. She wasn't, however, so lucky with Quicksilver, or Pietro's, attacks. He was too fast for her. Looked like the whole gang was there, except Tabitha and... Scott gave a quick intake of breath as the Blob shoved him forwards.
"Looks like the X-men came to join the party," Fred announced. That caught the others' attentions. The floor calmed, and Todd's tongue returned back into his mouth after snagging a fly above his head. Even Pietro screeched to a stop to grin at the new arrivals.
The girl took a few hesitant steps backward, but Pietro grabbed her by the wrist. She was taller than Kitty, but shorter than Jean. Maybe around 5'7. She had brown hair a little past her shoulders and straggly bangs that hung over a pair of gray-blue eyes. She wore an oversized green tee shirt and wrinkled skinny jeans. That and the bags under her eyes made her look like she hadn't slept in weeks.
Her eyes widened briefly, than Pietro pulled her forward suddenly. She staggered, as if perhaps she wasn't all there or had a hangover or something.
"What do you think, fish?" asked Todd, snickering as if he thought the nickname was awfully clever. "Shall we play with them?"
"Let me go," the girl muttered, pulling her wrist away from Pietro.
Scott fingered the corner of his shades, then gave a nod to Jean, silently signalling her to call the Professor. "You know we're not supposed to show the other students our powers, Lance."
"Can it, Mister Shades," Lance snapped. "That's your rule. I do what I want." He pointed a finger at the girl. "You, fish. Come here, now."
She shook her head. "No way. And my name's Haddy, not fish."
"Whatever, fish. Here, now."
Haddy shook her head again.
"Blob, go get her."
Fred picked the girl up with one hand and took a step forward before being lifted off his feet by Jean and slammed backwards onto the ground. Haddy jumped to her feet and took off down the hall towards the front doors of the school.
"No!" Scott exclaimed involuntarily.
"It's okay," said Jean. "Logan's outside. She won't get far."
"And neither will you," came a voice from the end of the hall, triggering a simultaneous groan from all present.
Principal Kelly walked along the tile floor, heels clicking ominously as he came closer.
Busted.
Author's Note: Hello, Hannah here. I'll be going through and editing the chapters for awhile, so if you think I should change anything, mention it in the reviews. I love constructive criticism, as it shows that you take my work seriously :) Also, I'm working on a. a Firefly/Doctor Who crossover story and b. a new X-Men: Evolution Fanfic that will be called Project: Hyde.
Keep an eye out for those, but also know, I am plotting a sequel for this one. I'm not sharing any info yet, but I'll probably start it up in a month or two, depending on how my classes go.