Disclaimer: The only character I own in this story is my Original Character.
Prologue
In a darkened corner of the Bayville High gymnasium, a shy young man silently stood watch. He saw how Taryn Fujioka kept trying to get close to Scott Summers to make Jean Grey jealous, how Risty Wilde and Rogue kept to themselves, how Kurt Wagner tried to skirt around the issue of his gloves to Amanda Sefton, how Lance Alvers and Katherine Pryde kept close to one another, and how Duncan Matthews ditched Jean Grey to hang with his friends. Jean looked so sad that she was ditched by her boyfriend, so the young man silently made his way over to the beautiful redhead. He saw how her baby blue eyes were glistening with unshed tears, how her strapless yellow dress complimented her gorgeous figure, and how her choker and accessories suited her. He stopped and simply stood next to her. He noticed her shoulders tense, but he just stood there silently.
"Hello…?" she questioned.
He simply turned to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked into his eyes and saw only concern as to how she was doing. There was no pity for her boyfriend ditching her, only genuine concern at her own feelings. Her gaze softened and a few tears slipped down her cheeks. He used his thumb to wipe them away.
"Angels shouldn't cry," he whispered, smiling softly.
She gave him a tearful half-smile and blush.
"Would you do me the honor of just one dance, milady?" he asked, suddenly nervous.
"The honor would be mine, kind sir," she giggled, playing along.
He took her hand, kissed her knuckles, and bowed, while she curtseyed. The two danced to a slow song that suddenly came on. He held her at a respectable length at the start of the dance. As the song wore on, she slowly started to lean into him. By the end of the song, they were dancing like couples would. When the song ended, he reluctantly pulled back and bowed again.
"I enjoyed this dance, milady," he said, kissing her knuckles again.
"As did I, kind sir," she giggled again, another blush forming.
Suddenly, an orange tear appeared in the middle of the air, allowing several orange dinosaur-looking creatures to come out of it. Everyone, but Jean, her friends, and him ran out of the gym, scared. A creature charged Jean and him. Before Jean could try to get him to leave, he stood in front of her, in a fighting stance. When the creature jumped at the couple, an invisible force threw the creature away.
"What were you thinking?" she demanded.
"What did you do?" he asked, genuinely confused.
She suddenly realized what happened and fear consumed her face.
"We can talk after we've helped your friends deal with these…beings," he suggested.
"You aren't…?" she started.
"Scared? Offended? No. But, like I said: we should talk later," he said.
She was shocked, but nodded.
"One question: do all of your friends have abilities?" he asked.
"Yes," she said, sounding defeated.
"Don't worry. I promise not to tell anyone," he said sincerely.
"Thank you," she said, relieved.
"I do have one question…and I hope that you don't take this the wrong way…" he said cautiously.
"What is it?" she asked, just as cautiously.
"Why are you with Duncan?" he asked carefully.
"What?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Duncan is not the nicest of people. When you aren't around, he likes to pick on those he thinks are weaker than he is. He hasn't picked on me, because I like to keep myself to the shadows, where nobody notices me," he said softly.
"I've noticed that you like to stay in the shadows and are quiet most of the time," she said, surprising him.
"You're the first person to notice me like that," he whispered, turning his head.
"You should come out of the shadows more. People will see how great you are…I know that I have," she said, whispering the last part in his ear.
He blushed. Suddenly, he embraced her and whipped around, taking a slash to the back that was meant for Jean. The two fell as Jean screamed in shock and horror. She waved her hand and the creature was sent into the gym wall, where Forge made it disappear.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"I'm fine. What about you? Are you okay?" she asked, worried.
"As long as you're fine, milady, I'll be okay," he said jokingly.
In spite of what just happened, she smiled softly as tears formed in her eyes. Suddenly, he collapsed, unconscious. The last thing he saw was a crying Jean hovering over him, tears falling.
"Angels shouldn't cry," he mouthed, passing out.