Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is being made from this work.
Author's Note : This one's for InkPaperDoll who ensured I'd get an update out sooner than later under threat of Sparkle But Ham ;) Enjoy! Reviews always welcome.
Drawn from the restful slumber of the evening past Marie woke to the new days rays streaming in through her blinds. Pulling her blankets over her head she dared to find that deep sleep she'd enjoyed, find her way back to the dreams she couldn't remember, just knew they'd been sweet, knew there had been a boy dressed in black waiting for her. Shifting under her covers she felt her socks dangling down nearly to her toes, her shirt wrapped about her chest awkwardly pulling, her jeans riding up her legs. Bolting up out of bed she looked at herself once, to her silent alarm clock next and threw it a hateful look realizing she'd forgotten to set it.
"I'm late!" Marie cried, throwing her covers off and already stripping for her shower when she realized she wasn't alone.
"Oh my gawd, we're late Jubes, wake up!" Marie cried, spinning to the bed that had been empty for so long, finding Jubilee curled up under the covers with a pillow pulled about her head.
Her friend rose from bed with her eyes vacant, the oversized robe falling from her shoulders with her hair sticking out in every direction. Jubilee looked around the room, looked to the clock radio on the night stand between their beds, blinked once, her eyes widening in realization. Marie met her friend's panicked gaze, just nodding before racing off to the shower. Surely setting some new record Marie brushed her teeth between washing her hair, the quickest shower she'd ever taken in her life as she raced out into her room still towelling off. Ransacking the two wardrobes she once again struggled to find something new and fresh for the day, so much of what she'd worn before reminded her of a happier time at the school, a time when Bobby had been with her.
Somewhere between her exiting the shower and looking for clothes Jubilee had ventured in, coming out with a towel wrapped about her staring at Marie, pointing with her mouth agape to certain pieces of the outfit. Grumbling after a moment Jubilee ran to ransack her own wardrobe, dressing hastily dressing knowing how late they already where. Marie waited at the door, watching with a smile as Jubilee ran to her night stand. Sitting down on the bed she picked up the picture, pressing a kiss to it before setting it down.
"Bye mom, bye dad." Jubilee whispered, running a finger down the glass once more before leaping up to join Marie.
Together the two raced to their classes, Jubilee vanishing down the hallways to another of what Marie privately called attention seeking from Logan, Automotive Class even though the girl had no interest in cars or the likes. Turning a corner Marie raced on, already late for her class, a bit of a lark but figuring she might regret not taking it had she not, Music 101. With her head hung low she knocked at the door, the chatter inside dying as the door opened. Looking up she saw her teacher standing there, radiant as ever, Alison Blaire, former world Rockstar the Dazzler now living the quiet life in the height of Anti-Mutant hysteria.
"Fashionably late, I like that. There's only one seat left, go find it quick." Alison said, turning her back leaving Marie to close the door behind her.
The rest of the class looked on her as she scanned the room, found the only empty seat to be next to none other than him, Jono. Worst of all it was in the front row, dead centre, right in the attention of her teacher. Settling down she pulled her notebook from her bag, staring attentively to the lesson while struggling against the memories of the night before, the stolen kisses she shared, the warmth that had filled her.
"Alright, the lesson plan is held in my hand. If anyone wants to read it," Alison said, letting it tumble into the garbage can, followed by her cup of coffee and a wad of gum, "It's right there for you."
The class cheered, Alison nearly sparkling as she sat on her desk listening to their adoration. Marie dared steal a glance at Jono, finding their eyes meeting, a bashful smile offered to him before focussing back on their teacher who had waved for silence.
"I mean honestly, whoever wrote that garbage probably still listens to their stuff on vinyl for all the wrong reasons, not for the warmth and the quality, but because they're behind the times." Alison threw a wink to Jono, Marie left wondering then at the gesture, looking to her text book and suddenly finding it useless.
"Okay. Somewhere in that rot was a thing called music appreciation. Guess what, what makes us happy is all that counts, but for the lesson you'll have to dig down into yourself, figure out the why and how of what and why it makes you happy, and bring a voice to it." The class watched as she walked back to her desk, opened a drawer and pulled an envelope out, plastic cards held inside.
"I have in my hand, perk of the being in the business, gift cards to the local music store. Two hundred dollars each, what are there? Nearly thirty of you? Enough for six thousand dollars worth of music. You're each allowed to max out your card, but only, and I repeat only buy music that really means something to you, not whatever is hip and hot on the charts. Everything else will be given back to me to help the rest of the class incase they just can't happen to afford what they want." Alison walked back to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk and started writing before turning back to them.
"Out of all of that, you'll pick one song that really speaks to you, and that's the meat of it. You'll learn how to play that in one way or another, be it singing it, playing guitar, the bass, the drums, piano, whatever. You'll bring your own voice to that part of your soul it touches, and we'll all listen to it, just us, a few guests maybe. By the end of this semester I'll turn each and every one of you into musicians, none of this Rocker Hero stuff on the Nintenstation Box whatever." The disdain Alison had for the video game wrinkled her nose and brought an irritation to her eyes.
The class broke out into chatter, so many already talking about what they were going to buy, what songs they'd sing, what they'd learn to play. Marie sat there next to Jono and struggled to think of what she might look for, simply at a loss.
"Alright, class dismissed. Would each of you see me before leaving to receive your gift card. If you can find your way into town before the weekend feel free to spend it wisely, but I've already arranged an extra circular trip to make sure everyone has a chance to go." Alison said standing at the door, throwing it open holding the gift cards.
The class erupted into cheers, Alison looking to them with a mistiness to her eyes, handing them out to the students as they passed. Quite nearly the last, Jono declined his, Alison throwing him a knowing smile while handing Marie her own. Looking to the name written upon the card Marie couldn't recognize it as any of the big chains faltering under the changes that had affected the industry, knowing it must be some speciality shop or the likes. Catching the silhouette of Jono stalking down the halls she wanted to call out to him when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, looked up there to see her teacher standing there.
"Why don't you stay after class a minute, for some private student teacher time. I mean I had you all dead to rights for another hour, what's another twenty?" Alison said, holding the door open as she ushered Marie back in.
The door closed with a definite click, the latch thrown closed barring anyone else from joining, Marie standing alone as Alison walked about to the room. In one corner instruments stood in their stands, while icons littered the room. From Mozart to Debussy, Elvis to Clapton, the Beatles to the Stones, portraits and posters hung about the class. Alison sat on a desk, kicked her feet looking hardly more than a teenager herself then, looking back to Marie.
"First lesson of a Rockstar, the rumour mill is a vicious beast. It can make or break you the way you respond to it, you have to be careful, would you like to know what the school is saying about you?" Alison said in a sing song voice, her head dangled back as she looked to the ceiling.
Marie had ignored it all since that night, dared to pretend it hadn't happened, but she knew by the glances she saw and the talk that quieted as she neared that she was once again at the top of the talk about the school. She just wanted to get back to normal, whoever abnormal that really meant her life was, but now here she was being confronted by one of her teachers on the matter.
"No." Marie said flatly, clutching her knapsack.
"Liar." Alison challenged, facing Marie as she leaned back on the desk.
"I don't care what they think! He cheated on me! He didn't have the guts to break it off first!" Marie screamed, struggling against anger she thought she had let go of, the betrayal of it all, hating that weak part of herself.
Alison dropped from the desk, walked across the class in her cowboy boots, stood over Marie and looked down to her, smiling. Reaching out a finger she caught the flinch Marie gave at the closeness of the touch, ignoring it as she brushed the girl's hair from her eyes, hovered a finger down her cheek a hairs breadth away.
"Well, if you ever want someone to talk to, my door is always open. Now just so you don't have to lie, pop up to the board for a few minutes and write some lines about not being late for class, just so you have something to tell the rest of the kids when they start asking after this little chat." Alison turned her back to Marie, walking off to the assorted instruments and finding a bass guitar, plugging it in to strum away with the deep resonant tones called forth.
Marie stood there for a moment, watched the apparent disinterest of her teacher, remembered the concern in the woman's eyes and felt a bit shame creep into herself at forcing her away. Dropping her knapsack she stalked to the board, found the chalk and started to write the lines that seemed so foolish suddenly, losing herself to it as she listened to the music played.
"Do, do you know Jonothon?" Marie asked after a time, still thinking about the wink thrown earlier, such an innocent gesture that roused a feeling of jealousy she felt shameful for.
The bass played on for a time, quiet after a long moment as Marie carried on writing lines thinking she might have intruded. Hearing the click of heel over the linoleum floor Marie looked back, saw Alison placing the bass back on it's stand. Finding a guitar next she picked it up, plugging it in before playing once more.
"Back before all this, teaching here, when I was still top of the charts I was touring in London. Mostly small gigs, surprise shows, the odd favour to a friend from my early days. That sort of stuff. At this one pub they had a local band opening up for us, wouldn't you know it if I didn't see some skinny boy as the front man." Alison recalled, Marie turning away from the board to look to her teacher.
"I thought they were havin' a lark on me, he started playing solo at first, singing, I had to say I was impressed. Then the band kicked in and blew my socks off. Opening act or not they were good, I caught the rhythm and joined in as backup." Alison walked about the class playing the guitar with ease, imagining the audience that day, playing for their ghosts.
"The crowd ate it up. Rest of my band got the night off, hit the bar and got shit faced. We ran through my songs they knew, I caught the groove of theirs and played back up, throwing lead back and forth between us. It was just what I needed, get a reminder of what it's like for it all to be new and fresh, inspired my next album that hit the top of the charts." Alison walked to the board as she told the tale, finishing the song she'd played with a flourish.
Marie looked to her fondly, clearly a special memory shared, shared just after she had tried to push the woman away, lying to both her and herself. Turning back she started writing new lines, the phrase repeated as a mantra, I will not lie to myself. She felt the soft touch of her teacher on her back, rubbing her gently, a pat given before she walked off again.
"That's some of the best advice I think I've ever seen anyone come up with there kiddo. Always be true to yourself." Alison said softly, playing again but this time a gentle song full of longing.
The song played on as she wrote the words again and again, ingraining them on her soul, a promise made to herself with only her teacher to witness. With the board nearly full the bell rang well into a third song played, the theme recounted time and again, interrupted by the cry for the end of the period. Snapping the chalk at the shock of it Marie looked to the time, so lost to her own thoughts she hadn't even noticed as the hands had clawed their way along.
"Well, that was a bit more than a few minutes but that's more than enough plausible denial wouldn't you say? Class dismissed." Alison said, already packing up the guitar.
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The rest of the classes had a hard act to follow Marie mused, half heartedly playing attention while her thoughts forever turned back to the story Alison had told her, forever turning back to the image of Jono she had painted. She thought back to yesterday, listening to him as he played his guitar that had drawn so many to darken his door, easily imagining that night at the pub. She longed for lunch just to have a break, left alone, Jubilee taking different classes this one day of the week while never catching sight of Jono again aside from his back walking down the halls.
Thankfully she didn't share any class with either Bobby or Kitty alike, finding it easier to forgive them but still knowing how painful it'd be when she found the courage. She hated the cowardice of it but felt she was owed it, prolonging the silent suffering all the longer until she could face them. Looking down at her notes for her history class, she found that mantra written in the margin of her pages, leaving it there as a reminder as she focussed back on the lesson Miss Munroe taught.
After a time the bell rang, the screech of chairs pushed back accenting it as students raced off to the halls in a mass exodus, a reprieve all too short but needed by most. Waiting until the last had left Marie looked out the windows, caught many racing out to the lawns to enjoy the weather while it lasted, many couples sneaking off for interludes in the woods. Watching two in particular she knew she'd be safe at least for now, finally packing up her book back before heading to the cafeteria.
Jubilee was easy to spot, negotiating the trading of offending items of meals for ones people wanted, her service keeping her well stocked in the sugary treats she loved. Finding her own tray she joined the line, a choice between rubbery looking chicken cutlets or soup and salad, the latter the safest bet, taking a pudding cup as her desert. Turning back to her friend she saw the crowd had left, so many students looking all the happier with the trades made while Jubilee sat with a few trophies of her bartering on their behalf. Sitting down Marie added her own pudding cup to her stash.
"Oh girl, you remembered!" Jubilee squealed, opening it instantly to savour the faux butterscotch flavour.
"I don't know how you can eat that stuff." Marie confessed, taking her first spoonful of soup, cream of broccoli and cauliflower, fat chunks of cheese floating in the creamy broth.
"When I was a kid I loved these things, my mom...my mom packed them for me for lunch, but I'd always eat them on the way to school." Jubilee related, faltering for a moment but the look Marie gave her encouraged her.
"So when lunch time came I'd just have nasty squished PB and my little thing of milk. The kids would always be trading, always saying it wasn't fair what deals they got. I saw one kid trying to pawn off his apple, said to give it to me for a second. Found the one girl I knew was going on some health kick she'd read in a magazine, traded it to her for her Kitkat her mom packed. Came back and the boy split it with me." Jubilee looked lost in a memory,
Marie knew how hard it was for Jubilee to talk about her past, just sitting quietly and listening. Reaching across to her, she took her hand in her own and gripped it, her soup untouched as the short tale was told. Jubilee looked back to her with misty eyes, a broad smile as she took another spoonful of her pudding.
"So that's how it all started huh?" Marie asked, taking a bite of her salad.
"Yep, Jubilee, baroness of the lunch room." Jubilee chirped, finishing her pudding cup before moving onto the rubbery chicken cutlets which she sound some perverse delight in.
Together they sat and finished their meals, banter and jokes shared between them, telling of all the days classes so far with Marie holding so much back. All the while she kept a look out for him, realizing how foolish it was, knowing he hadn't need for the cafeteria. With only minutes left she toyed with an idea of looking for him, if just to thank him for last night, but knew she didn't have that kind of luck with the scant minutes left.
"Oh hey Girl, I won a bet with Wolvie in class! He totally said I couldn't change the oil in the project car, I totally said pfft, as if. Lee doesn't back down from a challenge. Grilled farm boy, what's his name, oh yeah Sam. Anyway, got us a trip to town after school for shopping, window shopping but eh, I'm planning on making some allowance raking leaves soon so at least I can see what's hot. You in?" Jubilee rambled, Marie looking up thinking back to the gift card.
"Sure, that would be great Jubes." Marie said, smiling inwardly at the thought of Logan tricking her friend to participate in class.
"Sweet, Logan said I could bring two friends. Normally that'd be Kit Kat but well, uh...nuff said. So if ya know anyone interested tell them it's twenty bucks and some chili cheese fries at the food court for that third place. See ya girl, got class with Mister Wagner, gotta learn me some German." Jubilee was off in a flash, her sweet bounty stashed in her backpack.
Marie watched her leave, thinking back to the offer of a third seat, knowing how inseparable the three used to be. Hardly surprising Jubilee had worked that empty place as a way to benefit herself, old habits dying hard as ever. Keeping the idea in her head she heard the bell ring, knowing she had that one special session with the Professor himself, the students with the most dangerous mutations working at controlling them. Packing up her bags she wandered out of the cafeteria joining the milling youths trudging back to class.
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The bell had rang and he'd taken his leave, the break meaning little to him as he wound his way through the school and down the halls, finally finding that place that had been offered him, his room. Throwing his book bag down in the corner Jono looked to the stand his guitar sat on, picking it up gently and embracing it. Sitting down in the recliner he found the headphones and threw them on, thinking back to the night before.
The storm had breathed life into him, he'd felt the vitality, closing his eyes he dared to call on o it, letting his fingers find their way across the cords, along the frets as he dared to evoke the music he'd heard then. Slowly it came back to him, clumsy at first as it always was, picking out the notes that called to him as his fingers remembered just how it went, losing himself to that moment again. As always though when he played his mind had a trick of wandering, thinking back to other things, finding that picture in the woods and learning the truth of it. He'd seen another side of that curious girl then, something fragile hidden under her tough front she put on.
The biggest surprise had been Marie, the kisses she'd given, how much he really enjoyed the gesture. The feel of her in his arms knowing to be careful of her, Marie No Touch echoing then, Bad Touch. We help. He'd felt the meaning of those words more from the outpouring of Jubilee's emotions mixed with the vaguest flicker of memories, knew their true meaning. Marie was trapped in her own skin, another cursed just as he'd been. Another song called to him thinking of her, one he wasn't ready to play again, letting the reverb die as he cradled his guitar, hearing a knock at his door. Looking up he found her standing there, another surprise that he found just how much he enjoyed.
'Hello Luv.' Jono voiced, his eyes looking softly on her.
"Sup Kid, still rocking out I see." Alison said, inviting herself into the sparse room.
Jono took of his headphones, set them down on the amp before unplugging his guitar, setting it down carefully. While he knew he'd grown since those days, hardly more than a boy of thirteen with his older friends who'd formed a band, she looked as if she hadn't aged a day, still the same Alison Blaire he'd met. Seeing her in class had reminded him of better times, still just as free spirited as that first night, the entire lesson plan thrown out to the wild cheers, seeing her relish them just as she had before.
'Always.' Jono voiced again, climbing from his seat to walk to her, wrapping his arms about her in a long overdue hug.
"Good to see you too kid, I wish I had known sooner." Alison said running her fingers through his bushy auburn hair, surprised at how much he'd grown, easily taller than her now by a couple inches.
'Needed some time t'myself.' Jono pulled away, sat down on the old sofa, Alison sitting across from him.
They sat there in quiet silence afforded by friendship, however brief their time together was the bonds made were of stronger stuff than the years spent apart. The dedication to that album had been left vague, To you know who. Looking at him now, she knew he did.
"Take this." Alison said pushing across the gift card again, noticing just how empty the room really was.
Jono held it in his long fingers, flipped it over twice, his eyes crinkling as he looked up to her, knowing inside he was smiling. He'd slowly pawned off his record collection that had survived that horrid day, missed them horribly but knew inside he'd never forget the music. Looking down at the card in his hands he knew somehow she must have known, caught the wink in class earlier and understood the meaning now.
'Thanks luv.' Jono voiced, feeling her hand on his, gripping them tenderly.
"No Jono, you earned that. This weekend after the trip why don't we sneak away and go hit up some thrift shops and what not, go looking for some hidden gems. You can bring a certain someone with ya too, always the heart throb weren't you?" Alison teased, smiling at him.
Alison laughed at the expression he held, confusion slowly brushed away to dawning understanding, catching the barest hint of a blush at the edges of his bindings. The bell rang on, both looking to another knowingly then. They had places to be, but the time together had been worth it just as a reminder of better days for both, a time when the world had been theirs and their futures had been so bright they needed sunglasses.
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She'd skipped out on the end of her last class, claiming woman problems. Logan just gave a snort, a few others joining her in the excuse hastily as the class laced up their runners for the laps around the school he always ended the class with. Leaving the gym she wandered the halls, catching the teachers all lecturing away, an explosion heard in Chemistry with Mister McCoy, the undeniable voice of Jubilee saying 'Oops', wondering what bit of measuring and math she'd gotten wrong this time.
Winding her way through the halls she found his room, set her bag down and crouched against the wall outside of it. Opening it a moment later she found some novel she'd been reading, her secret guilty pleasure, bargain bin vampire romance novels that flooded the market in the wake of a hit series. They always felt so cathartic to read, so predictable with the heroes always falling into two cuts, the vampire or the redeemer. Thinking of her own life she longed to find one that could redeem her, embrace her and ravish her. As the bell rang she clapped the book shut, knowing she'd find her page again easily enough, stuffing it in her bag. It wasn't long until she saw him walking down the hall, caught him looking at her.
'Hi gel.' Jono voiced.
"Hi, uh, you busy?" Marie asked as he reached for his door, pausing to look at her.
'Nothing that can't wait.' Jono let his bag fall gently, leaning against his door.
Marie had practised it ten's of times during her last classes, only now looking at him did she loose it all, every question lost as she looked into those brown eyes of his. She'd thought to make it about class, to make it about needing his help knowing how little she knew about music. Looking at him now she stammered for words.
"Twenty dollars and chili fries buys you a trip to town with Jubilee and me." Marie spat out, smacking her face with her hand as she blushed deep red feeling an idiot.
Jono looked at her for a long moment, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a plastic gift card, flipping it over twice. Pocketing it he opened his door, kicked his book bag in and closed it again. Marie looked up to him trying to imagine what was going through his mind, failing.
'Tell Sparkles thirty at the music store, you buy her the chili fries and it's a deal.' Jono's words carried the amusement he felt then.
"Deal!" Marie realized she was nearly yelling, leaping to her feet to shake his hand with both her own, loving the feel of it through her thin loves, strong yet gentle.
Somehow she knew he was smiling as he opened his door, walking backwards in after kicking his bag through the threshold. Turning away she raced to her room to tell Jubilee the deal, knowing it was just the kind of bartering her friend always loved. Sure enough Jubilee just grinned at her, a high five given before she forced Marie to take a seat at her desk. Twenty minutes later with banging at the door Marie looked at herself in the mirror, amazed at how little the makeup Jubilee had done seemed to do.
"Pfft girl, Scrawny Butt to Southern Belle, girl like you doesn't need hide anything, just accent it. Now, put this on while I go stall Wolvie, you got assets, work them." Jubilee pushed the desk chair across to the bath before throwing the door open, tackling the man standing there and gossiping madly.
The shirt was another of Jubilee's, some V neck that did nothing for her. Pulling it on Marie looked to the mirror and saw just how much it did for herself, accent Jubilee had said, just enough shown to unspoken promises and tease, leaving the rest to imagination. Smiling at the image that looked back, if there was one thing Jubilee knew it was fashion, wondering why the girl always seemed to be riding the opposite, gaudy colours and bucking the trends to clash. Stepping into the hall she saw Logan and her sparring, leaning against her frame to watch them until they noticed her.
"Hey Kid." Logan said, blocking the small fists thrown his way easily.
"Hi Logan." Marie said, watching her friend try and break his guard.
"Ya look nice." Logan replied throwing her a wink, his momentary lapse of attention letting a blow through, Jubilee punching him in the side.
Jubilee cheered, throwing her firsts up and dancing like a boxer, Marie left to wonder what friendly bet the two had agreed to then. Logan just gave a grin, walking past her and ruffling her hair as she screamed at him, a swing and a miss thrown as he ducked and wove. Grumbling Jubilee chased after him, Marie walking after the pair enjoying the scene. Out front sat the Jeep, the same they'd taken the day before, just enough room for four comfortably, five if someone wanted to squeeze in. Jubilee turned on her, a fist held out.
"Best two out of three?" Marie asked, Jubilee nodding.
Three ties later, Jubilee came out on top, racing to the shotgun seat she coveted yet so rarely got to enjoy, vetoed time and again by Logan except when she'd won another bet, having to play RPS to decide. Marie smiled at her, knowing well she'd enjoy the company in the back as she saw him wander out from along the edge of the school, dressed as he was the day before coming off the plane. Jubilee looked to him and then Marie, racing up to the boy and tackling him in a hug.
'Hey Sparkles, did your friend tell you the renegotiation?' Jono voiced as he walked with her to the Jeep.
Instead of answering aloud Jubilee broke out into sign language, Jono joining in leaving Marie watchful of their faces to dare understand the gestures. Jubilee looked surprised at first, a few gestures thrown, Jono just giving a single one. Looking stubborn she threw a few more gestures, added a raspberry and raced off to the Jeep ahead of him. Jono looked amused as he neared, Marie walking up next to him.
"What was that all about?" Marie asked watching as her friend started to play with the radio, her hand swatted away time and again by Logan.
'You just owe her chili fries, said she owed me one.' Jono's voice sounded wistful, Marie knowing he'd made a friend for life last night likely.
Climbing into the back of the Jeep, Marie knew the drive to all too well, usually reading a book along the way. But with the company she shared she knew she'd enjoy every moment of it, left alone to get to know a certain someone all the better, the land painted in all the colours of fall as they raced down the back roads, taking the long way there just enjoying the trip.