Disclaimer: Don't own the characters in this story or the tv show. The only thing I'm adding is the character Elizabeth.
A/N: Second chapter, fast right? Told ya. And to everyone out there reading this and wondering "Where are all their accents?" Um….I truthfully hate reading and writing them, so this story will only have a few different changes. For Logan, I won't go into everything different slang he says, for Rogue I'm not getting into the deep south, for Kurt I'm not turning German. In my mind, I can remember what they sound like and feel I don't need to put them into every signal sentence. You all know how they talk, right? And seeing as every character has a different accent (Kurt, Rogue, Logan, Remy, Evan, Ororo, ect.) I don't want to add them all. It slaughters the story and hurts a lot of people's eyes and brains to read them. Even in published writing! I just don't do it. So, you can go and change every little detail of a sentence to make it sound like them, but I'm not. Sorry.
Anyway, getting away from my little rant and on to the next chapter…
Outside Looking in:
Chapter Two
Noticeable
The walk to school seemed more…adventurous? Hm, odd. It's just a short walk. The day looked grey, which was good and bad. Good, because if it rained soon enough, we could get out of running in gym and just play basketball inside. Bad, because I still needed to walk home!
I pushed out my cheeks, blowing a strand of hair out of my face and pouted slightly. My headphones were on to about full volume, so everything in the world was mute and playing to the sound of "Where is the fun?" from the Fairly Odd Parents summer movie musical. Ya, I'm weird like that.
I'd woken up on time, which was the first odd thing, seeing as I was up all night talking with my older brother on the computer until two in the morning. It sucked that we were in totally different time zones now. Stupid California. My mom had made French toast for breakfast and packed up my lunch nice and neat with the usual motherly smile, which made me hope that there was a note in their waiting for me today. And don't laugh. I'm not that old as to where my mom making my lunch and putting notes in it is weird.
The side walk was busy with the early morning bunch, a few kids I recognized from school and other business men and women on their ways to work. There goes Keith from the track team, Mrs. Parker to her normal Thursday meetings, Jenny Oldman from Computer class…
All of which didn't even know I was there. It was kind of annoying, seeing as I made an effort to step on each and every one of the dead brown leaves on the sidewalk, crunching it all up with my foot to just see if anyone would look back at me! Was I really THAT alone in this world?!
I grumbled about it all the way up to the school's entrance, wanting to slam the front doors closed when I came in, because Principal Darkholme was right there! And she didn't even notice! To busy lecturing that Tolansky kid again!
What the fuck is wrong with people!? I thought, or rather screamed in my head, going off to my locker and turning up my music to the max as one of the heavier songs came flooding into it. If they don't want to notice me, then I won't notice them.
This made me think back to my mom and what she said on the first day of my freshman year. She said just how fun high school was and how I just needed to meet people and make friends and these were going to be the best four years of my life, just like her's!
A shiver ran up my spine at that thought. I could just see the stars in her eyes.
I grabbed all up my books for the next three classes and went on my way, because the bell would ring in five, four, three, two, one—
Bingo.
Another day of being invisible starts.
English was a breeze, just as easy as History. I was on good terms with the teacher, even if she didn't know how to spell. There really should be some sort of test an English teacher has to take every year just to show everyone that their students didn't totally kill their brains and—
"—IZ!"
I spun around in my chair, ready to bash someone's head in because whoever it was poked me in the spin. And they poked me. Who was trying to talk to me anyway? It just…doesn't happen!
"Oh, Kurt." I paused in my karate chop-o-doom and looked around, seeing the rest of the classes eyes on me, along with the teacher, who didn't seem to happy about being interrupted in her ranting about how Hamlet was the greatest things since sliced bread. I wanted to be noticed, not stared at until it seemed like you were the deer in the headlights, ready to be struck down. I smiled slightly and waved to everyone. "Uh, sorry about that. He…surprised me…"
They went back to doing class stuff.
I glared back at my new partner, popping my head phones out as the rest of the world began to come back with sound. He seemed surprised by the glare, so I let it go.
"You shouldn't have poked me! I warned you about that!" I whispered, turning around to make it seem like we weren't having a conversation in the middle of a lecture. "Plus, why are you talking to me? You've NEVER talked to me since you got here, and you didn't even know I existed—even when I sat RIGHT in front of you!" I turned back around, grey eyes hard. "Do you even know which of your classes I'm in, or are you just guessing?"
He looked totally freaked. I was too, because normally I'm not that big of a bitch. This morning was rough, and I needed more sleep.
"Um…two, zat I know of." His body seemed like it was trying to get out of the way. Slipping down, down, down, into his chair. I looked him over and thought that maybe if he tried a little harder, he could disappear.
"Four. History, English, Shop, and Computers. I'm in two f Evan's, Gym and History. And with your friend Rogue, I have one. Art. You didn't know that, did you?"
"No."
I pouted and once more turned to the front of the class. "Sorry for doing that. What did you want anyway?"
"I vas just going to ask vhere you vant to meet after school. For the project, right?" His voice sounded really nervous, or maybe worried. Embarrassed? Man, we both seemed to have issues today.
"Right, sorry. Um, just outside the school grounds. My house isn't too far. We can walk."
"Right."
And we both got silent after that, not talking for the rest of class. Well, he talked to more kids around him. I didn't talk, because no one bothered to talk to me. Even if I somehow managed to make a conversation start with someone, it would only last two minutes before it dives into that awkward silence I know so well. Why couldn't anyone just randomly pop up in class and shout "Wow, did anyone watch the newest episode of Avatar last night?! It was just too funny!" I could conversate with that…
Thankfully, it started raining. Good thing too, because Gym would have been a bitch. Horrible. I hate getting all sweaty in the middle of the day. So, the rain gods answered part one of my prayers and let it start pouring down with thunder and lightning right when I walked out of Science. Score one for Liz. Another score when I found out the coach wasn't up to par, so the other coach let us have a little free period, as long as it had something to do with physical activities. And the crowd went wild! It would be an easy day here.
It took me a few tries to get it right, I can tell you. It's hard enough reading a book while everyone around you is chatting away, clogging your brain with their conversations so you reread a sentence over four times. Add in a jump rope, and you got yourself a serious challenge.
It's the timing, I've found.
Half of the two classes were playing basketball, the other half were either walking around the gym, talking away or just grabbed one of the little sporting objects like me and were trying to act like they were doing something.
I got two people who I was rather friendly with, but didn't like gym, and gave them the rope ends. All they had to do was turn it and it was called exercise. The coaches were happy, they were happy, I got to jump, read, and be happy. Everyone wins.
I flipped the page, skipped the rope, and read on. Easy as pie. Now all I had to do was somehow get the Olympics to have a reading and jumping rope part and I'll take home the gold. Go Elizabeth Finch!
I was so wrapped up in my little gold winning fantasy, I didn't hear the voice shout "Look out!" before a basketball came right up and hit me in the back, knocking my book down and me along with it. The rope tangled at my feet, hissing as the hard floors burned my skin.
"Man, Pietro! You're such a klutz! Look what you did!"
"Please! You were the one who couldn't hold the ball!"
"You fouled me!"
I got up, rubbing my head, looking around for my book, ignoring the burning in my knees. They needed to make the gym uniforms longer so this wouldn't happen! And where was my book?! I lost my page! Gone!
"Hey, uh, Liz, right?"
I shot up quickly at the sound of my name, because I didn't hear it a lot in school, unless it was from one of the teachers. This wasn't a teacher's voice. I looked over my shoulder to see Evan, a friend in Kurt's little group of love and caring, holding out a hand for me. I took it, sort of dazed. Why was he helping me, or saying my name? And my nickname for that? What was getting into people today? He'd never said anything to me except maybe "Pass!" or "I'm open!". My book was in his other hand, which I snatched up quickly when I finally got to my feet again.
"I lost my page!" I cried out, quickly flipping through it, trying to find the sentence I left off on.
"Look, uh, sorry. Mr. Ass over their shoved me a little too hard and..." I could hear the strain in his voice, feeling the heavy air around us. Was talking to me really killing him this much?
I snapped the book shut, picking up his ball and looked for Pietro in the crowd of kids. I didn't care whose fault it was at all, but that kid really needed to get that grin off his face. It just looked way to satisfying on his pale little face. I could even see his friend Lance getting a good chuckle out of it too.
"AAHHH!" I let out this pathetic sounding cry and kicked the ball, even if it wasn't supposed to be kicked. I hoped I popped it too! There was no reason to stay around any longer, because in ten minutes, it would be time to head out. I went back into the locker rooms to change and collect my things.
Before I left, my ears picked up the sound of a grunt and thud. Whether it was Evan, Lance, or Pietro, it was good enough for me. All of them deserved it. They really needed to stop acting like five year olds and get over the stupid grudge they all held against each other! It was like a freaking leather against jeans things.
The smile on my face was just as unnoticeable as I was.
Lunch. Halfway done. Halfway done. Halfway done. Only three more classes until the last bell where I could go home with Kurt and get the project somewhat started and maybe not be such a bitch this time. That's all I needed. I could be nice and maybe start off better and—
All these different thoughts were running through my head as I grabbed my lunch, book, and head phones as I headed out to the cafeteria for lunch, seeing as it was still raining outside. The song now was by The Matches, but that's all I could get as my head bowed down to reread the last three pages, still trying to find my place. I get lost easily. It happens with wandering minds, my dad used to say.
In between switching songs and turning pages, I heard something that could have been something that sounded like Elizabeth. It made me look up, eyes looking back and forth in the crowds of teenagers getting their daily dose of nutrition and evil cafeteria food worms. Every time I heard my voice, or thought I heard it, I'd look up. Paranoid maybe? Maybe. It just made me feel even more freakish then I already was. Especially when I actually turn around and say "Yes?" to nothing.
I looked around for the third time, seeing no one that seemed to be trying to get my attention. Great. Just another reason for everyone to call me crazy.
I sighed and started to walk off again to my usual lunch eating spot when it came again. Elizabeth. Liz. Ove—
"—r here!"
I spun on my heels. Either someone was calling my name, or the aliens really hated me. I tried to stand on my tippy toes. It sucked to be so short sometimes. Just over the tops of one of the jock's heads I could see a hand waving in my general direction. A hand that, for some reason, was giving off the 'Star Trek' symbol too me. I cocked an eye brow and headed towards it.
What awaited for me that connected to the Treky hand was something that I didn't quit plan on.
"Oh, god…" I muttered, smacking my face with my book. It was Kurt's little group, or was it Scott's? Maybe Jean's. Who was the leader in this little thing?
I lowered all my stuff and gave a puff from my cheeks, blowing away more strands of hair from my face. "Uh, you rang?" I cocked my hip out, trying to make everything seem a little less awkward.
"Oh, ya! I just, ah, vanted to know if you, uh…"
Jean jumped in then, saving the German's skinny ass. She seemed like the type to just save everyone. Probably become a good psychiatrist one day, or something along those lines. "Kurt was talking about you yesterday," Another good reason to smack myself in the face. That's probably why
Evan knew my name, and maybe why Rogue looked my way in art. "And we were just wondering if you'd like to join us for lunch." She put on this welcoming smile to seal the deal. It felt really fake, like he'd practiced this before.
"Ya! Thas it!"
I looked them all over, trying to see if they were actually serious. It would have been easier if any of them were meeting my eyes, or maybe if Scott just took off those sunglasses. I've always wondered why he wears them all the time, even in class.
Be nice, Liz! Nice! Remember, you need friends! Another quick look and—
"Fine, I think. Scoot it, Pretty Kitty."
The girl gave me this sort of blank stare before moving over for me. I could feel the eyes already on me and felt like that deer all over again. So I stared back, suspicion all over my face. "Uh, what? I like the end. Faster getaways."
They still stared.
"What!?"
"Girl, how did you know her name?" It was the gothy girl who spoke up in the thick southern accent, Rogue. Good. She seemed like the one with most of her sense, and liked to speak her mind. Or maybe that was just the goth speaking. I've found that to happen to people.
I groaned, rolling my eyes and threw my hands in the air. "For the love of—" Roll call time, I figured as I shot them all looks. "Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Evan Daniels, Kitty Pryde, Kurt Wagner, and Anna Marie, but you prefer Rogue, right?" I turned down to my lunch and ripped it open, taking a bite out of the PB and J that my mom was a master at making. "Would you like class schedules and arch rivals too? Just stop…staring at me!"
I almost wanted to throw that peach at Scott's head to make him turn away.
"I told you all!" Was the first thing after I gave off the roll. It was from Kurt, who was smiling for some reason.
"What?"
"How do you know all of this?" Mr. Shades over there, shaking his head all confused like he just woke up from a coma.
I rolled my eyes again and put down my sandwich. "Look. I just know stuff, alright? I actually pay attention to the rest of the freaking world and don't get caught up in the little bubble I draw around myself that let's everything not in it disappear from reality."
I knew this was going to be a bad idea. Stupid little voice in my head, thinking friends are so good…they all thought I was nuts now!
"So…um, Liz—" Jean to the rescue again. She should wear a cape for something.
"Or Elly."
"You and Kurt are doing a project together? An event that changed the world, right?"
I smiled, but not at her. Tapped to my water bottle was the exact thing I've wanted to see all morning. A little paper written in pen with "Love Mom" at the bottom. I pulled it off and read it silently, giggling before tucking it away in my pocket, getting back to the little conversation.
"Yeppers, we'll be doing it on the nuclear war far of WWII."
It got quiet again, so I looked up. I could feel the tension in the air, you could slice through it with a knife, spread it on Wonder Bread and eat it for breakfast.
"Uh, is that a bad thing?"
Kitty cocked her head to the side, giving me this freaked out looked. Ya, she was the first to think I was nuts. "Um, like, isn't that bad? Wouldn't you want to do something that was like, good for the world?"
I narrowed my eyes and turned to her. "No, actually, because we could pick anything. And I want to do it on that subject, because it all ties in with the next fifty some odd years to come. Just because it's bad, doesn't mean it's not important. The atomic bomb was how we got the world to stop fighting, shut up, and slap some sense into them. It was also one of the reasons for the cold war." I lowered my voice, which was getting up to an almost shout as I went on, and picked up my book, opening up to the page I think I left off on and continued my answer. "I'd rather do it on something that was bad and made a huge chunk in history then pick out something that just didn't make it as far."
"Sheesh, alright, sorry." And she gave up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rogue got impressed, and Kurt was still smiling. Probably because he wasn't going to fail this class with me as his partner.
Everyone went back to their lunches for a while after that, only making small talk with each other, which didn't include me. They all seemed to be beating around the bush with something, or for some reason. Their topics were always about school and never about…normal teen conversations. What kind of teenagers talked about school at lunch when they were in school? This was just so—
"Liz, you're reading 'A Separate Peace'?"
I looked over to Jean with a "Hu?"
"Your book,"
I looked down at the book, reading off the cover again before my mind finally snapped back into it. "Oh! Ya! Sorry. Ya, I'm reading it, fifth time. I love it."
"And, you understand it?"
"What's not to understand? The way Knowles writes is breath taking. Makes me want to cry every time I get to the end. The meaning in it is just so…" I flipped through the pages, picking up the traces of old book smell and wanted to melt. I grinned up at them, tapping my hand to my chest. "Makes my heart go all frantic." I chuckled, putting the book down and then something clicked on in my head, making the grin wider. "Evan, who did I hit in the gym? When I kicked the basketball?"
His face lit up too. "Oh, MAN! That was good! I wish you would have stayed to see it! You got Pietro right where it hurts!"
At this, everyone stopped eyes wide. Kurt even started choking on his milk. Rogue slapped him on the back to stop his frantic coughing.
"She hit—"
"Like, no way!"
"Seriously, dude! Right there, so hard! He wasn't moving too fast then, on the floor making sure they were both there!"
Evan, Kurt, and I all started to crack up. Scott has this pained look on his face, as if it was him that got a basketball to the balls. I laughed harder, and Kitty joined in. It felt good. As if I was actually a member of their friendship circle. Really good.
Until the bell rang.
And my happy place exploded into a bunch of flames and ashes. More class. Great. All alone. With no one to make me laugh. Well, at least I still had Kurt after school. Hopefully I could keep my sanity until then. Or maybe someone else needed a good kick in the balls to make me feel better.
I still caught the little conversation between Jean and Scott before I left.
"You think they'll do anything to her for that?"
"Who, Quicksilver and the rest of their little gang?"
"Ya, I mean, do you think he'd just take that lying down?"
"I don't know. Maybe it would be safe to keep an eye out."
"Right."
What was that all about?
But I didn't turn back to ask.
The late bell rang.
A/N: And that is an end scene! Alright, I don't think the next chapter will be out until about Sunday or Monday. See, I'm fast with this thing! I got another week and a half before school starts, so I'll be pumping out the chapters like crazy! YAY! So, you know the drill. Reviewing is love!
