*A/N: Hey everyone! I want to thank you all for reading my story and taking the time to review! If there are any Firecat fans out there, I'm really sorry that she's such a bitch in my fic. But someone's gotta do it, right? Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you like it!

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Due to the previous occurrences, school was canceled for the day. Xavier and the rest of the professors felt that the students needed some time to calm their nerves and to get their story straight.

There were many rumors floating around, such as: John and Bobby were fighting over Rogue, Jubilee had cheated on John, Raven used a knife on Rogue and Jubilee- things of that nature. Of course, none of them were true, but that's why they were rumors.

John plopped himself down on one of the couches in the den and closed his eyes.

He had been dumped.

Surprisingly, it didn't feel as bad as he would have imagined. He had never been dumped before so this was a new feeling, a new experience. He let his mind wander for a while, thinking about which girl he would go out with next.

Would it be her?

No.

Her?

Maybe.

Her?

Definitely not!

And then his mind lingered over a person that he had been thinking of quite often.

Raven Thomas.

Now she was a sight! With that scorching red hair and those captivating green eyes, she could make any guy fall head-over-heels.

'No,' John warned himself. 'You can't even think about Raven! You know it'll never work.'

But somehow, that just drew him to her even more. Suddenly, he felt another person's presence next to him and he opened his eyes, relaxing as he saw who it was.

"Hey, Bobby," he said nonchalantly. His friend looked at him with an intense stare, which made John slightly uneasy. "Man, what's wrong? Is this about yesterday? Because I told you I was..."

"John, don't say it. I know." Iceman held up his hand and gave Pyro a serious look. He sighed and John suddenly felt like he didn't like this situation. Bobby spoke again:

"Listen, 'Dyce, we all really need to know if you're still with us." John narrowed his eyes in confusion at the man in front of him.

He smirked and said, "What do you mean, Bob?" Iceman just shook his head. It looked like his thoughts really pained him and it took everything in him to speak.

"Are we all still friends; are you still apart of the X-Men?"

It was all falling together. They didn't want him here! John felt the fury boil inside of him.

'How dare they!'

He jumped out of his seat and screamed, "What the hell are you talking about? What, you don't think I'm loyal or as good as you? Well, listen Iceman, I'm ten times as strong as you, and I'll prove it!" Without another word, Pyro stormed away, leaving a confused Bobby to himself.

Bobby Drake just sat there for a moment, soaking up his friend's reaction.

'He'll prove it?' This didn't sound good at all. Bobby turned around and saw Professor Xavier sitting in the corner. Had he been there the whole time? A nod from the professor told him that his assumption was correct. The wheelchair was now next to Bobby and Xavier gave him a knowing look but didn't speak. Bobby, however, did.

"He's got somethin' wrong with him, Professor. I don't know what it is! One minute, he's fine then the next he's stark-raving mad- a lunatic! He took what I said completely out of context and I don't know why."

Xavier just nodded his head and sat in silence for a moment. Then he spoke:

"It's not his fault, Bobby. St. John cannot control his temper as we can. When he fights, his mind clouds and right and wrong do not mean a thing. He fights for one thing and one thing only."

Bobby waited for a continuation of his professor's words but none came. Instead, Bobby asked, "But what does he fight for, Professor?"

Xavier shook his head. "That, I am afraid, is a mystery that I do not know. I highly doubt if Mr. Allerdyce even has the slightest idea either. But all we can do is try to help him."

Bobby stared at his professor, not being able to contain his surprise.

"But Sir! When we try to help him, he only gets worse! There's nothing we can do. He'll be with the Brotherhood before any of us knows it! We are postponing the inevitable. This is a lost cause."

Xavier's comforting voice flowed through Bobby's ears. "As long as he is within reach, all is not lost." With that, Xavier patted Iceman on the shoulder and left the room. Bobby, yet again, was left to himself to ponder the fate of his friend.

___________

Rogue bounced up and down on her bed happily, making funny faces at Jubilee.

"You'll never guess in a million years, Jubes! NEVER!" Jubilee only smiled at her friend and tried to guess.

"Is it a guy?" Rogue nodded fiercely.

"Does he have black hair?" Rogue shook her head.

"Blue eyes?" Jubilee heard Rogue laugh:

"Not at all!" A small thought crossed Jubilee's mind:

"Is he foreign?"

Rogue's smile spread even further across her red face. Jubilee was also beginning to feel excited.

"Is he hot?"

Rogue fell onto her bed in hysterics. "Yes! Yes he is!" Jubes jumped off her bed and tried to stare Rogue in the eye.

"Is it really?"

Rogue couldn't hold it in any longer. "Yes! It is!" Then all that could be heard was the giddy laughter of two teenagers screaming.

___________

Raven Thomas walked out of her dorm room and sneered at the closed door of Rogue and Jubilee's room.

'What the hell could they be doing?' As far as she was concerned, they were a waste of her time and there was no reason to let her thoughts dwell on such people. With not so much as another glance in their direction, Raven made her way through the hallway and headed for the stairs.

Crash!

She instantly collided with someone and felt herself hit the ground.

"Watch where you're going, dickweed!" Raven spat as she picked herself up. She immediately regretted it as she looked into the eyes of Pyro.

"Nice to see you too, Raven." He smiled at her and she almost cracked one herself.

He was so hot! Then she really did smirk, but realized that he was still attached to that whiney little girl. So, casually, she brushed past him and turned the corner.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Firecat looked at him in surprise. She turned her body to face him and stepped a bit closer.

"Somewhere where I can be of service." She licked her lips seductively and smiled. "Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?" She raised her eyebrows at him and awaited an answer.

"We broke up."

Raven was almost taken aback at the casual reply, but then her selfish thoughts intervened and she traced a finger across his jaw.

"Oh, really?"

Jubilee yanked on Rogue's gloved arms to make her stop laughing.

"When does he come?" Rogue's face hurt from laughing and her face was a light crimson.

"Tonight, six o'clock! He told me so! Oh, I can't wait to see him!" Jubilee looked at the clock. It was noon.

"Well, we'd better get ready if he's gonna be here in six hours!" Rogue agreed by nodding her head vigorously. They both hopped up and ran to their closets, hoping to find something that would appeal to their guest.

Five-thirty.

The two frantic girls ran around their room in a rush, adding more accessories, replacing, subtracting, putting on makeup, spraying perfume, but both were assured that it would be worth it. Soon, he would knock on the door and they just couldn't wait.

___________

Pyro woke up and rubbed his eyes. Where was he? Lazily, he looked to his right and there was Raven, naked beside him. He looked down at himself and noticed that he too was the same. Ah, yes, he remembered. Did he feel any regret, any remorse? Should he? The truth was, he felt great. There was no one to confine him or restrict him. He had just had sex with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and completely exhausted her. He felt no anger, no worry, and no sadness. Did he really care for Raven?

'Hell no!' He thought to himself. 'She's a bitch!'

Slowly, he rolled off of the bed and donned his jeans and T-shirt and quietly slipped out the door.

He hadn't used her, had he? No. She was used so much, it hardly even mattered any more.

Now convinced, Pyro thought about what he wanted to do. Privately, he had been sick of school, sick of his friends. What he really wanted was adventure, no rules, and no boundaries. But where would he get that? Surely the professors would keep him right where he was and give him nothing that he wanted. He sighed and scratched his neck. He would find what he wanted in good time.

Pyro hastily took the stairs two at a time, preparing to swing around the banister, speeding him into the next room, but when he got to the bottom, he heard a loud knock at the door in front of him. Looking around to see if anyone else was going to get it, he approached the door and pulled it open.

John was met by a tall man with a definite build, and dark glasses shaded his eyes despite the hour. John caught his breath in his throat as he realized who this was; he felt like Bobby had frozen him again and his mouth only let him utter a single word:

"Gambit?"