"Here's to a wonderful summer!" Lance grinned, holding up his beer bottle.
"Here here!" The young boys toasted, while Logan plainly held up his beer bottle.
They each took swigs of their beers. Pietro leaned back, resting his head on the back of the couch, sighing loudly. "What's up, Speedy?" Lance asked, as he placed a card from his hand onto the table in front of them.
Remy glared at the card, grunting, as he glanced at the hand he held. "Stupid Crystal. Man I hate relationships!" Pietro complained, as he took another swig of his beer.
"Why?" Sam asked curiously, as he rested his elbows on his knees.
"They're nothing but a burden. She thinks I'm gonna cheat on her!" Pietro snapped.
"Will you?" John asked him.
Pietro scoffed, "No!"
"Now you know how it feels, non?" Remy mumbled, as he placed his hand of cards onto the table. He then grinned up at Lance, "Full house, mon ami!"
"Damn!" Lance growled, as he threw his cards onto the table.
Pietro glared at Remy, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I think you know very well what I mean, Speedy." Remy snapped, as he took a swig of his beer.
Brian cleared his throat loudly, as he took the pile of cards on the table, and began to shuffle them. Pietro raised an eyebrow suspiciously at Remy, "Look, that's none of your damn business, alright!" He growled.
Remy's red on black eyes moved up, to look at the young platinum haired mutant who sat across from him. "When I became the shoulder to cry on, it became my business." He hissed.
"Look, why don't we play another game, huh?" Brian spoke up, trying to change the subject.
"Why don't you keep your nose out of places where it doesn't belong, Gumbo?!" Pietro snarled.
"Poker anyone?" Brian asked, holding up the newly shuffled deck of cards.
"I'll play!" Lance grinned.
"I'm in, mate!" John smiled, scooting forward towards the table.
"I don't need to poke my nose into anyone's business, Pietro! She came to me!" Remy's voice began to rise with anger.
"That's enough, you two!" Logan spoke up, as he placed the poker chips onto the table in between them.
Remy glared at Pietro, giving him a silent warning. He remembered how Pietro hurt Elizabeth; the cheating with Crystal, his new flame. He remembered how Elizabeth cried almost non stop. Only a few people have seen that girl cry, he thought to himself. And he was one of them. Over the years of their friendship, they had become close. They talked to each other about their problems; mostly starting after their hand to hand combat training sessions together. "Remy, you in?" Lance spoke up, breaking Remy's trail of thoughts.
Remy looked up at the young brunette mutant across from him, "Yeah, count me in, mon ami." He sighed.
*~*~*~*
Tabitha exhaled the smoke of her cigarette, and smiled, as she leaned down into the water of the Jacuzzi. "Amara, you okay?" Wanda asked, before handing her a glass of champagne.
Amara sighed, nodding. "I'm just so confused. I've got two guys that are constantly fighting over me! They used to be good friends, but, I feel horrible for getting in between them!" Amara complained.
"Oh, relax, girl! You should feel flattered! I wish I had two guys fighting over me!" Kitty smiled, as she took a sip of her champagne glass.
Amara slightly smiled, "Well, maybe a little." She grinned.
"A toast!" Elizabeth spoke up, holding up her glass.
"Betsy, are you sure you're gonna be okay? I don't want you passin' out in the water or anything!" Rogue warned her best friend.
Elizabeth shrugged, smiling, "I'll be fine! Now, let's toast to our friendships!" She smiled.
The girls held up their glasses. "To our long lasting friendships, as we head into our senior, junior, and sophomore years. May we never forget the summer and many years of friendships to come." Elizabeth smiled.
The girls smiled at her, as they all clinked their glasses, "Here here, Betts!" Wanda smiled.
They each took a sip of their champagne glasses. "So, Rogue." Tabitha grinned, placing her cigarette into the ashtray on the deck behind her.
Rogue looked up at the blonde mutant across from her. "What's gonna go on with you and what's his name?" Tabitha asked, tilting her head with curiosity.
"Logan?" Rogue asked, correcting her.
Tabitha looked up in thought, and nodded, "Oh, pretty."
Rogue smiled, shaking her head. "Well, I don't know. He's older than me for Pete's sake!" Rogue snapped, before gulping down the rest of her glass.
Rogue's eyes looked around at the faces around her, as they all glared at her with suspicion. "What?! He is!" Rogue stated.
"What I'm wonderin' actually, is, what happened to Remy?" Kitty asked curiously.
Rogue gestured for Wanda to fill her glass. She looked at Kitty, "Whatya mean what happened to him?" She asked her.
Kitty shrugged, gulping the last of her glass. "Well, didn't you like him at one point?"
Rogue scoffed at her question, "Please. He's played with my head! Besides. I'm thinking his little hypnotic charm had a hold on me for a bit. Thank god it doesn't work on telepaths, otherwise he woulda had a hold on Betts and Jean a long time ago." Rogue sighed, before drinking her glass.
Elizabeth's mind swirled with the thought. Does he have a hold on me?, she thought at Rogue's statement. She drunkenly, sighed, as she gestured for Wanda to refill her glass as well. "Besides, as you guys have noticed, I have had my eye on someone at the institute, and we won't name names just in case his keen sense of hearing can pick it up." Rogue smiled.
"How long have you had a crush on him, Rogue?" Amara asked.
"Since my little I'm going nuts with my skitzo dilemma." Rogue coyly answered.
Tabitha let out a laugh, "Welcome to my world, honey." She smiled, holding up her glass.
The girls laughed at the young blonde's comment. She definitely was the comedic relief of the group; and she knew it. She constantly cracked jokes, just to make situations brighter for everyone around her. Tabitha grimaced, as she drank her champagne, "Sometimes I think I was adopted." She commented.
"Were you left on your parents' doorstep in a basket, with a note saying, Please take care of my baby, love Lucifer?" Wanda smiled.
Tabitha looked up in thought, "You know, that could have been the case." She said.
The girls laughed with her again. The laughter calmed, and Elizabeth looked at her best friend, who sat next to her in the Jacuzzi, "Say, Rogue, luv? Take off your glove, and try out if the collar works or not." Elizabeth suggested.
Rogue nearly choked on the champagne in her mouth. "Why?" She asked, regaining her composure.
Elizabeth shrugged, "Just in case." She smiled.
Rogue sighed, placing the champagne glass on the wooden deck behind her. She took off a glove, and her and Elizabeth touched fingers. They held it for ten seconds; then twenty. Nothing. Elizabeth smiled, pulling away. Rogue shrugged, "Yup. Still works." She smiled.
"Good. Now go in there, shake that thing, and get some booty!" Tabitha excitedly suggested.
Rogue shook her head, "Quiet you!" She grinned.
"Well, my skin is getting just a tad pruny. I'm going to go inside and change." Elizabeth said, stepping out of the Jacuzzi.
"You're not staying?" Wanda asked.
Elizabeth shook her head, "No you girls go on ahead. I just need a little bit of time alone for a few moments. Meditation." She smiled, as she grabbed her towel.
"Her and Pietro haven't said one word to each other the whole time." Kitty commented, as Elizabeth was clear out of their sight.
"Well, they're just trying to make sure that everything isn't so weird anymore. They agreed to stay as friends, but they're not as close as they were before. Which is pretty sad." Wanda sighed, as she drank out of her glass.
Rogue let out a laugh, "Her and Remy have been hanging out a bit lately." She smiled.
Kitty's mouth dropped, "Are you like, serious?!" She gasped.
Rogue nodded, "I just hope he isn't playing with her head and all."
"You're okay with all that?" Tabitha asked.
Rogue looked at her, with a frown, "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you did like the guy. And if I were you? And he went for Betts? I would die!" Tabitha squealed.
"Tabby!" Amara and Kitty both gasped.
"Really, I'm fine about that! I don't care if he goes for Betts! She's like a sister to me. That's fine by me! I'll hopefully be able to get a hold of someone else that's much better for me anyway!" Rogue told Tabitha.
"But seriously! I would die!" Tabitha yelled.
"When was your last refill, Tabby?" Wanda asked with a slight smile.
Rogue let out a laugh at her friend's comment. "More champagne please!" She told Wanda, holding up her empty glass.
AN-Whoa…okay, Tyriell, thanks for reminding me about Logan's healing factor…I totally forgot about that, seriously! That it wouldn't affect him getting plastered! Hehehe…so, we'll just have to switch on how Rogue and Logan begin flirting, aye? So yeah….build up time! I dunno yet if I'm gonna raise the rating or not…but ROMY FANS! PLEASE! DON'T MURDER ME! I'm trying this out ONCE! On Fanfiction that is….hehehe…..I love seeing who I can pair my Betts with! Anyways….if any ROMY fans are looking to murder me for the pairing *Bonks ya'all over the head with a rubber mallet* Lighten up! Be open minded for once! LoL! *hands everyone a bag of cheezits, lollipops, and sodas to enjoy for future chappies* WOOHOO! Anyways…more please? Okay then…Thanks to you all who have reviewed so far; I dunno if you haven't been receiving author alerts; (just a guess), but I haven't….stupid site…GRRRRR! Anyways, enough of my babblin, and on with writin….