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So, your opinion…I'm off to school soon and I won't be updating as much, but I do have some chapters written in advance….mass chapter update, or should I make you wait and update when I can??
Thanks for your lovely reviews!!
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You could write a book on how
To ruin someone's perfect day
Well, I get so confused and frustrated
Forget what I'm trying to say, oh
And here's to you and your temper
Yes, I remember what you said last night
And I know that you see what you're doing to me
Tell me, why?
(Tell my why - Taylor Swift)
Rogue smiled at me and they both said happy birthday before heading over to the food. Now, it was just Logan and I. I smirked at him. "Some surprise party, huh?"
"You surprised?" He asked, sipping his beer.
"Where'd you get that?" He gestured to a cooler, where I grabbed a bottle and came back to the conversation. "So, I'm forced to ask…should I be thanking you?"
"Why do you think I had anything to do with this?"
"Logan, come on…" I smiled at him, "You're the only one who knew, so how else could word have gotten out?"
He shrugged and threw an arm around my shoulder, "You're very welcome, in that case. Take it all in!" He took a deep breath, and I waited for what I knew was coming next, "And it'd be an even better party if in one of those nicely wrapped gifts was a leather suit with an X on it."
"Oh Logan," I shook my head, "What're we going to do with you?"
"I've got some ideas." He turned his head at me and smirked, "They're not really party with a bunch of school children appropriate though."
Laughing, I pulled his arm off me, but held onto it. "Thank you, for this…I'm not overwhelmed with embarrassing attention and there is actually alcohol."
"Yeah well…enjoy it. I'll give you your day, but I'm not done harassin' you."
"I wouldn't expect it to stop. In fact, I can't believe you're going to let me go today after just one shot."
"Hell, you're getting' old, I don't want to send you into an early midlife crisis." I rolled my eyes at him and let go of his hand.
"I'm old? Yeah, that's a funny one, and how old are you?"
"Fine, you win this one." He said, quite gruffly.
"Thanks."
"That's your birthday gift."
I nodded, "Lovely. So are you going to hit the waves?" I did a nerdy gesture of a surfer.
"No…"
Suddenly an awkward silence descended upon us. I decided to break it, "Well, I'll be swimming, if you need someone to drown."
Why would I say that, of all things?
Luckily he just laughed and grabbed himself another beer.
-=-=-=-
After swimming there was plenty of food to be eaten, and cake, and of course – singing! Scott has a lovely singing voice…hmm...almost too good.
"Are you excited to see what we got you?" Storm asked, as we sat at a picnic table and ate cake.
"Hmm…I'm trying to remember the weirdest gift I've ever received and if you could possibly top it."
"Hey, you'll like this, I promise!"
"Well, I did receive a singing unicorn for my 5th birthday, so…"
"You did not!" She gasped, teasingly, since we both knew I didn't remember.
"You don't know that!"
"Scott – over here!" Storm called, waving him over. He was carrying a large, open cardboard box. And as he got closer, he said, "Happy Birthday, Piper!" Inside was a red labradoodle, who looked to be about 9 weeks old.
"NO WAY!" I exclaimed, kneeling next to the box – this was surreal.
-==-=-=-=
It was about 9 o'clock and since it was still one of those lazy summer days, the sun was just setting now. The party was over, cleaned up, and most people had gathered around the TV or gone off to do their own thing. That left Jean, Scott, Storm and myself on the outside patio with the new puppy.
We were debating over names, because all of my planning hadn't paid off – I realized none of the names seemed to fit this spunky little guy. I couldn't believe this had happened. This place was really becoming a home to me, and these people were really becoming my fast family members. Well most of them, anyways.
And Logan…he had to have told everyone about the way I'd wanted a puppy…I hadn't shut up about it! Nonstop, I just kept telling him about it. But only him. I never asked Xavier if it was ok, and I never mentioned it to Storm or Jean – he had to have told everyone.
And it was ok; Xavier talked to me about it at the party. So long as, once school was in session again, he stayed away from the dorms of the kids and the classrooms. Most kids would be ok, and any with problems just wouldn't be able to have the dog in their bedroom, which wasn't really an issue.
"I can't believe this…this night has been too much." I said, holding the little guy on my lap.
"Are you happy with your surprises?" Scott asked, his arm around Jean's waist.
"You can't guess how surprised I am."
"He kind of looks like an Enrique." Jean suggested.
I didn't need to comment on this name, considering the randomness, "How about Ricky?" I said out loud. "Wait, scratch that. No human names, after all, a student could show up with that name and it'd be weird."
"Too true." Storm agreed.
"But I don't get it…how did you all know? I mean, this is probably a really dumb question, considering that you're a psychic Jean and so is the professor. I just gotta ask though." I needed to hear it, I needed to hear them say, "Logan, the sneaky bastard….he likes you!" Because that's what they'd think, right? I needed to hear what their impression of Logan and how he felt about me was, since he planned all of this.
"No mind reading, I swear!" Jean put her hands up in defense, and then reached foreword to pet him. "He's red, how about Jean?" She teased.
"He needs a masculine name." This came from Scott.
"It was kind of by accident, that this all fell together. I stumbled upon your birthday when I was putting your file together for the professor – we keep hard copies because, well, you can't be too safe. – about 3 days ago. And when I told Jean, the idea of a party just seemed too perfect."
"Wait, you…you found out when my birthday was in a file?" No way, they were just covering. Right?
"Yeah, the one you filled out when you first got here…all of the information?"
"Oh. I remember that one." So, Logan took credit for all of this stuff, when he had nothing to do with it? This wasn't him being an asshole to be an asshole; this was him being an asshole to get further into my good graces or something because he didn't think I'd ever find out!
"As for the dog," Scott said, "We couldn't imagine what to get you – Rogue & Bobby and some of the other kids all decided on the iTouch so there went that big idea. Then Bobby mentioned you discussing dog names with Logan the other day."
By the pool…when I tried to convince Logan that a dog was a great idea. I hadn't realized they could hear us…
"You ok, there? You turned kind of pale."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I lied, leaning in to pet the pup closer, "Just really, really surprised." Oh Logan…I couldn't even begin to comprehend you. I think you're this awful guy, then a great guy, then a liar….
I mean, the dog thing was my fault – I had assumed that he'd put the dog thing together. So shame on me for giving him that credit. But the whole party, he'd stood there and lied to me about…
It was then and there that I decided I was done with Logan. No more. I wasn't going to even let him make me angry. He could taunt me about the team all he wanted – I was dunzo with him. Completely. I'm swearing off Logan.
I just needed to, you know, get away from him. Not ignore him; just not respond to him so much. It was just so frustrating and annoying! Just when I starting to think, you know, woah, Logan is being nice, maybe we'll be ok, maybe we can, you know, function around each other – he turns out to be a little liar. (Ok, there is no context in which Logan + little seems appropriate. Well, not that I know of at the moment…Oh you know what I mean!)
And true, I knew he was a jerk but I was just starting to think that maybe it was sort of like an act. A little, get-to-know-me act, a strange one, but c'mon, people are strange. I'm strange, so I would know.
Was I a little hurt by this? Maybe. If I felt like admitting it. I don't know why I'm hurt by this, or even surprised. I act like a brat to him and he acts like a brat right back. It's to be expected. But I had yet to lie to him like that and make him happier about something.
Did he know it made me happier? What was he hoping to achieve by telling me that? Ok, self, come on…you're reading way to much into this and making it a much bigger deal than it needs. And besides, mental obsession and anger towards him would be just as bad as if I actually went up to his room and screamed at him right now like I wanted to, and I won't give him the satisfaction of that.
"Ugh, what are we going to call you!" I exclaimed, picking the nameless guy up and looking at him. This was hopeless…
All of it.
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