Matt watched a mass of students leave the school compound. Tabby sat beside
him, immersed in a superficial conversation with Amara. He got up and
walked away, totally ignored by the two girls. He searched the compound for
Rogue, or Risty, or even Danny, someone who would know where she was. He
groaned when he saw Danny first.
"Damnit." He said to himself as he prepared to walk over. He stopped dead when he saw whom Danny was with. Matt recognized her as the girl from one of his classes. What was her name? Jessie? Something like that. Matt watched from around the corner as Danny leaned forward and kissed her. An almost gleeful emotion pumped into Matt's blood. He had caught a fox in a chicken house. Matt realized his opportunity and ran to his locker to grab his camera for his photography class and slid through the halls out to the compound again. Danny and Jessie were gone.
"Shit!" he cried.
"Vhat is wrong?" Kurt asked, coming up from behind. Matt jumped.
"Oh, forgot my homework for next hour." Matt lied.
Three days passed, still no sighting of Danny and his new girlfriend. Matt began to carry his camera to ever class, intent on getting a picture of Danny cheating. He was so absorbed he never noticed Rogue stealing glances at him.
"Ah can't stand Matt." Rogue bitched at Jean.
"Why not?" The redhead asked. "I thought you wanted him to leave you alone."
"Leave me alone yeah, but Ah thought he would still acknowledge my existence." Said the goth. "Ah hoped we could still be friends."
"Have you said anything to him?" inquired Jean. Rogue was silent.
Matt slunk around the bleachers. Quickly he snapped a few pictures. Bingo, he had what he needed. He finished off the role and went to the school's darkroom. Rogue and Danny sat with slurpies on a hill near the football field. Matt and Tabby didn't even notice them until they were nearly on top of the couple.
"Hey guys." Tabby said. "What are you doing here all alone?" she teased.
"Same thing as you." Rogue shot back, irritated.
"Say that now." Tabby said as she kissed Matt. He pushed her away.
"That's cold Tabby." He mumbled. Rogue glared at her.
"So what's new with you Danny?" Matt smiled innocently. "Any new friends yet?" Danny grinned back.
"Just a few." He replied.
"Good to see you're fitting in fast." Matt tried to keep smiling but his fury began to burn freshly. He swung an arm around Tabby and left. Rogue was silent than spoke.
"Danny, its not fair to you to have someone you cant even touch." She murmured. Danny took her hand in his.
"Rogue, I would never leave you for something so shallow. I don't need to touch you to know you to know I like you."
"But there are other girls-" " I don't care about other girls Rogue." Danny beamed.
Pietro sat with Freddy around the table in the boarding house. He angrily tapped his white fingers against the scratched tabletop. "You sure it was him?" Pietro asked. Freddy nodded.
"Yeah, it was Danny, they were holding hands." Fred smiled delightedly at himself for being the first to know something for possibly the first time in his life.
"I thought I told him to stay away from the x-freaks." Quicksilver smoothed his white devil horns down. Lance threw open the front door and strutted in. Fred leapt up to tell him his news but Pietro slapped him upside the head and made a 'shh' motion. Lance didn't bother to look at them and went straight to his room.
"Ow." Freddy winced rubbing his head. "Why'd ya do that?"
"This is between us." Pietro said lowly. "Lance is already going to get us into trouble chasing Kitty. Besides, we play this right and we can have the x-freaks eating out of our palms." He sauntered off, leaving Freddy staring at is own bulky hand.
Matt flipped through the photos on his desk. Danny with his new girlfriend, hugging her, kissing her, Matt had all the proof he needed, but he couldn't bring himself to show Rogue the pictures. A knock came at the door and hurriedly he shoved the photos into a manila folder, but a BAMF told him he hadn't moved fast enough because Kurt was now hanging from his light fixture staring at the picture in Matt's frozen hand. Kurt reappeared and took the photo from Matt. Slowly he opened the folder and looked at the rest. "Does she know?" he asked. Matt shook his head.
"I want her to know, but I can't tell her." He said. "I've hated Danny ever since I met him, but she's happy right now." Matt sat down.
"Ja, but what happens vhen she finds out? How happy will she be vhen she finds out someone she trusted lied to her?"
"If I tell her she'll hate me even more." Matt shoved the picture into the folder and walked from is room. Kurt watched him go.
Rogue turned at the knock at her door. She put down her brush and opened it a crack. Her stomach gave a small leap when she saw Matt's face. "Hi." He said, letting out a small breath.
"Hi."
"Uh, can I come in?" Rogue opened the door and Matt stepped inside, she remained silent. Matt ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Listen, um, Rogue things have gotten really weird between us. I was an asshole, and I'm sorry. I guess I'm just overprotective. I never wanted to lose you for a friend." He stopped, he didn't know where he was going with this, and Rogue still hadn't said a thing to him.
"I'm really sorry Rogue, and I want to apologize for Tabby, what she did was uncalled for." He brushed an ivory strand of hair from her face. His hand spread heat to her pale face. " I'm sorry too." She murmured.
Kurt walked with Jean to the kitchen he was torn between telling the red head and porting upstairs to show Rogue the pictures. He leapt up the flight of steps but stopped short at Rogues door. Voices were mumbling on the other side. Disappointed he walked away. "Rogue, you trust me right?" Matt asked. She raised an eyebrow but nodded.
"There's something I need to tell you." He was interrupted by Kitty poking her head through the door.
"Its dinnertime." Said the bodiless head.
"Just a minute." Rogue barked.
"Jeez, like don't get pissed." Kitty said as she removed her head.
"What is it?" asked Rogue.
"Oh, nothing important." He said and left the room.
"Damnit." He said to himself as he prepared to walk over. He stopped dead when he saw whom Danny was with. Matt recognized her as the girl from one of his classes. What was her name? Jessie? Something like that. Matt watched from around the corner as Danny leaned forward and kissed her. An almost gleeful emotion pumped into Matt's blood. He had caught a fox in a chicken house. Matt realized his opportunity and ran to his locker to grab his camera for his photography class and slid through the halls out to the compound again. Danny and Jessie were gone.
"Shit!" he cried.
"Vhat is wrong?" Kurt asked, coming up from behind. Matt jumped.
"Oh, forgot my homework for next hour." Matt lied.
Three days passed, still no sighting of Danny and his new girlfriend. Matt began to carry his camera to ever class, intent on getting a picture of Danny cheating. He was so absorbed he never noticed Rogue stealing glances at him.
"Ah can't stand Matt." Rogue bitched at Jean.
"Why not?" The redhead asked. "I thought you wanted him to leave you alone."
"Leave me alone yeah, but Ah thought he would still acknowledge my existence." Said the goth. "Ah hoped we could still be friends."
"Have you said anything to him?" inquired Jean. Rogue was silent.
Matt slunk around the bleachers. Quickly he snapped a few pictures. Bingo, he had what he needed. He finished off the role and went to the school's darkroom. Rogue and Danny sat with slurpies on a hill near the football field. Matt and Tabby didn't even notice them until they were nearly on top of the couple.
"Hey guys." Tabby said. "What are you doing here all alone?" she teased.
"Same thing as you." Rogue shot back, irritated.
"Say that now." Tabby said as she kissed Matt. He pushed her away.
"That's cold Tabby." He mumbled. Rogue glared at her.
"So what's new with you Danny?" Matt smiled innocently. "Any new friends yet?" Danny grinned back.
"Just a few." He replied.
"Good to see you're fitting in fast." Matt tried to keep smiling but his fury began to burn freshly. He swung an arm around Tabby and left. Rogue was silent than spoke.
"Danny, its not fair to you to have someone you cant even touch." She murmured. Danny took her hand in his.
"Rogue, I would never leave you for something so shallow. I don't need to touch you to know you to know I like you."
"But there are other girls-" " I don't care about other girls Rogue." Danny beamed.
Pietro sat with Freddy around the table in the boarding house. He angrily tapped his white fingers against the scratched tabletop. "You sure it was him?" Pietro asked. Freddy nodded.
"Yeah, it was Danny, they were holding hands." Fred smiled delightedly at himself for being the first to know something for possibly the first time in his life.
"I thought I told him to stay away from the x-freaks." Quicksilver smoothed his white devil horns down. Lance threw open the front door and strutted in. Fred leapt up to tell him his news but Pietro slapped him upside the head and made a 'shh' motion. Lance didn't bother to look at them and went straight to his room.
"Ow." Freddy winced rubbing his head. "Why'd ya do that?"
"This is between us." Pietro said lowly. "Lance is already going to get us into trouble chasing Kitty. Besides, we play this right and we can have the x-freaks eating out of our palms." He sauntered off, leaving Freddy staring at is own bulky hand.
Matt flipped through the photos on his desk. Danny with his new girlfriend, hugging her, kissing her, Matt had all the proof he needed, but he couldn't bring himself to show Rogue the pictures. A knock came at the door and hurriedly he shoved the photos into a manila folder, but a BAMF told him he hadn't moved fast enough because Kurt was now hanging from his light fixture staring at the picture in Matt's frozen hand. Kurt reappeared and took the photo from Matt. Slowly he opened the folder and looked at the rest. "Does she know?" he asked. Matt shook his head.
"I want her to know, but I can't tell her." He said. "I've hated Danny ever since I met him, but she's happy right now." Matt sat down.
"Ja, but what happens vhen she finds out? How happy will she be vhen she finds out someone she trusted lied to her?"
"If I tell her she'll hate me even more." Matt shoved the picture into the folder and walked from is room. Kurt watched him go.
Rogue turned at the knock at her door. She put down her brush and opened it a crack. Her stomach gave a small leap when she saw Matt's face. "Hi." He said, letting out a small breath.
"Hi."
"Uh, can I come in?" Rogue opened the door and Matt stepped inside, she remained silent. Matt ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Listen, um, Rogue things have gotten really weird between us. I was an asshole, and I'm sorry. I guess I'm just overprotective. I never wanted to lose you for a friend." He stopped, he didn't know where he was going with this, and Rogue still hadn't said a thing to him.
"I'm really sorry Rogue, and I want to apologize for Tabby, what she did was uncalled for." He brushed an ivory strand of hair from her face. His hand spread heat to her pale face. " I'm sorry too." She murmured.
Kurt walked with Jean to the kitchen he was torn between telling the red head and porting upstairs to show Rogue the pictures. He leapt up the flight of steps but stopped short at Rogues door. Voices were mumbling on the other side. Disappointed he walked away. "Rogue, you trust me right?" Matt asked. She raised an eyebrow but nodded.
"There's something I need to tell you." He was interrupted by Kitty poking her head through the door.
"Its dinnertime." Said the bodiless head.
"Just a minute." Rogue barked.
"Jeez, like don't get pissed." Kitty said as she removed her head.
"What is it?" asked Rogue.
"Oh, nothing important." He said and left the room.