Chapter Ten

A New Look and Truth or Dare

It was that Saturday afternoon as Scott sat in the infirmary with Jean.

"Try these on," she said lifting a new visor to Scott's face. He opened his eyes; Jean smiled. "The controls are smaller and rest above your ears."

Scott looked at his reflection.

"Suave," he commented with a nod of approval. "Just in time for the knew spring line of mutant Eyewear." Jean laughed.

Something about that laugh had changed since Liberty Island. He remembered the conversation he had with Logan on the first night of his arrival, what seemed like ages ago. The first night he could remember Jean climbing into bed and turning away from him.

*"Come to tell me to stay away from your girl," Logan had asked with a wry smile ghosting his lips.

"If I had to do that she wouldn't be my girl," he had been able to reply so casually. "She wouldn't be my girl."*

The words echoed in his mind over and over again.

"Stop," he hissed under his breath.

"What was that," Jean asked looking up from behind a folder.

"Nothing," he assured her. "Nothing at all." He kissed her cheek and went to go check on the students in the common room. Big mistake number two.

***

"Truth or dare," Ruby asked Bobby.

"Dare," Bobby Drake replied.

"I dare you," Ruby continued and trailed off into a low whisper.

A red faced Bobby hopped up on the couch and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me everyone," he began thankful that no teachers were in the room. "I just thought you all should know that I am gay and that I think John Allerdyce is a total hottie." He ended the statement with his imitation valley girl voice.

A furious John glared up at him. He just winked getting down and was greeted by explosive laughter.

"Okay," Bobby began under his breath. "Which one of you is going to get it? Fallon." He looked across the coffee table at the copper haired girl with blue eyes paler than his own. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth I guess," she answered.

"Who, at this school, do you have a crush on?"

Fallon mumbled something into her hand.

"Come on," Bobby pressed. More mumbling.

***

Scott surveyed the common room. No fires, no ice sculptures, no dead/dying children. Everything seemed okay. He started across the room to the kitchen.

"Who do you have a crush on," bobby Asked Fallon.

"I said SCOTT," she yelled and burst into laughter with everyone else.

At this point Scott turned on the balls of his feet and kept right on walking until the echoes of their voiced totally faded away.

***

"Okay," Fallon said at length. "Marie, truth or dare?"

"Truth," replied Marie.

"On a scale from one to ten," she said. "Rate Bobby as a kisser."

"Twelve," she answered quickly.

"Pretty good for a gay guy," observed Katherine.

And so the game continued.