All that action that was rumoured to take place here didn't happen. At
least, Helena never saw any action. There were never evil mutants they had
to put into their proper place. Sometimes anti-mutant zealots would start
some shit, and the adults at the institute had to teach the kids about how
to defend themselves in light of such attacks, but that was as far as it
went. This was life. It wasn't a comic book. It wasn't a movie. It was just
plain life. Helena was glad for this, her life had been too dramatic for
her to desire much more.
She wasn't so sure she wanted to be a teacher. She had the option of being a mentor, or just staying along so she could learn more about her powers. Charles assured her that even though her case was different, he had seen enough things in his life to help her out. "You may not exactly be like us," he had told her, "but I'll help you out just the same."
What had previously been so puzzling Helena was now settling into with new confidence and a slight amount of happiness. She talked to everyone now and again, but Logan was her only close friend. Still she was wary of him, wondering when he might let some cheesy song get to him and try to woo her with kisses and other romantic things that just weren't wanted.
Helena started going into town a lot on the weekends. She was particularly fond of a smelly and dismal place called the Pit. It was a hardcore rock club and she felt like she fit right in. With every strain of music that came from the stage, Helena felt liberated. She forced Logan along once or twice, but he had complained about how "this wasn't music", laughed at the patrons' funny hairstyles, and all about made for an unpleasant time. Once she just told him if he didn't like it he could go to his redneck bars and fuck some trailer trash whore on the pool table. After that, he pretended he loved the scene. He even stopped wearing cowboy boots.
Helena had discovered a fond taste for alcohol. Even though she wasn't old enough to drink, Logan felt it wouldn't do much harm to buy for her. Most of the time they would sit in the woods by the mansion, each of them with a 40, and just talk. Sometimes Helena spoke about Donny. Logan liked this topic the most. He felt like she could really open up to him. It made him feel like the greatest guy on earth. Sometimes they would go to bars and dance. Logan didn't usually like dancing, but he'd always make exceptions for her. She got really emotional when she got drunk, and would often hug him and say how glad she was to have a guy like him in her life.
One night, as they were about to go to their special spot in the woods, Helena asked if Remy could come too. Logan didn't like this, but he didn't want to be unpleasant, so he said "Of course." The entire night she just laughed at anything Remy said. Logan knew this was a red flag. He was in a bad mood the entire night.
She had moved into the room next to his. It was slightly bigger, but she also did it so they could slip ridiculous messages to each other under the door separating the two rooms. This was more entertaining than email, and she hadn't enough money to get a new computer, since she had destroyed her old one. Logan loved this arrangement. He could hear her moving around constantly, sometimes singing to herself. He could sense her mood improving each week she was there.
"I'm dying my hair!" She called out one night, knowing he would be in his room to hear her. "I just can't stand this brown. It's so ugly, you know?"
"Sure." He called back. He liked the brown. But she was always doing things like this. She was so spontaneous. God, he couldn't stand being friends.
Just friends. He shook his head in disgust. It always happened to him like this.
When Helena was finished dying her hair, and called him into her room to look at the finished result, he was shocked beyond words. The hair that hung to her shoulders was vibrantly red. If it were just a little longer, she would look like Jean. It was all he needed to be reminded exactly why he hated his life so much. He longed for companionship. And not this happy friends bullshit. He wanted someone he could be romantic with. He wondered why this was too much to ask. Maybe it was because of his reputation. He himself had said before he was an animal. But he wasn't so much of an animal that he couldn't settle down. And he would most certainly treat her right. "That looks nice," he told Helena, without much enthusiasm at all.
She wasn't so sure she wanted to be a teacher. She had the option of being a mentor, or just staying along so she could learn more about her powers. Charles assured her that even though her case was different, he had seen enough things in his life to help her out. "You may not exactly be like us," he had told her, "but I'll help you out just the same."
What had previously been so puzzling Helena was now settling into with new confidence and a slight amount of happiness. She talked to everyone now and again, but Logan was her only close friend. Still she was wary of him, wondering when he might let some cheesy song get to him and try to woo her with kisses and other romantic things that just weren't wanted.
Helena started going into town a lot on the weekends. She was particularly fond of a smelly and dismal place called the Pit. It was a hardcore rock club and she felt like she fit right in. With every strain of music that came from the stage, Helena felt liberated. She forced Logan along once or twice, but he had complained about how "this wasn't music", laughed at the patrons' funny hairstyles, and all about made for an unpleasant time. Once she just told him if he didn't like it he could go to his redneck bars and fuck some trailer trash whore on the pool table. After that, he pretended he loved the scene. He even stopped wearing cowboy boots.
Helena had discovered a fond taste for alcohol. Even though she wasn't old enough to drink, Logan felt it wouldn't do much harm to buy for her. Most of the time they would sit in the woods by the mansion, each of them with a 40, and just talk. Sometimes Helena spoke about Donny. Logan liked this topic the most. He felt like she could really open up to him. It made him feel like the greatest guy on earth. Sometimes they would go to bars and dance. Logan didn't usually like dancing, but he'd always make exceptions for her. She got really emotional when she got drunk, and would often hug him and say how glad she was to have a guy like him in her life.
One night, as they were about to go to their special spot in the woods, Helena asked if Remy could come too. Logan didn't like this, but he didn't want to be unpleasant, so he said "Of course." The entire night she just laughed at anything Remy said. Logan knew this was a red flag. He was in a bad mood the entire night.
She had moved into the room next to his. It was slightly bigger, but she also did it so they could slip ridiculous messages to each other under the door separating the two rooms. This was more entertaining than email, and she hadn't enough money to get a new computer, since she had destroyed her old one. Logan loved this arrangement. He could hear her moving around constantly, sometimes singing to herself. He could sense her mood improving each week she was there.
"I'm dying my hair!" She called out one night, knowing he would be in his room to hear her. "I just can't stand this brown. It's so ugly, you know?"
"Sure." He called back. He liked the brown. But she was always doing things like this. She was so spontaneous. God, he couldn't stand being friends.
Just friends. He shook his head in disgust. It always happened to him like this.
When Helena was finished dying her hair, and called him into her room to look at the finished result, he was shocked beyond words. The hair that hung to her shoulders was vibrantly red. If it were just a little longer, she would look like Jean. It was all he needed to be reminded exactly why he hated his life so much. He longed for companionship. And not this happy friends bullshit. He wanted someone he could be romantic with. He wondered why this was too much to ask. Maybe it was because of his reputation. He himself had said before he was an animal. But he wasn't so much of an animal that he couldn't settle down. And he would most certainly treat her right. "That looks nice," he told Helena, without much enthusiasm at all.
