Tuesday, 18 June 2002 – Tuesday, 25 June 2002 (Monday 8 July 2002)
II. Lately
I walked out of Professor Xavier's office feeling drained as always, like I had cut in too many places and lost too much blood. I needed to sleep. The professor and I had sessions every Saturday to work on control over my curse, better known as my mutation. You would swear that I was a telepath from the exercises I had to do, but I am not complaining. I am gradually gaining control. Extremely gradually.
I walked to my room feeling drowsy and slow. In the hallway it was not Logan waiting outside my door, but Bobby. No questions about for whom this time. Tess came out of the room, saw me and immediately started walking towards me. She must have been looking for me. I slowed down.
"Rogue," she said, "Could you stay with Kitty and Jubilee for the night, please?"
"And do what?" I asked confused. My words came out slower than I thought them.
"I don't know. Hang out. We want to use the room," she replied motioning her head towards Bobby, who was watching us. She looked as if she wanted to smile but was trying to stay serious.
"Oh," I replied catching on to her drift.
"It's down the hall," she pointed and told me the number. I tried to grasp everything in my head, which was somewhat difficult at the time.
"I think there's something wrong with her. She sounded drunk," Tess said to Bobby after I had started walking to Kitty and Jubilee's room.
When I got to the door, I stood there for a second, reviewing what I was about to do in my head. I knocked. I heard running footsteps. The door swung open, and Kitty stared at me from inside.
"Your room's like ten doors down," she stated closing the door. A while back, when I had first started my sessions and was even more drained and distorted then now, I had mistaken their room for mine. Their room number was 12 and mine was 21. I had been pressing in my code over and over for who knows how long when Kitty had come from breakfast and found me.
"Wait!" Jubilee stopped the door with her hand. She asked grinning, "Did Tess send you here?"
Kitty's eyes went wide and she gasped. She asked, "Was Bobby…"
I nodded. They both shrieked with joy. I cringed as their high-pitch voices split through my head like an ax. I felt as if I would pass out in any second. Jubilee grabbed me by the wrist over my sleeve and pulled me in. Kitty closed the door.
"She better not leave anything out," Jubilee said. I looked around their room, I was right, Tess had malformed our room and it did look like theirs.
"Like it?" Kitty asked. I stood silent for a moment thinking of what to say. I nodded. She smiled. They had a TV and it was turned on. Channel WB, and Saturday morning cartoons were on. Jubilee had dropped my arm, walked to her bed, where she had a magazine, and laid down. Kitty sat on the end of her bed, Indian style, watching the TV. I stayed in my spot, standing near the door. They both had on cotton shorts and tank tops, while I was fully clothed in pants, a long sleeve shirt and shoes. I stared at the TV wondering how it had gotten there, since there were no TVs in the individual rooms.
"We saved up money and bought it ourselves," Kitty answered guessing what was on my mind.
"Took us forever," Jubilee added, "but it was worth it. Better than wrestling for the remote downstairs."
I nodded. I stood there for another ten minutes before anyone spoke again.
"Are you okay? You seem a little ssllooww," Jubilee said dragging out the word slow. I nodded, and then realized that might not be a good answer.
"Tired," was all I could get to come out. I do not know how I even managed to stay standing.
"It's way to late to be sleepy, Rogue," Jubilee said factually. I glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand between their beds. Ten forty five was in red glowing letters and piercing straight through my head. I turned away to keep from getting a headache. Kitty looked at the clock and nodded agreeing.
"I know exactly what will wake you up," said Kitty perked up and looking as if she was about to giggle as she hoped off the bed and ran quickly into her bathroom. When she came back out, she had some stuff in a bowl in her arms.
"Oo," Jubilee said looking at Kitty. "We'll need music for that."
She got off her bed and rummaged around in the top drawer of the dresser that stood between their beds and pulled out a CD. There was a boom box near the TV. She turned it on, put the CD in and pushed play. She walked over to me, grabbed my arm again and pulled me over to the middle of the room where Kitty was sitting on the floor with the stuff she had taken from the bathroom. Jubilee sat down and I did the same. The music started loudly, startling me and making me jump. It was Britney Spears. 'Oops!… I Did It Again.' My thoughts traveled back to the conversation I had with John the day before in Jean's class. Then, unwillingly, to Bobby and Tess and what they were doing now. I could only hope they had managed to make it to the right bed. Then a worse thought popped into my head. What if they had decided to push the beds together! I cringed at the thought and I think I winced.
"What? You don't like Britney?" Jubilee said. "I like her music, but I don't have much respect for her. But, hey! Who does?"
"Jean is so fickle," Kitty stated nonchalantly. She was mixing some white paste together with her hands in a bowl.
"Ugh, Jean. Don't even mention Jean. She deserved ever word I said to her. Taking out her anger on us like that was so not cool. She didn't deserve Scott. Logan is probably using her anyway. For sex. No offense Rogue," Jubilee said. I nodded.
"I like Tess and all, but the way he just ignored you after he brought her here, like he was trying to forget his past. Not that he knows much about it anyway. Men," she continued. "On the other hand, there's Scott."
"Scott is so hott with two T's. Like in his name," Kitty replied. "I love him… Kitty Summers. I like that. Love that, almost as much as I love him."
"Love? You love everybody," Jubilee stated brushing off her last statement.
"Not enough to marry them and go through the pain of giving birth to kids, and then raising them, like Scott and I will."
I had never seen obsession with this much strength before. She sounded as if she was deciding this as she went along. Jubilee looked at me, "In a couple of days, he won't be her type."
"Hey, you know what I heard, Rogue? You and Scott had a date and were talking bout stuff teachers and students shouldn't," Kitty stated.
I raised my eyebrows, "What?"
"Sex." Jubilee answered. "Did you tell him the truth or lie?"
"About?" I asked perplexed.
"When he asked if you were a virgin," she said, "Did you say yes to turn him on?"
My mouth dropped open.
"Jubes, Bobby said that she said, 'I think you know.'" Kitty stated.
"He didn't ask did he? Bobby is such a liar," Jubilee said. Britney raged on in the background, doing it again and not meaning to.
"Of course he wouldn't ask that he's a gentleman," Kitty stated smiling to herself, "My gentleman."
"You are totally obsessed! It's sorta sad," Jubilee declared. Kitty kept stirring the paste. It was almost eleven.
"Just because I have my future planned out doesn't mean I'm obsessed."
"Yeah and the fact that he doesn't know that you're planning his future for him also doesn't mean anything either," Jubilee added sarcastically.
"I'd tell him, but he'd think I was infatuated or something," she stated defensively, "He's not ready to know that I love him yet, he'd brush me off like some… infatuated girl."
Jubilee rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Freak."
"I think we've gotten pass that, Jubilee," she retorted.
"Obviously not, Kitty," Jubilee commented. She looked at the TV. "Why are you watching this… childishness?"
"Blah, blah," Kitty said.
"You sound like Jean," Jubilee signed with boredom and leaned back on her arms.
"So Rogue, do you hate Tess?" Jubilee asked. I shook my head.
"I would," she stated, "And Logan, too!"
"I hope Bobby has condoms because Tess doesn't," Kitty stated. She gasped. "What if neither of them does and they decide to do it anyway and she gets pregnant!"
I trembled at the thought of them conceiving a child in my bed. Or worse, what if the did not clean up after themselves?
"Don't worry Rogue," Jubilee stated confidently when I trembled. "Bobby has condoms. Believe me, I've been there."
Kitty and I both gasped. Kitty kicked Jubilee in the leg with her foot. "You never told me!"
"I just did," she winced rubbing her leg. I stared at her in disbelief.
"What?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure you and Kitty could get some, too. I mean it wouldn't be that hard. Don't wear a bra or go over to his room in your bathing suit when he's alone and ask if John is there because he has something you want."
"JUBILATION LEE!" Kitty yelled, "Tess is dating Bobby and they are obviously-!"
"I KNOW! This is for after he dumps her. Damn, calm down," she replied. "That might be after today or next week. I wasn't expecting anything to come out it when we did it and nothing did. I can't believe they planned the whole day for sex anyways. Horny bastards.
"You know he's in just about everything for the sex, watch your back Kitty," Kitty, with a skeptical face, looked up from her mixing. "And Rogue, he's got his eye on you, I can tell. I swear when he was telling us about your date with Scott he looked like he wanted to scream, 'She's supposed to be my docile bitch!'"
"How could they have sex?" she asked then looked at me questioningly. I shrugged.
Jubilee shook her head, "It's all so simple. All he needs is a condom and one of you wears clothes, probably him. Why would he not want his woman naked? Or maybe he could do something with his powers, or wait, Rogue, can you control your mutation at all?"
I was tentative to answer… nod, but I did. Kitty's eyes went wide, "Really?!"
"A little," I answered, "Not enough for… sex."
"With Bobby. He's no minute man," Jubilee concluded. "Or Rogue could control her powers."
"Bobby is cute," Kitty stated smiling, "Not as cute as-"
"Scott," I interrupted.
"Exactly," she replied, and then giggled. Jubilee rolled her eyes.
"It's ready, Kitty said. "Peppermint facemask. This is guaranteed to wake you up. No, doubt about it."
"Or make you sick," Jubilee added staring at the sticky mess with. Kitty had a handful of thick white paste in her hands. Jubilee burst out laughing.
"What?" Kitty asked irritated.
"That's not how it's supposed to look, its supposed to be red and a lot thinner," Jubilee stated laughing.
"It's fine," Kitty said scooting over, "Come on, Rogue."
"Don't let her put that on your face, Rogue," Jubilee was still laughing. "That looks like…" she laughed louder, "Cum."
Kitty's mouth dropped open. She looked at her hands with a disgusted look and back at Jubilee with anger. Then threw the paste at Jubilee. It landed on her shirt and face.
"Ew, duhskusting," Jubilee whined, "It ghot in mah mouf."
"Well it's probably been there BEFORE!" Kitty yelled. Jubilee gasped and wiped the paste from her mouth.
"What did you mean by that?" she asked calmly. I scooted back slowly.
"Oh, let's just say there's no question of whether you spit or swallow."
Jubilee screamed. She grabbed the bowl and threw it forward hoping for the paste to land on Kitty. Kitty recoiled, but there was no need to. The paste was too thick and viscous to come out of the bowl. Kitty laughed and Jubilee stuck her hands in the bowl and grabbed a handful. Kitty got up and run to her bed and Jubilee got up slowly and followed her.
"There's nowhere for you to go, Kitty," she said ominously with an angry glint in her eyes. Kitty screamed, the mixture of her scream and Britney's singing was too much. I got up avoiding both her and Jubilee and walked to the door.
"Uh, bye," I said as I left the room, closing the door behind me. I heard another shriek and a threatening yell. I started to walk to my room, and then remembered that it was being used. I walked pass the door on the other side of the hallway hoping to hear nothing and thankfully I did not hear anything. I kept walking, to nowhere in particular, until I got to room number thirty-eight. Bobby and John's room. I thought about going back to Jubilee and Kitty's room, the yelling and shrieking, the TV and Britney, and then I knocked. A couple of moments later John opened the door. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw me.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hi," I replied quietly, "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," he said and opened the door completely and stepped aside. He was not wearing a shirt. I bit my bottom lip as I stepped into the room.
"Something wrong?" he asked. I nodded.
"I have nowhere to sleep and I'm about to pass out," I revealed.
"Oh, yeah Bobby and Tess are using the room tonight," he stated. "You can stay here."
I thanked him; there were two beds ahead of me.
"Do you have a preference?" he asked. I nodded.
"That's my bed," he replied pointing it out. I thanked him again, looking at him longer than I should have. Had he caught that stare? I walked over to his bed and laid down, not bothering to get under the covers, and had no trouble keeping my eyes close. I do not know if he left or not, most likely he had. It was eleven ten, and I slept until he woke me up.
"Rogue," a voice, his voice called. I stirred, rubbing my eyes, and looked up at him.
"Dinner's over if you want to go eat," he stated. "I'm going down to the game room."
I asked what time it was.
"Eight forty five," he stated.
"Okay," I said and he left. I rose out of his bed and looked around the room. Why had Bobby and Tess not used this room? Maybe Bobby had done it to get back at me for my 'date' with Scott. 'Let's not get egotistical.' I made sure I did not look too terrible before I left. Bobby came out of my room just as I came out of his. He did not see me though and walked in the direction of the kitchen. He looked like he had just finished having sex. Clearly he was not trying to hide it. His hair and clothes were in a mess. I waited until he was some way ahead of me. No need to look like I was waiting for him.
I walked downstairs and down the hall to the kitchen. Scott was there at table and Bobby was eating something by the counter. Neither heard me come in. I sat down across from Scott and he looked up.
"Hey," he said. Bobby turned around wondering if Scott had addressed him, then turned around when he saw me.
"Hi," I replied remembering not to nod this time.
"Are you going to eat?" he asked. Eat? Food? I stared at him with a blank expression for a moment before answering. Do not nod. I ignored the thought and nodded anyway. I looked over at Bobby, who was still in the kitchen at the counter, wishing he would leave, then looked over my shoulder in the lounge. Logan. Jean. Ororo. Logan and Jean. Ororo.
"Has Logan bothered you lately?" I asked out of nowhere.
"He asked about us. Actually it was more of a threat," he answered grinning.
"Yes, we're dating according to a rumor," I proclaimed. Should I turn and give Bobby the 'I know it was you' look?
"Yeah, I heard," he laughed.
Bobby turned around and leaned back against the counter watching us with his drink in his hand. I looked at Scott who looked at Bobby.
"Where are you sleeping?" Bobby suddenly asked. I looked at him. He was not asking Scott.
"Your room," I said. Try again.
"In my bed?" he asked smirking. 'Yeah Bobby, cuz I can't get enough of you,' I thought sarcastically.
"John's," I stated. The smirk disappeared.
"With John?" Bobby asked inquisitively, glaring at me.
"If that was the case, we wouldn't be sleeping, would we?" I reply getting aggravated at his attitude. He looked the way I felt. Pissed. I could only guess what he was thinking. What if he wanted to get back at me? Another rumor? Or worse, 'Tess, let's use that bed.' I could feel the panic swallowing me. I turned to Scott who had been listening and watching. He could probably taste the acrimony in that 'conversation'. Bobby stood from the counter and started to leave.
"Don't use my bed," I could not help but saying as he walked pass me. He stopped and looked me in the eye. 'Fear the wrath of Bobby,' I thought mockingly.
"But we already did," he stated with feigned innocence. My mouth dropped open. He walked away. I could change the sheets… or sleep on the floor. The latter would do. There was a deafening silence. I wanted Scott to say something but at the same time I did not. Deafening silence. Well, at least I could eat.
"Are he and Tess using your room?" Scott asked. I nodded feeling distressed. He looked as if he was about to say something else, but did not. I went off into a daze, hoping that Bobby had not meant what he said.
"Rogue?" Scott asked. Had he called my name more than once?
"Yes?" I said.
"Are you okay?" he inquired. He had.
"Yes," I answered. He paused a moment before asking me:
"Are you and Tess getting along?"
"Yes," I stated. He looked disbelieving.
"Are you sleeping with John?" he asked. What did he mean by that? Had he not been here during the entire conversation with Bobby?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly.
"Do you have a place to sleep?" he asked concerned. What did he mean by that? Kitty and Jubilee shrieking with joy popped up in my head. I nodded. He did not mean it that way anyway. I remembered Kitty mixing her paste: 'Of course, he didn't. He's a gentleman.'
"Okay," he said. He looked at his watch and stood up.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" he questioned. I nodded, and he walked away. I got up and got some food and sat back down to eat it. After I was done I turned around to the lounge again. Jean and Logan. They had not moved. Jean was almost wrapped around Logan on the couch in the lounge watching TV… or not. John came from the game room into the lounge walking in front of the couch pass the TV. Logan narrowed his eyes and watched John as he came into the kitchen and sat down at the table grinning.
"Hey," he said. "Ready to go?"
I nodded my head and we stood up. He walked to the lounge. Why did he choose this way? He walked pass the TV again in front of Logan. I chose to walk behind the couch.
"Hey," Logan said as I walked by. No kid?
"Hi," I mumbled and kept walking. Jean did not say anything, but looked over Logan's shoulder, which she was snuggled against, at me. We walked through the game room.
"You should really come to the game room with me sometime," he stated. With him?
We passed my room and unfortunately it was not quiet. My mouth dropped open at what I heard. John put his arm around my shoulder and sped up.
"I know it's disturbing, our roommates… Yeah, but let's not think about that," he said. The paste memory flashed in my head.
That visit was going to haunt me for the rest of my life.
"No," I muttered and quickly added, "Let's not."
We got to his room and he let us in. I looked at the clock; it was ten thirty three.
"Let me get you something to sleep in," he said. He went to his dresser and pulled out some shorts and a shirt from separate drawers. I took them, thanking him, and went into the bathroom. When I came out, he had already changed and was in Bobby's bed. I walked to his bed, dropped my clothes on the floor and got under the covers. I had almost fallen asleep to John's scent on the bed when he called my name.
"Yes?" I answered.
"Have you talked to Logan lately?" he asked.
"No."
"You two were pretty close before he left."
"Yeah," I replied.
"Do you still have his dog tags?"
"Uh huh," I answered tiredly. My mind traveled back to Logan in the lounge.
"You didn't give them back?"
"He didn't ask," I answered. In fact, he had not said anything but 'hey kid' and 'hey' to me.
He was silent for a while and I thought he had fallen asleep.
"Night, Rogue," he said.
"Night," I replied.
I could tell when he was asleep when his breath became shallow. I do not remember when I fell asleep, but I did, thinking about Logan and how we had drifted apart.
When I woke up it was seven thirty four. John was already awake making Bobby's bed.
"Hey," he said grinning.
"Morning," I mumbled. He walked into the bathroom and I shut my eyes.
I heard a door open and thought it was John coming out of the bathroom and paid no attention to it, but then another door opened. I opened my eyes and sat up. Bobby was standing in the doorway and John was in the middle of the room. The tension was thick. Time to go. No one talked as I slid off the bed and grabbed my clothes off the floor.
I looked at John, "Thanks."
He nodded. Bobby moved to the side, staring at me like I had done something wrong as I walked out the room. He slammed the door behind me, not breaking eye contact until the door had sharply cut us off. I sighed in relief of being removed from the tension and walked to my room.
Tess was asleep in her bed, probably exhausted from yesterday. I walked to my bed and scanned it; it looked normal. I realized how the situation had looked in John and Bobby's room. I had been laying in John's bed with my clothes sprawled on the floor while John, who had just come out of the bathroom, was shirtless and in boxers. Bobby's bed had been made and looked as if it had not been touched. I knew what was going on in Bobby's head. I no longer trusted the way my bed looked. I threw my clothes on the floor, went to my dresser, got some clean clothes and walked into the bathroom. I stripped out of John's clothes and took a shower. When I got out Tess was awake sitting on her bed with some clothes in her lap. She stood up when I came out. I went to my bed and sat down. She smiled and thanked me for yesterday.
"You're welcome," I said pasting on a felicitous smile. She smiled again and went into the bathroom. That was our first conversation. The beginning of a new friendship? Most likely not. I stayed on my bed for a while and heard the shower start running. I sat thinking about the looks on Bobby and John's faces before I had left their room, and wandered what they were doing now.
A loud screeching noise suddenly knocked me out of my pensive daze and almost off my bed.
Kitty? No, the fire alarm.
I jumped off my bed and ran to the door. I opened it to see kids running down the hall. I stepped out into the doorway. Smoke was floating out of Bobby and John's room, but I could not tell if the door was open. Some moments later Scott, Ororo, Jean and Logan all came running down the hall from different directions separately. Scott was there first, he pressed in the emergency code and went in; a couple of seconds later the alarm went off. I could see that Kitty and Jubilee were already apart of the crowd. It reminded me off that night when I touched Logan. I stayed in the doorway and watched from my distance.
Bobby and John came out coughing, followed by Scott.
"Are you both okay?" was the first thing Ororo asked. Bobby nodded and looked at John.
"He did it," he said glaring at John. Like a defensive three-year-old, trying not to get in trouble. Tess came out of the bathroom in a towel.
"Is it an emergency?" she asked. I shook my head and she went back into the bathroom.
"I wouldn't have had to, if you hadn't-" John started.
"What happened?" Scott asked. Logan and Jean tried to shoo the kids away and did not have much luck.
"Go. Away," Jean said finally. The students slowly retreated mumbling and giving groans of disappointment.
"Nice," Logan said grinning. She flashed him a smile and turned towards John and Bobby. Logan watched as the students left and then caught my eye. We can have a staring contest later, Logan, I thought and I looked at John who had started talking.
"He got jealous when-," John said stopping when he looked in my direction and saw me. Shit, I wanted to hear what had happened. Jubilee and Kitty stopped in front of me.
"There was a hole in the door!" Kitty exclaimed. They let themselves in.
"Where's Tess?" Jubilee asked looking around the room.
"Shower," I answered still looking at John who was still looking at me in return. Bobby had said something about a fight. Jean turned around and followed John's view to me, so did Scott and Ororo. I quickly turned around and went back into my room closing the door behind me.
"Where'd you go yesterday?" Kitty asked from Tess's bed.
"Yeah, where'd you sleep?" Jubilee asked walking around the room and looking at my bed. "I'd change my sheets if I were you."
"I found a place," I replied. "I will."
"I wonder what happened," Kitty said.
"It's obvious that they got in a fight," Jubilee said mockingly.
"Scott was so cute," Kitty stated.
"My hero," Jubilee stated cynically. Tess walked out of the bathroom dressed this time.
"Tired?" Jubilee asked with a devious smile. Tess grinned.
"Don't leave anything out," Jubilee demanded. I literally disappeared. I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway closing the door behind me. I turned my head towards John and Bobby's room. No one had left; they were still outside, and as soon as I had stepped out all eyes were on me. Someone had mentioned my name. I stared back for a moment and walked the other way. I needed to get out of here.
II. Lately