A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They really do help. Especially in figuring out if I left any open ends and because I love feedback. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Saskia, tu revista me recuerda de la canción 'aserejé' por las Ketchup. Aserejé ja deje / dejebe tu dejebe / deseri iowa a mavy / an de bugi an de güidibidi. Ojalá que tú no odias esa canción. Thanks Tatiana and Radha (again and forever). I should thank W.Hist. for the title. Is 'The Limited' ® or ™ or ©?
(Monday, 11 November 2002 – Saturday, 23 November 2002)
XII. Inquisition
No sound other than my spoon clanking against my bowl disturbed the stillness of the kitchen. Saturday morning remained one of the few times of the day when one could rove through the mansion and not run into someone every few feet. My excuse for being up at such a time was the meetings I continued to have with the Professor. He had decided it would be a good idea if we continued having them for a while despite my recent discovery.
I stood up taking the bowl with me over to the sink to rinse it out. I was dreading going back upstairs fearing what waited for me, so I stayed in the kitchen for another five minutes before I figured it was useless and that I was more susceptible to being found down here in the open than in my room. Especially, since the students would start waking up soon, and this was the first place the might come. I looked ahead of me, then behind debating on whether I should take the dining room or lounge-game room exit. There was a fifty-fifty chance I could walk into someone. But before I could run through the facts and decide which way to leave, Logan strolled in from the lounge. It seemed to me when he saw me he took a glance and a sniff at the room.
"He's not in here," I stated knowing it was Ben he was expecting to find in here with me. Of course, by the time I had said it, he already knew. I stared at him as he walked pass me to the refrigerator. No 'good morning' or 'hey, kid'? I turned and watched him open the fridge and search around, and then decided to leave.
"Wait, kid. We need to talk," he proclaimed pulling a beer out of the refrigerator and then turning to watch at me. I stopped in the doorway and turned to face him. What would he want to talk about? I had not given him any reason to want to talk to me, had I?
"The other night, Thursday…." Damn it. I did not like where this was heading, at all. What had his suspicion developed from? He paused making sure I was listening. "I smelt some blood on you. You said something about a paper cut, but-"
I knew what he would say. A paper cut would not produce as much blood as he had smelt. I do not know why I had expected him to be satisfied with that lullaby, but I had, especially, since he had not brought it up earlier. Why had he waited so long to confront me about it?
"What are you getting at?" I asked interrupting him. Why make what could be short long? I leaned back against the doorway waiting for him to continue. He opened his drink and took a sip. Was he stalling because he sure as hell was taking his time? I looked behind me into the lounge. No sign of anyone else's being awake yet.
"Where'd the blood come from and what was really going on?" he asked. I was guessing he would not take 'I hadn't eaten all day' as an excuse. And no way in hell would my being on my period roll over with him. I was stuck, trapped and could not find anyway out this time. He looked aggravated at my silence.
"You'll tell Cyke everything, but you won't tell me shit," he spit out. My eyes widened at that. He thought I was holding out on him for Scott. Would he believe me if I said I was not? I pushed myself from the wall, supporting myself on my own two feet and opened my mouth to counter him, but he continued.
"Look, Marie. You can tell Scooter all your little secrets, but I don't think this should qualify as one of them. When there's blood and your acting drugged involved-" He made it seem as if Scott and I gossiped together like Kitty and Jubilee. I knew he was worried, but I seriously hoped he did not think Scott had drugged me. If he did, where did he think the blood came from?
"Scott didn't drug me," I stated. He looked as if he was having a hard time accepting that one. I do not know why. He knew Scott just as well as I did, if not better from being in the X-Men. It should not have even been a possibility to him.
"Logan, I don't think you should worry about last Thursday anymore. It won't happen again. Ever," I told him. I would make sure of that. If this was the consequence, then Thursday's series of events would never take place again. I really had not meant for it to go as far as my needing escorting or for there to have been a scene or for there to be this much suspicion.
"That wasn't the first time. When I came back here you had a different smell. I never put two and two together until Thursday. Blood. There was just never enough until Thursday," I had not started cutting until after Logan left which would explain my smelling different to him. I could not believe this. In one night I had managed to screw everything up. I knew this meant that he would be keeping a closer eye on me until he figured out what was wrong with me. And I did not want that. Damn it, I did not want that. I shook my head, denying everything he had just said. I was being backed farther and farther into the corner, and I was ready to lash out. I turned and walked out the entrance.
"Marie," he called catching up with me. He grabbed my arm whipping me around. I instinctively tried to shove him away, but he only tightened his grip and grabbed my other arm. I did not know what the hell was I doing. I knew I was only making things worse. But I could not stay. It was too much of a risk.
"You're just going to leave like that in the middle of the conversation? What's wrong with you? What the hell are you hiding?" he growled. I shrunk back letting myself go limp in his grip. I had no chance of escaping anyway. I brought my gaze to his and shook my head and barely managed to murmur out a 'nothing'.
"I-If it was important I'd tell you, Logan. I'd tell you first, okay?" I informed him quietly and somewhat angrily. That was after all what he would what to hear. I dropped my gaze from his to his chest. Regret about Thursday fully set in. I had seriously screwed everything up, and this would not be the last meeting I had about Thursday. It was inevitable. He loosened his grip from my arms. I did not budge an inch. He sighed maybe realizing he would get nothing out of me now, maybe later, and dropped his hands from my arms completely. I stood there until he left into the kitchen.
I released my grasp from the side bar as I stumbled up the last step of the stairs. I was going to go to my room and go straight to sleep. I prayed that Tess would still be sleeping when I got back or at least be gone. I keep thoughts of my bed in my mind as I walked down the hall head down staring at the floor.
"Move," someone said as they bumped into my shoulder. It had been purposely because I had been walking along the wall of one side of the hall. I looked up pissed to see Bobby and groaned inwardly. What the hell did he want? How would he antagonize me now? I rolled my eyes and continued down the hall.
"Why are you up so early?" he asked, walking behind me now. He wanted to start a conversation? Did he want to act as if we were friends? I remembered the apology he had once offered me and cursed myself for having ever believed him. I ignored him and continued walking. Was it too much to ask him to never speak, look or make contact with me? He grabbed my arm and pushed me forcefully against the wall.
"I ask you a fucking question and you act like a bitch in return," he stated wrathfully. I looked down at his hand on my arm. Had he just thrown me up against the wall? I tried to pull from the wall and his grip only to be pushed back against the wall and have his grip tighten.
"Fuck off," I retorted. His seeking of violence seemed to me a bit over reactive. I noticed the two black eyes that Ben had given him, and I let a small smile crept onto my face. He looked confused at my insulting him and then smiling.
"I'd watch what I said if I were you. Your new boyfriend isn't here to save you," he responded letting my arm go. He was looking for revenge on Ben? Was he was going to try to get his revenge against Ben on me? I rolled my eyes again knowing most likely he was.
"I guess not. Lucky you," I replied turning to walk away. His antics were getting tiring, and I was getting annoyed. And my bed awaited me. He could find a way to deal with his anger and embarrassment in another way or on someone else. "Asshole."
He grabbed my arm suddenly, pulling me back and twisting me around and then roughly shoving me back. I tripped over my twisted feet and fell backwards straight on my butt and hands. I looked up at Bobby with my mouth hanging open, astonished that at his sudden outburst of violent aggression. He looked exceedingly incensed as he glowered down at me. My thoughts were centered on what he was trying to do. My astonished look faded into an equally irate glare. I tried to stand up quickly, but my effort was received with a swift kick to my arm, which knocked it from under me and landed me on my back.
"What do you what?" I asked fumingly. What was happening? Never in any of his fits of rage had Bobby ever gone so far as to forcefully jostle me to the ground. He narrowed his eyes as he hovered over me, and took a step with one foot over me. He presently had one foot on each side of me. He obviously thought he was in full control by the sneer on his face. He had better had a point in all his antics for wasting me time like this. His stare was cold and apathetic but concurrently riled.
"You wanna know what I want? I wanna know why you'd choose him over me," he requested dropping roughly to his knees. He looked at me with a face that clearly expected a full-out explanation. He had an almost anxious expression, but it remained still above all an infuriated one. He was doing this now and was asking me why I would choose Ben over him? I took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. I could have been in the bed by now or close to it. He leaned forward now bringing his head into my line of sight and raised an eyebrow demandingly. What had ever given him reason to believe he had ever been in the selection?
"Get OFF me!" I screamed stridently trying to sit up. He raised an eyebrow challengingly, and then spread his legs farther apart so that he was presently straddling me. He had forced me back down and had me pinned to the floor with his weight on my abdomen, which had made struggling incredulously arduous, but I did not waste any time hesitating.
"What did he do? What'd he say?" he asked me. Would this be some kind of closure, my telling him why I had chosen Ben over him? I stared at him disbelievingly. The look on his face told me he expected a full-out explanation. He perused my face, waiting for his answer. I sent him a glower unwilling to answer his questions. I tried to push him away, but he just leaned forward against my force, grinning evilly. He brought his hands up and placed them over mine, covering them on his chest. He looked down at our hands suddenly and brought them out in front of him. I tried to pull them away from him, but he had realized that he was holding my bare hands in his and maintained his grasp.
"You can control it?" he stated more than questioned, his sentence faded. He grinned and entwining his fingers with mine. He could be as surprised as he wanted, but what the hell did he think was happening? A bonding? I tugged my arms back trying to break from his clasp. He opened his mouth to say something, but I did not give him the chance.
"GET OFF ME!" I screamed. What was his purpose in doing this? Torture? Kicking did not help any, which made my legs absolutely futile. I was partially immobilized beneath him, and he had seized my hands. The part of me that had wanted to avoid Ben forever now desperately wanted his help. Bobby shifted atop of me, grinding into me, causing a groan of pain to escape my mouth.
"And what I don't understand is how you had him but you let him go… for Ben," he divulged. His tongue made a short appearance over his bottom lip, and never did he remove his eyes from mine. My eyebrows rose in shock, and my mouth parted as I had started to say something but forgot. What had he just said? He had not been talking about Ben at all. He had meant John the entire time. He wanted to know why I had chosen his best friend over him. Everything had suddenly taken an interesting turn, but I was nonetheless pissed.
"Don't you think it's obvious why I would never choose you?" I asked in a callous, stoic voice intended to hurt. His eyes were fixed on mine, his eyebrows furrowed slightly with perplexity. He was searching for sympathy, and I meet his gaze with an expression that matched my voice. He leaned down and I thought maybe he would threaten or spit on me, but then he closed his eyes and he kissed me. It was not long or ardent; In contrast, it was soft and undemanding. There was no tongue. It had not even been open mouth. In fact, everything about it opposed his persona. He pulled up, and I stared at him wordless. For a moment I felt true empathy towards him, and then that moment passed. He had long ago crossed the fucking line. I do not know what he had expected me to do. Hug him, pull him back down into a fervid kiss, tell him I loved him, but he sure as hell had not expected-
"I still don't like you, and I don't think I ever will," and I did not give a damn if that had been ruthless. I did not care if he had changed in that moment, and most likely he had not. Did he not remember the apology he had once taken and had so quickly thrust aside? He had forcefully thrown me against a wall, flung me to the ground, straddled me, kissed me and expect me to what- fall right in love with him? His eyebrows furrowed at my response. He was perplexed at first, then ireful at my response. He cursed under his breath glaring at me.
"God, I hate you," he told me, flinging my hands to the floor. Did he think I cared or had not already figured out his love-hate feelings for me? He stood up from his straddling position and stepped from over me. I pushed myself up with my arms only to again have them kicked from under me and to experience falling onto my back once again. He hovered over me for a moment looking down into my eyes before he walked away. How else had I expected him to handle his anger? Asshole.
I closed the drawer and sat on the side of my bed, my razor encased in my hand. Opening my hand, I stared at the metal that lay in it. I do not know why I had taken it out. I would only be tempted to use it. I was torturing myself having it out in my hand because there was no way I could possibly use it after today's run in with Logan. I could not risk it. I would not risk it. But damn it I needed it. I continued staring at the razor in my hand. This could be called a test of my self-restraint. The door burst open and Kitty, Tess and Jubilee entered the room. I jumped up from my bed startled.
"Hello," Tess greeted me with a smile. I pasted on a feigned grin that did not stay on my face for long. Kitty and Jubilee gave me their greetings as they walked to Tess's bed sat down. I sat back down on my bed and slide my hand under the pillow leaving my razor there before I removed my hand. Tess came and sat next to me. A little too close, I thought as she turned and smiled at me. They were all silently staring at me.
"What do you want?" I asked. Tess looked offended. They were in here staring at me obviously for a reason, and if they were trying to keep it a secret they were doing a horrible job. I raised my eyebrows questioningly waiting for my answer. I repeated my question, and Tess answered.
"We're gonna spend the whole day with you, so you don't have to be under the bad influence of Ben. I heard about his little… 'outburst' last night, and I think- we think that you should spent less time with him and more time with us," Kitty and Jubilee nodded supportively. "I'm pretty sure we could get Logan to take us to the mall. Oh wait, no. Jean will probably want to come. She probably won't even let us go if we asked. She's still not over Tuesday. At least Ben did one good thing and got us out of library duty. Scott! Scott could take us!"
"Yes! That's like the greatest idea I've ever heard," Kitty commented grinning wildly. That had been predictable. I rolled my eyes. Ben might not be the best influence, but they were not any better. And they thought they knew what was best for me?
"I don't want to go to the mall, and that's where I met Ben anyway," I stated. What would be the point of going to the mall to keep me away from a guy I had met there? Could they not just go to Jubilee and Kitty's room and watch TV? I scooted over a little from Tess.
"Fine, we'll stay here. And talk," Tess replied to Jubilee and Kitty's dismay. I bit my bottom lip. Was 'talking' the code for Britney and peppermint facemask? I looked at Jubilee and Kitty. The both stared at me pleadingly. At least at the mall I would not always have to be in the same room with all three of them. I could avoid Ben and Bobby a lot better if I was not in the same building as them, and I would not be tempted to play with my razor. They all squealed and grinned wildly when I gave in. We walked down to the game room, Tess, Kitty and Jubilee leading the way as I followed.
"I'll go find him," Tess said, as she left the room. There were a couple of other students in the room. Apparently, Kitty and Jubilee knew some of them because they left me to go talk to them. I could do without. I walked into the lounge, grabbed the remote control and sat down the couch. How would I get Tess to keep her nose out of my business? She obviously thought it belonged there and had no problem showing it. Maybe I could hit her with the same exact speech she gave Logan. I heard someone walk up behind the couch, but paid him no attention.
"What are you watching?" a familiar voice questioned. A familiar voice I thought I would never hear speak to me again. I turned around gaping at John surprised and nervous. My mouth had decided to shut down and stop working, so I shrugged as an answer. He looked down from the TV to watch me silently. I tried to read his face, figure out if he had any idea about my recent encounter with Bobby, but I could not handle being under his perusal and instead turned around pretending to watch the TV. I heard him move and I thought he had been leaving, but to my astonishment he walked around the couch. I scooted over to make room for him, trying to keep my eyes locked on the TV the entire time.
"Is this a good commercial?" I shrugged, turning to him confused, "It's just that you're staring intensely at the TV."
Where the hell was Tess? It did not take forever to find a person in this house. I looked at him wanting to actually say something instead of shrug to find he was watching me. I handed him the remote control. He took it from my hand and started surfing through the channels, stopping at some sports channel with an acronym for a name.
"Can I still call you Marie?" he asked unexpectedly. I opened my mouth, surprised, and hoping something explicable would come out. Did that mean he had actually forgiven me? He was talking to me and there was no acrimony or insensitivity in his voice. I closed my mouth when I realized nothing was coming and nodded.
"He said YES, and he's waiting out in the car now! Jubilee and Kitty are already…." Tess had run into the lounge and practically right over the couch. Her sentence had stopped abruptly when she saw John and her mouth was hanging wide open. I stood up from the couch, gave John a quick good-bye and left for the garage.
Tess had asked that we take the explorer-the same car she had stolen, kidnapped me in, and driven to the mall. I glared at her remembering how that night had gone. Kitty and Jubilee were already in the back of the car and Tess joined them. I was forced to take the front seat, not that I minded. It would not take me long to decide whose company I would preferred.
"I didn't think you were coming," Scott greeted. He had good reason not to considering how much I hated malls now more than ever. I looked into the back seat. Jubilee, Kitty and Tess were already deep into their conversation. I turned back to Scott and shrugged.
"Neither did I," I answered. I could not figure out why John had decided to talk to me. He had obviously forgiven me, but why? I had not given him any reason to. Maybe he just wanted to be friends again. I relaxed in my chair expecting the ride to the mall and back to be the only times I would enjoy. That was until a song came on the radio that caught Kitty and Jubilee and Tess's attention. Jubilee started singing and was soon joined by Tess and Kitty. I jumped, startled, in my seat at how strident their voices were. I could swear that Scott had swerved the car in alarm.
"I LOVE ROCK 'N' ROLL! SO COME AND TAKE SOME TIME AND DANCE WITH ME!" Tess, Jubilee and Kitty all sang simultaneously. I exhaled in relief as I realized that to my delight the song had ended. I now officially hated the song and would be exhilarated to never hear it again. Was there supposed to be a dull ringing in my ear? Torment was what this ride had been so far. They had decided to sing on the way to the mall. Not talk or be quiet but sing. Not just to that first song that had long ago ended, but also to every other song they knew the words to which had so far been every freaking song. Scott did not seem to mind though. I think he had trained himself to block them out and go into his own peaceful world. I envied him now. If only I could do the same, and damn I tried. But every time their voices managed to break into my head and ruin my attempt.
"Yes! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" I whispered as they settled down. I decided to make my move and promptly turned off the radio before another song could come on. They could deal and would have to. Who's damn idea had the radio been anyway? Piece of trash. I sat back in my seat enjoying the silence while I could.
"Oh, do you remember Duck Tales?" Jubilee asked. I could practically hear their nods of excitement. There was talk about how they all had loved the show when they were younger. Watched it everyday, blah, blah. I did not care as long as they were not singing. I myself vaguely remembered the title and characters and the… theme song.
"Life is like a hurricane / Here in Duckburg / Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes / It's a duck-blur / Might solve a mystery / Or rewrite history / DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Everyday they're out there making / DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Tales of daring do bad and good / LuckTales (oooh ooooh)," I slid down in my seat wishing I were dead or deaf swearing I would kill all three of them when we stepped out of this car. Could they not find anything better to do? I groaned wanting to scream in pain. I could feel a headache coming on and tried to let my thoughts wander to different things.
"When it seems they're heading for the / Final curtain / Cool deduction never fails / That's for certain / The worst of messes / Become successes / DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Everyday they're out there making / DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Tales of daring do bad and good / LuckTales (oooh ooooh) / D-D-D-Danger! Watch behind you/There's a stranger out to find you/What to do? Just grab on to some DuckTales," I slid farther into my seat and brought my hands up to my head cover my ears as I slid farther down in my seat, "DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Everyday they're out there making/DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Tales of daring do bad and good / LuckTales (oooh ooooh) / D-D-D-Danger! Watch behind you / There's a stranger out to find you / What to do? Just grab on to some ..."
I could finally see the mall coming into view. I sat up in my seat and my face practically flew to the window. My face was pressed up against the window, and my breath was fogging it. I now, more than I had ever in my life, wanted to be inside that building, out of this car and away from their voices.
"DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Everyday they're out there making / DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Tales of daring do bad and good / LuckTales (oooh ooooh) / DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Everyday they're out there making / DuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Tales of daring do bad and good / LuckTales (oooh ooooh) / Not pony tales or cotton tales, no DuckTales (ooh ooooh)," I thought the song had ended but every couple of seconds they 'oooh ooooh'ed. I turned around facing them.
"SHUT UP!" I screamed. They all jumped back eyes wide, but more importantly, mouths shut. I turned back around the death glower still lingering along with my bad mood. My screaming had brought Scott out of his trance. He looked at me startled. I narrowed my eyes warningly and slumped back down in my seat, annoyed that I had to even go through that. Why had I not done that earlier? I scolded myself for not stopping before they had gotten through the first song. The ride on the way back would include no music. I would make sure of that.
"We were done anyway," Tess mumbled crossly. I rolled my eyes and decided that she would be the first to die for talking to me in that tone of voice. Could she not tell how irritated I was with her and her voice? I was tempted to turn around and tell her off, but I was too lazy, and I did not want to start anything. The car turned and entered the parking lot. Time to walk around the fucking mall and look at all the fucking stuff. How fun. Scott cleared his throat.
"Am I staying or dropping you off?" he asked after he parked the explorer. There was silence for a moment until Tess and I answered simultaneously and contrastingly. There was another silence. He still had not been answered correctly. She reiterated that he was dropping us off. I told him that he was staying. I would not be left alone with them in the mall. Damn it, what was I doing at the mall?
"You're supposed to be spending time with us," Tess stated. No, I was supposed to be spending time away from Ben, and I was here was I not? That should be enough for her. I was nowhere near Ben. My mood must have carried over to her because she sounded how I felt. She should be scolding herself if anybody. She wanted me with John, and he had been talking to me, and now I was here. Kitty and Jubilee opened the doors and stepped out of the car. I sat up and turned around facing her.
"We're going to be in the same building," I pointed out before I opened the door and hopped out of the car. She stepped out of the car, slammed the door and sent me a glower, and I sent her one right back.
"You're not even near him and he has an affect on you," she mumbled. She had not just pulled that card. I rolled my eyes. Ben had nothing to do with her not being able to sing, and I told her this. She decided to pretend she had not heard that and catch up with Kitty and Jubilee instead.
"Thanks," I told Scott as we followed Kitty, Tess and Jubilee into the mall, "for not making me suffer alone."
"You're welcome. How long do you think we'll be here? Thirty minutes, an hour?" he asked curiously. I turned to him trying to figure out if he was joking. Jubilee turned around and nodded not really paying attention to what he had asked. Scott turned to me as we followed them.
"Are you going to buy anything?" Scott asked me. I had not thought about buying anything, only being dragged around the mall all day. What could I buy at the mall? I did not need anything. I remembered suddenly what had Ben had said about my clothes. Did my wardrobe really need to be improved? I thought about it for a second and realized that I was asking myself if I needed to buy new clothes because a guy had criticized my style.
"No," I answered. What the hell did Ben know about clothes anyway, other than how to take them off? He gave new meaning to 'it's what's inside that's important'. The mall was not that crowded, but it was nowhere near as empty as it hand been Tuesday night. Jubilee, Kitty and Tess walked into The Limited®™©, and Scott and I sat on one of the benches in the middle of the walkway. I watched the people walk by as we waited for Tess, Kitty and Jubilee. I was not surprised to find that a couple of people were staring at Scott and me. His glasses and the impression of gothic prudence that my clothes gave off made us a very conspicuous couple. Not to mention that Tess, Jubilee and Kitty were especially easy on the eyes. At least I did not have to wear my gloves anymore.
"How'd your meeting go with the professor go?" Scott asked grabbing my attention. I willed my eyes away from the crowd. My meeting with the Professor had been the same as always. Though the exercises had been much easier. They would not have to continue for too much longer. I answered that it had gone well.
"Did he ask you about Thursday?" he asked. The Professor did not know about Thursday, and that's the way it would stay. He did not need to know what was not important, and I did not need any more eyes watching everything I did. I shook my head.
"Logan did," I answered recalling breakfast. He had basically told me he was on me. There was not much he did not know. He needed only one hint before he could figure it out. He had only to talk to Tess, and if he ever did, I hoped that she would give nothing away. I turned back to observing the crowd.
"He thinks I tell you everything," I informed Scott. Logan had not said it, but it was obvious he still did not like my relationship with Scott. He probably would get over it on day. A guy walked by flagrantly staring at me. I turned away and looked for Jubilee, Kitty and Tess to come out of the store.
"They're not all staring at you because of your clothes or your hair," Scott said. Was that some kind of condolence? I shrugged, not really caring anymore. It did not bother me much any more anyway. I had been stared at before and I knew how to ignore it now.
"I'll be right back," he stood up and walked into The Limited®™©. Why was he leaving me here alone? I stared anxiously at the entrance waiting for him to come back out. People walked in and people walked out, but I did not see Scott. He could not have and better not have been shopping with them. Finally, he walked out of the store over to me.
"Come on, we'll come back later," he stated motioning for me to get up. Did that mean we were leaving the mall and would come back later to pick Tess, Jubilee and Kitty up? I stood up following him through the crowd, praying that he was not just dragging me along while he shopped also. That did not seem like something he would do though.
"Where are we going?" I asked finally in the car as he started the ignition. I had obediently followed him through the crowd, out of the mall, into the parking lot and in the car, the whole time not knowing what to expect. And when I had finally figured that luck was with me and we were leaving the mall, I could only wonder how had he gotten Tess to agree to my leaving. Maybe he had used a lie. Or maybe Tess had been caught at a very vulnerable time. Neither made a difference to me, and I was grateful that I did not have to stay.
"When's the last time you ate?" Scott asked, turning to look at me. It seemed a little erratic seeing as my question had not been answered, but his expression explained it all. Thursday and my excuse were back to hunt me. Weird because I thought he had not accepted my pretext. I answered that I had eaten breakfast this morning after meeting with the Professor. He nodded and looked at the car clock, which showed it was twelve fifty.
"You want to get some food?" he asked. Not that I was not hungry, but I did not really have a choice considering the current circumstances. I nodded approvingly. I wondered were we could go because I had not seen many restaurants on the way. But Scott had lived in Westchester a lot longer than I had, and I trusted him not to take me to some black-tie restaurant. We ended up going to a place in North Salem. It was a casual bar& grill restaurant, and to my satisfaction, it was not very crowded. I looked around and saw that a couple of TV's were suspended above, on the walls. This was someplace I might actually go if I ever bothered to leave the mansion.
I chose a table and sat down while Scott ordered. Looking around, I saw that the place was almost empty. I wondered what kind of traffic they normally received around lunch. It did not take long for us to get our food, seeing as Scott had been the only one in line. I looked up at the TV as I chewed my food. There was some hockey game playing. I turned and looked at another TV to see a baseball game. I was interested in neither and turned in my chair to look behind me at the last TV. To my dismay a soap opera was on. I turned back around, defeated, to find that Scott had finished eating and was watching me. I swallowed my last bite and looked at him questioningly.
"What?" I asked awkwardly. He had been unusually unvoiced the whole time, and I had not really noticed it until now. It was obvious that he had something on his mind whether he wanted to share it or not. He shook his head. Any other time I would have let it go, but I was feeling somewhat annoyed and oddly bold.
"I ate everything. You saw. And I'll eat again tomorrow and the day after," I stated. I knew though, that he still had not accepted my old excuse. It was evident to me from just looking at him now. And he made it more evident when he nodded and said-
"Are you hiding something? I'd maybe believe you if you said 'nothing' except you've been acting… different since Thursday, and Logan came to me yesterday after dinner and asked if you'd told me anything important recently," Scott stated. I blinked, dumbfounded. I could now feel every drop of boldness drain out of my body. Damn it, why did I not know when to keep my fucking mouth shut? Maybe now was the time to say something, but I did not. Instead I occupied myself with a fry.
"Rogue, you and Logan are obviously close. I know he's in your head and," Close? Since when were Logan and I close? What was his evidence for that? When was our last decent conversation? When was the last time we had hung out? And as for him being in my head, he did not bother me nearly as much as he once did, "for him to come to me and ask if you'd told me anything is-"
"He's paranoid," I stated before eating another fry. Maybe that hockey game could be of some interest to me. I looked up to see someone get slammed into the wall. Oh how nice. Scott obviously had expected some kind of denial.
"Even so, I'm the last person he would chose to come to," he informed me. Logan did not hate Scott as much as he might have thought he did. And he had not had any reason to after he and Jean got together until Scott and I started eating dinner together. I shrugged wanting this conversation to end.
"Maybe he thought I was telling you all my 'little secrets'," I stated, bitterly reciting Logan's exact words. He dropped the conversation, seeing as it was not going anywhere, and asked if I was done eating. I nodded, now unable to look him in the face. The ride to the mall started off silently, which made me intolerably uncomfortable.
"Have you met Ben yet?" I asked, wanting to break the silence. It was the first thing that had popped into my mind that had nothing to do with Thursday, and had seemed like a legitimate convo starter before it left my mouth. I turned to Scott waiting for his answer and saw that he was starting to grin. What the hell did that mean?
"Not yet…Tess mentioned something about him," He answered. Tess had mentioned Ben? When had this happened? I was curious to know what she had said. Had she ranted to Scott about Ben when she was trying to get him to take us to the mall? I immediately asked what she had mentioned. He cleared his throat and was silent for a moment.
"… She basically said he was a bad influence on you, which is why you're here. He's using you… physically, and she's trying to get you to break up with him. And then she'll try to get you and Roberto together," he recited. She had told him all this when she was convincing him to drive us. I rolled my eyes. I picture her rambling and ranting on. She really was a control freak, and hearing that had only given me the desire to prove her 'fears' right. Physically. That no doubt meant sexually. I tried to think where she had gotten the idea that we had already had sex. This was only his second day here. Tess determination showed in her planning to get Roberto and I together. I did not even know Roberto that well. What I did know was his name and face.
"We're not dating, we're not having sex, and she's definitely not hooking me up with anybody," I told him. He seemed a little uncomfortable with the subject, so I turned the radio on, and we rode in silence with an exception of the radio, but this silence was comfortably accepted. When we arrived at the mall Tess, Jubilee and Kitty were amazingly ready to leave.
"There were, like, no cute guys anywhere," Jubilee told us as she got into the car. Tess indubitably agreed with her. I could here their bags as they settled into their seats. I did not bother turning around to see how many they had. I turned off the radio, unwilling to give opportunity a chance. They did not notice.
"That's so not, like, true. There was one," Kitty stated factually, and then giggled. We pulled out of the parking lot and headed back for the mansion. I had a feeling she meant Scott, and could practically hear Jubilee roll her eyes. It was getting somewhat annoying. Obsession itself was irritating.
"…Oh my gawd, shut up! Stupid girl," Jubilee demanded. I sat low in my seat still able to see over the dashboard and trying to get used to the loss of peace for shallow conversation. Tess had not exactly caught on. She asked if they had talked to him. I stopped listening somewhere around there, and I let their voices fade out.
"Rogue… Rogue," Scott called. I sat up in my seat and blinked a couple of times. I saw that we were parked in the garage again and realized that we were back at the mansion. The back door shut as Tess, Jubilee and Kitty had stepped out of the car, and I thanked Scott for lunch.
"You're welcome," he replied. I stepped out of the car, and followed the girls into the entrance feeling suddenly tired. I realized that I had never gotten the sleep I had intended to have. I resolved that it was the first thing I would do. Tess stopped me in front of Kitty and Jubilee's room, and held out a bag. What, did she want me to put it in the closet for her? I took it from her hand.
"Your wel-come," she said. I looked up at her, eyebrows raised. It was for me? She had actually bought me something? I mumbled a thank you and continued down the hall. Wondering what it was, I looked down into the bag as I walked to my room. An outfit. How thoughtful of her. It looked like something I would not wear. I let out a frustrated sigh.
"Where have you been all day?" I looked up to see Ben standing outside my room, leaning against the wall. I had enough sympathy for him to hope that he had not stood out there all day. I walked up to him, hoping he did not want me to spend time with him now. I hoped he would not limit himself to only hanging out with me, also, for his sake. And mine.
"Out," I answered, punching in my code. I was incredibly enervated. I wondered if he had seen Bobby today. I hoped he had not, for I would have missed truly missed all the fun. I had to admit I had enjoyed their going at each other the other day before they had started fighting. Maybe it was because I was just as depraved of entertainment as the rest of the students were. But was that my fault? He did not say anything as he watched. I placed my hand on the knob.
"Can I come in?" he asked. I stopped in mid-twist and stared down at my hand. I think he had gotten the idea yesterday that we would not be having sex. If he had not, I could always remind him. I looked up, and handed him the bag. He looked down at it confused.
"… Sure."
XII. Inquisition
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