"Allerdyce! Don't forget, detention tonight in the kitchens! Be there at 5:30 sharp to help prep."

John waved over his shoulder to indicate he'd understood as he left Cyclops' auto tech class. "Fuck this," he muttered as he stalked towards Medieval History with Professor X. He had not, in fact, forgotten about the detention he'd received as punishment both for fighting with another student (even if it had been only a joke) and for using his powers inside. In fact, it was all he'd been thinking about ever since he'd gotten the detention the night before.

John despised working in the school kitchens during mealtimes. It was hot, messy work and he inevitably had to deal with the stupidest and most annoying students, who were determined to make his punishment even more miserable than it already was. At least Bobby only had to mop the dining hall afterward. John was equally annoyed about that – why couldn't he have been assigned the mopping? At least then he wouldn't have to deal with morons who thought they had a free ticket to pick on him purely because he'd been caught messing around. It just wasn't fair.

His face was as dark and angry as a stormcloud as he stomped down the hallway, turned a corner, and ran smack into a girl.

"Oomph!" The girl's feet tangled themselves and she landed with a flump on the floor, her black hair flopping into her face and obscuring her grey eyes.

"Sorry," John grunted. He reached out a hand to help her up without even looking at her.

She allowed him to help her to her feet, and then, when he turned to walk away, drawled, "Aw, Allerdyce… don't I even get a hello?"

John stopped, turned, and raised an eyebrow. "Should you get one?" he retorted.

The shimmer that flickered in the air was, by now, becoming almost familiar, so John wasn't very surprised to suddenly find Rhiannon standing in front of him again. He glared at her. "If you look like a different fucking girl every fucking time I see you, how the HELL can you expect me to say hello? Use your head, woman!"

He hadn't meant to snap, but he was in no mood to put up with even more ridiculous expectations. He felt guilty the moment he'd stopped, half expecting her to burst into tears again; she'd seemed so overly emotional the few times he'd talked to her. But instead she just grinned broadly at him. "You're right, of course," she said simply. "Sorry about that."

Once again, her ready apology caught him off guard. "Whatever," he grunted. "You okay?"

"Fine," she said lightly. He didn't see her wince as she dusted off her knees. "So," she went on, "what's with the snarky attitude?" She sounded more curious than offended.

John's lip curled. "Got sacked with a detention," he said disgustedly. "I get to 'volunteer' in the kitchens for dinner."

Rhiannon's face took on a pained expression. "Damn, that sucks," she said sympathetically. "I hate working in the kitchens – the other kids give you so much crap…"

"Tell me about it," John snorted. "And all Iceman's gotta do is mop the floors afterward. I got jacked, I tell ya."

"Iceman… you mean Bobby Drake?"

John nodded. "Cyclops caught us goofing off in the student kitchen last night, busted us both. But I'm the only one who has to put up with actual kitchen duty. Damn it," he added, running a hand through his hair and leaning dejectedly against the wall.

Rhiannon appeared to give this due consideration, and then said thoughtfully, "Want some company?"

John turned to look at her, slack-jawed and staring. "Company?" he repeated blankly. "What… you mean you'd actually volunteer in the kitchens just to help me out?"

"Volunteer?" She laughed merrily. "Hells, no! That would be completely out of character." Her smile turned mischievous. "But I don't doubt I could arrange to be sacked with a detention of my own."

For a moment, John wasn't sure whether to burst out laughing or ask if she had some sort of mental defect. She was willing to get herself into trouble just to spend time around him?! What was going on? "Are you nuts?" he managed at last.

"Quite possibly!" she said happily. "So how about it? Think you can put up with me if it means you only have to do half the work tonight?"

John stared at her for another moment, and then gave her a grin and stuck out his hand. "You're on," he said as she shook it.

* * * * * * * *

"Yo, Iceman!"

Bobby turned at the sound of his mutant nickname, and found John jogging up the hallway toward him. "What's up, man?" he asked. He was surprised to see his friend looked cheerful – he'd expected the pyrokinetic to be in a towering rage after getting a detention.

"I was wondering if you and Rogue might wanna head into town for lunch, instead of eating in the dining hall," John said, coming to a halt beside the other boy.

Bobby looked suddenly guilty. "Dude, Rogue and I have a date for lunch today… didn't I tell you?"

"Oh." John deflated. "No, you didn't."

Squirming uncomfortably, Bobby said, "Sorry, man. Guess I forgot. But we'll see you for lunch tomorrow, a'ight?" he added, giving John a gentle punch on the shoulder.

"Yeah," John said tonelessly. "Sure. Whatever." He turned and walked off without another word.

Slamming his lunch tray down on the counter, John took a deep breath and tried to calm the anger rising in his throat. It wasn't really Bobby's fault that he was into his girlfriend – hell, any guy with half decent eyesight would be into Marie if he was dating her, and plenty were into her who weren't. And it wasn't Rogue's fault she looked as good as she did, or that she was so sweet and had stolen Bobby's heart without even having to try.

At least, that was what John kept telling himself. It wasn't working.

Right now, he hated both of them. Damn them and their stupid little self-absorbed lovey-dovey-ness. It made him sick to his stomach. With a snarl, John strode away from the lunch line, looking around for a table – and caught sight of Rhiannon, who was sitting nearby with her friends Nisse and Dante.

"You gotta be kidding me," Dante was saying loudly. "You're going to get yourself a detention on purpose?"

John watched Nisse shake her head. "Come on, Rhi. I know you better than that. When have you EVER gotten yourself into trouble on purpose?" She cocked an eyebrow at her blonde friend. "What's in it for you?"

Across the room, Rhiannon's smile turned sly, and she leaned in towards the other two to whisper. John couldn't catch what she was saying, but the expressions on Nisse's and Dante's faces slowly went from skeptical to surprised to impressed.

"Girl, you are positively evil," Nisse said admiringly.

"Yes, well," said Rhiannon, smiling sweetly, "you know I always get what I want." As her companions burst into laughter, Rhiannon's eyes traveled around the room – and caught sight of John, who was still staring at her. She started to give him a small, innocent smile, but John, furious at what he'd overheard, glared at her, dropped his lunch tray to the table with a crash, and stormed from the dining hall without looking back.