"I don't think this is working."

The corner of her mouth twitched. That was an understatement.

"I mean, I like you. I like you a lot. It's just…."

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I know what it's just."

"It's not you, Rogue," he said.

The twitch became a full-fledged incredulous grin. "It's not?" She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to speak again. "No," she said. "Don't bother, Bobby. I understand."

"I feel awful about this."

"And I'd feel a lot better if you'd shut up about it," she said. "At our age, nobody expects these things to last forever. We might've broken up by now even if things had been…different."

"Still friends?" he asked hopefully, holding out a hand.

"Yeah," she said. She took his hand and shook it once, holding it tightly. "Yeah."

This can't be happening….

I will not cry over a boy, Rogue told herself for the hundredth time as Bobby left the lunch table.

Kitty was watching her. "Are things okay with you two?" she asked. "You seem a little…." Jubilee jabbed her with her elbow. "Hey!" Kitty yelped. "It was just a question!"

"Do I ask you about Peter?" Jubilee asked.

Kitty flushed crimson and threw a glance over her shoulder. "Ssshh…. He might hear you."

Jubilee raised an eyebrow and nodded.

In the choice between laughter and tears, laughter won out. Rogue laughed almost in spite of herself. "We broke up," she said, and shrugged. "It happens. But that doesn't mean we can't ever talk to each other again, does it?"

"Of course not," said Jubilee. Kitty shook her head furiously. She was still casting nervous glances around the dining hall, as if Peter were going to appear out of nowhere like she did. Rogue wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to have powers like that.

Not for the first time, she realized that all it took to find out was a touch.

And there were the tears again, ready and waiting for her. She made her excuses and left in a hurry. She was going to let herself cry over a boy.

She just wasn't going to do it in public.

Ororo Munroe lifted the fabric, surprised at how light it was. As it shifted in her hands, the light revealed new colors in the scarf. She smiled approvingly at the shopkeeper. "I'll take it," she said, reaching inside her purse. The smile became a frown as she groped deeper, unable to find her wallet.

"The sneaky little hellion," she muttered, remembering too late Professor Xavier's warning not to let her guard down for an instant. She whirled around and caught a fleeting glimpse of a running figure. Without looking back at the undoubtedly disappointed shopkeeper, she sprinted after it.

The thief was fast. Ororo followed him through the twisted streets and alleyways, always just far enough behind him. She was on the verge of summoning the wind to carry her up to him when the man abruptly reversed course and charged back towards her. Caught off guard, she stepped back, allowing him enough space to pass by her. And as he passed, he grabbed her wrist, dragging her around the corner and into a darkened doorway.

"Wha—"

He stopped her with a quick gesture for silence and a nod toward the alley. Ororo waited, catching her breath, unable to take her eyes off this stranger she had come all the way to Cairo to find. He stared back, grinning, unapologetic. Reaching a hand into his coat pocket, he pulled out a few playing cards.

At the sound of voices in the alley, he tensed for a brief instant before leaping out of the doorway. Ororo followed, watching him toss the playing cards through the air towards two men holding guns. The glowing cards exploded on impact, knocking the guns from the hands of the assailants. The two took a few running steps toward the man with the playing cards, but they weren't fast enough. The next cards knocked them both unconscious.

The man Ororo had been tailing looked up at her and shrugged. "Sorry," he said nonchalantly. "Friends of mine." He ran a hand through his hair and gave her an appraising look. "Guess after putting you through that, you've earned this," he said, and tossed her wallet to her.

"I'd say so," she retorted, "since it was mine to begin with."

He winked at her and turned to leave.

"Aren't you tired of running, Mr. LeBeau?"

The man froze. He reached into his pocket. "I don't seem to remember the introductions," he said.

But Ororo was ready. When the card flipped in her direction, a blast of wind swept it up above their heads, detonating it. "The name is Storm," she said.

For an instant, his preternaturally red eyes registered disbelief. But only for an instant. "Gambit," came the response. "None of that 'Mr. LeBeau' for me."

"Well, Gambit," said Ororo, "it looks like you could use some help. A safe place. A better life."

"And who are you, my fairy godmother?"

"Nothing that fantastic," smiled Ororo. "I represent a school…."

"Best thing to happen to me this year," said Rogue firmly.

"Be serious, Rogue," said Kitty.

Rogue sighed. "I'm being serious. It was hard at first, yeah. But then I realized I wasn't ready to be in that sort of a relationship yet. I'm still figuring me out, gals. This 'gift,' or curse, or whatever it is…it's still too new for me. And I sure as anything don't need to start worrying about how someoneelse is dealing with it, you know?"

"He still likes you," said Kitty softly. "A lot."

Rogue rolled onto her back and stared at the bedroom ceiling. She remembered kissing Bobby. She remembered how he panicked when she began to drain his life force, how quickly he had turned away. Not that she could blame him for that; she'd been scared, too. But she also remembered the thought—his thought—that flashed across her mind in that instant. This is never going to work.

He was right, of course. How could she expect any man to love her enough to overlook the "no touching" rule? It drove her crazy enough as it was; there was no need to drag someone else into it. She'd handle it alone.

"Rogue?" Kitty whispered. "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah," said Rogue. Her friend was probably still expecting a response to her statement. "Yeah," she repeated. "I know he does."

"Hey, leave her alone, Kitty," said Jubilee, tossing a pillow at the younger girl. "It's not like you're the romantic expert in this room."

Rogue suppressed a grin. The whole school knew about Kitty's obsession with Peter Rasputin. The whole school, including the unfortunately unrequiting Peter himself. Kitty was constantly being teased about it.

"Ah, leave her alone, Jubilee," Rogue said, taking pity on her friend. No wonder Kitty couldn't get over Peter. If everyone pestered Rogue about Bobby, she'd have had a hard time getting over him, too.

She was. Over him, that is. She was over and done with all men. From today on, Rogue swore to herself, I'm alone. And I'm gonna start liking it.