Chapter 2
There wasn't a single thing to eat.
Groaning, Amara stretched the tight muscles in her back from where she knelt in front of the open refrigerator. A mob of people lived in the mansion, and they ran out of food. There should be a law against that... or something. She didn't come all the way to America to die of starvation.
Amara looked down at the various tupperware containers containing something that used to be food, soda cans, a rusty spoon, a carton of chunky milk, and what she hoped desperately was Bobby's science project. She did dig all of the things from the back of the fridge, so it was really her responsibility to clean the mess up. Yeah, she'd do that any minute now..... well, maybe not. Scrambling up, Amara carefully avoided all of the items circling her, and with a fugitive glance behind strode out the kitchen door into the hallway.
"Hey, 'Mara!" Amara gave a guilty start at the yell. Whirling about, she relaxed at seeing Ray. A surprisingly happy Ray, but normal as he ever got and not coming from the kitchen, where her mess was.
"Hey. What's up, Sunshine?"
A puzzled look came over Ray's face at hearing the name before clarity hit him. "Funny. Anyway, you'll love me in a second. Guess who doesn't have a date for the concert next week?"
"I know. Tabitha's still free. We're friends. Remember, Romeo?" Amara rolled her eyes. Ray had been drooling over Tabitha for weeks now, and had been attempting to wheedle Amara into dropping information about his 'beloved'. If he went off another lovesick tangent, Amara swore she would make him eat the science project. It might not kill him.
"It's not that..." Ray's eyes glazed over as he took a 'Tabitha' moment. Amara gritted her teeth, before snapping in front of the boy's face bringing him back to reality. "It relates to your lonesome self, hon. Someone else needs a date. A male someone."
"I don't need a pity date."
"Just guess who it is."
"Uh..... Magneto!"
"Ew. Thank you for that image," Ray shuddered. "I'm not sleeping tonight. Come on."
Amara flatly stated, "I'm not playing your sick game, O Great Battery Man."
"It's John!"
"John?" She asked in disbelief. "That's who you picked out to be my date?"
"I didn't have many choices. Anyway it's not a date'. It's someone to go to the concert with so that you won't be left out." He sighed, "Look, you sit next to the guy in the car, stand by him at the concert and say the necessary pleasantries. It's not a level 10 danger room session."
"I could go with Tabs-"
"That's not possible, hon, she's going with me. I got dibs."
Amara distractedly ran her fingers through her hair. She hesitated, trying to phrase her thoughts into words. "I'm not good with dates, Ray."
"That's-"
"I know! Practice makes perfect, and all that crap. But..." She trailed off. How could Ray understand that she was fine without a boy toy to drag along. Amara just got her life together. All she wanted was time to bask in this rare calm. Dating meant anxiety about clothes, giggling girls cooing over her future, and awkward silences between forced conversations. Maybe she was just weird. Everyone else in the mansion searched desperately for that 'special someone', throwing themselves headlong into the love game. Hell, even Rogue had something going on in that department. Despite her and Gambit's emphatic denials.
"If you're worried about him treating you badly, don't." Ray suddenly lost any traces of his smile, and grew serious. "We can take him."
Nodding, Amara attempted to stay serious and give Ray the respect he deserved. A snort escaped her though, and shortly after she helplessly bent over in laughter. Ray folded his arms in exasperation and propped himself against the wall.
"It's the sentiment that counts! Come on, I get some brownie points for that. Now, yes or no?" Ray pointedly stared at her.
She sighed in resignation. "Fine. Not like I had much of a choice. I might kick his ass though, if he pisses me off by wasting precious oxygen."
"Whatever floats your boat, hon." The aggravating self-satisfied smile reappeared.
"Perv."
"He's coming at seven. Wear something skanky." Ray brushed past her, and sauntered off.
It took a moment for that to sink in. "You arranged this without asking me?! You little... I change my mind! I'm not going!" Amara yelled back at him.
Ray tossed his reply over his shoulder before disappearing from sight, "Sure you will! And you're welcome!"
Oh, he'll die a slow and painful death.
Behind her the front door banged open, and then vigorously slammed shut. As Amara twisted around, it opened again to allow a grinning Tabitha to step though.
"It's not that bad." Tabitha consoled Kurt who had stormed through the door in front of her, and continued up the stairs. Chuckles following the last word betrayed the girl's lack of sympathy. At her voice, Kurt halted, paused, and then slowly rotated to face the giggling blonde.
"Not. That. Bad." He rolled the words off his tongue, anger dripping off each one. Kurt's mouth gaped open, at a complete loss for words in his intense emotional state. "AGH!" He threw up his hands into the air like a demented housewife, swore a few choice words in German and then with a loud bamf left the scene.
Still chuckling, Tabitha shifted her eyes to Amara, a confused expression stamped on her face. "See, he's perfectly fine!"
Thanks to all those who reviewed. I'm such a review whore.
Rogue 14- I'll try to update maybe once a week. Glad you like the story! I'm pretty insecure about it.
childrenwithblades- Thanks. I'm not down with the lingo yet, but I'm working on it. I'll try to be more focused with my paragraphs too. But what can I say, I'm a rambler at heart.
Neva- So happy that you like the Kurt/Tabitha interaction. I like them on stage together, but as a couple... not so much. They work better as friends. But Kurt is one of my favorite characters, and I was worried that I portrayed him off. That's a relief.
The Uncanny R-man- I'll try my hardest to get the chapters out fast. Not promising anything though.
Lyranfan- I figured that since Kurt knows first hand how terrible it could be to be essentially rejected based on a uncontrollable factor, that he would be more accepting than some. It's also hard for me, I'll admit, to think as someone who is homophobic. sylvan351- awww.
There wasn't a single thing to eat.
Groaning, Amara stretched the tight muscles in her back from where she knelt in front of the open refrigerator. A mob of people lived in the mansion, and they ran out of food. There should be a law against that... or something. She didn't come all the way to America to die of starvation.
Amara looked down at the various tupperware containers containing something that used to be food, soda cans, a rusty spoon, a carton of chunky milk, and what she hoped desperately was Bobby's science project. She did dig all of the things from the back of the fridge, so it was really her responsibility to clean the mess up. Yeah, she'd do that any minute now..... well, maybe not. Scrambling up, Amara carefully avoided all of the items circling her, and with a fugitive glance behind strode out the kitchen door into the hallway.
"Hey, 'Mara!" Amara gave a guilty start at the yell. Whirling about, she relaxed at seeing Ray. A surprisingly happy Ray, but normal as he ever got and not coming from the kitchen, where her mess was.
"Hey. What's up, Sunshine?"
A puzzled look came over Ray's face at hearing the name before clarity hit him. "Funny. Anyway, you'll love me in a second. Guess who doesn't have a date for the concert next week?"
"I know. Tabitha's still free. We're friends. Remember, Romeo?" Amara rolled her eyes. Ray had been drooling over Tabitha for weeks now, and had been attempting to wheedle Amara into dropping information about his 'beloved'. If he went off another lovesick tangent, Amara swore she would make him eat the science project. It might not kill him.
"It's not that..." Ray's eyes glazed over as he took a 'Tabitha' moment. Amara gritted her teeth, before snapping in front of the boy's face bringing him back to reality. "It relates to your lonesome self, hon. Someone else needs a date. A male someone."
"I don't need a pity date."
"Just guess who it is."
"Uh..... Magneto!"
"Ew. Thank you for that image," Ray shuddered. "I'm not sleeping tonight. Come on."
Amara flatly stated, "I'm not playing your sick game, O Great Battery Man."
"It's John!"
"John?" She asked in disbelief. "That's who you picked out to be my date?"
"I didn't have many choices. Anyway it's not a date'. It's someone to go to the concert with so that you won't be left out." He sighed, "Look, you sit next to the guy in the car, stand by him at the concert and say the necessary pleasantries. It's not a level 10 danger room session."
"I could go with Tabs-"
"That's not possible, hon, she's going with me. I got dibs."
Amara distractedly ran her fingers through her hair. She hesitated, trying to phrase her thoughts into words. "I'm not good with dates, Ray."
"That's-"
"I know! Practice makes perfect, and all that crap. But..." She trailed off. How could Ray understand that she was fine without a boy toy to drag along. Amara just got her life together. All she wanted was time to bask in this rare calm. Dating meant anxiety about clothes, giggling girls cooing over her future, and awkward silences between forced conversations. Maybe she was just weird. Everyone else in the mansion searched desperately for that 'special someone', throwing themselves headlong into the love game. Hell, even Rogue had something going on in that department. Despite her and Gambit's emphatic denials.
"If you're worried about him treating you badly, don't." Ray suddenly lost any traces of his smile, and grew serious. "We can take him."
Nodding, Amara attempted to stay serious and give Ray the respect he deserved. A snort escaped her though, and shortly after she helplessly bent over in laughter. Ray folded his arms in exasperation and propped himself against the wall.
"It's the sentiment that counts! Come on, I get some brownie points for that. Now, yes or no?" Ray pointedly stared at her.
She sighed in resignation. "Fine. Not like I had much of a choice. I might kick his ass though, if he pisses me off by wasting precious oxygen."
"Whatever floats your boat, hon." The aggravating self-satisfied smile reappeared.
"Perv."
"He's coming at seven. Wear something skanky." Ray brushed past her, and sauntered off.
It took a moment for that to sink in. "You arranged this without asking me?! You little... I change my mind! I'm not going!" Amara yelled back at him.
Ray tossed his reply over his shoulder before disappearing from sight, "Sure you will! And you're welcome!"
Oh, he'll die a slow and painful death.
Behind her the front door banged open, and then vigorously slammed shut. As Amara twisted around, it opened again to allow a grinning Tabitha to step though.
"It's not that bad." Tabitha consoled Kurt who had stormed through the door in front of her, and continued up the stairs. Chuckles following the last word betrayed the girl's lack of sympathy. At her voice, Kurt halted, paused, and then slowly rotated to face the giggling blonde.
"Not. That. Bad." He rolled the words off his tongue, anger dripping off each one. Kurt's mouth gaped open, at a complete loss for words in his intense emotional state. "AGH!" He threw up his hands into the air like a demented housewife, swore a few choice words in German and then with a loud bamf left the scene.
Still chuckling, Tabitha shifted her eyes to Amara, a confused expression stamped on her face. "See, he's perfectly fine!"
Thanks to all those who reviewed. I'm such a review whore.
Rogue 14- I'll try to update maybe once a week. Glad you like the story! I'm pretty insecure about it.
childrenwithblades- Thanks. I'm not down with the lingo yet, but I'm working on it. I'll try to be more focused with my paragraphs too. But what can I say, I'm a rambler at heart.
Neva- So happy that you like the Kurt/Tabitha interaction. I like them on stage together, but as a couple... not so much. They work better as friends. But Kurt is one of my favorite characters, and I was worried that I portrayed him off. That's a relief.
The Uncanny R-man- I'll try my hardest to get the chapters out fast. Not promising anything though.
Lyranfan- I figured that since Kurt knows first hand how terrible it could be to be essentially rejected based on a uncontrollable factor, that he would be more accepting than some. It's also hard for me, I'll admit, to think as someone who is homophobic. sylvan351- awww.