NOTE: Okay, this chapter took awhile to write, so please review it and tell
me what you think! As always, a big thank you goes out to all my wonderful
reviewers, especially the regular ones! Enjoy..
The kiss had happened so suddenly that Kitty had the odd sensation of watching the reactions of Siren and Lance almost in slow motion. Siren's eyes had narrowed into angry slits and Lance's whole face had blanched in shock. It had been great.
Siren, however, tossed her cheerleading outfit angrily into her locker and marched over to where they stood, her hands clenched into fists followed closely by Lance. And that was when things had started to go to hell.
"Hello Pietro," Siren said, sidling up to him, her stiff smile belying the fury in her eyes. Kitty took an involuntary step back, suddenly unsure of the whole situation. It was so surreal; her standing in the middle of the hallway with Pietro's arm slung around her shoulders in front of her ex-boyfriend. Yet a part of her was thrilled at the pinched look at the corner of Lance's eye. "So, who's this?" Siren asked bluntly, her eyes taking on a hawk-like look as she stared down Kitty.
Kitty narrowed her eyes. Siren knew full well who she was, but if she wanted to play dumb that was fine with her.
"This is Kitty Pryde," Pietro said smoothly, allowing for a little mystery by tightening his hold on her shoulder. Kitty felt a tingle of pleasure at the way he said her name...and then winced immediately. I'm just getting into character, I have to make it believable, Kitty comforted herself, and ignored the annoying part of her that hinted otherwise.
Lance stood silently, glaring at the arm Pietro had around her. Kitty couldn't help but grin at Pietro who grinned back. Something about seeing both their exes looking furious was very, very amusing.
"So what are you two doing here?" Lance asked stiffly, obviously trying to get an admission out of one of them.
"Oh, I was just about to walk Kitty to class," Pietro said, meeting Lance's stare levelly.
"You were?!" Kitty blurted out incredulously. Pietro glared at her and Kitty forced back the urge to roll her eyes. "Oh right...right, hehe, he's so sweet," Kitty recovered quickly, managing to choke out the words. Even without looking at Pietro, she knew he was smirking. This must be so hilarious for him, Kitty thought fuming.
"Really?" Lance asked dryly. "Since when?"
"Don't you have basketball practice now, Pietro?" Siren demanded, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Oh, I think I can skip practice once in awhile to walk people I care about to class," Pietro said genially. Kitty snickered involuntarily at that, earning her another glare from Pietro. Kitty glared back at him defiantly, oblivious to the curious stares of Siren and Lance.
Siren cleared her throat, gave Pietro a pouty smile, and grabbed Lance's hand. "I'd LOVE to stay and chat, but Lance and I have to catch up." And with a little flip of her hair, cat walked down the hallway dragging a confused Lance behind her.
As soon as they were gone, Kitty snorted disgustedly. "I wonder what they're "catching up" on: she's probably getting Lance to dry-clean her clothes or something."
Pietro crossed his arms and ran a hand through his hair. "Or they're off doing couple-like activities. Great, just great," Pietro said sarcastically.
Kitty looked at him baffled. "What are you talking about? They were furious!"
"No, no Pryde, they were confused!" Pietro emphasized impatiently, throwing up his hands. "It's not enough just to HINT at something between us...we gotta really stir things up."
"And I'll bet you've got a great plan for that," Kitty said sarcastically.
"Of course I do," Pietro said confidently, and lead her discreetly into the library. He sat down at a table, and Kitty sat down across from him, staring at her watch.
"Okay, you've got 5 minutes to unfurl this magnificent plan of yours because I have class," Kitty informed him.
"And basketball practice started 10 minutes ago, what's your point?" Pietro asked, his blue eyes challenging.
"You want me to skip class so we can iron out some minor details?!" Kitty asked incredulously.
"Not minor details, Pryde. Every little thing counts if we're going to convince them and the rest of the school that we're an item. We'll make our grand entrance at the football game tomorrow, everyone will see us. And Siren will be there," Pietro added.
"Of course, cheerleading is her life after all," Kitty muttered. "I just can't believe that Lance dumped me for her! He always seemed so level- headed and sweet, definitely not shallow, conceited, or one of those.jock types like.like, well, YOU."
Pietro's blue eyes flashed. "Oh really, well maybe appearances can be deceiving. Lance doesn't really seem like a knight in shining armor now, does he?" Pietro retorted.
Kitty bristled. "He's being manipulated by the Red Menace," Kitty shot back in defense of Lance.
"Uh huh, right," Pietro scoffed. "I'm sure she threatened to attack him with her pom-poms if he didn't submit to her evil demands."
Kitty and Pietro laughed simultaneously and Kitty unconsciously found herself noticing how handsome he looked when he laughed, when he wasn't acting like a conceited jerk. Too bad, that's like 1 percent of the time, Kitty thought wryly, as she forced herself to return to reality.
"Okay, first we're going to do something about what you're wearing," Pietro said, his eyes surveying her jeans and simple navy blue top. Kitty crossed her arms defensively.
"And WHAT exactly is wrong with what I'm wearing? It's comfortable, it's neat, ."
"It's boring," Pietro finished pointedly.
"I don't think transforming myself into a poster-child for Abercrombie is going to win Lance back," Kitty retorted. "And, frankly I think you'd better get rid of your little attitude problem if I'm going to go along with this crazy plan."
"Okay sheesh, fine. We lay down some ground rules, alright?" Pietro asked. "Okay," Kitty conceded wearily.
"Number one, we don't tell anyone about our plan," Pietro said seriously.
"No one?" Kitty echoed.
"Yeah, not Rogue, not the adults, and for godsakes not Jubilee," Pietro continued, running a hand through his silver hair. Kitty nodded wryly. If Jubilee heard about their scheme, it was tantamount to announcing it through loud speaker to the whole school.
"Number two, as I mentioned before, new wardrobe for you, like skirts and stuff. I'll probably have to help you pick out something decent," Pietro went on, oblivious to the thunderous expression on Kitty's face.
"Excuse me?! I don't need HELP picking out my clothes, and I'm not going to start dressing differently so I can impress you and the rest of your mentally-stunted friends!"
Pietro's face flushed as well. "Mentally-stunted?! Ha! That's rich, coming from the resident Valley Girl of Bayville," Pietro shot back.
"Oh, is this how you regale all your girlfriends, by insulting them? It's no wonder Siren dumped you!" Kitty retorted, but regretted her words as Pietro's eyes dimmed slightly. As she opened her mouth to apologize, Pietro cut her off harshly.
"It's really funny hearing you talk about relationships, Pryde, considering your live with a bunch of geeks and your idea of fun is probably arranging your sock drawer!" Pietro spat out. Kitty flushed prettily, her eyes sparkling with anger, oblivious to the stares they were getting from the library patrons around them.
"Please, you think YOU'RE the authority on relationships! You probably consider your relationships a success if it outlasts milk!" Kitty retorted.
"Atleast I show my dates some excitement! I bet you forced Lance to watch Wonder Years reruns because you're afraid to break any of your little X-geek rules!" Pietro mocked, sitting back in his chair.
"I know how to have fun! And I'm not boring or square!" Kitty shot back, growing more and more furious with his assumptions and wondering why she cared so much about his opinion of her. She never had before.
"Then prove it, Pryde. Tomorrow, surprise me and show up in something other than your Strait-laced usual," Pietro said smugly. Kitty stopped, and stared at him in outrage. Kitty realized too late that he had trapped her neatly. If she backed down she'd never hear the end of it.
"Fine!" Kitty seethed. "And let's see if you can actually try to resemble a normal date tomorrow."
"Don't worry, I will!" Pietro retorted, his blue eyes flashing a challenge. The two stalked out of the library in separate directions, each reveling in their private thoughts. Kitty looked back and felt her heart do a skip as she watched him go, despite her anger. Why did he always make her feel so incredibly confused? Ugh, and now she had to get Jubilee to help her pick out an outfit just so she could put stupid Pietro in his place. How did I get myself in this mess? Kitty wondered wryly.
The kiss had happened so suddenly that Kitty had the odd sensation of watching the reactions of Siren and Lance almost in slow motion. Siren's eyes had narrowed into angry slits and Lance's whole face had blanched in shock. It had been great.
Siren, however, tossed her cheerleading outfit angrily into her locker and marched over to where they stood, her hands clenched into fists followed closely by Lance. And that was when things had started to go to hell.
"Hello Pietro," Siren said, sidling up to him, her stiff smile belying the fury in her eyes. Kitty took an involuntary step back, suddenly unsure of the whole situation. It was so surreal; her standing in the middle of the hallway with Pietro's arm slung around her shoulders in front of her ex-boyfriend. Yet a part of her was thrilled at the pinched look at the corner of Lance's eye. "So, who's this?" Siren asked bluntly, her eyes taking on a hawk-like look as she stared down Kitty.
Kitty narrowed her eyes. Siren knew full well who she was, but if she wanted to play dumb that was fine with her.
"This is Kitty Pryde," Pietro said smoothly, allowing for a little mystery by tightening his hold on her shoulder. Kitty felt a tingle of pleasure at the way he said her name...and then winced immediately. I'm just getting into character, I have to make it believable, Kitty comforted herself, and ignored the annoying part of her that hinted otherwise.
Lance stood silently, glaring at the arm Pietro had around her. Kitty couldn't help but grin at Pietro who grinned back. Something about seeing both their exes looking furious was very, very amusing.
"So what are you two doing here?" Lance asked stiffly, obviously trying to get an admission out of one of them.
"Oh, I was just about to walk Kitty to class," Pietro said, meeting Lance's stare levelly.
"You were?!" Kitty blurted out incredulously. Pietro glared at her and Kitty forced back the urge to roll her eyes. "Oh right...right, hehe, he's so sweet," Kitty recovered quickly, managing to choke out the words. Even without looking at Pietro, she knew he was smirking. This must be so hilarious for him, Kitty thought fuming.
"Really?" Lance asked dryly. "Since when?"
"Don't you have basketball practice now, Pietro?" Siren demanded, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Oh, I think I can skip practice once in awhile to walk people I care about to class," Pietro said genially. Kitty snickered involuntarily at that, earning her another glare from Pietro. Kitty glared back at him defiantly, oblivious to the curious stares of Siren and Lance.
Siren cleared her throat, gave Pietro a pouty smile, and grabbed Lance's hand. "I'd LOVE to stay and chat, but Lance and I have to catch up." And with a little flip of her hair, cat walked down the hallway dragging a confused Lance behind her.
As soon as they were gone, Kitty snorted disgustedly. "I wonder what they're "catching up" on: she's probably getting Lance to dry-clean her clothes or something."
Pietro crossed his arms and ran a hand through his hair. "Or they're off doing couple-like activities. Great, just great," Pietro said sarcastically.
Kitty looked at him baffled. "What are you talking about? They were furious!"
"No, no Pryde, they were confused!" Pietro emphasized impatiently, throwing up his hands. "It's not enough just to HINT at something between us...we gotta really stir things up."
"And I'll bet you've got a great plan for that," Kitty said sarcastically.
"Of course I do," Pietro said confidently, and lead her discreetly into the library. He sat down at a table, and Kitty sat down across from him, staring at her watch.
"Okay, you've got 5 minutes to unfurl this magnificent plan of yours because I have class," Kitty informed him.
"And basketball practice started 10 minutes ago, what's your point?" Pietro asked, his blue eyes challenging.
"You want me to skip class so we can iron out some minor details?!" Kitty asked incredulously.
"Not minor details, Pryde. Every little thing counts if we're going to convince them and the rest of the school that we're an item. We'll make our grand entrance at the football game tomorrow, everyone will see us. And Siren will be there," Pietro added.
"Of course, cheerleading is her life after all," Kitty muttered. "I just can't believe that Lance dumped me for her! He always seemed so level- headed and sweet, definitely not shallow, conceited, or one of those.jock types like.like, well, YOU."
Pietro's blue eyes flashed. "Oh really, well maybe appearances can be deceiving. Lance doesn't really seem like a knight in shining armor now, does he?" Pietro retorted.
Kitty bristled. "He's being manipulated by the Red Menace," Kitty shot back in defense of Lance.
"Uh huh, right," Pietro scoffed. "I'm sure she threatened to attack him with her pom-poms if he didn't submit to her evil demands."
Kitty and Pietro laughed simultaneously and Kitty unconsciously found herself noticing how handsome he looked when he laughed, when he wasn't acting like a conceited jerk. Too bad, that's like 1 percent of the time, Kitty thought wryly, as she forced herself to return to reality.
"Okay, first we're going to do something about what you're wearing," Pietro said, his eyes surveying her jeans and simple navy blue top. Kitty crossed her arms defensively.
"And WHAT exactly is wrong with what I'm wearing? It's comfortable, it's neat, ."
"It's boring," Pietro finished pointedly.
"I don't think transforming myself into a poster-child for Abercrombie is going to win Lance back," Kitty retorted. "And, frankly I think you'd better get rid of your little attitude problem if I'm going to go along with this crazy plan."
"Okay sheesh, fine. We lay down some ground rules, alright?" Pietro asked. "Okay," Kitty conceded wearily.
"Number one, we don't tell anyone about our plan," Pietro said seriously.
"No one?" Kitty echoed.
"Yeah, not Rogue, not the adults, and for godsakes not Jubilee," Pietro continued, running a hand through his silver hair. Kitty nodded wryly. If Jubilee heard about their scheme, it was tantamount to announcing it through loud speaker to the whole school.
"Number two, as I mentioned before, new wardrobe for you, like skirts and stuff. I'll probably have to help you pick out something decent," Pietro went on, oblivious to the thunderous expression on Kitty's face.
"Excuse me?! I don't need HELP picking out my clothes, and I'm not going to start dressing differently so I can impress you and the rest of your mentally-stunted friends!"
Pietro's face flushed as well. "Mentally-stunted?! Ha! That's rich, coming from the resident Valley Girl of Bayville," Pietro shot back.
"Oh, is this how you regale all your girlfriends, by insulting them? It's no wonder Siren dumped you!" Kitty retorted, but regretted her words as Pietro's eyes dimmed slightly. As she opened her mouth to apologize, Pietro cut her off harshly.
"It's really funny hearing you talk about relationships, Pryde, considering your live with a bunch of geeks and your idea of fun is probably arranging your sock drawer!" Pietro spat out. Kitty flushed prettily, her eyes sparkling with anger, oblivious to the stares they were getting from the library patrons around them.
"Please, you think YOU'RE the authority on relationships! You probably consider your relationships a success if it outlasts milk!" Kitty retorted.
"Atleast I show my dates some excitement! I bet you forced Lance to watch Wonder Years reruns because you're afraid to break any of your little X-geek rules!" Pietro mocked, sitting back in his chair.
"I know how to have fun! And I'm not boring or square!" Kitty shot back, growing more and more furious with his assumptions and wondering why she cared so much about his opinion of her. She never had before.
"Then prove it, Pryde. Tomorrow, surprise me and show up in something other than your Strait-laced usual," Pietro said smugly. Kitty stopped, and stared at him in outrage. Kitty realized too late that he had trapped her neatly. If she backed down she'd never hear the end of it.
"Fine!" Kitty seethed. "And let's see if you can actually try to resemble a normal date tomorrow."
"Don't worry, I will!" Pietro retorted, his blue eyes flashing a challenge. The two stalked out of the library in separate directions, each reveling in their private thoughts. Kitty looked back and felt her heart do a skip as she watched him go, despite her anger. Why did he always make her feel so incredibly confused? Ugh, and now she had to get Jubilee to help her pick out an outfit just so she could put stupid Pietro in his place. How did I get myself in this mess? Kitty wondered wryly.