Hello, people! Here's the next chapter. And look, it didn't take me six months to update like it usually does.
And I just noticed this, but Strange Triangles has been on up for more than a year! Yeeeea! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed thus far, it's really inspired me. This is my favorite fic that I've written so far…and the longest!
So read, review, and be merry!
Oh, and on a different note, my sister has finally gotten off her lazy butt and posted Keri's own story! Rejoice, Keri fans! It's under Keri Smith: X-Men Extraordinaire by Shimmerstar7. You might want to pay her a visit after you read Strange Triangles, just keep in mind that her writing style is a bit different than mine.
OK, now on with Strange Triangles!
---
Chapter Thirteen:
Lucky 13
February 13
The night of the Valentine's day dance, Mary examined herself in the mirror. She then turned to Rogue. "How do I look?" She asked.
Rogue, who was laying on Mary's bed, looked at her. "…Hungry for love."
"Rogue, I'm serious!"
"Oh, calm down; ya look great."
"Really?" Mary went back to looking in the mirror. For the dance, Mary's accessories were a necklace with a small, silver disk on it; silver hoop earrings, white tights, and black shoes. Her dress was a little more fancy: it was black spaghetti-strap, and extended to an inch or two above her knees. However, attached to the waist was a transparent overskirt that was split in the middle, and extended an inch or two below her knees. "Oh, and Rogue?"
"Yea?"
"I'm still really sorry for backing out on you." Originally, the two of them were going to go 'together' and just hang out, but Mary's 'ignore-game' partner (who's real name turned out to be Steve) had managed to muster up the courage to ask Mary out. He had been very nervous at the time but was ecstatic when Mary had accepted. So, Mary had a date, but Rogue did not.
"Don't be. You're lucky that a guy asked you to go with him. Anyway, I'm not goin'."
"Then how come you're all dressed up?"
"I was gonna go, but then ah changed mah mind."
"C'mon, Rogue! There's no shame in being a wall-flower!"
"Ah'm not goin', and that's final!" Rogue snapped. She got off the bed and stormed out.
Keri walked in. "I just passed Rogue, what's her beef?" Keri was dressed for her dance in a full-length, bright magenta dress with a pleated skirt, and matching magenta shoes, bracelets, choker with a heart puffing out, and hair scrunchie. She had also gone that extra step and was wearing lip gloss and a little eye shadow.
"She's the one who's hungry for love…" Mary murmured. She turned to Keri. "You look nice, but aren't you a little young for make-up?"
Keri shook her head "It's just for tonight! And besides, the lip gloss is fruit flavored. Anyway, I came to get you so we could all take a picture. It's for my album."
"Alright, let's go," Mary agreed, and they walked out of the room into the foyer, where all of the dance-goers had gathered.
"Keri, would you like for me to take the picture? That way, you can be in it." Ororo offered.
"Sure!" Keri handed her the camera. Then, she yelled up the stairs, "Rogue, come take a picture with us!"
Rogue called down back to her, "Ah don't wanna be in the picture; I ain't goin' to a dance!"
Keri looked at Mary for help.
Mary shrugged. "She's in a bad mood right now, so just leave her."
"Ok. Everybody bunch together, I wanna get everyone!"
The group bunched together, and Ororo took a couple of pictures of them. Then, the doorbell rang.
Jean answered it. "Hello?"
James stood there, wearing black slacks, black shoes, a black blazer, a white dress-shirt, and a bright red tie. "Is Keri ready to go?" He asked.
Keri pushed Jean out of the way. "Hi, James," She greeted.
"Hi, Keri. You look great…and your lips are so shiny! Did you just eat bacon?" James chirped.
"No, it's lip gloss!"
"Wow…and I thought Paige and Chelsea were the only girls in our grade who wore lip gloss…"
"This is just for tonight. And unlike them, I don't use a golf-ball sized lump; I just give my lips a once-over!"
Outside, a car horn honked.
James looked at Keri. "Miki, Ryan, and Mrs. Matsuura's waiting for us. Shall we go?"
"Alright!" She grabbed James' hand, and the two dashed out to the car.
A few minutes later, Steve showed up. "Is Mary here?" He asked nervously.
"Right here!" Mary replied, rushing up to the door.
Steve looked at her with wide eyes. "You look…" He seemed at a loss for words.
Mary smiled at him. "Thanks…I think…"
"Yea…um…should we go?" He asked.
"Alright…wait, where did my purse go?" Mary looked around, and then spied it hanging off the banister. "How the heck did it get over there? Oh well." She motioned with her hand, and it came sailing over to her. Mary caught it, and slid it over her shoulder. She then turned to Steve, who looked dumbstruck. "Uh…sorry…" She apologized.
"Cool!" He breathed. He seemed to have gained just a little confidence. "But…we really should get going."
"Alright. Bye, guys." Mary and Steve walked out the door, though Mary stuck her head back in long enough to whisper, "Isn't he adorable?"
---
After everyone had left, Logan was walking around upstairs when he noticed that the door to Kitty and Rogue's room was ajar, and the light was on. He looked in and saw Rogue laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. "Hey, kid," He greeted.
Rogue sat up. "Hai, Logan." She seemed just a bit surprised.
"How come you didn't go to the dance?" He asked, walking in and sitting down next to her.
Rogue shrugged. "Mary had a date, and three's a crowd."
"You coulda gone by yourself."
"Yea, like I'd be the kind of loser who did that."
Logan looked at her, and noticed her outfit: it was similar to the one she had worn to the Sadie Hawkins dance a little while back, with it's orange transparent shirt, and silver tank-top, although the similarity ended there: she was wearing a short red skirt, charcoal tights, red and black boots, a leather belt with a silver buckle, her regular gloves, and a black scarf around her neck. "If you're not goin' to a dance, then how come you're dressed up?"
"Ah thought Ah was goin', and then Ah changed mah mahnd! Wah do people keep askin' me that?!" Rogue snapped.
"Ok, Ok…" Logan said defensively. He paused. "Well, I'd hate for you to be all dressed up with nowhere to go…look, I don't have anything to do either, so, you wanna go do somethin'?"
Rogue's eyes widened. "Ya mean…together?"
"Why not? It's not like we've go anything better to do."
"Well, whaddya wanna do?"
"Dunno…I can't very well take ya drinkin'…So how 'bout ice cream? My treat."
"Sure! Sure!" Rogue replied. "Just gimme a minute!" She hopped off her bed, and made her way towards the bathroom.
Logan sat there. "Well, that made her happy…I wonder why?"
---
"Why do I have to be here?" Shaina grumbled as she watched the elementary school dance-goers stumble around gym.
The lights had dimmed and been tinted colors, giving the room a rather dreamy appearance. Some kids were talking and laughing with each other, some were dancing, and others were pigging out on snacks.
"Hi, Shaina!" Keri greeted as she and James made their way towards her.
Shaina gave her a half-smile. "Hi, Keri. But remember, while we're at school, I'm Miss Hope."
"Oh, sorry. But I wanted to say that I liked your outfit"
"Thanks."
There was a pause, and then, "…Are you Ok?"
"I'm fine," She sighed.
"You don't seem fine," James commented.
"Oh, I'm just not a big fan of Valentine's Day."
"Why?" James asked.
"Because…something bad happened to me on a Valentine's Day."
"Really? What?"
Shaina glared at him.
"I mean…uh…sorry…"
"No, don't be. Somebody close to me died. Let's leave it at that, OK?"
"Bummer…So, do you want to hear our plan?" Keri chirped.
"What plan?" Shaina asked suspiciously.
"Well, this dance is kinda boring, so we thought we'd liven it up." James pulled out a list. "You know: dance fast to slow songs, dance slow to fast songs, go invisible and lock doors and knock things over like a ghost, that sort of thing. Oh, and we're also gonna do, 'The Whack'."
"Do I even want to know what 'The Whack' is? Although I bet you got it off of a TV show."
"Right, it's a dance on Spongebob Squarepants! Do you want to see?"
"Not particularly…"
"OK, we'll come bother you later." Keri grabbed James' hand, and the two hurried off to meet Miki and Ryan (Miki's date). Miki and Keri were wearing almost the exact same outfit, although where Keri's clothes were magenta, Miki's were orchid; her choker was plain, and she only had one bracelet. The four walked away together, chattering amongst themselves.
A few minutes later, Shaina hadn't moved much.
"Punch, Miss Hope?" Asked the familiar voice of Principal Alex Cracken.
Shaina turned, and saw Alex standing next to her. He was, in fact, offering her a paper cup of fruit punch. "Uh, thanks, Principal Cracken." She accepted it, and took a sip.
"Please, we've known each other for almost two years. Call me Alex," he requested, moving a bit closer her.
"Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate? Besides, how many other teachers do you have call you Alex?" Shaina sensed that something was coming, and made sure not to make eye contact with him.
He ignored her question, but instead commented, "You know, you look lovely tonight."
Shaina looked at her outfit: red sleeveless shirt, white skirt, black tights, short brown boots, and a brown strap-bracelet that had white circles running around it. "You really think so? You're the second person who's told me that tonight."
Alex smiled. "I do."
Abruptly, Shaina realized what he was probably building up to, and shut her eyes. Oh, please, Valentine's Day sucks enough as it is; I really don't need this…
---
A little bit before that conversation took place, Keri and James were almost the entire length of the gym away from Shaina. "Alright, so, Miki's off with Ryan, and the dance is still crappy," Keri considered. "I suggest that now, we make with the livening up."
"Right. While you figure out what we're going to do, I'm gonna go get some punch. Would you like some?" James asked.
"Sure."
James padded off towards the punchbowl, leaving Keri.
She wasn't alone for long: she was soon accompanied by none other than Paige McBride. "Nice outfit, Smith. Did your dryer throw up?"
Keri looked at Paige's outfit (a soft pink sweater, a full-length white skirt, and sandals) and replied by saying loudly, "GEE, PAIGE, THAT SWEATER DOES A REAL GOOD JOB OF COVERING YOUR CHEST HAIR."
Chelsea Weezer popped up. "Don't be stupid, Smith. Paige had those removed, like, last week." Chelsea was Paige's best friend/sidekick. Her usual markings included short red hair, green eyes, a purse filled with mints, and a vacant expression.
Paige's blue eyes narrowed. "Chelsea, I was getting a makeover last week.."
"Oh…So, they're still there?"
"There never were any chest hairs!" Paige shrieked.
Miki strolled over. "Hi, Keri." She turned to the other two, and her eyes narrowed. "Hello, Paige. Hello, Chelsea."
Paige eyed Miki's outfit. "Wow, for once, you're wearing a dress. I guess that miracles do happen…"
Miki rolled her eyes. "Oh, Paige, you're just bitter because James asked Keri out and not you."
Paige snorted. "As if. I'm glad James went with Keri, I got to ask out a different guy I like."
Chelsea looked at Paige oddly as she unwrapped a mint, courtesy of her trademark purse. "Really? You told me that you only asked John out to make James jealous."
"Chelsea!" Paige whispered furiously. "Ix-nay on the elling-tay!"
Chelsea stood there, an unmovable pillar of…stupidity. "…What?"
"Never mind!" Paige snapped, and stormed off.
Keri looked at her. "Chelsea, is Paige always this cranky when she doesn't get what she wants?"
Chelsea shrugged. "Hey, I just hold the mints." She then walked after her friend. "Paige, wait up!"
Miki sighed. "Ah, Chelsea Weezer: the girl who proves that it is, in fact, possible to be dumber than a garden hose."
At that moment, James rushed over. "Keri! Miki!" He panted. "You won't believe what I saw over by the snack table."
Keri turned to Miki. "By-the-way, why aren't you with Ryan?"
Miki sighed again. "Oh, he was talking to his friends, so I thought I'd come over here for a while. You know, make him miss me. But what's going on, James?"
"Principal Cracken's flirting with Miss Hope!"
"What?!" Shrieked Miki.
"Ewww!" Keri squealed. "Cracken's, like, twice her age! We gotta do something! James, take us to them!"
James lead them to the spot, where sure enough, Cracken was hitting on Shaina:
"You know, you look lovely tonight," He complimented
Shaina looked at her outfit: red sleeveless shirt, white skirt, black tights, short brown boots, and a brown strap-bracelet that had white circles running around it. "You really think so? You're the second person who's told me that tonight."
Cracken smiled. "I do."
At that moment, Shaina shut her eyes and winced slightly.
"Oh, Gaw!" Miki moaned. "I can't bear to watch!"
"Too bad, 'cause we gotta help her!" Keri announced.
"How?" James asked.
Keri looked around the gym. "I've got a plan…but it will require a little ghost work…"
---
Meanwhile, Shaina was still wincing. She was just waiting for Alex to drop the bomb. However, she still tried to get away.
"HEY, ARE YOU TWO SLOW-DANCING?! THERE'S NO SLOW-DANCING ALLOWED!" Shaina called off in a random direction. "Sorry, Principal…Alex. I gotta go stop those two who are slow-dancing!
Alex cocked his head, and looked off in that direction. "There's no one slow- dancing over there."
Shaina sighed glumly. "So there isn't."
Alex nodded. "Anyway, as I was saying…Shaina, I know I'm a bit older than you, but…I'd really like to get to know you better."
"Uh…." Shaina murmured.
"So, whaddya say?"
"I…" Shaina was torn. If she said yes, she'd be stuck dating a guy who was probably twice her age. If she said no, her boss would be P.O.'ed at her.
However, she didn't have to make a choice. For at that moment, the punchbowl was lifted off the table, and the entire contents were dumped on Alex's head. All by a mysterious, ghost-like force.
"GAH! BLUH!" Alex sputtered, rubbing punch out of his eyes and hair.
Shaina saw her opportunity. "Sorry Alex but I just don't like you that way so let's just be friends OK?" She answered quickly.
"Alright! Sure! Whatever!" Alex replied, heading off to the men's room in a rush to get cleaned up.
After he left, Shaina let out a sigh of relief. With the distraction of the punch, Alex hadn't persisted when she rejected him, or fired her for that matter. At that moment, she heard giggling, and saw a small bulge underneath the tablecloth. Something was holding it up…something invisible…
Shaina smiled. "Alright, you guys, you can come out. I know you're under there."
Keri, Miki, and James, now visible, came out and stood up. "How'd we do, Miss Hope?" Asked Miki.
Shaina sighed in relief again. "Perfect. You three are lifesavers."
"Aw, don't mention it!" Keri said. "You won't believe how great it feels to pour the entire contents of a punchbowl on Principal Cracken's head."
James looked at the empty bowl. "Yea, except now, we don't have any punch."
"That's OK. The dance committee bought a couple gallons of it. Someone'll come fill the bowl up," Shaina brushed him off. "Now, you guys go enjoy the dance!"
The three scurried off, and did just that.
---
Meanwhile, the Bayville High dance was going pretty smoothly. The students were having a good time, with a few surprises: dry ice dropped in the punch bowl, polka music playing over the intercom, and Susan DéReal dragging around none other than Pietro Maximoff.
Mary was hanging out with the other X-Girls by the snack table, when Steve walked up. "Hey, Mary, you wanna dance?"
"Oh, sure," Mary replied, and she allowed Steve to escort her onto the dance floor. As if on cue, a slow song began playing.
Steve's eyes widened. "Oh, this is a slow song…you sure you wanna slow dance with me?"
Mary sighed. "Of course. When I agreed to come here with you, I agreed to partake in slow dancing. Now, c'mon. I don't bite."
The two joined together. Steve, of course, was visibly nervous. "Uh, you look pretty in that corsage." He was referring to the white rose corsage that he had offered her right before they had entered the dance.
"Oh, thanks," Mary replied.
"I mean, it looked nice at the store, but it looks better on you."
"Really?"
"Yea. You should wear it."
"I am wearing it."
"Yea. It looks nice."
She smiled at him. "You don't talk to girls much, do you?"
"Is it really that obvious?"
"Kinda. But I think it's cute."
At that moment, Mary and Steve bumped into another couple. "'Skuse us," Mary murmured.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Hissed a female voice.
Mary turned and groaned. "OK, this is getting monotonous."
Susan DéReal jammed her hands on her hips. She was wearing a low-cut, strapless white minidress with a long, pink ruffled trim, and a faux-onyx necklace. She was also wearing her regular fishnet tights and strappy, rhinestone-studded sandals. "Watch where you're going!"
Mary blinked. "I said, excuse me."
Steve looked from Mary to Susan. "How come you two look alike?"
"We're twins, you clod," Susan snapped. "Honestly…"
"…Aren't identical twins supposed to, you know, act alike?" Steve asked.
"Yes, well, unfortunately, Mary missed out on that. Though I think that almost everyone could stand to act a little more like…" Susan suddenly became aware of Pietro doing hand signals behind her head. "…What's Pietro saying?"
Mary tilted her head. "I think it's something about you having a screw loose…"
Susan jerked her head around. "Why, Pietro wouldn't do something like that. After all, he does know that if I don't have a fabulous evening, I'll broadcast a tape recording of him singing Call me, Beep Me in the shower over the school intercom."
Steve tilted his head. "You don't go to this school, why do you care if someone hears you singing?"
"I may not use this school, but I date its girls! My reputation would be shot!" Pietro whined.
"Shut up and dance with me," Susan ordered.
Pietro turned to her. "You know I would have gone with you if you had just asked!"
"Yea, well, the blackmail is insurance. Now maybe if you're good, I'll make out with you when we get back to the boarding house."
Pietro seemed to cheer up at that prospect. "Let's go dance!" He grabbed Susan's arm and led her away.
Steve watched them go, and then turned to Mary. "She's the evil twin, right?"
"How'd you guess?" Mary replied flatly. "But I guess that's why so many guys like her…"
"But I like you, not her," Steve said softly. "She's so preppy and wild…but you're so calm and unique." He abruptly turned his head away and blushed, obviously embarrassed.
Mary smiled, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Aw, you're so sweet. And I like that about you."
"…So, can we dance?"
"Sure. And after that we can—" Mary was interrupted by a vision:
Logan and Rogue walked along the sidewalk, illuminated by moonlight.
"So, you got your ice cream. Anything else you wanna do?" Logan asked.
Rogue shook her head. "No, Ah'm fine…" There was a pause, and then she added very softly, "…Ah just wanna enjoy bein' with you."
Logan turned to her. "What?"
Rogue chewed her lip. "Well…uh…"
"Yea?"
Mary's eyes lit up. "YES!" She cheered, pumping her arms in the air.
Steve looked alarmed. "Is something wrong? Your eyes got all glazed for a while, and then you suddenly snapped out of it."
"Oh, no, it's OK. I was just having a vision, and—"
"A vision?"
"Oh, well, yea, I can randomly see bits of the future. It's my second mutant power. And I'm happy, because I just found out that my friend is…well, I can't tell you what she's about to do, but it's good, trust me!"
"I'll…take your word for it…"
"You'd better! Now, are we going to dance, or what?" She flashed him a smile, and pulled him out towards the dance floor.
---
"OUCH!" Rogue yelled as Logan released the tree branch that he had been holding back for her, and it swatted her near her face.
"Whiner," Logan teased gruffly.
They had left the institute about an hour ago, and had just finished their ice cream. Rogue had suggested that they walk in the park while they ate it, because they were getting some strange looks at the ice cream parlor. She wasn't surprised; Logan looked too young to be her Dad, and too old to be her boyfriend.
Maybe those people thought Ah was a hooker…Rogue thought to herself. She then burst out laughing. With her mutant power, the very idea of her being a prostitute was ridiculous.
Logan noticed this. "What're you laughin' at, kid?"
"Nothin," Rogue replied, though she was still smiling.
The two exited the park, although neither of them really realized it. "You're strange, ya know that?" Logan commented. "The again, I guess all vampires are."
Rogue threw her arms in the air. "Again with this vampire stuff!"
"Yea, did I ever figure out whether or not you were one?" Logan asked.
"Ah'm not. Ah'm just a sullen little Goth girl who's got the world's crappiest mutant power."
"You're not so bad," Logan said.
"You really think so?"
"Well, you're the only one I've ever taken out for ice cream. That's gotta count for somethin'."
"I guess it does. Hey, did you notice that it was a full moon?"
Logan looked up. "Not quite. It'll be one tomorrow."
So the two walked along the sidewalk, which Rogue now realized was illuminated by moonlight.
"So, you got your ice cream. Anything else you wanna do?" Logan asked.
Rogue shook her head. "No, Ah'm fine…" There was a pause, and then she added very softly, "…Ah just wanna enjoy bein' with you."
Logan turned to her. "What?"
Rogue chewed her lip. "Well…uh…"
"Yea?"
"It's…"
"This is the second time you've done this. What's goin' on here?"
Rogue looked at the ground. "…Nothin'. It's really nothin'. Look, let's just go home. Ah'm tired."
"Ok, kiddo."
And as they turned and made their way back to the institute, Rogue reminded herself over and over again that she was a hopeless idiot.
---
At around 9:00, the high-schoolers started getting home.
Rogue was laying on her bed, imagining what she could have said to Logan, when Mary burst into the room.
"Hai, Mary," Rogue murmured, not looking up.
"Hey, Rogue!" She seemed excited. She looked around. "So, what's next for you two?"
Rogue looked up this time. "Huh?"
At that moment, Kitty walked in, humming to herself.
Marry dashed over to the bed. "Let's continue this conversation elsewhere." She grabbed Rogue's hand, and rushed her out of the room. After some quick thinking, Mary led her into the girl's bathroom. She shut and locked the door behind them. Then, she turned to Rogue. "So, you never answered my question. What's next for you and Logan?"
Rogue blinked. "And you never answered mahn. What're you talkin' about?"
"While I was at the dance, I had a vision that you two were walking along the sidewalk. He asked you if you wanted to do something, and you said you wanted to enjoy being with him, and he said 'huh', and you looked like you were about to tell him that you liked him! So, naturally, I assumed that you did."
Rogue smiled weakly. "Sorry, Mary. Your vision came true, but Ah didn't tell 'em."
"What?! Gaw, that's what's frustrating about these visions!" She stomped her foot on the tile floor. "But why? You had the perfect opportunity!"
Rogue sat down on the toilet (which, luckily, had the lid on it, forming an odd chair). "Ah dunno…Ah just couldn't…Ah was too nervous."
"Rogue, you're never gonna get anywhere if you don't take chances!"
"Ah don't wanna ruin mah friendship with him!"
"Did it ever occur to you that he may like you back, and the fact that he thinks that he'll never have you is causing him to resent you, and thus, is ruining your friendship already?"
Rogue blinked. "…Ah wouldn't tell him even if what you just said made sense."
"Sorry, I'm kinda tired," Mary apologized. "But Rogue, please tell him. You're just torturing yourself by keeping this a secret."
"Right. So, uh, how'd your dance go?"
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Occupied!" Mary said loudly.
"Well, hurry up!" Amara commanded.
Mary turned back to Rogue. "It was kinda weird."
"Whaddya mean?"
"Well, some people pulled stupid pranks, like putting dry ice in the punch bowl, and playing weird music over the intercom. Oh, but something good did come out of the evening."
Amara knocked again. "I really need to go!" She reminded them.
"Just a 'sec!" Rogue replied. She turned back to Mary. "What happened."
Mary grinned. "Steve asked me to be his girlfriend."
"No way!"
"I'm serious. He asked me right when we were on our way home. Of course, I said yes."
"When're you gonna go on a date?"
"Dunno…soon, hopefully."
Another knock. "Guys, I'm reaching critical condition!"
"We're almost done!" Mary yelled. "Anyway, back to you and Logan. I already suggested telling him on Valentine's day, right?"
"Yea…"
"So…are you gonna do it?"
"Maybe…"
"Rogue!"
"Mary, Logan hasn't asked me out like Steve asked you out. Well, we did go out for ice cream tonight…and he did say he hasn't taken anyone else out…"
"Listen to what you're saying! Even if he doesn't like you, it's obvious that he has an interest in you! Look, I can't make you tell him, but just think about it, OK?"
"Alright."
Bam, Bam, Bam, "Puh-leeze let me in!"
"OK, OK!"