Chapter Fourteen:
War of the Roses
February 14
Valentine's day came so subtlety that Logan didn't really realize that what day it was when he first woke up. However, everything changed when he got downstairs. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, except for Shaina, who looked indifferent. Mary appeared to be trying to convince Rogue to do something (although he never found out what because the two hushed when he came near them), and Keri looked quite ill.
Ororo looked at her. "Are you alright?"
Keri shook her head. "I don't feel good, it's hard to breath, and I've got hives. They itch. Like, really badly."
Ororo put her hand on Keri's head. "It sounds like an allergic reaction. Did you eat anything odd?"
Keri blinked. "I don't think so…OH!" She looked at Shaina. "What was in the dance's punch?"
Shaina thought for a second. "Uh…assorted fruit."
Keri narrowed her eyes. "OK, you're going to need to be a little more specific, Hopey."
Shaina blinked. "Hopey? What the heck? Oh well…Um, I think it was apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries—"
"AAAARRGGGG!" Keri wailed.
Shaina jumped. "What is it?"
"I'm allergic to strawberries!"
Shaina blinked again. "Whoops…" She uttered softly.
---
The diagnoses was that Keri had to stay home, due to the fact that her allergic reaction required her to take several different medications at different times of the day.
"Darn it! I don't get to hand out my Valentines!" Keri grumbled as she sat up in bed. Mr. B, who was in her lap, looked up at her pinned his ears back in sympathy.
Logan, who was sitting at the foot of her bed and keeping her company for a while, tilted his head at her. "Really? I've been told that handing out those cheap, cardboard invitations to everyone is a pain in the rear."
Keri shrugged. "Hey, they may be cheap, but a lot of them had candy. And what says, 'Hey, you're swell!' like a bloodstream full of sugar? Besides, I made a special valentine for Paige."
Logan blinked. "I thought you hated Paige."
"I do, with zeal. But the cool thing is that I cleverly disguised a mass-produced valentine. When you first read it, it appears to say, 'You're my best friend!'. But when you actually look at it, you find that it really says, 'You're my best fiend!'."
Logan thought for a second. "…You know, that's actually a pretty good idea…"
"Well, thinking of it was easy for me, because I have BUNNY POWER ON MY SIDE!" She then held up Mr. B so he was standing on his hind legs, and made kung-fu noises as she moved around his paws. "Hi-YA! Hoo-CHA! WEEYA!" She added in a heroic voice, "By the power vested in me by the ancient gods and the crazy man who lives down the street, I will punish you!" Mr. B looked like he really wished he were somewhere else.
Logan narrowed his eyes. "Put the bunny down, Keri."
Keri looked at him, and then put down Mr. B (much to his relief). "Sorry, it's the allergy medication…OR LACK THEREOF." She aimed the last bit out the door, so someone on the outside could hear her.
Ororo joined them. "I heard you; I'm here." She pulled out a purple bottle, and measured it out a teaspoon of medicine. "Time for the purple syrup."
Keri eyebrows furrowed. "I don't like the purple syrup. It tastes…bad."
Ororo raised an eyebrow. "This gets rid of hives. I believe you said a while ago that that's what you wanted."
Keri paused, her eyebrows concentrated. Then, she said, "I changed my mind. I'll take the hives."
Ororo shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Keri looked up. "Really? My Mom always makes me—"
Ororo jammed the spoon into Keri's mouth, and emptied the contents.
Keri suddenly looked as though she had swallowed a lemon. She glared at Ororo. "You…are…evil."
"Being evil is essential when dealing with you, Keri," Ororo brushed her off. "I have some work to do, but if you're in trouble, just call me."
Keri nodded. "Ok."
Ororo's eyes widened. "Wait, how could I have forgotten? You need to take the pink syrup now, to help your breathing ease up. I'll be right back."
"BLAAAGGG!!" Keri moaned. "Strawberries are forged from the bowels of the fiery underworld."
"I'll take your word for it," Logan commented. He leaned back a little, and looked at the ceiling.
"Oh, and the pink syrup makes me loopy!" Keri complained.
Logan squinted. "Ya mean, loopier than usual? I didn't think that that was possible."
Keri narrowed her eyes. "Touché, Badger."
"Don't call me that!"
Keri rolled her eyes, and flopped down on the pillow. "Fine, fine. If you're gonna spaz out like that…"
Logan looked at the ceiling again. "So, today's Valentine's Day, huh?"
"All day long," Keri chirped.
Logan was thinking of glaring at her, but he decided not too. "A holiday about love, huh? Whoop-dee-doo," He said sarcastically. "Wasn't Valentine's Day invented by a greeting card company?"
"Maybe. I wish I could invent a Holiday," Keri sighed dreamily. "It would celebrate being weird and creative. And meatballs with gravy. I love meatballs with gravy. But not strawberries! Oh no, not strawberries. In fact, on my holiday we'd get bats and hit piñatas filled with strawberries! Only, when the strawberries came out, you'd hit them with your stick. And for every strawberry you smashed, you'd get a piece of candy!" She smiled at the thought. "What do you think of the name, 'Bobunk'?"
Logan looked at her. "Imp, that made absolutely no sense!"
Keri shrugged. "You're right. I'll figure it out later. But now, let's talk about Valentine's day. And why do you hate love so much?"
"'Cause there's no such thing."
"Ah-ha. Perhaps you only think that way because you haven't found love yet."
"Yet, huh? Ya got anyone in mind?"
Keri smiled at him. "Actually, I do." She caught herself. "But I can't tell you. This is something you gotta figure out by yourself."
Logan tilted his head. "What are you talkin' about, Imp?"
"Nothing. But Valentine's Day is all about taking risks, and putting it all on the line in the name of love!" Keri waved her arms in the air as a gesture.
Logan was about to tell her to stop being stupid, but he couldn't help but think about what she had said. Take risks? Put it all on the line?
He heard Ororo's footsteps as she walked towards the room. He turned to her. "Look's like you're gonna take a risk yourself."
Keri sighed. "I wasn't talking about those kinds of risks. Those risks are bad, and taste disgusting."
Ororo entered the room, and measured out the medicine. "Ok, time for the pink syrup."
Keri squeezed her mouth shut.
Ororo sighed. "I guess I can't get you to take this one, right?"
Keri smirked. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and—"
Again, Ororo jammed the spoon into Keri's mouth, and emptied the contents.
Keri squinted. "Again I must say: You…are…evil."
---
After school, Rogue and Mary were hanging out in Mary's room.
"Come on, Rogue," Mary coaxed.
"Wouldja stop buggin' me?" Rogue requested. "I'll tell Logan how ah feel when ah'm ready."
"You know you want to," Mary countered. "Just go for it."
"Mary, this isn't somethin' ya just 'go for'. Maybe you can do somethin' like this without bein' nervous, but Ah can't."
"You know you want to," Mary repeated. "But I'll just stop bugging you…for now…"
Amara strolled into the room. "Hello, Rogue. Hello, Mary."
"Hai, Amara," Rogue commented without looking up.
"What's up?" Mary asked.
"Not much," Amara replied. She then spied Mary's wrist. "Um, Mary…that's an interesting bracelet."
Mary looked at it. Steve had given it to her that day as a present, and Mary hadn't taken it off since. It was small, with alternating charms of a red rose and a black teardrop. "Oh, you like it?" Mary sounded pleased. "Steve gave it to me."
Amara looked at the walls. "Oh, it's…something…" It was pretty obvious that she hated the bracelet, but was just trying to be nice.
Rogue stood up. "Ah gotta go, Mary…Ah got…stuff to do."
Mary's eyes lit up. "Possibly stuff that includes you-know-who?"
"You said you'd stop buggin' me about that," Rogue replied, not answering the question. She walked out of the room.
Amara turned to Mary. "Who's 'you-know-who'?" She asked.
"M.Y.O.B.," Mary answered, admiring her new bracelet.
---
He had gone into a flower shop.
He had gone into a FLOWER shop.
How could he have gone into a flower shop?
Logan couldn't believe it. He had gone into a FLOWER SHOP. It was as if Keri had suddenly gone goth, or Rogue had become a cheerleader. It was so surreal.
Yet here he stood, three roses in hand: one white (for Rogue), one pink (for Keri), and one red (for Shaina). The guy at the counter had told him that red roses symbolized true love.
So what? The roses were just for friendship. After all, he hadn't gotten any of them Christmas presents. And the colors just seemed obvious: goth Rogue got white, cute and chipper Keri got pink, and Shaina, who wore red so much, got red.
"Who cares what they mean? They're PLANTS for God's sake!" He reassured himself out.
Logan decided to give Keri her rose first. He ventured out into the living room, where Keri had moved to around noon. She was currently writing something down on a piece of paper.
"Keri?" He tried to get her attention.
"SPIES!" Keri yelled, and threw about a dozen papers into the air.
Logan jumped slightly. "Hold in, Imp, it's me."
Keri looked up. "Oh, hi, Logan. She pulled a piece of paper out from under her couch cushion. Logan could now see that the paper had the word "Bobunk" written on it, as well as about a half a page of scribbling.
Logan shook a piece of paper off his shoe. "What was that?"
"Defensive Maneuver A. See, the papers I threw into the air acted as decoys, while I hid the real paper. But seriously, what brings you here?"
"Oh, this is for you," He handed her the pink rose.
"Oh, Logan!" Keri smiled. "You shouldn't have. But I'm glad you did. And it's real great that even though we're exes, we can still be friends."
"Keri, I was never your boyfriend! You just went around tellin' people that I was!" Logan protested.
Keri shrugged. "Well, it's still nice. But I notice that you have two other roses. Are they for anyone special?"
Logan shrugged slightly. "The white one's for Rogue—"
Keri's eyes lit up.
"—And the red one's for Shaina."
Keri smile faded. "Oh…so they're all friendship roses, huh?"
"What else would they be?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, nothing…" Keri replied. "Anyway, go give Rogue her rose. I'm sure she'll like it."
"Aren't ya forgettin' Shaina?"
Keri turned away from him. "Oh, yes, musn't forget Shaina," she said absentmindedly. She then turned back to him. "Do you think that a Bobunk piñata should be raised and lowered as someone tries to hit it, or should it just be stationary?"
"Whatever," Logan muttered, walking out of the room.
"Stationary, of course; 'cause we really wanna get those strawberries smashed…" Keri was talking to herself as she planned her holiday."
---
Meanwhile, Shaina and Beast were in the kitchen, talking…well, actually, Beast was talking, Shaina was drinking a soda and listening.
"…So then Bobby said to me, 'Don't worry, I've got your back.'"
"Wow," Shaina said absentmindedly.
"So I said back to him, 'You don't have my back. You don't have a clue.'"
"Nice," Shaina commented, just as absentmindedly.
Beast gave her a funny look. Then, as a test, he added, "Well, the battle went fine, until Jean exploded."
"That can happen."
Beast narrowed his eyes. "You know, she's filled with candy, like a piñata. So we all went charging out, and Magneto started whining because he didn't get any Pixie Stix®."
"Life is like that sometimes."
Beast threw his arms into the air. "Shaina, you're not listening!"
Shaina looked up at him. "Yes I am!" She protested.
"Then what was I just talking about?"
Shaina was backed into a corner. "Uh…it had something to with a battle, and candy, right?"
"Just admit it!"
"Alright, alright, I wasn't listening."
Beast sat down next to her. "You've been acting weird lately. What's going on?"
"I've just got a lot of things on my mind, that's all," Shaina brushed him off.
Kitty walked in, looking excited. "There you are, Shaina! Look what just came for you in the mail." She held out a beautiful bouquet of flowers. "Oh, and there's a card on it." She handed the bouquet over to Shaina.
Shaina took them, and found the card. It was shaped like a playing card, with the pale markings of the Queen of Hearts. It read:
Splinter,
Even if you never truly become mine, we'll always have The Silver Dish.
Love,
Gambit
Kitty read over her shoulder. "Well, ya gotta give him some credit for, like, being persistent."
"The flowers are nice," Shaina said casually.
Kitty frowned. "Alright, what's up? You, like, got a gorgeous bouquet from a totally cute guy, and all you can say is, 'The flower are nice'?"
"Are you sure you're OK?" Asked Beast.
"What are you all, my therapists?!" Shaina snapped. "I don't want to talk about how I feel, alright?!" She stood up and stormed out of the room.
---
Rogue was laying on her bed, listening to a CD through headphones and singing along softly, when Logan poked his head in. "There you are," He commented.
Rogue took off her headphones. "Hai. What's up?"
"I just wanted to give you this." He handed her the white rose.
Rogue was almost too stunned to speak when she took it from him. "Um…thanks…" Her mind was racing.Logan gave me a present…what does this mean?
At that moment, Beast called for Logan from downstairs.
Logan turned to her. "I gotta go. See ya 'round."
As soon as he left, Rogue rushed out of her room and into Mary's. Mary and Amara seemed to be engrossed in a deep conversation:
Amara held up a puzzle book. "Does this look like an umbrella to you?"
Mary glanced at it. "I think it looks more like a tree."
Rogue grabbed Mary's arm. "Ah need to talk to you!"
Mary looked at her. "What is it?"
Without saying a word, Rogue dragged Mary to the bathroom, shut the door, and locked it. "Alright, Logan gave me a rose. Now what?"
"Logan did WHAT?!"
"He gave me a white rose! He didn't say anythin' except, 'This is for you,' but still! What do I do?!"
"Why are you asking me this?! I don't know!"
Rogue looked at the wall for a few seconds, and then said softly, "A'm gonna do it."
"What?"
She took a deep breath "Ah'm gonna tell Logan that I like him more than a friend. He obviously cares about me if he bought me a rose…maybe he even feels the same way about me that Ah feel about him…"
Mary pumped her fists into the air. "Yes! But you'd better do it quick, or else you'll chicken out!"
"He's doin' somethin' with Mr. McCoy right now, so I'll give it a few minutes…then I find him and we'll go somewhere private," Rogue planned. She then thought to herself, Ah'm gonna do it! Ah'm finally gonna tell him!
---
It turns out Beast really didn't need Logan after all, so he then left to go look for Shaina so he could give her the rose. But on the way, as he was passing by the front door, the doorbell rang. He answered it, and found James standing on the front porch. The boy had a small bouquet of flowers in hand.
James looked up at him. "Hi, Mr. Logan. Is Keri here? I asked Miss Hope, and she said that Keri was sick."
"Yea, the Imp's home. Follow me." Logan turned, and led James to the living room.
Keri was flipping channels on TV, but her green eyes lit up when she saw James and Logan strolling into the living room. "Ooh, do I have a visitor…" Suddenly, she looked as though she had just realized something. "…But I'm in my jammies! And I'm not cute-looking!" She glared at Logan. "How could you do this to me, Badger?!"
Logan narrowed his eyes. "Don't call me that…"
"Don't worry about it," James said quickly. "I came by to visit my sick girlfriend. It's not like I asked you to the ball."
Keri nodded vigorously. "And that's good, because my glass slippers are at the cleaners. But moving right along, how was the Valentine's Day party?"
James shrugged. "It was Ok. We handed out our Valentines, and we played a few games. The most interesting thing that happened was that Paige mentioned how great it was that since you were gone, things could be quiet and normal for once. So, Miki spilled red punch all over Paige's imported white sweater. Funny stuff!"
Keri sighed. "I wish I had been there…though the thing with the punch and the sweater would have never happened if I had."
James cleared is throat. "These are from the class…" He handed Keri a red, paper bag filled with Valentines, "…And these are from me." Blushing slightly, he handed Keri the bouquet. "It really stinks that you're sick on Valentine's Day…But if it helps, I still think that you're the most beautiful girl I know."
Keri looked up at him. "Really? Even with my hives?"
James nodded. "Yes."
Keri looked at James.
James looked at Keri.
Logan grabbed James, sensing what was about to happen. "Alright, visitin' hours are over!" He then dragged him out.
"Bye!" James called.
"Bye!" Keri replied. When James had exited, she wondered out loud, would he have kissed me?" She paused, and then squealed, "EEEWWWWWW!!" She blinked. "What am I doing? I shouldn't be 'eewwing' at the prospect of a kiss! I'm a mature young woman." She caught sight of the clock. "Ack! I'm missing Power Puff Girls!"!
---
When Logan found Shaina, she was, like Rogue, laying on her bed in her room and staring at the ceiling (although Shaina wasn't listening to headphones).
"Shaina?" He asked, trying to get her attention.
She turned her head towards him. "Hmm?"
"I brought ya somethin'," He commented, holding out the rose.
She held out her hand, as though she didn't want to get up.
Feeling slightly resentful, he brought the flower to her. He then noticed the bouquet on her dresser. "Looks like someone beat me to this, huh?"
"They're both nice," Shaina said dully.
Logan titled his head. "What's eatin' you?"
Shaina turned her head away. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
Blunt as usual, Logan replied, "Because you're actin' weird."
"Well, I'm fine."
"Alright."
"And I don't need to talk about it."
"Ok."
"And I hate Valentine's Day."
"So do a lot of people. I think it was invented by a greeting card company."
Shaina actually looked up at him this time. "Not sure if that's true…though I do know that there was an Anglo-Saxon legend that said that birds choose their mates on February 14." She tilted her head back. "But it seems that the only people who like Valentine's Day are the ones who get sacks and sacks of Valentines."
"That's right."
"You don't need a reason to hate the stupid holiday."
"Some people have reasons."
Shaina looked up at him again. "…You're not gonna leave 'til I tell you why I'm upset, right?"
Logan gave her a smirky-smile. "Of course."
"Alright, fine." Shaina sat up. For the first time, Logan noticed that Shaina's eyes were tinged with red, as if she had been crying. "Look, did I ever tell you about Tucker?"
"No."
"Did the Professor? He saw stuff about him when he was looking in my head."
"Chuck doesn't tell me that kinda stuff."
Shaina turned and spoke towards the wall. "Alright, well, he was a mutant that I met when I was 14, right after I discovered my power. He was a mutant, too: he could make people see things, like mirages. It was our secret. We even gave each other nicknames: I called him 'Morpheus' (the Greek god of dreams), and he called me, 'Splinter'. So we became really close, and we started dating."
Logan nodded as he listened to her story. He had a feeling that this Tucker person was the reason that Shaina hated Valentine's Day.
"But then…." Shaina continued, her voice breaking slightly. "…It was six years ago, today…he was murdered."
"What?"
"It was just a invasion. Tucker was out when the burglar got in, but he came home before the creep left." She sighed. "Burglar panicked, and Tucker ended up getting shot in the head. He died almost instantly." Shaina formed a gun with her thumb and index finger. "Boom. One shot. Tucker's life ended, and in a way, so did mine." She returned her hand to her lap. "I'm over it now…but I just break down every Valentine's Day."
"I'm…sorry…" Logan muttered awkwardly. He didn't comfort people very often. "But I…" He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. For some reason, he didn't feel like pulling his hand away. "…don't think he'd want you to be sad…"
Shaina nodded gently, and turned towards him.
Logan's hand traveled to the side slightly, and he gently wiped a tear from her eye. "There's nothin' wrong with missin' him, but if he really loves you, he wouldn't want you to cry every year."
"I think you're right…" Shaina replied. Then, she did something that surprised Logan: she put her hand on his and squeezed it. "Thanks for listening, I guess…" She commented.
"You don't need to thank me…"
There was a pause, in which they just looked at each other.
They both leaned in.
Their lips met.
It took them a few seconds to realize what they were doing. Though when it happened, it was simultaneous, and they broke away from each other.
Shaina blinked her eyes. "…What just happened?"
Logan looked at her solemnly. "I don't know."
They must have both known what happened, because a few seconds later, it happened again. This time, it was a bit more deliberate.
---
Rogue had finished waiting, and had gone looking for Logan. She had been looking for a while, when she found out from Ororo that Logan was somewhere upstairs. Rogue assumed that she meant his room. However, no such luck.
So then she got the idea of asking Shaina if she had seen him. So, after taking a minute to remember where Shaina's room, she ventured there. The door was hanging partially, so Rogue was about to walk in…when a sight stopped her cold.
Shaina and Logan were sitting on Shaina's bed…kissing.
Rogue jerked back, and leaned against the wall. She was trying hard not to cry…but she wasn't doing too good a job. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Weren't the two of them always telling people that they were just friends? And yet when Rogue had finally decided to make her move on Logan…
It wasn't fair.
Eventually, she just gave up thinking about it and left.
---
"Dinner time!"
A call from downstairs stopped Logan and Shaina. They paused. Then, Logan spoke. "We'd better go."
"Hold on…" Shaina said.
Logan changed the subject. "I'm hungry. I wonder what's for dinner?"
"Logan!"
"What?" He turned to her.
"I think we need to talk about this."
"I don't want to talk." With that, Logan walked out of the room, leaving Shaina alone.
It was apparent that neither of them quite understood their situation.
---
After avoiding Shaina's eyes all throughout dinner, Logan went to the Danger Room for some training. He really wanted to take his mind off of what had happened between the two of them.
However, at the moment, he was so distracted that he couldn't even remember the password to the Danger Room.
Shaina appeared seemingly out of no where. "Need help?" She asked.
"I forgot the password," He explained gruffly, still not looking at her.
"It's 768-ZG2." Shaina informed him.
He punched in the combination. "Uh…thanks…"
Shaina walked towards him. "I'm good at remembering things…specific things…especially things that happened an hour ago or so."
He knew what she was referring to, but he still didn't want to talk about it. "I'd better go." He turned and was halfway through the doorway when Shaina stopped him.
"Not thinking about isn't going to make it go away."
Logan turned to her. "Whaddya talkin' about?"
Shaina folded her arms across her chest. "You know very well what I'm talking about."
Logan sighed, and leaned against the doorway. "You wanna talk? Fine, I'm listenin'."
"Why did we kiss each other?"
Logan shrugged. "I dunno…"
"Oh, you're a big help!"
"I'm bein' honest. It was probably just our hormones goin' stir-crazy."
Shaina grunted. "And I thought I left that all of that hormonal crap behind when I finished puberty."
"We're friends, but I'm not interested in you beyond that. Alright?"
"Alright," Shaina replied.
"Well, if we're finished with this, then I've got training to do. See ya." With that, he walked into the danger room, and the heavy door slid shut behind him.
Shaina sighed, and thought out loud softly, "But now…I'm starting to doubt myself when it comes to you and me."
---
A little while later, Rogue confronted Shaina.
It happened when Shaina was sitting in the living room, laying on the couch and reading a book. Rogue walked up behind her, and (resisting the urge to rip out locks of Shaina's reddish-brown hair) asked with a slightly fierce tone, "Can Ah talk to you?"
Shaina turned to her. "Sure," She chirped. Shaina got off the couch, and Rogue led her outdoors, where they could be in private. "What is it?" She asked.
Rogue didn't know what to say. She was swirling with emotions, most of which fueled her desire to kill Shaina.
Shaina looked at her, a hint of concern on her face. "Rogue? Are you OK?"
Rogue narrowed her eyes. "No, I'm not OK. See, Ah've got a problem. Maybe you could help?"
Shaina nodded. "I'll do my best."
Rogue narrowed her eyes. "That's great., because, frankly, you're my problem."
Shaina raised her eyebrows. "What?"
Rogue leaned in closer to Shaina, and said through gritted teeth: "You…kissed…Logan…"
Shaina jaw dropped. "You…You know about that?!" Suddenly, she looked angry. "Why on Earth were you spying on us?"
"Ah wasn't spyin' on ya; your door was hangin' open! But that's beside the point…which is, 'Back off!'"
Shaina threw her arms into the air. "Look, I know Logan's your friend, but friends don't try to control friend's lives! Why does the concept of him focusing his attention on someone else for once freak you out so much?!" Suddenly, her expression changed, as if she had just come to a realization. "Rogue…you've got a crush on him, don't you?"
"That's none of your business!" Rogue snapped.
"You do!" Shaina exclaimed. "That explains why you got so upset when I kissed him as a joke!"
Rogue wrinkled up her nose, and tried not to blush. "Alright, so maybe Ah do!"
Shaina put her face in her hands for a second. "I don't really know what to do…"
Rogue scowled. "Ah do! If what you said about just bein' his friend is true, then just tell him you were jokin' again, and leave it at that! What's so hard?"
"But…what I don't want to tell him that?"
Rogue's jaw dropped. "What?!"
"Look, things have been a little crazy with me lately…but I think I'm starting to like him more than a friend…"
Rogue gritted her teeth once more. "Well, too bad! Ah liked him months before you even met him! In other words, ah saw him first!"
"You may have seen him first, but have you ever acted on your feelings?" Shaina asked.
Rogue fell silent.
Shaina narrowed her eyes. "That's what I thought. And here's something else. Have you and Logan ever kissed each other?"
"That's not fair!" Rogue interjected. "You know Ah can't do that because of my power!"
"You could have wrapped a scarf around your face or something; it's not that hard. Anyway, if we're keeping track, I've got two points, you've got zero. Sorry, Rogue, but you can't expect for me to hang around in the back while you fantasize. And if something's gonna happen with him, you can bet it will be with me."
Rogue was speechless. Finally, her expression became solemn, and she replied, "Well, sorry to you, but Ah'm not gonna give up so easily."
For a while, the two just stood there; glaring at each other. Then, they just left.
Rogue was still seething when she got back inside. She wanted nothing more than to just go into her room and be alone for a while.
However, Mary soon caught up with her. "Hey, Rogue!" She greeted. "Um, I've got some bad news: I talked to Keri, and she said that Logan bought a rose to her, you, and Shaina. I think Shaina's was red, but don't worry, Logan didn't seem to care what the colors were. Speaking of which, how did it go between you two?" She grinned. "Did he take the news well? Does he like you back?"
Rogue turned to her. "NOT NOW, MARY!" Rogue snarled. With that, she stormed into her room, and slammed the door. She then flopped on her bed.
"So, Logan gave Shaina a rose, too? I bet that bouquet she got from Gambit wasn't enough." Rogue fumed out loud. "No, she has to have all of the guys in the world in love with her! Well Ah see through her! She's nothin' but preppy floozy!"
Rogue looked at the rose Logan had given her, which was nestled comfortably in a vase. She didn't blame Logan. She liked him too much. It was all Shaina's fault! Why did she have to ruin everything?!
Well, one thing was for sure. Rogue hated Shaina with zeal now. It was war!
Shaina had received a red rose, and Rogue had received a white rose.
And so began the war of the roses.