A/N: Thank you to Tornado Ally, SperryDee, Caliente, and emicablue for reviewing the previous chapter of this story.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile at the Salem shopping center, three students from Xavier's school were there to blow off a little steam after a long week.

"How does this one look?" Rogue asked, as she held a light orange dress up to herself from a clothing rack in a trendy department store.

"All right, I guess. If you're going for that 'I'm a pumpkin' look." Jubilee replied as she held a blouse up to one of the store mirrors.

"Okay, ah get your drift." Rogue replied as she put the dress back on the sales rack, "I don't know why I even picked it out, Ah'm so not a dress person."

"You picked it out so you could show off how you actually look in one, all for 'Mr. Handsome' over there." Jubilee said as she pointed at Bobby. He was sitting on a bench outside of the store, lost in his own thoughts.

"You don't know how lucky you are. Most guys our age would've probably found any lame excuse they could think of to bolt, just to keep from going with their girlfriends while they shop for 'girls-stuff'." Jubilee continued, "But not lover-boy, he just sits there all patient and everything."

"To be honest Jubilee, I think there might be more behind it. Ever since John took off, Bobby's been acting differently. He either spends all of his free time with me or he's off somewhere by himself. Its almost like a part of him's been cut off or something." Rogue replied.

"What do you expect? I mean they were almost like brothers." Jubilee responded.

"I know. I'm not saying that he shouldn't miss John because I really miss him too. I guess ah'm just hoping John's leaving doesn't start having some horrible effect on Bobby." Rogue stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Well one night, a couple of weeks after we had got back, Bobby said something about maybe it was his fault that John left. That maybe we didn't try hard enough to make him feel like he was a part of the group." Rogue told her as she picked up a pair of dark denim jeans.

"To be honest, I don't really buy that. We've all felt like outsiders at one time or another, but we don't take up with a madman because of it." Jubilee said disagreeing.

"You have a good point. But I guess my point is what if Bobby really is blaming himself for what happened with John?" Rogue responded.

"Why don't you ask him?" Jubilee proposed.

"I have. But all he ever says is that he doesn't want to talk about it and then just changes the subject. I hate to think that he's just bottling everything up inside."

"Then you should probably tell the Professor, or maybe Logan?" Jubilee told her.

"Ah've thought of that too. But I don't want Bobby to think that he can't confide in me. Plus, I don't want to bring up anything to do with Alkali Lake around Logan." Rogue revealed.

"Well, you've reached your three-think maximum with me, I'm all out of ideas." Jubilee said to her.

"I didn't mean to lay all of my problems on you, I guess I just needed to vent a little."

"It's all right, but we better get a move on before your boyfriend gets picked up for loitering outside of a ladies clothing store." Jubilee said as she had finally decided on the outfit that she wanted to buy.

After the girls had paid for their new clothes, they went outside to where Bobby had been sitting. He had been alone with his thoughts and had spent the better part of an hour staring off into space. He hadn't even noticed it when the two girls finally walked up to him. But being lost in his thoughts wasn't the main reason that Bobby hadn't noticed them.

"What, have I been gone so long that you don't recognize your own girlfriend?" Rogue said as she tapped Bobby on the shoulder.

"No, of course not. I've just been keeping an eye on those two clowns over there. They were watching you two the whole time you were in the store." Bobby said as he looked in the direction of two teenage boys, who were probably about the same age as they were. As the trio looked at the two boys, they saw one of the boys point back at the young mutants.

"Maybe they're just mesmerized by my gorgeous looks." Jubilee said jokingly, in a voice trying to imitate the way old movie stars used to talk.

"I don't think that's it." Bobby replied, his voice sounding more serious.

"We should probably just go then." Rogue said.

"All right." Bobby said as he got up to start in the direction of the two boys.

"Maybe we should go out the other way." Rogue suggested.

The trio walked towards another exit from the mall, to avoid them. But the two young men were determined to talk to the trio and followed them outside.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Chapter: Rogue, Bobby, and Jubilee meet an unexpected new friend…