When There's No One There To Catch You
By UntouchableHeart
Disclaimer : Same old, same old. I don't own them, but if I did, you can be sure I'd do some things differently. I'm poor, don't sue.
Note : Sorry it took so long. I checked my mail about 2 seconds ago and got a review from Spitfire that asked me to update, so, this one's for you! Haha. Those exams were no fun, and I had another one this morning. Therefore, I have spent enough of my time studying to last for the next few years. Grrrrrr, but, thanks for being patient. I don't know if this chapter will be what you all expected, but I hope you like it anyway. Thanks for all the reviews. You're the best!
CHAPTER 4
The ride to Bayville High was loud and seemingly endless for Rogue. Due to the large number of students that wanted a ride to school that day, the x men had been forced to take the x van as opposed to the convertible that Scott had grown accustomed to. He hung his head in defeat as he drove the overstuffed vehicle down the rode towards the school. Evan sat in the passenger seat next to him; idly bouncing his head to the music blaring from his headphones. Every once in a while, Kurt, who was sitting directly behind Evan would smack him in the back of the head and grin as he received a withering glare, followed by a laugh from his friend. Next to Kurt sat Kitty who was frantically trying to study for the geometry test that she had forgotten about. Jubilee, Rahne, and Amara all sat in the next row of seats. The girls had completely wandered off into some obscure conversation about a new movie that was showing in London, and behind them sat Bobby, Jamie, and Rogue, who was trying desperately to sink into the walls of the van.
After fifteen minutes of non-stop chatter, the school came into view. Rogue glanced out the window and allowed her gaze to settle on the building that was approaching all to rapidly. She hugged her bag to her as she took in a sharp breath. So intent on the door of the building, Rogue failed to notice when the van pulled into the parking lot. The x-van emptied quickly, and Kitty nudged Rogue from the next row up to get her attention. "We're here, Rogue. Aren't you, like, coming?"
"Yeah, Ah'm comin," Rogue answered absentmindedly. She gripped her bag, swung it over her shoulder, and stepped out of the van behind the preppy freshman. Looking around, Rogue said a quiet thanks for the empty space which was usually occupied by the brotherhood jeep. At least we beat them here. Ah might be able to avoid them this mornin, anyway, she thought to herself. She silently walked behind the x men as the headed towards the door to the school. Noticing that Rogue had begun to lag behind, Kurt teleported next to her, causing her to jump a bit, but make no other indication that she acknowledged his presence.
"Vell, this iz it, Rogue," he prodded gently. "How do you feel thiz morning? You know, about coming to school az vone of us?" He wasn't encouraged by the slight wince that lighted the girl's features when he asked. However, she quickly covered it up with a small, fake smile.
"Ah'll be fahne. As soon as today is ova," she answered as they reached the doors. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside, parted from her new teammates, and headed for her first period biology class which thankfully had neither x man, nor brotherhood in it. Kurt watched Rogue retreated down the hall and felt the sudden urge to catch up to her and wish her good luck. He shrugged and attributed his concern to the fact that she was one of them now, and he needed to protect her. But somehow, that just didn't seem like the real reason. With little else to do, he ran in the opposite direction to catch up with Evan who was heading for math.
As the x-men dispersed, Rogue was left to walk alone down the hallway towards the science department. She chanced a quick look back to see Kurt take off after Evan, then set her face into a scowl and continued down the hall. Standing in front of her room was a large group football players and their regular girls. Rogue walked steadily up to them, and without missing a beat, pushed her way through the entire crowd , leaving a sea of shocked and angry teens in her wake. She closed her eyes and held her breath as her clothes came into contact with the other students. As luck would have it, Duncan happened to be in the center of the group, promising a confrontation before Rogue could enter the class.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled as Rogue rushed past him. The jock angrily grabbed for the mutant's arm, but she easily avoided contact. Duncan's face only became more flushed at the girl's unconcerned attitude. At the beckon call of Duncan snapping his fingers, a line of football players stepped in front of Rogue just as she reached the doorway. Uncomfortable with the proximity of the other students, Rogue quickly turned and fixed the blonde jock with a withering glare. Her green iced flashed with a sudden surge of impatient anger. Duncan faltered for a moment, but recovered his composure and grabbed Rogue; holding her firmly by the arms and causing the girl to flinch. "Didn't you hear me, freak?" he seethed.
Rogue evenly matched his stare and sent him a silent message: get away from me or you'll regret it. However, this time, Duncan was not intimidated. He shook Rogue painfully as his hands dug into her thin arms. The mutant winced, but was undaunted by the stronger teen. "Ah suggest you let me go, before Ah have ta make ya," she said steadily. This earned a chorus of low whistles to emerge from the crowd of students, and a growl from Duncan. He suddenly snapped and threw Rogue against a row of nearby lockers. A small, surprised gasp escaped Rogue's lips before she returned her gaze to Duncan and promptly drove her knee between his legs. A still silence enveloped the hall in front of the biology lab as the head of the jocks whimpered and sunk to his knees in front of the steaming goth. Without waiting to witness the crowd's reaction, Rogue took advantage of the sudden stillness to step through the sea of jocks and enter the class.
From the other end of the hall, the brotherhood boys stood and watched the events unfold before them. It had taken all of lance's calming to prevent Pietro from charging Duncan as he took hold of Rogue, and later all of Fred's strength to restrain both of the teens from attacking the crowd when their Rogue was slammed into the lockers. Once Rogue was safely in the classroom, the boys allowed themselves to relax a bit. "That was close, guys," said the Blob as he watched Rogue enter the room. "You gotta remember what we talked about."
Pietro turned angrily on the boy. "And just let her get pounded by those jerkoffs?! You've gotta be kidding me!" He turned icy eyes towards the group of football players that was helping their leader to his feet. Lance, in turn remained silent and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. Todd, who had sat off to the side throughout the fight, moved in towards the guys.
"Yeah, but Roguey did pretty good, yo. It's not like she's helpless, you know. She's beaten us in training enough times for you to know that….. But," the Toad added as an afterthought as he looked towards his 'sister's' antagonists, "We should teach 'em a lesson. They can't do that to her…"
"No," Lance said, but not without a margin of difficulty. "We stick to the plan. She's one of them now, regardless. The X-Geeks can't get suspicious. If they think she's still hangin out with us, they'll think she's a spy. They'll kick her out for sure." He heaved a long sigh, "Then she'll never get to do what she went there to do. We stick to the plan," he emphasized, and with one last look towards Rogue's classroom, he turned and walked towards his own class. The other boys reluctantly followed.
Mercifully, the class period concluded without any more drama. Rogue waited until the rest of the students left the class, and quickly left after them; grateful for the open space around her. The rush at the end of class always unnerved her, and she would much rather wait a few moments and leave without the risk of brushing against someone. As she exited the room, she was greeted by Risty, who quickly told her that she had heard about her run in with Duncan, and that she just saw Duncan limping out of the nurses office. Rogue allowed herself a small smile as her friend chattered on and on about how glad she was that someone put the blockhead in his place. The two girls made their way down the hall towards math class while they talked; though Risty noticed that Rogue was much more listless today than usual. However, she brushed it off; knowing all too well that it wasn't a good idea to pry when the information wasn't offered.
Risty entered her own Pre-Calculus class and waved to Rogue as the striped girl walked through the door of the calculus class that she had been moved into earlier that year. Rogue was one of the first students to class, with the exception of Jean and Scott, who always arrived at least 15 minutes early; much to her annoyance. Rather than taking a seat with the two of the, Rogue opted for a seat in the back corner of the room near the window. She took her seat, exchanging sort greetings with her new teammates as she passed them. Minutes ticked by as she anxiously alternated between looking out the window and glancing at the door. Lance and Pietro were also in this class. A slight tremor ran up her spine as she desperately wished to disappear and avoid the confrontation. When she realized that they usually would have showed up by now, Rogue allowed herself to relax, hoping that maybe they hadn't come to school today.
Unfortunately, no sooner had Rogue turned her attention back to the window, Lance and Pietro strode in to the room. Scott and Jean stood up to meet them, fully expecting a confrontation. "What do you want, Lance?" Jean asked with a patronizing tone. The dark haired boy switched his gaze to meet the redhead's, and smirked at her temper.
"Oh, nothin much, Jeannie. We just wanted to say hi to the newest X-Geek, that's all," he said as he smiled evilly at Rogue, who had turned her attention towards their conversation at the front of the class. Rogue stood up, subconsciously backing away. Scott and Jean moved to the back of the room to stand between their newest teammate and their enemies.
"Yeah," said Pietro as he joined the confrontation. "We wanted to see if our little traitor had the guts to show up at school today. It's not everyday someone has the nerve to join the enemy and then rub it in your face, now is it?" he said aloofly, though he would not meet Rogue's eyes.
"So, tell us about it, Rooooguey," continued Lance as he caught Rogue's stare. "What it like to betray your family. Oh, wait, I guess we're not your family anymore, are we? What's the matter? Weren't we good enough for you, you highness?" he said; his voice laced with sarcasm. "What do the X-Geeks have that we don't? It is Summers? Daniels? Got a crush on one of them?" he continued again, with a mirthless grin on his face.
"That's enough, Alvers!" said Scott when he was finally able to get a word in. The brotherhood was apparently paying no attention to the teen, however.
"What of it, traitor? Is it alright if I call you traitor? Think you can take all of us?" he asked as he ran impossibly fast in circles around Rogue. He stopped directly in front of her face. The closeness of his face to hers was enough to cause Rogue to tremble slightly, but his words scared her more than anything. The color drained from her face, and her skin seems to nearly match the white streaks in her hair. Pietro's blue eyes finally locked onto her own green pools. "When the time comes, can you deal with us all?" he asked harshly and quietly. His voice seemed to crumble all of Rogue's walls of defense against the tirade of her former family. She backed away and stared dejectedly at the two boys she considered her best friends; her chest heaving. Tears began to mount in her eyes. Hadn't they said that they understood? Had they been lying to her?
At this point, Jean and Scott had moved to stand completely between the buys and the rogue. Scott's hand rested lightly in his glasses as he silently dared his rivals to give him a reason to blast them. Jean stood nearby, and reached to put a hand on Rogue's shoulder before she stopped and lowered her hand away from the girl's deadly skin, even though it was covered. Lance and Pietro backed off with an unconcerned air. "Well, I guess we have a new X-Geek to pound. No big deal. This'll be extra fun," said Lance as he exited the room, his class all but forgotten.
Pietro smirked at the X-Men, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "We'll see you around, losers," he said. "And you too, traitor," he said as he met Rogue's eyes once more. For a split second, a look passed between the two mutants, before Pietro turned on his heel and zipped out of the room. Rogue sank down into the nearest seat as the image of Pietro flashed in her mind. What was that look? What had she seen in it? Was it….. guilt? Was it apologetic? The girl's mind reeled as she tried frantically to understand that look; to find some semblance of hope in this bleak situation. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she did not even notice the concerned looks that Jean and Scott gave her before they said something and returned to their own seats as the class filled up.
Rogue came back to reality just before the teacher entered the room. Ah can't stay here. Ah gotta get outta here… she thought to herself as she grabbed her bag and quickly exited the busy class. Scott moved to follow her, but Jean stopped him. "Just let her be, Scott. I don't think this is the best place for her right now…" she trailed off as she watched the younger girl hurriedly leave. Scott reluctantly nodded, and returned his attention back to the lesson.
In the hall, Rogue was quickening her steps with every passing moment. She had to get out of the school. She just couldn't deal with it anymore. This morning had been enough. The look that she had shared with Pietro continued to flash in her already crowded mind. Doubt plagued her thoughts as she realized that it couldn't have been anything but contempt. They had meant those things they said. She was sure of it. She had never heard then say anything like that to anyone. Once again, a great sadness crept into her mind as she reached her locker and began to unload her unused books.
Just as she was about to drop her books inside, a small white flower dropped from the locker and into her hand. Glancing down at it curiously, Rogue immediately what it was. It was a magnolia blossom. Her eyes began to tear as the flower's scent reached her. For some reason, the scent of magnolias always filled her with an immense sense of sorrow. She couldn't explain it, because she couldn't remember much of her past, and she was certain that this feeling was rooted in memories that came as mere whispers of dreams. Her heart wrenched in her chest as she tried desperately to control the empty feeling that coursed through her. The sad feeling only increased as she stood there alone in the hall.
How would a magnolia blossom get into her locker? She thought hard as she gently touched the flower's petals with her gloved hands. A sudden flash a girl that looked very much like a young version of Rogue flashed through her mind. She saw the little girl laughing and singing in a garden of wildflowers. Then, the image quickly shifted to the same girl crying under a magnolia bush in the garden; a storm moving through the sky. And then, just as quickly as they had come, the flashes were gone, and Rogue was alone in the hall once again. Her brow furrowed in concentration. She was sure that she had seen those images before…. Maybe in a dream..
She shook her head, causing her white streaks to fall about her face. Who had she told about the magnolias? Her jade green eyes widened in sudden realization. She had told Pietro long ago. She had once shared everything with Pietro. Back when they were children. She had told him about her dream, and about the garden, and the flowers. And he had told that sometimes it was okay to be sad….. that it was okay to feel alone… because in the end, he would always be there for her….. And he had given he her a magnolia blossom….
Rogue looked back down at the flower in her hand, and for the first time that day, she allowed herself a real smile, albeit a small one. He was still there for her. She wouldn't be alone. No matter what. With a small sigh, Rogue placed her books back in her bag, and headed back to class; determined now to make it through the day.
From around the corner, a pair of ice blue eyes watched the gothic beauty walk away, and the boy allowed himself to smile as well.
TBC
Note : okay, so there it is. I'm goin somewhere with this, I swear. Haha. Ummmm, yes. Risty is mystique in this story, but I'm getting there. You'll have to be patient. I'm not entirely sure when the next part will be up, but it shouldn't take as long as this one did. Not at all. Thanks for the reviews everyone! Again, you really are the reason I keep doin this instead of my homework *grins*. Review this part too, okay? Please? Thanx!!!