Disclaimer: X-Men is not mine...if you think it is...then you are...extremely...STUPID

Title: The Butterfly Room

A/N: Sorry I took four months to update. Well one of them was spent at camp but still. I have nothing against cheerleaders. Honest. It's just this one story.

Quote: "Just living is not enough, said the Butterfly. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." -Hans Christian Anderson

Chapter Two: Cocoon

Cheerleading tryouts were a joke. There were about ten other girls there that could barely turn a cartwheel. I sat on the floor at the back of the gym watching one aspiring cheerleader after another attempt back walkovers and various cheers. I considered drawing a tattoo on my arm with a pen so it really would be like Bring it On. But I decided against it because my pens were in my gym locker.

When it was finally my turn I walked over to the bleachers where the coach and a few senior cheerleaders were sitting. They all looked pretty miserable.

"Ok so, like, what's your name and grade?" one of the girls asked sleepily.

"And GPA," added another. "The cheerleaders represent the school. You have to at least a 3.0"

"I'm Jubilation Lee or Jubilee, and I'm a freshman and I think have a 3.0," I said as energetically as I could.

"We don't take freshman," one of the cheerleaders informed me. She had blond hair and an obviously padded bra. I don't think you get too much more stereotypical.

"Give her a chance Tammy. We haven't seen anyone good yet," another blond cheerleader pointed out.

"I know but she's, like, fourteen. She probably won't even fit in the uniforms." I was starting to wish that I had failed that quiz.

"Whatever Tammy that's just lame." The coach was paying no attention whatsoever to their argument.

"Can you do a back walkover sweetie?" the second cheerleader asked.

"Yeah," I said flatly, "and a back handspring, and back flip," I added in the same annoyed voice.

"Oh my God!" a third girl squeaked. "You're, like, kidding me."

"I can also do a cartwheel."

"Well let's see it!" cried one of the girls with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"I don't know," I said slowly as if I was choosing my words very carefully "Maybe I should wait and tryout next year. I mean after all I am a freshman"

"No!" screamed all the girls at once. I grinned. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

XXXXXXXXXX

I ran into the mansion followed by Scott who'd picked me up after tryouts. He hadn't been that impressed by my victory and membership to the cheerleading team. He'd told me that I could practice with 'those girls' but I was not allowed to party with them, ride in a car with them, smoke pot with them, plan cheerleader domination of Bayville High and/or the world with them, etc, etc.

"They're a bad influence Jubilee. People say that cheerleaders have changed over the years and are more...um...normal. But not the Bayville High troop they are Bad Influences," Scott had told me on the ride home.

"Thanks Shades. I'll remember that," I told him seriously. I was actually trying not to laugh.

But anyway Scott hadn't been especially excited about the fact that I was apparently one of the first freshmen to ever be on the Bayville High Cheerleading Team (I need trumpet music right here).

I ran into the main room to see if there was anyone there that would appreciate my feat. The room was empty except for Rahne who was sitting on the couch watching cartoons and looking sort of upset.

"Hey Rahne," I called. She turned around to watch me as I came in the door.

"Hi Jubilee. How were your tryouts?" she asked politely and resumed watching Road Runner and Coyote.

"I got on the team but it was really stupid. I mean nobody could even do cartwheel," I said sitting down next to her.

"I hate this show," Rahne said more to herself than to me.

"Then why watch it?"

"Because I'm hoping that someday the coyote will catch the stupid road runner." I laughed. I wondered if it was Rahne's wolf instincts that wanted the poor coyote to win or if she just thought the show was annoying.

"It's never gonna happen," I pointed out. I was surprised that we were actually having a conversation we'd really never even talked before. At the time I thought that it was my great conversation skills. It never occurred to me that she needed someone to talk to.

"It's not fair though. They make the coyote seem to evil. He just needs to eat and he can't eat carrots," she said seriously. I watched as the coyote fell off the cliff for the millionth time and hit the ground with a splat.

"It's a kid's show. I think you're a little bit too worked up about it."

"Yeah I guess your right." Rahne turned off the TV and sighed.

"You don't look so good. Something wrong?" I asked. I figured that because we were having such a great conversation that I should just ask whatever I wanted.

"I'm worried about Roberto," she said softly.

"Why?" Rahne looked at me. She seemed to have realized for the first time who she was talking to.

"It's nothing," she said her voice flat. "I have to go do my math." I watched as she got up and left the room. I just sort of brushed it off. Rahne's not a trusting person so it made sense that she wouldn't want to break down and tell me everything. Besides other than the afraid of the dark incident I hadn't noticed anything different at all about Roberto

Maybe I should have thought about it a little more.

XXXXXXXXXX

Saturday night I trudged down the stairs hoping to find Roberto. I had decided the best way to get them together was by talking to Roberto and finding out why they weren't already. After all there was definite interest both ways.

He was sitting on the big armchair staring at the reflection the room in the window. I paused for a minute trying to decide if I should talk to him he didn't really seem like he'd want to. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

"Up again 'Berto? Are we gonna make this a tradition or something?" He turned around to look at me.

"Hi Jubilee," he said trying to smile "are you having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah," I lied. "Amara's snoring really loud and like I said I'm afraid of the dark." He nodded. I couldn't tell if he wanted me there or not.

"I'll get some milk and cookies this time," he said and half walked half ran in the direction of the kitchen before I say could anything. I sat down on couch and waited.

He came back about ten minutes later carrying two glasses and a half eaten bar of chocolate.

"I couldn't find the cookies so I brought this and Evan drank all the milk so I got orange juice," he said nervously and handed me half the chocolate bar and a glass of orange juice. I decided against telling him that I was the one who ate all the cookies and that I didn't like orange juice with pulp.

"Cheers!" I said holding up my glass. Roberto awkwardly held up his. I clinked mine against it and took a drink. I tried not to gag when I swallowed the pulp. The stuff is so gross.

"So do you sit down here and stare at your reflection every night?" I asked taking a bite of chocolate.

"Yeah pretty much. Sometimes I fall asleep upstairs but I always wake up in the middle of the night."

"Don't you get tired?" I asked staring at the pulp in my orange juice. How do people drink that stuff?

"I'm usually ok," he said. "I sleep in study hall. He said smiling. I yawned. If I sat there any longer I knew I'd either fall asleep on the couch or start talking too much. I tend to talk a lot when I'm tired and I usually end up saying a bunch of stuff I don't want to. Like when I told Lance that he should come joyriding with us because he'd get the blame anyway. Not very nice.

"Well I don't have a study hall. So I'd better go to bed. Night 'Berto,"

"Good night Jubilee." I walked slowly up the stairs considering the information that I had just gathered. I decided that what I'd have to do was spend more night sitting up and talking until I was able to bring up the subject of Rahne. This whole thing was starting to give me a headache. I really wished that I was good at math and hadn't needed to cheat off Bobby.

The hall light is usually left so if people have to go to the bathroom they won't fall on their face and kill themselves. But sometime during my conversation with Roberto the light had burned out. I swallowed hard as I looked down the nearly pitch black hall. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't push aside thoughts of another dark hallway.

"It's ok Jubes," I told myself. "You're just going to walk to your room. It's last door on your left." I took once last look back behind at the beam of light coming from downstairs and began to walk.

One step, two, three, four, five, it's ok Jubilee you can do this, six, seven, eight. I kept walking slowly trying to be brave. I heard a thump I froze in place breathing slowly. Then I heard the sound of someone moving. I let out a squeak, turned around and ran back downstairs.

I'd sleep on the couch.

XXXXXXXXXX

This chapter's short and crapy. The next one really will be better. I promise!

I don't know about Rahne's personality I'm sure I messed it up horribly.

A-Rog: When are you going to update D-Day Do-Over (that's really fun to say)?

Risty: They really made Jubilee kind of bitchy in Evo didn't they? But deep down I'm sure she'd nice

linzer-b: What a coincidence. Jubilee is also one of my all time favorite characters. No she's not really the cheerleader type but it worked for the story line so I went with it .

Rask: I can't take full credit for the afraid of the dark thing. It's sort of an idea that shows up in fics on occasion I think that's why I was so paranoid.

hurleysuki: I like Amyro too, Kietro's ok it's not my favorite though. I swear to God Romy will take over the world at some point it's everywhere. But I still like it.

White Vampire: Thank you! And don't forget to put your fangs back in :)

Kitty&Lancesweethearts06: I've never really thought about Bobby/Amara too much if that's what you meant. But now that I think of it, it is sort of cute.

DarkestBlue: Well I'm glad somebody thinks I'm funny. .

Jordsan: Thank you!

amyro 4evah: I love Rohne too!

Yingyang-fairy: Thanks!

IceLeo: I'm Jubby worshiper too! You know I don't think it's too healthy to worship a fanfiction couple ;)