Chapter 2: Early Signs of Love

Jean looked up from her journal writing when there was a sharp knock on her door, quickly snapping her journal shut and placing it underneath herself. She looked up and saw Ororo standing in her doorway. She was garbed in her usual pink skirt, white top, and headband. Jean tried hard to wipe any guilty look that may have been lurking around her face and put a smile on. She knew what Ororo was here for. Jean had made valedictorian and everyone at the institute was throwing a party for her. Jean hadn't planned on actually attending, or if she did she was going to sit in the corner for the entirety of it reading. She wasn't one for parties, even if there were going to be responsible adults there and no one from school save for those who were invited, she still wasn't going to feel comfortable.

"You ready, everyone is downstairs waiting." Ororo said. Jean stood slowly grabbing the journal and shoving it into a drawer. Ororo had been the one who had given her the book when she had first arrived at the institute, she had never really expected Jean to write in it, and Jean had never told her that she did.

"I'm giving this to you so you can record your thoughts and feelings. It may help you to channel them more efficiently. Or if there's ever anything you don't want anyone to find out about that's going on in your life that you aren't quite ready to discuss, just write it down in here. I promise I will never snoop, and I'll never ask if you're uncomfortable talking to me about a personal issue." Ororo handed the young thirteen-year-old redhead the purple bound book filled with blank creamy pages and a black fine-tip pen.

"Thank you. I'll think about it." Jean responded. "But I stopped writing in journals after I found out that my sister had stolen my diary and told all my friends that I had a crush on this boy in our grade. Sara's five years older than me, just in case you're wondering."

"Well, I can assure you that that won't happen here. You can have as much privacy as you want, Jean."

Yeah right, Jean thought to herself as she rose to her feet and walked out the door of her room and down the hall with Ororo. You don't get any privacy in this place; everyone is always in your business. She walked downstairs and was greeted with loud cheers and congratulations. In the midst of it all she saw the one person that made her stomach go topsy-turvy with a single glance at him. Her crush. She felt her cheeks blush and quickly covered them as she was surrounded by her friends and they began chattering away with "oh my Gods", and "Jean, I can't believe it".

She stood there in the middle of it listening to them go on and on like they had been for the past week about her achievement and continually rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Jean, congratulations."

"Thanks." Jean turned to see who had spoken to her, but the person was already gone.

"You have such a bad crush on him." One of her friends squealed.

"I do not." Jean protested crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look, she's turning all red! Jean, you love him." Jean clamped her hands over her cheeks and hid her face.

"Oh God…" She groaned. After that Jean avoided both her friends and her crush, she had known it was him although she didn't see him, she knew his voice, it gave her shivers; and so she spent the rest of the evening secluding herself in the library with her journal and the latest book she had been reading. She sat huddled in a chair by the fireplace her book open in her lap and her head resting in her hands as she read her way down each page and then moved on to the next. She let out a content sigh and shifted slightly so the firelight hit her feet and hands and kept her warm.

After a while her feet went numb and she had to stand and stretch. That pins and needles feeling ran down her legs to her feet and back up as she allowed herself a long cat stretch. Glancing at her watch she saw that it was close to midnight and she should head back to the party. After gathering up her book and hiding her journal away in its spot in the library she entered the foyer to see that it was practically empty. Everyone from school had already left, and only those who lived at the institute were milling around. Good, Jean thought looking around she didn't see her crush anywhere, he's already gone.

She was relieved and yet she was upset, she'd wanted to see him one last time before the evening was over. Oh well, I'll see him tomorrow in school, Jean thought as she headed upstairs to bed. She heard a door shut as she passed by some rooms and turned her head sharply to see that it was Scott's door. She ignored it and kept walking even as her heart raced at the thought of her crush. He made her feel lighter than air, blush bright red, and whenever she saw him she couldn't get her giddy smile off of her face.

He was out of sight, but not of mind. He was in her mind's eye and the more she thought about him the dizzier she felt; and the more her heart ached for him, to be loved and to be held by him. She cast one last look down the hall her eyes landing on Scott's door. Why was he still awake anyway? Jean shut her door and leaned her back against it and sighed. "He's so wonderful…"

A/N: REVIEW PLEASE! Chapter 3 will be in as soon as i finish it.