Disclaimer: Wow! I can't believe the positive response I've gotten from this fic... lol, I would've expected flamers--lol, I know, bad joke! Well, I just wanna say that I don't own X-men, the Marvel company, nor am I one of those rich-ass white people who own part of the movie... sigh Well, now that that's out of the way, it's time to kill myself! x.x
Summary: Okay, here's the story so far: Pyro blew up the training grounds with his bad temper. He ran out of the institute and nearly ran over a beautiful Egyptian girl named Shaharazhad with long brown hair. He likes her freckles and the shrunken Jamaican head on her leather bag. She writes her phone number and address on his hand after complimenting his head, and they decide to go out on a date. Pyro gets drunk off the fumes of incense in the cafe they go to and wants to kiss Sherry, but he snaps out of it and pays for her cab fare home, and has a fantasy dream about her. O.O phew! Okay, now that that's taken care of...
What's happened after Pyro woke up and remembered he not only had school but detention as being the Xavier Institute's new groundskeeper--serving it under Professor Bloom, a 40-year-old woman with the ability to make plants sprout out of nowhere? lol, I know, long question... Well, it's time for the day/week/month(or however long I plan to make this...) after John and Shaharazhad's date; let's make it about a week...
Chapter Three: An Emotional Cornucopia
Proffessor Bloom laughed. "I must say, Mr. Allerdyce, you are most certainly blossoming in the plant business--if you'll pardon the pun..."
John smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow, his shirt tucked into the back of his pants. There he was, sweaty, dirty and stinking to high-heaven, but he couldn't care less. He smirked at Proffessor Bloom. "Well, I figure the harder I work, the sooner I can get this done." That wasn't a complete lie, he thought. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could eat, and the sooner he could eat, the sooner he could finish eating and run upstairs to talk to Sherry.
Shaharazhad, he would think. That's such an awesome name... While he worked, he liked to daydream about what kind of powers Sherry would have if she were a mutant. He would laugh to himself as he'd think this--if Sherry were a mutant, she'd have to live there, and he'd be just like Bobby. Not that he wasn't already acting like Bobby, mind you, just being a little more discreet about it.
He wouldn't be discreet if Sherry lived there--this was a fact he knew well. Actually, he'd say to himself, he probably wouldn't be that interested in her if Sherry did live in the Xavier Institute, let alone know she was alive. When he would wonder this, however, he would often find himself wondering exactly how many girls like Sherry lived in the institute without his knowledge? He never dwelled on these thoughts too long, however, because he would soon realize that he didn't want any other girls in the institute that were like Sherry--he wanted the real Sherry. Besides, he would tell himself, there's no possible way that you couldn't notice Sherry. With her bright eyes and perfect personality--she could walk into a noisy room and everyone would be dumb within seconds. Yes, he thought, now I am really sounding like a poet...
He finished spreading the manuer around the places where he burnt off the grass. Proffessor Bloom made the grass grow again as he sprinkled the seeds on the soil. "Good, good job..." she said with that very cool Australian accent she had. "Let's take a breather, eh? Here, have some water." John brushed off his hands and took off his gloves. "Thanks." He took a grateful swig of water and sat down on the grass.
Proffessor Bloom sat down beneath an adjacent tree. "So, I hear that you've got a little girlfriend that you talk to every night." This statement made him spray out his water immediately. He coughed and sputtered before asking "Who told you that???"
Bloom laughed. "Come on, don't be duft! You really think you're that discreet? You've been prancing around the school and smiling so much--Gene had to read your mind to make sure you weren't on drugs!"
This made him laugh. Sherry was very much like a drug, if one thought about it--which he did. One whif of her scent, he became very curious. As soon as he had a taste of what a moment with her close was like, he couldn't think of having anything else. Once he will have a kiss--oh, to just think about a kiss from her ran shivers up and down his spine. Her whole presence, just being around her made him drunk with a certain kind of euphoria. He had the most amusing vision in his head of standing up in front of an audience and saying "Hello, my name is John, and I'm a Sherry-holic." Just the tiniest whisp of this thought made him laugh out loud.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so happy... She's someone to hold onto, right?" Professor Bloom took a drink of her water.
John nodded. Having this kind of talk with a professor was very awkward. What should he say? What could he say without making a total fool of himself; first, he's a lovesick doofus, and now he's a teacher's pet? No, sir-ee, thought John--I'm not that pathetic yet... Professor Bloom looked at his eyes. "Not one to talk about this to a teacher, eh?"
He shrugged in frustration. "You're my teacher--I'm serving under you for detention. It's kind of awkward with this kind of topic, Professor Bloom..."
She smirked. "You might like to call me Daisy..." With these words she shook her salt-and-pepper hair and smiled. "Well, not that I don't blame you; after all, I was young once, too, right?" She laughed through her words.
"Okay, well, I just want you to know that whoever this girl is, you don't hurt her, 'kay? Seems like this is the best thing that's happened to you since you came here. Now, we've even brought this up in our faculty meetings--" At this remark he looked up. "--and I've gotta say, you've got a lot of people rootin' for ya. Logan's a little suspicious, of course, but that's just because he ain't quite willing to admit that he's got any kind of heart rather than one of adamantium. Now, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me truthfully that this girl has been nothing but a positive influence on your life."
Pyro stood up and walked around, suddenly a bit nervous and frustrated. He then looked back, his breathing a little uneasy, as if he were genuinely struggling to speak properly. "W-well, y'know, I just--I mean, it's--ugh, I--" He stopped and dropped his head, running a hand through his hair. He flipped out his lighter and flipped it on and off, on and off again like a metronome. "She's just... I can't--like--get her out of my head, y'know? I mean... I've only seen her a couple of times, but... She's so...fascinating, like watching a candle burn. You watch and stare at it, the light kinda...dances, y'know? The flame moves around like it's dancing, yeah...and the longer you stare, your vision kinda blurs... And then you start seeing pictures in the fire, pictures of the beginning of time, the secrets of the Universe--and you want to reach out and touch it so bad, but...you know you shouldn't, because that just might put the fire out."
He trailed off, looking around the grounds of the institute, not quite clear of what was going on inside his head. He was thinking about so many things--mostly about how Sherry affected his mind. The feeling that he felt inside of his chest when curling and manipulating flames--that feeling of control, the feeling of being like a god who controled everything that man has ever made through his element of fire...
That feeling in his heart, the fury, the confidence, the strength was completely taken, twisted and churled until he couldn't recognize it anymore was taken from his heart to his stomach. A feeling of wanting to reach out and bend it to his will, a feeling of fear and rejection, a feeling of totally unknowing everything around him--and yet he wanted more, so much more of it all. He couldn't get enough of being around her, he couldn't stop thinking about her--when he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face, her smiling face. When he flicked his lighter on and off, he would more and more see Sherry rather than his father, or more he would see himself and Sherry together in the flames; he couldn't tell much anymore--more and more he would wake up and forget what he looked like. Because he would forget, he put an old picture of him in his wallet to remind him that he still had a father in his heart.
"Well," said Daisy Bloom. "It's a good thing that you have the gift that you have."
Pyro smirked and scoffed slightly(phew! That's a lot of 's''s! ;;;). "Yeah, I guess..." He couldn't control Sherry with his power. Even if he could, however, he knew that he wouldn't enjoy it as much. One of the things so attractive about Sherry was that you couldn't control her, like wildfire. He laughed inside; I've found a fire I can't bend to my will...
Professor Bloom wanted to help, he knew that. Hell, who could blame her? He laughed at the thoughts of actually asking for a teacher's help on wooing a girl; then again, what resource was Rogue? I'll tell you what resource--none. Rogue had never really been with anyone before Bobby, and how was Bobby to know what Sherry would be thinking? He seemed to be far too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care about what Rogue was thinking. Why on earth would he ask for his help? So many thoughts, he said to himself. Usually, my thoughts are a bit darker than this.
"So," said Professor Bloom. "What do you know about this girl? What's she like?" Pyro gave her a skeptical look beneath his brows. "Well, at least one of the faculty has to know--just to make sure that she's not some psycho-girl. Gene can't keep track of what's in your head forever, you know." He laughed slightly. "Come on, then, give it up!"
John smiled and sat down beneath the tree next to Professor Bloom. "Okay, okay..." He trailed off, thinking slightly of what she was like. "Sherry's...kinda hard to describe, actually... She's really smart--funny, too. Uhm... She's the oldest girl in her family, and she has two brothers, one older and one younger, and a little sister named Nefertiti."
"Like the ancient and beautiful queen, hmm?" They both smiled. "With her sister's name being like that, I'd expect her to have more of an exotic name..."
"She does, though. Her name's Shaharazhad--great name; and her two brothers are Yasin and Ihmotehp. Very Egyptian--but it's really cool. Oh--and I have never met anyone who can do so many things... She paints, she sews, she weaves fabric by herself, she cooks and she knows how to make pottery... Oh, and she likes dancing and playing drums, too."
She blinked. "Well... That's quite a repitiore, if I don't say so m'self... You sound quite impressed."
"Are you kidding? I'm totally impressed! I mean... She's so great; I seriously go to sleep thinking about her."
Daisy Bloom smiled. "Well, this is kind of your first love, Pyro. Don't get too attatched to her, y'know? There'll probably be many more where that came from. I know, I know," she said once she was shot a slight glare from Pyro. "You're not thinking much about this, but I know that this is a definate positive influence in your life. Maybe it's this girl, maybe it's just the whole dating thing, but I really do think that this could be just a severe case of puppy love. Just you're first, eh, love?" She took a swig of water.
Pyro hung his head, clenching his water bottle slightly. He shook his head, his eyes not coming up. "No..." he whispered. "I don't want this to be 'puppy love...' So what if she's my first? I don't want there to be a second, or third... I want..." He sighed and stood up, "Forget it." He put his shirt back on and took off the gardening gloves. "I'm done for the day, right?" Daisy sighed and nodded. "Good." He took out his lighter and flipped it on and off as he walked inside.
Ring. Ring. Ring. "...Hello."
"Hi, Sherry."
He could hear her smiling. "Hey, John." Sounds of rustling fabrics were heard in the background. "How's detention treating you?"
"Eh, okay I guess. Today was my last day."
"Good, good. I'll bet your back hurts, hmm?"
"Yeah, a little bit."
"Mmm, well, tell ya what--soon as your can, you come over to my house and I'll walk on your back."
Little scoffs were heard. "Like a little Japanese girl?"
He smiled at her giggles. "Why not? I've got little feet. Size seven and proud of it! Hahaha... It runs in the family, you know. My mother has tiny feet, about size 5 and a half... Then again, she's shorter than me. My two brothers, though, sheesh... Imhotehp's feet are size 12! Can you believe that? It's because of my father, I guess... Then again, I don't think it would really be natural if men had little feet. Hahaha--hey, quit laughing!"
"Hehehe, sorry... So, how was your day? Good?"
"Yup, it was pretty good. Nice way to kick off the weekend, dontcha think? God, it was just a gorgeous day today! The clouds were so pretty--they looked like a bunch of big, fluffy mashed potatoes." She sighed. "I got a new book, today."
"Oh, really? That's cool--what book?"
"A classic--Firestarter."
John laughed hysterically.
"Hey--what's so funny!"
"Hahaha... No, no--nothing, really... Haha--I'm sorry, I'm fine..." Too many coincidences...
"Hmm... You know, you are really quite an intriguing person, John Allerdyce. You're different... I'm not quite sure how, but you just are... You stand out in the crowd, y'know?"
He shrugged. "Eh, I guess..."
"...You okay?"
Silence.
"... I'm really enjoying this conversation we're having..."
"Hehe, okay, okay--I'm sorry. Just a lot on my mind, that's all..."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"Sherry, don't worry about it, okay? Really--it's just guy stuff."
"Hmm, guy stuff, eh?" Silence. "Okay, I trust you... Hey, I started weaving a new rug for my dowry today. I got pretty far on it, too. It's really starting to take shape. Last friday, my mother and I went into town and bought all sorts of threads and things for my loom. I really liked all of the threads. Those bright reds and the deep purples; the golds and blues and the bright greens like emeralds... I love colors, they really make me feel alive, y'know? I mean, look at the beautiful colors in our world tomorrow, just look! I mean, life is just exploding all around us--especially in the flowers, now that spring is really on its way. And I'm so happy because my birthday's coming up!"
"Really??? When is it?"
"Two weeks from now, April 14th. I'll be seventeen--aren't you happy for me?"
He nodded and smiled. "Yeah--seventeen, wow..." He trailed off. "You have a really beautiful face."
"...?"
"..."
"... Where did that come from...?" He could hear her smirking.
He shrugged. "I-I dunno..." There was a long silence. He sighed. "Listen, Sherry, I--uhm... I-I... I... God, I really like you..."
She smiled. "I really like you, too. Know why? Because you make me feel very special. And that means a lot to me, y'know?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I know..." He looked around to make sure no one was around and whispered "You make me feel very special, too." He could hear her smiling.
"Good, I'm glad..."
He sighed. "Listen, I--ugh, geez... Uhm--I know this may sound weird over the phone but... I really want--no, need to ask you-- Augh, man, why is this so hard...?! ... Uh, sorry--I'm not... I mean, I just... Oh, man..."
"John, if you wanna say something to me, then just--"
"Sherry, I want you to be my girlfriend."
"..."
"...?"
"..."
"...?!"
"..."
"...?!!!"
"... Wow..."
"... 'Wow...'??? A-As in, a good wow, or...?" He sighed. "Sherry, I'm sorry--I just... I know I'm not real smooth sometimes, but..." He trailed off, remembering what Daisy Bloom had said. "You've made an impression on me... And--and it's not just your looks. I'm--I mean, not that you don't look good though, y'know. I mean, your looks are to--top shelf, but... I dunno, it's just that..."
"What?"
"... I-I dunno, it's just that... You're graceful... You know, the way you move, the way you speak... Bottom line is, I like you; I like you a lot. And... I would like you to at least consider...being my girlfriend. And you don't have to answer me now, just--y'know--give it some time, right? B-Because, y'know, these kinds of descisions require--uhm, y'know--thought, and stuff, and--"
"Okay."
"!"
"... John?"
"..."
"... John, did you hear me?"
"... I'm--uhm... I-I'm s-s-sorr--uh--g-g-g--uhm... I-I-I-I'm... Uhm... C-could y-y-you just...s-say that--I mean, d-did you, uhm--I j--oh, I--"
"Okay, John. ...I said okay. As in, "Okay, I would absolutely love to be your girlfriend."
"O-o-oh... O-ok-k-kay... U-uhm... C-c-co-c-couldy-y-y-you just g-gimme a se--uh, a second, here? P-please?"
She smiled. "Okay... Sure, go ahead."
"Th-thanks..." He set the phone down on the bed and walked over to the middle of the room. He took in a deep breath. "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ahahaahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"WHOOO!!!"
"Hahahaha..."
He beamed and picked up the phone again. "Okay, I'm back."
"Heeheehee.. Feel better?"
"Uh-huh."
Titan, the mutant who could coat his body with titanium at will, popped his head through the door. "Hey--keep it down in here!"
"Hehe, I'm sorry, man. Couldn't help it. I'll be quiet next time."
He blinked. Pyro being agreeable??? "Uh... Okaaaay--the others are coming up soon..."
"Okay, thanks, man." He turned back to the phone. "Sorry about that."
"Haha, that's okay... Actually, it's starting to get a little late, isn't it?"
He looked at the clock. "Yeah, it's about 9 almost. It's dorm-time by 9:15 on weekends, so..."
He heard her smile. "Okay, well, let's get some sleep then, okay?"
"Okay... I'm really happy we talked tonight, Sherry... I'm gonna try my best to make you as happy as I can." The others walked in, the others who shared the dorm. Titan, Multiply, Cuervo, Spyke and Iceman.
"Hey--is that your girlfriend on the phone???" asked Spyke, Storm's nephew.
Pyro rolled his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, and don't worry--we're just saying g'night..."
He laughed. "Okay, okay. HEY!!! PYRO LOVES YOU--OOF!!!" A kamikaze pillow came flying in his face.
"Hey--g'night, Sherry."
"Haha, okay. G'night, John. Sleep sweet, huh?"
He smiled. "Yeah, sweet sleep. Uh-huh. Okay, bye." Click.
The boys were laughing. Pyro turned and pointed a finger at Spyke. "You, my friend, are in so much trouble!"
"Hey!" said Titan. "Let's keep it clean, alright kids?" Iceman laughed, Cuervo took off his goth-makeup and tossed a few tissues into the wastebasket next to his bed. He tousled his raven-black hair. "I think our little Pyro's growing up..."
"Shut up, Jacob." John sighed and flopped back on his bed. "Ugh, my back fuckin' hurts..."
"Hey, at least you have the weekend, now," said Andy(aka Multiply). "Maybe you and Iceman could double with Sherry and Rogue?"
Bobby looked up from his bed across from Pyro's. "Yeah, that'd be cool. I'm sure she's dying to meet her."
"O-oh... Yeah, uhm..." John sighed. "I dunno, maybe... Yeah, why not?" He looked to Titan. "Think maybe it's a possibility?"
Titan shrugged. "It's up to Professor X, really, but I'll put in a good word for you, if you want."
"Thanks, man, that'd be great."
"Sure."
Cuervo lied down, taking off his ICP shirt and clunky boots. "You think you like this one?"
Pyro smirked. "Dude, I know I like her..." He flipped his lighter on and off, on and off like a metronome. "She's just... I dunno, different from other humans, y'know?
"But she's still a human. You know you should really be careful with them. Especially with you being such a show-off..."
"Shut up."
"Seriously--you can't trust people if you're looking for a fair deal."
"But I'm not looking for a fair deal, Jake--I'm looking for a girlfriend." He sighed in frustration and flicked his lighter more quickly, taking the flame from it and making it into several rings above his head.
Cuervo sighed. "Dude, all I'm saying is "be careful," alright?"
Pyro sighed. He traced the fire with his finger and made it into a picture, a portrait of his beautiful Shaharazhad surrounded by a ring of fire. His eyes became lost in the flames, lost in Sherry's image. God, she was beautiful, he thought. So beautiful... Like fire.
"Hey!" Titan's voice snapped him out of his daze, his fire portrait extinguishing. "Fire out and bedtime, Romeo."
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!! lol, I really like this chapter--though I can't quite decide what to call it.... Hmm... let's workshop this a bit... It's thoughts and conversation moslty about Sherry, and Pyro asks her to be his girlfriend and she says YES! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pops champagne and breaks the tv with the cork O-O Uh... runs comes back two hours later with a stolen tv sets it up and dashes back to the computer Phew! Hopefully, dad won't notice the distinct Hobo smell of the tv...
Anyways, I'm really happy with this chapter. SOOOO happy! It's a cornucopia of love! lol HEY! GREAT TITLE!!!!!!!!!!! scrolls up and types title chapter LOL Wow... Uhm, well, than's SOOO much for your positive response everyone! Makes me so happy... tear :-D lol, okay, well, thanks again so much! lol I LOVE YOU ALL!!! R&R PLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Auvoir!