Chapter 26: PMS

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The hallway looked fuzzy as Ryan made his way down to breakfast. The thought of skipping the morning meal crossed his mind when he lay in bed not five minutes ago, but the smell of pancakes overrode the idea completely. As usual Max still lay in bed begging for sixty more minutes. For him, not even the smell of pancakes gave him enough reason to rise at 8:30 on a summer Monday.


Ryan nearly face-planted at the bottom of the stairs but strong arms caught him. He looked up into Christina Carter's deep blue eyes. His ears warmed as he straightened and rubbed the scars on the back of his neck and grinned at her. "Thanks, just don't let anyone know a girl had to save me from a broken nose."


Christina blushed. "Don't worry, I won't let your male pride be wounded."


They both laughed nervously. Ryan felt his heart beat step up a notch and he licked his lips. "Uh, guess we'd better get to breakfast, huh?"


"Yeah, let's go."


Ryan wanted to kick himself. Why did he get this way around some girls? Why did they make him so nervous? Andie never made him feel this way, but when Christina or Jean or Kitty or Hope, especially Hope, entered the room he turned into a babbling stuttering moron. Max did not have this problem, so why did he?


The smell of pancakes satiated Ryan's nose as the pushed they swinging door open and entered the kitchen. Everyone sat nice and civilized in their seats talking at an indoor level and asking for the other students to pass the food in their direction. The explanation for their unusual behavior sat at the head of the table: Wolverine.


Ryan plopped down in the vacant in between him and Kurt. Across from him sat Scott and Jean. "Good morning Claws," he said to Logan reaching for the plate of pancakes. If anyone else called Logan "Claws" he would receive the death stare. However, when Ryan referred to his as Claws he considered it an affectionate gesture.


"'Morning," Logan replied. He glanced over the rim of his coffee cup.


Soft brown liquid drizzled over Ryan's mountain of peanut buttered pancakes. He grinned with a small twinge of excitement. Pancakes reminded him of Sunday mornings before church with his family. They only ate pancakes on Sunday's because they only got to eat together as a family then. Candy and Pancakes meant the same thing to Ryan. He brought the fork to his mouth and the treat disappeared inside. Heaven.


Ryan gazed around the table. Three seats lacked occupants, Max's, Gambit's, and oddly, Andie's. Andie never missed breakfast. She always said breakfast got her through the day. But after yesterday afternoon he did not expect her to even leave her bedroom. But as his eyes passed the window he saw a small figure running along the fence. He strained his eyes to see. Andie. He knew because at the moment he saw her she raised her hand above her head and water came down, soaking her face.


"What is she doing?" Ryan asked.


Jean glanced out the window and her eyebrows wrinkled the skin between them. "I saw her get up early this morning, I think she'd trying to let out her anger about her brother," she said.


Ryan shook his head and shoved another bite into his mouth, the syrup dripped down the corner. "Man, I can't even guess how hard that must be." He stopped and licked the brown stickiness off.


"Vell she's nuts," Kurt said. "But that's vhy we love her, eh?"


The door to the kitchen swung open and Andie, red and huffing, flew in. She plopped down at the other end of the table next to Hope and Anthony and speared a pancake with her knife. Without a word, she peanut buttered her it and sliced it up. Everyone at the table started at her, trying not to look like they were. Her eyes never once left her food.


"How are you this morning Andie?" Hope asked.


"Fine, you?"


"Good," Hope replied slowly.


Andie smiled and returned to her meal. But she did not eat; she just shoved the soggy pancake around in its sticky pool.


Soon, conversations sprouted all along the table. Most of the students loved Andie, but they also knew her, and decided not to bother her when she did not to want to be bothered. However, some students did not know her and among those students included Anthony. After witnessing her experience with Asher and seeing the hurt in her eyes, he wanted to butt in and find out what troubled her.


He leaned over and asked quietly, "Andie, are you suffering from PMS or are you still moping?"


A sharp pain shot through his shin and he looked up at Kurt who shook his head violently and mouthed the word "no" fiercely.

Andie slammed the butt of her knife on the table and smiled as sweetly as she could possibly muster. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you for being so sensitive to my feelings. How nice of you to ask Mr. Schamaluffel." She picked up her plate, threw it in the sink and disappeared from the room.


"Dude, it vas nice knowing you." Kurt said.


"Well somebody had to say it," Anthony said.


Ryan laughed and stood to put his plate away. "You're sure not the sharpest knife in the drawer are you?"


"No certainly not the sharpest, but sharper than you pretty boy." Anthony said.


Blue soap covered the syrupy plate and Ryan scrubbed it clean. He dried it, put it up in the cabinet, and started to follow Andie's lead out the door.


"Hey, did I say you could leave?" Anthony asked. "Yeah, no, come back."


Ryan stopped for a moment with his back to the table. Slowly he faced them, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned, but he did not step any nearer to the table. Everyone else in the room remained dead quiet, even Logan watched intently.

They all held their breath.

If Ryan lost control he could knock Anthony on his face before anyone even blinked.
He raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"


"No, shut up, I'm talking," Anthony said. "Look dude, I'm raising my daughter pretty much by myself, and during that time I've been through hell and back. I've seen more, done more, and experienced more that someone like YOU has ever thought of. Don't try to tell me I'm unintelligent. You may be book smart dawg, but I'm street smart. Mr. Ryan Walker, the preppy prince of the Xavier Institute. The kid with no problems and a perfect life. Don't be dumping on me like you think you're better than me."


Hope squirmed in her seat. Anthony obviously did not know Ryan's story. She wanted to get up and smack him around a bit in her camouflaged state. No Hope, she said. He just needs to be set straight. But Ryan spoke just as she opened her mouth.


He sighed and continued to rub his neck. "You're right, I shouldn't have dumped on you like that. I don't think you're unintelligent I was just joking. Sorry, dude." Before anyone else spoke he left the room.


Anthony narrowed his eyes. "Yeah that's right, go on…" he continued to mumble hotly and dropped back down into his seat.


"Dude, that vas harsh." Kurt said. He could barley believe what just happened, especially when Ryan apologized and left. If Anthony said that to him he would have gone off.


"Well the kid needs to toughen up," Anthony growled. "He's a pansy."


"No see, first of all he's older than you, second of all…" Kurt paused and shook his head. "Never mind I shouldn't tell you."


"Tell me what?"


"No really, it's not my place," Kurt said.


"TELL ME, or there's going to be blue, fuzzy, guts on the table!" Anthony said standing.


"You'd have to catch me first." Kurt said. Bamf! In a blue puff of smoke he vanished. His fork clanked to the table.


Anthony glared at everyone around the table. "Did he just ignore my question? I'm going to his room." The table jolted as he stood and ran out of the kitchen.


"Someone pass the syrup." Hope said quietly.