Replay: Slow Motion

Installment 16

Walking down the hallway, Rogue held the bouquet of flowers she had gotten from Remy up by her face. She was so lost in her thoughts and the wonderful feelings Remy stirred inside of her that she was blind to all of the attention she was receiving. The other students had taken notice of her change in appearance. While some were content to have the extra 'piece of eye candy' around, there were others who looked on with shock and envy. But Rogue hadn't a clue. When she made it to the corner by her locker she stopped. Hanging on the front of the locker door was a single black rose.

"Like hey Rogue!" came a perky voice from somewhere behind her.

"Hey Kitty." Kitty smiled before her she saw the flower on the locker.

"Whoa, that's kinda, like, morbid, isn't it?" Rogue laughed.

"Ah'm GOTH Kitty. Ah LAHKE morbid." she said taking the flower off her locker.

"You don't, like, look Goth to me Rogue." But the girl ignored her and handed the bubbly teen her bouquet so she could grab her books. "Wow! Who got you these!"

"Hmm?" the girl inquired absent mindedly.

"The bouquet silly! Ya know - the flowers that are still, like, breathing." Rogue had to blink.

"Oh! Remy got me these." she said taking them back. She stretched out both of her arms and looked back and forth between the black rose in her left hand and the bouquet in her right. A knowing smile grew on Kitty's face.

"But not the rose?" Rogue just kept looking at the flowers. She liked them both but for different reasons. It didn't take long for her to realize she wasn't just talking about the flowers. Screams and sobbing pulled her from her thoughts as a large crowd of people headed down the hallway. "I wonder what's going on..." Kitty started when she caught sight of Jean. "Jean! Jean!" The red headed girl saw them and made her way over. "Like, what's going on?" Jean seemed to hesitate a bit before she spoke and tried hard to fight back tears that threatened to overwhelm her.

"It's Duncan and Steven" she said before stopping to take a breath. "they've been taken to the hospital."

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Duncan and Steven were said to have been beat up pretty bad but details were hard to come by. It was scary to think that something like that could happen on school property. No one had even seen the attack but students continued to be pulled from class for questioning.

"Hey, Roguey" a voice whispered from beside her.

"Hmmm?" She turned and looked at Pietro.

"I ah... noticed you got a rose today." he said it as though he was simply trying to make conversation. 'Fishin fer compliments.' Rogue thought and giggled.

"Thank ya fer the flower Petey. I know it was ya."

"Me? No!" and he began to laugh as well.

"Ah really lahked it."

"Well, I remembered you saying something about black roses being your favorite." Rogue seemed somewhat confused.

"Ah never told you that." she told him.

"No?" he said with an even bigger smile. "Lucky guess then." His eyes wandered away from her face and moved down to her clothes. "So, what's with this?" Pietro asked tugging at her shirt sleeve.

"What?" she asked as her face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Ya know, the - colors." he said while imitating her facial expression and scrunching up his face as well. He received a very weak glare from the girl.

"Ah felt Ah needed a change is all" she said waving her hand dismissively to face the front of the room again. There wasn't much going on in the classroom though. The teacher had been out in the hallway for the last seven minutes and everyone was discussing what had happened earlier.

"Why?" She hadn't expected him to question it.

"Why not?"

"Why?" he shot back. Rogue's brow furrowed.

"Why not?"

"...Why?" he asked again not willing to drop the question. Rogue grew increasingly uncomfortable as time went on and the speedster continued to stare at her.

"Ah dunno... ya know, Ah mean, Ah guess Ah'm just tryin' ta find the real meh." she said placing her head down on the desk. After a brief pause Pietro started laughing. Rogue slowly lifted her head to find out what was so funny. When she realized he was laughing at her Rogue gave him a dirty look. The boy laughed a few more times before stopping.

"And you're hiding in that purple shirt?" Rogue chose the most immature reaction possible and stuck her tongue out at him. Pietro couldn't help but start laughing again.

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Rogue was just finishing up a conversation with some boys when she heard a familiar voice calling her. "RogueyRoowaitup!" Rogue rolled her eyes and continued walking as Pietro tried to get her attention."Hey," he said pulling up beside her "couldyounothearme?"

"Guess not." she answered sarcastically as she continued looking straight ahead.

"Oh come on. You're not upset about what I said earlier, are you?" When Rogue didn't answer him he chose to take it as a "yes." He moved in front of Rogue so that she had to stop. "Hey look, I just want to know what's up with you lately." Then looking directly into her eyes he added. "You've just sort of... changed." Rogue huffed at the boy and placed her hands firmly on her hips.

"Oh. Ya mean lahke how Ah'm happier now? Or how people actually talk ta meh now? Or the fact Ah have a boyfriend now?" Pietro cringed at the last comment but Rogue didn't notice and continued with her outburst. "Well excuse meh Speedy," she said poking him in the chest for emphasis "Ah didn't realize mah happiness bothered ya so much!" The girl stood there fuming and blowing white hair out of her face while the Pietro stood with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hey, if you're happy then fine!" he suddenly shot back. "But remember those people weren't your friends before. They're the same people that branded you a 'freak' because of the clothes you liked and the make-up you wore! And do you think that your new found popularity would mean a damned thing if these people knew who you really are Rogue? Do you!" He waited for a second and gave the words a chance to sink in before continuing. "You'd go right back to being the 'freak'!" Rogue looked down at the floor not wanting to deal with what he was saying. Lowering his tone of voice the boy added "Just make sure this is what you want. Don't do anything because you think it's what someone else wants." A slight breeze came through the hall as Pietro ran off but not before he told her something. "Ilikedyouthewayyouwere."

Rogue continued down the hall and towards the front entrance as she pondered what Pietro had said. Is he raght? Do Ah want this? She had always liked her clothing despite what others might have thought. Sure, it could be a pain in the ass being completely covered up on a hot summer's day but the style was something she would have chosen even if she wasn't untouchable. Well, untouchable to just about everyone except...

"Petite."

"Remy! Ya have ta stop sneakin' up on meh lahke that!" Rogue was shocked when she realized she was outside already. With a smile on his face Remy picked Rogue up and swung her around.

"You is tres beautiful mon chere." Rogue blushed as he gently placed her back down on her feet and wrapped his arm around her waist. As they walked Rogue was reminded of what Pietro had said to her before.

"Remy, do ya lahke meh betta this way?" Both of them stopped walking and Remy turned to look at her.

"What you mean by dat?"

"Ya know, lahke, do ya lahke meh more now that Ah'm...dressin' different and stuff?"

"Non." Remy replied without a second thought. Rogue smiled up at him happily. Remy took his fingers and ran them over her gloved hand. "Besides... Remy t'ink green more your color."

TBC>