Kitty hit her locker with anger, "Open up, you!"
Rogue gave a grin at her, "Locker not listening to ya'?"
Kitty said, "I've got Chemistry next and if this locker doesn't open up, I'm going to-."
Kitty looked around and when she made sure no one was looking at her direction, she phased her hand through and pulled the Chemistry book out.
Rogue begun walking away, "No powers, Kitty."
"And get totally, like, late? Not a chance on my record."
Kitty sped down the hallway. Just when she was outside the door, she paused. What if she…Kitty groaned and walked into the room, filled with noise.
Kitty settled down at her seat, and opened up her Chemistry book. However, she still felt eyes were on her. Eyes that made her feel guilty and uneasy.
And more over, she didn't feel like looking up either.
Lance played at the corner of the page with his fingers. Kitty was absolutely lousy at this. She was just trying to look like she was totally absorbed into the book but he knew her way too well.
Lance just kept looking at her. In the room, only he and Kitty weren't talking. And he didn't really like the idea of that.
Well, so what anyway? She's the one, which made us break up so it was her fault. I've got Crystal. She's way better than Kitty anytime.
But he sighed. He knew inside he didn't really want to be with Crystal at all. No matter how pretty, how nice or how fun she is, she'll never be able to hold a candle to Kitty. After all, Kitty knew he was a mutant, like her. She could understand how he felt. But being with Crystal equals to hiding the real him from her. Crystal can never accept him if she found out, but Kitty could.
During the lesson, they were the quietest group of all. And during the fireworks experiment, they didn't say anything to each other, even though they were partners.
Kitty poured in the mixture and begun reaching for one of the tools when Lance did the same too. Their hands touched a little and Kitty pulled hers back immediately. "Sorry," Kitty said, but that was all. After that and through the lesson, they didn't exchange a single word.
"All right class, good work for the day. Finish up your assignment due next week and class, dismiss." Mrs. B barked at the class.
Lance and Kitty stood up, packing their stuff, ready to leave.
"So," Lance said, "How'd you…uh…like a soda sometime? I mean, we're still…friends right?" He knew he wanted to be more than friends but he didn't really know how to put it.
"Sorry, but I…I've got some stuff on this week and so…just, sorry, Lance. But friends is good." Kitty said.
"Right…so when are you-." Lance tried to finish his sentence but then Crystal came running up, and linked her hand with Lance's.
"Hi, Lance. You don't know how long I took to find you in this huge…oh, Lance. You never told me anything about your friend here. My name's Crystal. What's yours?"
Kitty tried really hard to be as friendly as she could be. "Oh, I'm Kitty. And I'm busy. Bye." Kitty answered dryly and dashed off.
"Hmmm…your friend, Kitty is a little shy is she?" Crystal said, "But anyway Lance, I'm still so glad I have you. All the girls in the Cheerleading group were really jealous of me when they heard I'm your girlfriend."
Lance rolled his eyes. Girlfriend? Per-lease. The only girlfriend I have is Kitty. "Really? Is that what they said?"
"Oh, of course. I won't dare lie to you, Lance. Where are we lunching at?"
"At the burger joint down Maple. I'll ride ya'." Lance and Crystal got to the school main gate where Lance's jeep is parked and saw Kitty standing there along with Rogue.
"My, there's your friend again. We really have fate don't we?" Crystal was about to go greet Kitty once more again when a blue, huge car pulled up at the side of the road and Kitty got in, waving bye to Rogue. The corner of her eye caught Crystal and Lance and she became really…mad. "Pete, let's go for Lunch, ok?"
"Anything for you, Kitty." Pete switched gears and the car sped off.
Lance had indescribable feelings in him. Kitty got a boyfriend he didn't even know about? How stupid is that?
"Wow. Kitty really has high tastes in men. Her boyfriend looks rich, but I don't care because I have you." Crystal laughed.
Lance looked a little sad actually. How could he hold a candle to someone like him? He's probably bringing her to somewhere ritzy and the best place he could take Kitty on their dates were Mcdonalds and nothing more.
Rogue saw Lance and her eyebrows met. She walked up to him and poked him in the chest, "Ya' got some nerve ya' jerk. And ah thought ya' would do somethin ta' get her back but ya' didn't even do anythin'. What kinda' guy are ya'?" Rogue found she was wasting her breath on him and with an evil glare, she hopped into Jean's SUV and took off.
"Who was that? Another friend?" Crystal asked.
"Sort of more like Kitty's. But don't worry about her. She can be pretty, you know, hard sometimes." However, Lance knew what Rogue said was pretty right and made sense too. He had been a real jerk.
And he wonder when he's ever gonna' stop being one and get Kitty back.
If he could…
"Kitty, you're not eating much. Kitty?" Pete waved his hand towards Kitty and got her out of her "trance".
"Huh? What did you say, Pete? Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention."
"I know you aren't. Anyway, what happened to you? You're eating way too little you know." Pete looked rather concerned.
"Nothing wrong Pete. It's just that…I uh…been thinkin' about tonight working at the Burger Joint's gonna wipe out my energy and I've also got Logan se….oh, nothing." Kitty couldn't tell Pete that she was a mutant and she wasn't really thinking about working and getting all sweated out at the training sessions of Logan's. Last she heard was that he wanted to get a couple of tanks for the sessions. He better not. And secondly, she was thinking about Lance.
"What dessert would you want? They've got everything here in this ritzy restaurant." Pete flipped through the pages one by one.
"Oh, just the usual then." Kitty sipped her ice water.
"The, um, usual? What's the "usual"?" Pete looked absolutely clueless.
"The ice-cream. And make it chocolate and strawberry, please." Kitty remembered he wasn't Lance. If he were, he'd know what Kitty wants. Normally, when they order, Kitty always had the strawberry and Lance the chocolate. But right now, she'd be eating it with somebody else instead.
Kitty ate pretty little of her ice cream, and left Pete worried.
On the way back, Pete asked, "Kitty, what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing, Pete, really." Kitty leaned against the unfamiliar door seat, smelled the unfamiliar smell and was talking to an unfamiliar guy.
"You look pretty wore out. Bad day?"
"Pretty much I guess. I've got lots of things to do, honestly and I still haven't got my Chem work done."
"Here we are, Kitty." Pete dropped Kitty outside the "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters" gate. "Want me to pick you up tomorrow for school?"
"No, thanks, Pete. I'm walking instead. Gotta' drop some stuff off at the library for me and Jean."
"Alright. Don't wear yourself out. Remember you got me. Bye." And Pete sped off.
"Yeah, right." Kitty phased through the gate and wondered what she doing with Pete in the first place.
Landing on her bed, Kitty looked up at the ceiling. And she sighed.
Where did all those happy times between she and Lance go?
"And here's my stop as usual. The burger was delicious, Lance. And thanks too." Crystal got out of Lance's jeep.
"Great. I'll catch you tomorrow then." Lance said.
"Oh, I'll be going to the burger joint tonight. It's going to be good earning my money for a new dress. I want to make you happy when you see a little something new on me."
"Terrific idea. I'll drop by tonight then." Lance answered.
"Be waiting for you," Crystal French-kissed Lance and left him getting nervous.
If it was Kitty, he'd be smiling and kissing her back. In Crystal's case, the most he could do was hug her and that's it.
Man, why can't I just get Kitty out of my head for once?
Lance got back to the Brotherhood of Mutants house. Same house, same people, and a same mess too. But the mess for today looked way worse.
"Lance, I never knew how charming you really are, until I saw it with my own two eyes." Pietro said.
"Man, what's that, Pietro?" Toad was playing Pokka cards with Fred but clearly; both were losing, or winning.
"Lance, how did you it anyway?"
"Do what?" Lance threw his bag on the floor.
"Get Crystal Roland. She's the girl I've been trying to get the whole of last year, but she always turned m dead down. How did you even get her?" Pietro was almost sounding desperate.
"Gee, imagine that." Lance didn't sound too thrilled at all that he got the girl Pietro wanted. Pietro always managed to get any girl he wanted with the honeyed-words, great image and all, so it was a little weird Crystal would even fall for Lance.
"And to think he just kicked Kitty aside and now he's got a even better girl?" Toad said.
"And you know what, Einstein'? You," Lance said, pointing at Pietro, "Can have her. I don't care."
"If she hears that, she'll so roast you alive." Pietro zipped across the room.
Lance said, "Get her to try then."
He fell on his bed and grabbed the picture of he and Kitty, hugging one another. Toad took it, and after Lance found out, he made Toad fly out of Bayville.
Even though it was a wee bit blurry, he loved it. And he really wished Kitty would come back to him.
When he was with Crystal, she didn't know much about him, and she didn't really know what he liked, the shops he usually visited and stuff. But if it were Kitty, she'll know for sure.
"Thanks, mister. Come again." Kitty wiped the counter as she waved a customer off. "Good job Pryde. Work attitude excellent." Her manager said.
"Really? Cool and thanks, Mr. Burton. I'll promise to keep that up."
"Good, because we have a new girl here today. Same age as you. Later when I'm gone, show her the ropes around here. She'll be doing the same job as you- at the counter, so it shouldn't be so hard."
"Ok, Mr. B. I'll handle things over here."
"Be leaving then. Knock off at 9pm, Pryde." Mr. Burton got out of Burger Joint, leaving Kitty and the few others.
No sooner had he gone than the new girl came in. And the moment she said, "Hi, Kitty. Didn't know you worked here too," Kitty's face completely fell.
"Oh, like, hi too, Crystal." Kitty said, not very happy.
"I'm so glad you'll be doing the same stuff as me too. That way, we could help each other out. Whatdya' say?" Crystal laughed, putting on her "Burger Joint" cap.
"Sounds pretty good," Kitty tried to look polite but not succeeding very well.
The place was pretty much empty. Hello, it's the night?
"So, how long have you known Lance, Kitty?" Crystal said.
Longer than you did, that's for sure. Kitty thought back to the first time she met him. At first, he seemed like the biggest idiot on Earth but after that, she found him pretty nice and then, she got hooked on him.
"Round, more than a year and a half." Kitty said.
"Oh. I've just got to know him recently and you wouldn't believe this but the first time I saw Lance, I just knew he was perfect for me. I mean, he's really nice and he's just so cute, with all that brown hair." Crystal said.
"How nice, Cryst." Kitty looked away, her eyes filled with jealousy. She was meant to be with Lance, not her. She doesn't even know a quarter of Lance.
The door was being pushed open and the next thing Kitty knew, Lance was walking in.
Kitty immediately turned around, pretending to wipe the glasses.
"Oh, Lance, you really came." Crystal said.
"Of course. I always kept my promises, Crystal. Just got held up a little back home but no biggie."
"Nothing to worry about, Lance. Oh, I believe you know Kitty. Kitty's been a real treasure. She's taught me every single thing here, Lance."
Lance shifted his gaze towards Kitty, whom turned around, trying to pretend nothing was wrong.
"Hi…"Kitty chocked.
Lance nodded and the next thing he knew, Crystal kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Lance, that's the thanks you get for coming down here for me."
Kitty saw the whole thing and her eyes whelmed up with tears.
She pushed the kitchen door open and got out of the embarrassing state. They like being together then let them. And get over him, Kitty. Because he's nothing but a big loser.
Kitty changed back to her usual clothes and left a quick note telling Crystal she wasn't feeling so good and she had to leave early.
Kitty got out of the burger joint from the back door and started to walk back to the institute.
"Hey, isn't that Kitty?" Crystal said, pointing to the cold figure outside. She only managed to catch a little of Kitty but it was definitely her all right.
"I'll get her. You just…uh…continue, ok?" Lance raced out of the Burger Joint, scanning the pretty empty car park for Kitty.
Lance saw her, out at the front gate of the car park and raced to catch up. "Kitty! Wait up, Kitty!"
Kitty stopped and something about her made Lance stop too. "Kitty, what do you think you're doing? It's cold out here. At least get Summers or Red to pick you up."
"Like you even care about me! All you care about now is Crystal! I might as well make myself disappear and let you two enjoy being together. And to think we once dated too!" Kitty felt her insides tear into half but she had to show Lance she was stronger than he knew.
Kitty struggled to walk away, only to start crying in front of him.
"Kitty…" Lance put his arms around her, trying to calm her down, but Kitty pushed him away.
"Lance, go date Crystal. She's a nice girl and you'll like her. I…I'm just not meant to be with you."
"No, don't say that, Kitty. You know that…"
"I know we once were together, and really happy too. But that was "once", not anymore. I…" Kitty turned around and with tears pouring down, she left the place.
Lance shouted behind her, "Kitty, I love you! And I'm going to get you back!"
Kitty heard but she continued to walk on.
Lance sighed in silence and turned around to walk back to Burger Joint.
Crystal watched with hurt behind some bushes. So, he and Kitty were once a couple.
What was gonna' happen to them now?