Dun Dun Dun Dun DUN! Sorry, I wanted a dramatic opening.

Tension Rising

It was a brand new week and both Todd and Serena were allowed back at school. They remained discreet for the most part and did their best to avoid eye contact when crossing each other in the hallways or in the cafeteria or even in the classroom. They would occasionally pass notes to each other when no one was looking. After school they would idly sneak off before anyone noticed them, then return home hours later.

The rest had given up on trying to find out where they went or what they did after school. The two groups seemed to be getting along okay. By getting along meaning one group was always unpretentious of the other's presence. Todd and Serena were grateful for this. After all a feud between the two groups would only cause more trouble for them. They were sure that the tension had almost completely gone. But by the end of the week it had sky-rocketed back upwards in just one afternoon.

It was after school and Todd was trying to think how to get away from the Brotherhood. He was originally supposed to meet Serena right outside the school but the Brotherhood had found him first. They were walking across the grassy lawn away from the school, Todd thinking tomorrow he would have to explain to Serena why he wasn't there at the meeting place, when they were stopped by an angry voice.

"Alvers!"

They turn around to see the group of X-Men, excluding Serena to Todd's immense disappointment, walking towards them. They all looked extremely angry.

"Yeah, what do you want Summers?" Lance said in a tone that suggested he was not happy to see them.

Scott got up in Lance's face. "You guys think you're real funny with your little pranks don't you?"

"What're you talking about?" Pietro asked annoyed.

"Like, as if you don't know." Kitty scoffed.

"No, we don't know." Lance said irritated. "Why don't you tell us?"

"Somebody slashed the tires on my car." Scott told him. "Not only am I going to have to get them replaced, I'm going to have to call a tow truck. I don't have any way of getting home."

"It's called walking." Lance sneered.

"I was riding my skateboard and it fell apart." Evan said. "Now I have two huge bruises and a scrape." Evan showed them his wounds.

"Oh well, time will heal you." Tabitha said not caring.

"My chemistry homework exploded in my locker!" Kurt snarled. "All my stuff was destroyed and now I have detention for two weeks."

"You shouldn't have been playing with chemicals." Toad grinned.

Jean didn't look very happy. "I nearly got hit with a ton of bricks that somebody dropped."

"How horrible." Fred said shocked. "And to think I missed it."

"Someone poisoned my cooking." Kitty said angrily.

"Are you sure you didn't do that yourself?" Pietro quipped.

"Yes because I like, didn't put a bottle of vinegar and a can of salt in the cake mix."

"And what happened to you?" Pietro asked Rogue who was wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

"My clothes were stolen while I was in gym class. I had to go the rest of the day wearing these." She indicated the gym clothes she had on. "Two people ended up having to go to the nurse's office because they accidentally touched me."

"You guys have pulled some dumb pranks," Scott said heatedly, "but this beats everything."

"You could've hurt someone." Jean admonished.

"Hate to brake it to you, but it wasn't us, yo." Todd told them.

Lance smirked. "But we'll be sure to find who ever did it and give them our undying gratitude."

"Like, yeah right." Kitty said obviously not believing them.

"Why don't you guys just fess up?" Kurt demanded.

"Yeah, nobody else could've done it." Evan said.

"Nobody else would've done it." Rogue spat out.

"You guys looking for a fight?" Tabitha asked them challengingly.

"I think they already found one." Lance observed.

Todd looked around worried that someone might see them. "Uh guys, I really don't think we should…" Nobody was listening to him. The two groups were staring each other down.

"Let's settle this." Scott said holding his glasses.

"Ladies first." Lance taunted.

A red flash and the next thing Todd knew there was an all out brawl. He watched as the two teams fought each other. In his mind he was wondering why this was happening. He tried to get away from the schoolyard mêlée but Kurt teleported in front of him blocking his path.

"Going somewhere?" Kurt asked him.

"Get out of my way fuzzy." Todd growled.

"Or what?" Kurt goaded.

Todd was trying hard to resist the urge to crush the furry freak's face. "Or you'll spend the rest of your life eating your meals through a straw. Now move it!"

"Fat chance!" Kurt said tackling him.

They rolled around for a bit before Todd kicked Kurt off of him sending him flying straight into Evan. He got up brushing himself off and noticed Rogue wasn't participating in the fight.

He cautiously went up to her. "I swear we didn't do anything."

"I don't think you did." She said. "But I'm not sure about your buddies over there."

"I was with them the whole time. They didn't do any of that stuff." He told her.

"Well then who…"

"Get away from her!" Rogue gasped as a red blast hit Todd in the stomach. He landed a few feet away groaning in pain. She looked over to see Scott who repositioned his glasses.

"You okay Rogue?" He asked her.

Rogue looked at him angrily "Scott, you didn't have to…"

"STOP!" A voice echoed through the schoolyard. Everyone froze looking up to see Serena, who had been detained by one of her teachers, striding towards them looking enraged.

"Uh-oh." Lance gulped. "She looks ticked."

"Run for it!" Pietro cried and sped off.

"Hey Speedy, wait up!" Tabitha called running after him.

"Don't worry little buddy, I gotcha." Fred said picking Todd up and carried him away.

"You haven't seen the last of me Summers." Lance snarled before taking off after the others.

"What do you think the Professor and Wolverine are gonna do to us?" Kurt whispered.

"I think right now you should worry about what she's gonna do to us." Evan indicated the angry Serena.

Serena stopped a few feet away from them looking like a sister who had just caught her siblings doing something terrible.

"I would've never expected this from any of you." She said in a calm voice. "No wait, I take that back. I can't say I'm thoroughly surprised, but you two!" She said pointing at Jean and Scott. "You two are the leaders, and look at this."

"They started it." Scott said.

Serena rolled her eyes. "I don't know who's worse, them for giving you the bait or you guys for taking it. You guys are so childish it isn't even funny."

"I'm just fed up with those idiots." Evan muttered.

"They won't leave us alone." Kitty complained.

"They hate you." Serena told her. "Of course they're gonna be causing you grief."

"They've been doing it for too long!" Jean fumed. "I've had it!"

"Well, it seems as if Rogue was the only one mature enough to overlook it." Serena remarked.

"They destroyed my car… again!" Scott exclaimed. "They destroyed my car again!"

"And your solution is to start a World War III?" Serena asked with raised eyebrows. "Over a stupid car that the professor pays for anyway?"

Kitty crossed her arms. "Well what are we like, suppose to do? They were doing horrible stuff."

"And then they denied it." Kurt added.

Serena looked at him. "Don't you think they might have been telling the truth?"

Evan looked at her in disbelief. "Them? Telling the truth? Hell-o!"

"They're as good at telling the truth as Logan is at being nice." Scott spat.

Serena sighed. "Whatever. The point is you picked a fight, and in front of a school to top it off!"

"What are you gonna do to us?" Kurt said nervously.

She gave a small snort of mirth. "I'm not gonna do anything. I'll leave that up to the Professor."

They all groaned, foreboding the punishment they would receive when they got home.

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"I've had it with those X-Geeks!" Pietro fumed.

"Why are you so upset?" Tabitha asked him.

"They attacked us for no reason. And look what they did to Toad." He motioned to the younger teen sitting on the couch nursing his stomach.

"I'm fine yo. It's nothing." Said Todd reassuringly.

"It's something when a Brotherhood member gets injured."

"What do you care?" Lance snapped at him. "You're the one who caused it last time."

"Lance you don't have to bring that up." Todd said in a hard voice.

"Why not?"

"Because I attacked him too, remember?" Todd reminded him.

"Seriously guys. Just because we fight with the X-Men doesn't mean we have to fight with each other." Tabitha said analytically.

"You know, you're right." Pietro said pounding a fist in his palm. "Let's go pay the X-Geeks a visit and get some serious payback."

"Wh-what? No!" Todd objected.

"Why not?" Pietro asked him.

"Isn't one fight enough for one day?" Todd asked him wearily.

"Yeah but they picked a fight with us, so we'll pick a fight with them."

"But there's no reason."

Pietro laughed. "Since when do we need a reason? Besides they attacked us for no reason."

"I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Since when do you think?"

Todd sighed. "Look, can't we just let it go?"

"What is wrong with you?" Pietro asked him in disbelief. "Used to there was nothing you'd rather do than have a crack at the X-Geeks."

"I just don't feel like fighting them." Todd told him.

"Fighting them," Pietro asked slowly, "or fighting her?"

Todd was taken aback. "Huh? What're you talking about?"

"Don't try to play dumb." Pietro sneered. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Pietro knock it off." Lance said.

Pietro ignored him. "You're seeing her aren't you?"

Todd shook his head. "What? No I…"

"Liar! I know you are!" Pietro suddenly burst out. "You think I don't see it? You're always glancing at her in the hallways, staring at her in class! And then after school you mysteriously disappear!"

"Pietro calm down!" Lance yelled at him.

He rounded on Lance. "You know about it don't you? Don't try to deny it!"

"Shut the hell up!" Tabitha yelled at him.

"Chill Pietro!" Fred spoke out.

"You all know about it don't you?" Pietro said hysterically, his eyes darting from one to the other. "You've been hiding it from me, I know it!"

Lance gripped Pietro's shoulder. "Relax, before you have a heart attack!"

Pietro slapped his hand away. "I'm fine dammit!"

Tabitha delivered a swift slap to Pietro's face. He stood there breathing heavily. "Thanks Tabby."

"No problem."

"You're letting your anger get to you." Lance scolded him.

"That's because I have to deal with those damn X-Geeks." Pietro said through clenched teeth.

"You don't have to take it out on us." Fred said defensively.

"Yeah, we're not exactly enjoying any of this either!"

"Will everybody just stop shouting?" Tabitha screamed.

"Oh yeah, more yelling will definitely get the noise to stop." Todd muttered.

"You need to stop being so damn paranoid Pietro." Lance said roughly.

"We're your friends for Gaud's sake." Tabitha said a little softer.

Pietro breathed a laugh. "I don't need friends. You guys are nothing more than my team mates. And I don't give a damn about what you think of me."

The room was silent. Everyone was shocked at this horrid statement. They knew he probably didn't mean it, knew he was just trying to find a way to vent his anger,but they were offended by it all the same.

Lance glared at him. "You a self-centered punk, you know that?"

"You're such a jerk." Tabitha said crossly.

"Guys stop it." Todd spoke up. "This isn't gonna get us anywhere, yo."

"I know where I'm getting, out of here." Pietro snapped hotly. He left before anyone could stop him.

As much as Todd disliked him, he felt sorry for Pietro. He had felt the exact same way before. How did this happen? Everything was going so smoothly and now this. Why the hell did the X-Men have to go and pick a fight? Now they were back to square one with more friction than they started out with. Between the groups, among the groups, the tension was everywhere.

Sorry if the last chapter wasn't all that great. You gotta tell me what you want people. I'm not a mind reader like that red-headed, goody-goody Jean.

Jean: Hey!

Just speaking the truth.