Disclaimer: Lawyers are bad people who haunt me stories…they're watching.
A.p.R.: YAY! 100 reviews! I wasn't sure if I could ever get this story to a 100 reviews, but I did. I'd like to thank Chaotic Boredom and The Fic Analyzer, without these two I would have never gotten this far. They've both helped me so much throughout this story, thank you both. I would next like to thank animeluvr1 for writing "Bittersweet" that was the story that brought me to It also inspired me to write this fic. And last, but certainty not least, I'd like to thank each and every one of you; the readers. You guys are awesome, thank you…paz.
-----------------------------------------Ahh! Cacti!----------------------------------------
Logan ended Fyreside's training earlier than usual because he said he had something important to do…who's he fooling he has no life. Marc cleaned up then went outside and sat on a bench. He had nothing better to do than and watched as the new recruits finished up their training.
They were doing the drill where you a turret shoots things at them and they have to deflect them using their powers. He chuckled a bit when it was Iceman's turn; he froze two sand bags and they both came back and hit him. He should probably felt bad about laughing but he knew Bobby would've done the same.
It was Magma's turn next. He snickered, knowing that if she messed up he would never let her hear the end of it; just like when she beat him in a pillow fight. She got set for the bags and changed into her Magma form, Marc had never seen this before. She looked different to him now, she looked…he shook the thought and waited for them to finish.
Marc headed over to them afterwards. "Hey guys…any of you want to catch a movie later?"
"No, I've been taking tests all this week and now I just want to relax." Jubes said exhaustedly; everybody agreed and trudged back towards the mansion.
Marc decided to follow them, and walked alongside Amara.
"Hey Marc," Amara pointed to his forehead. "What's that?"
"What…oh this?" Marc said trying to look at his head.
"Yeah…Logan go hard on you today or something?" She said with a smirk.
"Umm…no actually I went into the bathroom when I got up and I dropped my toothpaste." He said with a meek grin. "So I reached down to pick it up and…smashed my head on the counter."
Amara giggled to herself.
He smiled and nudged her playfully with his shoulder; she pushed him, using some force, and he stumbled to the side a bit.
"You been working out?" He asked laughing and she smile flexing her muscles. She scooted a bit towards him slowly, as to not be noticed. She could have sworn that he was going to put his arm around her when Bobby threw a rock at him and he chased after him.
"Stupid boys." Jubes mumble wearily.
-
Amara was changing out of her uniform and into her street clothes when the room phone rang. Amara tripped out of the closets and quickly answered the phone. "Hello."
"Hey 'Mara, what's up?" Tabitha shouted into over the phone.
Amara's eyes lit up when she heard the voice. "Tabby how's it going?"
"Fine, fine…hey I'm in the neighborhood right now. Want me to swing by and pick you up for a little mall crawl?"
She nodded, not that it mattered, Tabby couldn't see her. "I have to be back by four. I have to do another training session with Jean but…that sounds like fun, I'll go get dressed. "
"Yeah that's what I'm talking about see ya soon…and maybe you could shown me that boy you got the hots for."
"Tabitha!" Amara yelled but Tabby had already hung up.
She rolled her eyes and walked back into the closet. "Tabby wouldn't tell him…would she?"
-
Marc was walking through the lobby with an apple in his mouth when he jumped at the sound of someone at the front gate intercom. "He-llo…someone gonna let me in anytime soon? Amara…Elf…Sparkler…anyone?"
He walked over to the intercom and pressed the talk button, mainly out of curiosity. "Hello…who's this?"
"Who's this?" She asked. "Is this Jamie? Dude your voice has changed a lot since I saw ya last."
"No this isn't Jamie, it's Marc." He explained, still having no clue as to who the heck he was talking to.
"Ooo, the newbie, c'mon let me in?" She begged and he, reluctantly, pushed the button to open the gate. She cheered; Marc sighed.
"I'm probably going to get in trouble for this." He mumbled to himself then went outside to greet the guest.
He stood and waited at the fountain as a girl driving a green jeep. It screeched to a half a few feet in front of him. A blond haired girl jumped out the drivers side and walked in a circle around Marc. "She was right, you are cute…but not my type." She said softly.
Marc raised his eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Who are you."
She slightly bent forward and stuck her hand out. "The names Tabitha," He shook her hand. "but you can call me Tabby."
He shrugged and put his thumbs into his pant pockets. "O-kay…Tabby, what are you here for?"
Just then a voice called out. "Tabitha, hi!"
"Amara, there's my girl." Tabby said running over to her.
"So you two know each other?" Marc asked starting to walk over to the two.
"Duh…" Tabby mocked. "I guess you like him for his looks not his brains."
"Wha?" Marc asked, confused.
Tabitha smirked. "Exactly."
"Tabitha." Amara yelled in a whisper.
"So you're the infamous Boom-Boom…cool." He said evenly. "What are you doing here?"
"Me and Tabby are going to go shopping." Amara explained.
Tabitha nodded then her eyes widened, she had an idea. "Hey Marc you look strong…" She trailed off and squeezed his arm. "What say you come out and help us with the bags?" She said from behind him, Amara thought she was going to die of embarrassment.
"Well…um…" Marc started but was already being pulled into the back seat of the jeep. "Okay fine…I'll go." He said not having a choice and took a seat in the back.
Tabitha hopped in the drivers side and started to put some trash on the passengers seat. Amara gave her a look. "Tabby what are you doing?"
"What oh this…yeah this seat is dirty, you'll have to sit in the back, sorry." Tabby explained, with a very obvious wink. So Amara hopped into the back and sat next to Marc. She the scooted her seat back enough so Marc couldn't fit. "Sorry, I need some leg room." Tabby said know that now he would have slide over closer to Amara.
"I'm gonna get you Tabs." Amara thought looking down at her lap, not noticing that Tabitha was trying to say her something, then she looked up and was Marc sitting inches from her. He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt with grayish pants, his dark brown hair stylishly combed forward, he had that goofy grin on his face and a little patch of facial hair under his bottom lip.
Amara snapped out of it as Tabby started the engine. "Oh I see you've decided to stop drooling and pay attention…now let's get moving!" And with that, the headed for the shopping mall.
-
Tabitha had a content grin as the jeep pulled into a narrow parking spot. She was grinning because of the fact that she didn't crash into anything on the way there. A new record.
"What was that scraping sound?" asked Amara, while she was struggling to take of her seat belt, or untie the rope that Tabby calls 'A Safety Band.'
Tabby stroked her chin and stared forward.
Marc turned his head and looked to the car next to him. It had a scratch on it the size of his fist. "I think we took some paint of that car…"
"Oh, that was there when we got here." coaxed Tabby, after looking back and seeing the discolored mark over the tire of the black Civic.
"I don't think it was."
"Well that's what you get for thinking." She said and slid out the window and started walking off towards the. "You guys coming?"
-
The new mutants are all just lying around the rec-room talking about, well, stuff.
Rahne was on Sam's right and he was petting her. "How da ya think ya did on that math test Bobby?"
"Pretty not so good." Bobby shrugged.
"Well maybe if you studied you would suck so bad." Jubes said from the couch were she was flipping through channels.
"Yeah…I don't think I've ever seen you study." Roberto added.
"I'm happy that I'm one of the dumb ones," Bobby informed. "I like it better that way."
Ray threw a pretzel at him. "Really...why?"
"Well, because there's stuff I know about and there's more stuff that I don't know about, which makes it less stuff that I have to worry about in the big picture." He answered.
"Ye…What…huh…does that even make any sense?" Jubes asked.
Jamie looked over at Jubes. "Wait…he's got a point."
-
Marc crossed his arms across his chest and leaned up against the dressing booth that Amara was in; Tabitha was in the one next to hers.
Tabby kicked open the door and walk out wearing a very, very, orange beanie and a tight long-sleeved shirt that said 'Viva La Bam' on the front.
"What do you think?" She asked doing a little pose. "Is it me?"
Marc opened his mouth to comment, but closed it as he was still speechless.
"Do you like or not?"
"The hat…it's exceedingly orange." commented Marc, evenly.
"Yeah I know isn't it awesome?" She asked rhetorically.
Amara exited the other booth wearing a red tank top with black flower designs on it.
"That is so you 'Mara." Tabby said, breaking her pose.
She turned to Marc and spoke shyly. "So Marc wha…what do think?"
He took a better look at it and thought for a second. She was so nervous, what if he didn't like it? What would she say? "Why isn't he answering?!" She thought.
"I really like it, you look real good…in it." Marc stated, adding the last part a bit nervously.
Amara blushed then quickly looked down at her shoes to hide it. "Th..thanks."
Marc laughed as he noticed her cheeks turning red. Amara punched him on the arm and they both laughed.
Tabby just stood there looking at the two, she knew Amara liked him by the way she stared at him. "Okay I think we'll get these outfits…be a doll and put these back, thanks." She tossed the clothes that she didn't like to Marc and quickly went back into the booth to change.
Amara smile, shrugged and slipped into the other booth to do the same then tossed the clothes she didn't like clothes over the door to Marc.
Marc sighed and reluctantly tried to find where each garment went, he found where most of them belonged. But now it was time to enter, no man's land or more commonly known as women's lingerie, to put back the rest of the stuff.
"C'mon Marc you can do this…in out done…that's all there is too it." He said to himself as he began walking in.
Marc was walking around with the bras in his hands for a while not really knowing where to put them. He began getting some strange looks from the other customers and some of the women that worked there. "They're for a friend, okay." He shouted and all the onlookers looked away.
He looked around him, there were all these numbers he didn't know what they meant or why they were there. He was so confused, he just decided to try to match up the size of the undergarments.
"Need any help? I'll take care of those for you." A women said tapping him on the shoulder.
He turned to look at her. "Oh…um..yeah, thanks." He replied and handed her the things and walked away back to them.
"Hurry up dude, what took you so long." shouted Tabitha from outside the store with bags in her hand and Amara beside her.
"How long are we gonna be here anyways?" Marc asked walking between Tabby and Amara.
"As long as it takes Marky Mark." teased Tabby.
Amara was giggling at Marc's new nickname. "Marky Mark, that suits you well."
They continued to walk through the mall and using Marc's nickname quite frequently.
Marc sighed then shrugged. "Are you guys ever going to get tired of that?"
"Nope!" The two shouted in unison and continued to have a good laugh at his expense.
-
At the food court, Amara and Tabitha were waiting in line at the Chinese food place; Marc was at Subway ordering a sandwich.
Tabitha was twirling her tray a bit. "Hey 'Mara, you like Marc right?"
"Yeah." She replied tucking some of her hair behind her ears.
"Well then do some flirtin' girl." Tabby said loudly making Amara blush. "Make him know that you want him…make him sweat." She added with a sly grin.
"But he's already dating Kitty?"
"So?!"
"She asked him before I did."
Tabitha put her tray on the counter and pointed to what she wanted. "Who cares? You like him you're allowed to like him."
"Kitty is my friend." Amara shot back, taking the beef and broccoli dish the employee and sliding towards the check out.
"Yeah, well so am I and I say do it." Tabby said searching for some money in her pockets standing in front of the cashier.
"Even if I did tell him how I feel…he probably doesn't like me like that."
"Are you kidding me?" Tabs said with wide eyes. "Look at him next time he talks to you…you can tell that he likes you."
Amara was a little stunned at this, she had liked Marc since they met but wasn't sure if he had liked he back. Was Tabitha right? Did he like her? What if he didn't? Was-
"Yeah you kinda need to pay girls." The cashier's voice snapped Amara out of her trance. "Thank you." She said after Tabby handed her the money.
"Hey gals I got us a seat over here." Shouted Marc from a table behind them. They grabbed their trays and headed over to the table to have lunch.
-
During their lunch the had a heated conversation, basically an argument, about who had the best power out of the three, they had decided to walk it off.
Tabitha's eyes suddenly locked on to a photo booth. "C'mon!" She said pulling Marc by the wrist towards the booth.
Marc grabbed Amara's hand and dragged her along. "If I go I'm taking you with me."
Tabby slid in and quickly deposited the money. She then yanked Marc in next to her and he pulled Amara, who landed on his lap. "Tabby!" They pair yelled.
The first picture was taken and showed Marc and Amara yelling at her.
The second one showed Tabitha cracking up at the two blushing just realizing their positions.
The third had Amara and Marc making funny faces and Tabby flipping off the camera.
The fourth was of Tabitha and Amara kissing each side of Marc's cheeks.
-
The New Mutants had finished their conversation and, unanimously, agreed that Bobby was dumb. Since there was nothing to do, they decided to watch a DVD. They chose to watch 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'
"Hmm…" Bobby said.
Rahne tilted her head. "What're laughin' at?"
Bobby leaned forward in his seat on the couch. "Have you ever noticed that there was a lot of eye accidents back in the pirate days?"
"What'd'ya mean?" asked Sam.
"Well, I mean like, they all had eye patches…what's with that?"
Ray nodded. "Oh…I see."
"Bad optometrists?" offered Jamie.
"That's a possibility."
Bobby still didn't seem satisfied. "The optometrists may have been bad but still…could they really be that bad though?"
Silence.
The quiet ended as a thought crossed Jubilations mind. "You know how they had those hook thing too? Well, maybe, it's like they woke up in the morning and weren't quite used to the hook and went to rub their eyes and…"
-
"How many stores have we hit?" Marc complained as he was carrying about fifteen bags from different stores.
Tabby rolled her eyes. "Stop your whining, you offered to come along."
"You dragged me along."
"Stop exaggerating."
"No seriously you dragged me into the car."
"Details, details."
Amara sighed. "Let's go home it's been four hours."
"Fine by me." Marc murmured through the boxes.
Tabitha smirked and push her palm against one of the bags Marc was carrying. Marc toppled over and all the bag fell on him. "Right this way." She said laughing and walked out the mall doors.
-
Before Tabitha drop them off back at the institute, she decided to stop at the music store, Karma, first.
Tabby was doing a little dance with the stores demo headsets on; Marc was browsing through the new CDs; Amara was listening to one of her favorite bands on headphones.
How many days have you just slept away?
Is everybody high?
Is everyone afraid?
How many times have you wished you were strong?
Have they ever seen your heart?
Have they ever seen your pain?
Amara started to move her body to the lyrics; Marc came over and leaned in to listen to the song. She scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her. They looked at each other and smiled.
Tabby just stared and watched them bobbing their heads to the sound. "They really do look cute together." She looked down at her watch. "Damn, 3:50." She didn't want to but she had to.
Amara pulled the headphones off and looked at him. "So you like Our Lady Peace?"
"Yeah, I love them I use to have all their CD's back home." He replied looking into her eyes.
"Cool I wish I had them. I just have to catch them on the radio."
Tabby stepped in between them. "Sorry to break up this Kodak moment but we gotta go."
"Oh…okay lets go then." Amara said then followed Tabitha out the door. "Hey Marc are you coming or what?"
"Umm, yeah I'm just going to get a soda for the road be out in a sec." He said.
"Sure okay." Amara gave a confused shrug and her and Tabby headed to the jeep.
Marc walked out of the store about a minute later and hopped in the backseat with Amara and Tabby took off towards the institute.
"Hey where's your soda?" asked Amara.
He looked at her like she was speaking gibberish. "What are you talking about?"
"A soda, you said you where gonna grab one for the road."
"Heh, I guess I forgot." Marc said with a small smile. "Hey Amara I got you something."
"Why? You didn't have to."
He pulled a small bag with the music stores logo on it from his cargo pants pocket and handed it to her. "I know I just wanted to is all."
She opened the bag and pulled out two Our Lady Peace CDs. "Thanks!" She said and latched herself to him with a hug.
"You're welcome." He said putting one arm around her.
Tabby looked at them in the rearview mirror and smiled. "Yeah…I'm good."
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The lyrics were from, "Life" by Our Lady Peace.