Since I'm not even sure how long Scott's been there now, we're just going to say it's been a month since he first arrived, and three weeks since he started Bayville High. Two weeks have passed since the trip to New York. That work for everyone? Good news though! It seemed like the last chapter was the only one I had real writer's block with!

Chapter 13

Duncan was getting seriously tired of the time Jean spent with Scott. Things were going good, Taryn was really getting Scott's attention, or so they thought. Then, Jean came to school sporting a new purple scarf that Scott bought for her, and suddenly all her attention was focused on him! She didn't even talk about the bracelet he – actually Taryn, but details – got for her anymore.

The jock tried to remember the last time he saw Jean not wearing the sheer, lightweight material, and came up blank. She wore it almost religiously, only taking it off during gym or after school activities that involved getting sweaty or messy in some way. He wouldn't be surprised if she even wore it to bed!

Scott, of course, didn't mind, and seemed to relish in Duncan's irritation. He didn't really hang around them much anymore, only eating lunch with them when Jean insisted. More often than not, he was with those freshmen kids and Wagner – enjoying friendly chats with them.

It didn't help that Scott seemed to have won the respect of most of the school. Even Kelly liked him, though it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Scott despised the man! Jean wasn't even that quick to get on the principal's good side, which just made him seem all the better in everyone's eyes.

Scott Summers could do no wrong, and Duncan Matthews was tired of it. That pretty boy had messed with his girl for long enough, and now he was going to take care of the problem! He glared at the laughing teen, whom was sitting across the yard with the usual Xavier group – and Jean. His girlfriend opted to drop him in order to sit with her 'friends from school', which meant – to him anyway – she wanted to be close to Scott.

Taryn wasn't much better off. Her flirting was going great, so she thought, until Jean came to school wearing that loathed scarf. It was fashionable, Taryn had to admit, and it was from Scott! Her Scott! So what if they hadn't actually started dating yet, she was working on that little detail.

He was perfection to her, from his preppy clothing to his boyish smile. Several other girls had developed crushes on him, but none approached him. Not because he was Taryn's boyfriend either, but because he was considered Jean's property! There was also the little case that most of the girls thought he was better eye candy than boyfriend material, since he gave off the sense of Boy Scout.

She was tired of little Miss Perfect getting everything she wanted! She wanted Scott, and now! Sharing a look with Duncan, they silently agreed it was time to intervene. No more nice jerks!

&&&&&&

The end of lunch came, and Scott walked to his locker with Jean. They were laughing about some story Kurt was telling them from his time in Germany. It still surprised Scott that he and Rogue were related – and Rogue was the adopted one. It almost seemed like it should be the other way around, until he saw Mystique for the first time.

The fight against the Brotherhood wasn't intense for X-men standards, but it was the first 'battle' he'd ever been in. It was no wonder they had Danger Room sessions. While the other boys gave off a sense of laziness, they weren't half bad with their powers – lack of care for hiding them among the public gave them a little advantage. Danger Room certainly helped the X-men keep the upper hand, Scott thought.

Jean was still wearing the scarf, and every morning he saw it on her, he blushed and turned into a stuttering idiot. Never before had a girl worn something he got her so religiously! It was flattering to him, and more than a little ego booster. He kept any cockiness to himself, unless he was alone with the pyros and southerners, lest Jean think he was a jerk and trash the silk material.

Luckily, they took his ego down a few notches when he needed it, and laughed when they knew he was just joking. They'd really done a good job of helping him, though he was still trying to figure out why Pyro and Magma kept following Taryn around wearing black clothing and mascara on their cheeks. He knew it was probably something to do with Rogue's plan to set he and Jean up, but he was too afraid to ask what spying on Taryn would do.

He knew the girl liked him, and he had to admit she was pretty. Still, his attention was on Jean – the less clingy girl. It never occurred to him that Taryn and Duncan were trying to tear them apart – well, that Taryn was. He already knew Duncan disliked – possibly even hated – him because of the time he spent with Jean.

None of it mattered to him though, because the redhead was all he could ever focus on. Miss Fruteoka still thought she'd dumped Duncan for him, and he laughed (while still blushing) every time she brought up what a smart choice Jean made. At least it wasn't a bunch of people with failed relationships telling him they were good together, just a slightly insane Literature teacher.

"Can you believe that actually happened?" Jean asked, giggling.

"Actually, yeah," Scott said. "I could just imagine Kurt doing something like that!"

"Yeah," Jean nodded with a smile. "Only Kurt would decide to have a 'skating contest' with himself, using every condiment in the fridge and chocolate syrup, and end up getting it in his fur."

"He must've looked great! Blue, yellow, red, dark brown..." Scott trailed off as they came to his locker.

In a twist of fate, Scott thought the gods were really looking out for him, his locker was right next to Jean's. He was quite happy with this since he only had three classes with her the whole day. Advanced Literature, gym, and Trigonometry. This way, he got to see her between every class!

"I'm not surprised he got into so much trouble," Jean commented, opening her locker. She was about to shut it when a tanned hand banged it shut for her. She jumped, nearly colliding with Scott, whom managed to steady her while balancing his books.

"Duncan!" Jean scolded. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry Jean," he said, sounding very not sorry. He glared at Scott, who still had his hand on Jean's shoulder. Noticing this, they both blushed and he quickly let go of her. She smiled her thanks at him, and stepped a little closer to Duncan.

"It's all right," she reassured. "Just don't do that again!"

"So," Duncan said, wrapping an arm around her, "walk you to class?"

"Actually," Jean said hesitantly, "Scott was going to walk me. Since we have the same class this period and all."

"Oh?" Duncan glared at the smiling brunette. When Scott went to walk forward, he casually stuck his foot out, forcing the mutant to the ground. Jean pushed Duncan away, hurrying to Scott's side – much to the blonde's ire.

"Are you alright?" she asked frantically, helping him to his feet. Scott, Duncan was unhappy to see, had a wide smile on his face.

"I'm fine," he said. "It must just be my clumsiness acting up again."

"Your clumsiness?" Jean asked. In all the time Scott had been at the mansion, he'd never once been clumsy. Well, a few times, but that was always because she startled him when she walked into the room and he didn't see her. She had no clue it was because he got nervous when she was around.

"Yeah," Scott grinned. "One time I left something in my mom's car, so I went out to get it."

"What happened?"

"I walked into the car door."

"That could happen to anyone," Jean pointed out, lips quirking upwards.

"Not when the car door was closed." Scott said with a laugh. Jean gasped.

"Your serious? You ran into a closed car door?"

He nodded, and Duncan was about to comment on what a loser he was, when Jean started laughing. He stared at her in disbelief as she and Scott laughed over the incident, completely forgetting he was there. They walked past him towards the classroom, Scott talking all the way.

"After I ran into the car door, I opened it and got my CD out. Then, I started to head back inside--"

The rest was lost on Duncan, as they were now out of earshot. He glared and hit a locker, leaving a fist-sized dent. It didn't matter to him though, because his plan to embarrass Summers failed. It only made Jean like him more! Ugh, he was getting very angry with that boy!

"Your 'trip him' plan, didn't work?" Taryn asked knowingly, stepping up beside him. Duncan just bared his teeth. Taryn sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward. "Leave it to me." she said simply, walking away.

Duncan watched her go. "Last time you said that, nothing happened!"

"I've got a plan this time!" Taryn called back, hearing the jock's exclamation. "A full proof plan." she said softer, smirking evilly. She would make sure Jean never wanted to see Scott again, leaving him ripe for the picking.

&&&&&&

The bell rang and Scott was walking out with Jean. The redhead, unfortunately, was pulled aside by some girl that sat in the back – Emily or Amelia, something like that. Scott didn't really pay attention to her name, since she never said more than two words to him. Jean told him to go on, so he did.

"Whoa!" he was startled when petite hands pulled on his arm. The strength the mystery girl displayed almost made him think Rogue snuck into the school. It wasn't her, he found, as he looked at Taryn. "Taryn?"

"Scott, can I talk to you?" she sounded really upset about something. Being the nice guy he was, Scott agreed and Taryn quickly led him to a quieter corner of the school. She stared up at him with big eyes, tears sparkling just behind the surface.

"What's wrong?" he asked, instantly worried. The poor girl was near tears, and he didn't know why. He wondered who could hurt her so, but was flattered she wanted to talk to him. She hadn't known him all that long after all.

"Scott, I...I don't know how to say this," Taryn sniffled. Lowering her head, she gazed at Scott through her bangs. A smirk curved her lips.

"Say what?" Scott asked. He was getting more confused and more worried by the second. Taryn waited, knowing that Jean was coming. Scott, on the other hand, thought she was hesitating out of nervousness or fear of what might happen.

"It's okay," he reassured, hugging her to him. "You can talk to me."

Taryn grinned against his shoulder. "I know," she said with a thankful look on her face when she pulled away. "I just...I think it might be better if I show you."

"Uh...okay?"

Smiling at him, Taryn wrapped her arms around Scott's neck and lowered his head. Pressing her lips against his, she kissed him for all she was worth. A smirk slid across her face at the soft gasp, and she quickly pulled away. Scott was staring at her in shock, gaping.

"Uh, Taryn look," he started, pushing her away. "It's nothing personal, you're a great girl and really pretty! Really, really pretty, (Taryn grinned) but I don't like you like that."

"So what?" Taryn asked, feeling more than a little rejected. "Are you going to tell Jean how you feel? It's obvious you like her!"

Scott blushed and lowered his head. He didn't want to hurt Taryn's feelings, but he thought it was better to tell her he didn't feel the same than lead her into a false relationship. Besides, he really did like Jean, and things between them seemed to be getting better every day.

"Well, I..."

"Fine!" Taryn interrupted, pointing in the other direction. "Go tell her now, I'll take care of Duncan."

Scott blinked. Was Taryn helping him? She really wasn't so bad, he thought with a grateful smile. Then, quickly turned and left, never seeing the smirk on Taryn's face.

&&&&&&

Jean finished talking with Emily about the latest science project they were doing together. Now, she had to find Scott, whom said he would be just outside the door. He wasn't there, and she wondered if he thought they might be late again. It didn't seem like him to leave without her, late or not, but she shrugged it away.

As she was walking, distant voices could be heard. It was a 'deserted corner' of the school, so she wondered who could possibly be there. It wasn't like her to eavesdrop, but the girl sounded suspiciously like Taryn. Jean's bad vibes had been getting stronger when around her lately, and she couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

The closer she got, the easier it was for her to discern who was talking. Scott and Taryn. What were they doing over here though? She frowned and came around the corner, just in time to see Scott and Taryn kiss. She gasped in shock, feeling tears well up, and quickly fled.

She and Scott weren't together yet, but she really liked him. She was just waiting for the right time to tell him, which would be never. Eleanor was right! Someone else was going to take him if she didn't speak up, and she had.

Jean ran, red hair flying behind her, until a large hand landed on her shoulder. She spun around, startled, and tried to smile when she saw Duncan. That's right, she still had a boyfriend didn't she? Stupid Jean, stupid! You have no right to get upset over this!

"What's wrong?" Duncan asked, seeing the look on her face. He had a feeling Taryn just put her plan into motion, and whatever it was worked. Now, all he had to do was play the concerned boyfriend. The girl was smarter than people gave her credit for.

"Nothing," Jean shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "Nothing at all!"

"Where's Summers?" Duncan asked tensely, looking around. Jean lowered her gaze to the ground and shook her head. When she looked up again, she bore a watery smile and linked arms with the blonde.

"Does it matter? Walk me to class?"

Duncan smiled, and they headed towards her next classroom. He sent a mental thank you to Taryn, which could've been heard by a certain telepath if she weren't so depressed right then. They passed Scott on the way, who looked confused when Jean glared at him and huffed. Duncan just smirked.

The car door thing really happened – to me! Yes, I am clumsy I know. Pathetic isn't it? I didn't even notice it was closed. The full story is that I ran into a closed car door, then opened it and got my...book I think it was, this happened a few years ago, so yeah. Then, after that, I started to head back inside and forgot I'd closed the door so Deputy, my dog, wouldn't get out – it was an apartment so I didn't have a fence at the time. I ran into that, then when I finally got inside, I tripped over the coffee table. Sigh Like I said, I'm clumsy.