This is my first ever college fic, and I am not kidding when I say it it manifested itself from a dream. Like the rest of my X-Men fics, this is a combination of the movies and the comics with the O5 X-Men from comics being Xavier's first class. But movie-based content like Jean being a pre-med student is present as well. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy It as much as I did writing it! Without further ado, The Life of a College-aged Mutant!
The hallway outside my dorm room always smells of burnt popcorn. During the first few weeks of my freshman year, the smell turned my stomach every time I stepped foot in it. Now, in my second year, it does not bother me. As a pre-med student, I cannot afford to have a weak stomach.
As the student of a history professor, I have always had big shoes to fill. I have been a straight-A student since elementary school and have been on the honor roll since then, as well. In high school, I joined the National Honor Society. I graduated top of my class and with several awards for both academics and Track and Field. Yes, I was that girl in school.
The girl is intelligent, athletic, and still somehow had time for friends. My life was an open book, with the only mystery being how I handled it all without losing my head. At least, that is what it looked like on the inside. If only my classmates knew what was going on in my mind like I knew what happened in theirs.
I was involved in an accident when I was ten years old. My best friend was killed in the car crash, and I lost consciousness. I was in a coma for six weeks, only to wake up in the hospital with an …Ability? Curse? Nine years later, and I still am not sure what it is.
I can hear what people are thinking, almost as if they were my own thoughts. Not only that, but I can move things with my mind with only one thought and some concentration.
The research I've done says it's called Telepathy and Telekinesis. To me, it's a secret that will ruin my life goals if it comes out. If the world cannot handle different races without causing a war, then how will they process the information that a nineteen-year-old can read people's minds?
I've worked too hard to appear normal to reveal the secret to anyone. I am my parents' perfect little girl. What if they find out I'm a freak and refuse to pay for my college? The scholarships I received don't cover everything, after all. And what if the faculty find out I can read minds? Will they accuse me of cheating on exams? Will I lose my spot in the program?
I don't know what would happen if my secret got out, but I know one thing. It sure is a lonely secret.
My dorm is on the third floor of the building. On the right side of the hall are the boys' rooms. The left has the girls'. Each side has its own bathroom and showers, and the end of the hall has a common area to study, watch the television mounted to the wall, and cook meals. Around the corner is the elevator, which is where I am running up to now. My phone says it's 7:50 am, which means I only have ten minutes to get across campus to my first class. I've never been late for a class before, but today may be a first because it takes fifteen minutes to walk to the classroom.
"Hold the elevator!" someone calls, just as the door is beginning to shut. I jab the button with my knuckle, and a boy comes running in. I've never seen him before in the dormitories, and I think I would remember him if I had. He dressed in a body-length, black leather trench coat, jeans, and a white turtle neck. No one dresses like that at this school, especially not in September when it still gets well into the 70s at high noon. There is definitely something odd about this boy, but I am too scared to use my abilities on him to find out what it is.
"I just transferred here," the boy says as he stands beside me. He carries his bookbag with his hand instead of on his back. "Something closer to home, you know? I'm Warren Worthington."
"Jean Grey," I respond, watching the numbers on the screen change from 3 to 2 to 1. The doors open on the ground floor. Warren steps to the side to allow me to leave first. I get to the front entrance and stop short, groaning. It's pouring down rain outside!
Of course, I'm running late and I left my umbrella in my dorm.
Warren jingles his car keys. "Where are you headed?"
I glance over at him. "Why do you ask?"
"I have a car," he said simply. "I can give you a ride to your class."
I shake my head. "I don't take rides from strangers."
"Suit yourself." He heads out to the street, head bowed as he runs against the rain. As I step out into the rain, I see him get into a shiny red sports car. I pull my hood up and start down the sidewalk.
The wind blows the rain into my face, soaking my sweatshirt even as I am sprinting towards my class. My bookbag bounces against my back and my shoes are slipping in my sandals. Talk about not dressing for the weather.
The next thing I know, The red sports car is pulling up beside me and beeping. Warren waves from the inside.
"Why are you so obsessed with me?" I shout.
He pops the passenger side door open. "Just get in the car. We're going in the same direction anyway. It's pointless that you're getting all wet."
"This is how girls like me get abducted," I argue.
"And have my dad take away my inheritance? No way."
There are only five minutes left until my class starts. There isn't time to be arguing or even running out in the rain. So against my better judgment, I sigh and climb into the car, shutting the door behind me. I lower my hood and try to fix my hair in the mirror. It smells like bubble gum in here, and the radio is playing Britney Spears' Circus.
Warren must sense how awkward I feel because he lowers the radio. "So, what's your major, Jean?"
"Biology." I'm aware of how short I am with speaking to him, but I'm on edge. "And I'm taking a few other classes to complete my pre-med course."
"Pre-med? Damn, my dad would love it if I was a doctor. Unfortunately, I didn't have the highest GPA graduating, and my SAT scores were... well... Less than preferred. I'm lucky I even got accepted into the business major."
I nod and listen to what he has to say. He does not seem hostile at all, but then again, that is how they get you. Despite the lecture hall being only five blocks away, this drive feels like it is taking forever.
When we arrive in the parking lot, Warren chooses a spot close to the door and turns off the ignition. "Maybe I'll see you around," he says. He grabs his book bag from the back seat. I pick mine up from beside my feet.
I get out of the car, running straight towards the front door. "Thanks for the ride," I call over my shoulder. As soon as I get inside, I stripe off my soggy jacket and head for my lecture with still two minutes to spare.
To Be Continued...
