"We do have some students that go home for summer." Ororo explains as she leads Carol and Joan on a tour of the mansion. "But for the majority this is the only home they know anymore - the only home they've ever known, in some sad cases. We do have summer classes but none of them are mandatory. The art class," she points out as they pass a room that has clearly been altered to suit said class, "is generally pretty popular. Rogue should be back soon to continue teaching it."
Carol peers into the room and tries to remember when last she'd picked up a pencil and sketch pad. Weeks? Easily weeks. Since the first time she'd met Jack, in the cage. She'd been too keyed up and generally distracted since then. But now, as she peers into the classroom and smells that familiar smell of oil paints and crayons and pencil lead, her fingers itch for a more pleasant sort of distraction.
"I'll be sure to let you know when she returns, if you'd like." Ororo says, smiling wanly.
"Yes, please."
...
Ororo offers to introduce Carol to some of the other girls she'll be rooming with, but Carol politely refuses. She's got her head screwed on a bit straighter now and feels she can handle herself alright, and instead opts to just wander around a bit and let whatever happens, happen.
The other students keep a respectful enough distance. Not that they seem at all terribly unfriendly; many even offer her a smile. They just seem to know better than to crowd her. Strolling through the halls and exploring the grounds outside proves to be a bit of an adventure for her. She's seen on the news before about mutants, even seen footage of them using their powers, but never before has she seen anyone using their abilities so casually as some do here. The thought even flits across her mind that she may not be so much a freak herself - her quickened healing doesn't seem to be a common thing, but watching one blue-skinned kid climb all over a tree using a monkey's tail makes her other gifts seem relatively normal.
Actually, monkey-boy with his blue skin seems relatively normal compaired to the guy playing basketball with a bunch of others on the court out back.
He's blue, as well. But furry. And big. Probably tall as Logan, but somehow even broader. Carol wanders up closer to the basketball court, arms crossed as she watches the boys play. No surprise, the team with the big furry guy seems to be winning, though the rivalry being displayed seems entirely good-natured.
Big Blue is the only one to take any notice of Carol. A breeze blows past her towards the court, and he...he sniffs the air, catching her very feral scent. He looks over, gold eyes locking onto hazel for a fraction of a moment. A smile tugs at his lips, and he offers a nod in greeting before returning to the game. Carol strolls over to a picnic table set up a few paces away, deciding to watch until the game is over. She kind of wants to meet Big Blue.
Evidentally, he's thinking the same of her. The basketball goes out of bounds. When another player runs off after it, he makes a beeline for the picnic table. "They told me we had someone new." He starts with in a smooth baritone. "But, ah, I don't think anyone mentioned 'feral'."
"Hey, this whole place has been one big suprise for me." She chuckles. "So I guess that makes us even." She holds out a hand. "Carol Fletcher."
"Jake McCoy." He envelopes her hand in his massive one, squeezing just lightly as they shake. "You want to play with us?"
"Oh. No, basketball was never really my thing." For reasons mostly to do with her height..or slight lack thereof. "I just...spotted you and, well. Before yesterday I'd only ever met one other mutant that I knew of. And you're a little..uuh." She hesitates to finish the statement, unsure if she'll be offending him. It's not that she has any problems with his appearance, it's just that this is all so new.
"Blue and fluffy?" He laughs. "It's ok. I know this must all be a bit much. I grew up here, so I can only imagine what must be running through your head." Carol doesn't respond immediately, so he clears his throat and goes on. "So. Basketball, not the new girls thing, got it."
"Hockey. That's where I was always at."
"You wouldn't be alone around here on that, actually. Just, maybe the only girl..."
Carol grins at this. "Bet I'd kick butt at it anyway!"
"Oh, we'll test that out, don't you worry!" He grins back at the playful challenge.
The other boys on the court call out his name, wanting to get back to their game.
Carol waves him off. "It's ok. Go play your game, I'm just kinda...passin' through."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Ok. But I'll see you around, right?"
Carol's heart seems to skip a very odd beat at the hopeful tone to his voice. Jesus. Down girl. Only just met him. To cover the blush that may be coloring her cheeks, she winks. "Looking forward to it." She can't help it. She's just a flirt. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she wanders off.
She can feel his eyes on her back as she goes, but she doesn't look back. The last thing she needs is for anyone at this new place to think she's desperate for attention.
A group of tittering girls seems to make up most of the gathering that's watching monkey boy climb his tree.
"Hey! New girl!" One of them gestures towards her, excited. "Come watch! Donny never makes it all the way up but he's made it farther than he usually does!"
Carol peers up at Monkey Boy, raising an eyebrow. "Never makes it? Looks like he's doin' alright to me."
"Oooh, well, he could make it technically, I mean pretty easily probably, but that's what so funny." The other girl grins. "He's afraid of heights!"
"Well what's he doin' up there at all then?"
"Trying to impress Summer's I'd bet. Uhm, that's the firebrand over there, the one that just looks worried. I mean, it's kinda silly, she's got a boyfriend already and she's such a needy drama queen sometimes, but Donny's got this crush and I'm just like, whatever Donny. I'm Tash, by the way." She turns to Carol now, still talking a mile a minute. "Well, Natasha, but that's always seemed like a bit of a mouthful so most people just call me Tash. Sorry, I know, I blabber a lot, just tell me to shut up if I get to be too much. What's your name?"
For a moment Carol's mouth opens but nothing comes out. Tash is a little...overwhelming. But Carol's thoughts catch up soon enough, and she hands out her name again.
The girls around grow louder and more excited as Donny makes it higher up the tree and grows shakier. Tash loops an arm through Carols, pulling her along to pace the rest of the mansions grounds. "I'll congratulate Donny later. So! I have to ask. What's your mutation? I mean, the rumor is you're a feral, I know that means enhanced senses. But those are actually a little rare. I mean, we have Jake McCoy and his dad, and Mr. Logan of -," she falters oddly at this, almost as though she can sense the way Carol's stomach knots up a bit at the mention of Logan, "of course, but that's totally coincidence. So..so are you? Feral?"
"I am. Feral." Carol pauses, jittery with a nervous energy. She likes Tash already, and doesn't want to scare the other girl off somehow. But the only way to make a new friend, she supposes, is to take a chance. "And, I, erm...I heal."
"Heal? Like, how?"
"Well..." Carol considers just saying like 'Mr. Logan'. She's smart enough to put the pieces together; that has to be part of his mutation too. But she just can't bring herself to acknowledge that yet, so decides on a different approach. "Uhm. Promise to try not to freak out?"
"Of course!" Tash answers without missing a beat, (and Wildthing decides she really likes Tash, the other girls excitement is so genuine).
"Ok." Carol blows out a breath, brings her hand up, makes a fist, and releases her claws. Tash's eyebrows shoot up, but she smells excited, not wary or scared. Relaxing a fraction, Carol brings the claws back into hiding and tilts her fist towards Tash so the other girl can watch the skin between her knuckles knit itself neatly back together. "Like that."
"Oh. My. God!" Tash squeals in apparent delight. "That's sooo cool! I bet you never get sick either, that's the kinda mutation I was wishing for a few weeks ago when Jase gave me Mono and my throat swelled all up, like ugh."
Carol chuckles. "Nope. I used to get sick all the time when I was a little, I was stupidly scrawny, but the last time was when I was like eleven. Uhm. So...Monkey boy is, well, monkey boy. Already saw a kid that could fly, couple obvious mind freaks..wait. Sorry. That sounds bad, I just mean..."
"Telekinetics." Tash provides her with the right word, not seeming at all bothered. "We have a few, that ones pretty common. And don't apologize! You'll get it all figured out, I know it takes time."
Carol shrugs. "Well, what's your mutation then?"
"Empathy. Erm..literal empathy, I mean, I can actually sense emotion. Not telepathy," she adds in hastily, "I can't read thoughts! Just feelings. I always like to make sure people know that, cause I mean I can sometimes piece together what someones probably thinking when reading emotion and factoring in the context but that's just deduction. Educated guess work. And I try not to do it unless I kinda think it's necessary." That sounds...smart. Really smart. There's more to Tash than one might notice at first glance, Carol can already tell.
To put the other girl back at ease, Carol smiles in return and nudges her shoulder playfully. "...so this place is just full of mind freaks, huh?"
And just llike that Tash is smiling again. "Yeah, I guess so! Oooh, come on, lets go find Ms. Munroe, the girl that used to have the bed next to mine in our dorm, she just left for college so that bed is totally open now and you just have to have that one!"
.
"It's up to you."
"I don't know. Telling her now...it would almost seem cruel. And it's not as though...her grandfather has already promised to see to it. He probably has people combing through the ruins as we speak, he won't waste time while the weather is still warm."
A pause. "Let her settle in here, give her time to make a friend or two without this looming over her. She may be upset you didn't tell her sooner, but the trade off may be worth it. It's what I would do." Ororo offers. "Though, no one knows your daughter like you do."
Joan snorts. "Apparently, that's not saying much. There's an awful lot she managed to keep secret from me. I'd venture a guess that the only one who really knows what goes on in Carol's head is Carol herself."
Ororo smiles, laughing softly. "Aah. Like father, like daughter then, in many more ways than one. That's already quite clear."
Joan nods, returning the smile. "Well, yes. That, I have always known."
"Ms. Munroe?" A knock sounds on the cracked open door to Ororo's office, and a blonde head makes an appearance.
"It's alright Tash, you can come in."
Grinning, the bubbly sixteen-year-old throws the door open wider and loops an arm through her companions - her companion, incidentally, being Carol.
Ororo smiles warmly. "What can I do you for you girls?"
"I was wondering - assuming she'll be here a while, that is, I mean I'm sure -"
Carol interjects before Tash can get going, quiet but firm. "We were wondering if I can have the bed next to hers in the girls dorm."
Joan's eyes light up, and she relaxes a fraction in a way that's quite visible. Clearly, she's happy to see her daughter already making friends.
"Of course." Ororo answers, not missing a beat. "In fact, I think it's a wonderful idea. We'll get you settled there for tonight, then."
Tash squeals, and Carol winces at the same time a giggle makes it past her lips too. "Thanks, Ms. Munroe. We'll get out of your hair then - uhm. Just, is everything okay Ma?"
Joan hesitates, but only for a fraction of a moment. "Yes. Yes, dear, everythings fine. Listen, I know we didn't bring much with us, why don't you and I head out to town and do some shopping? We can bring..." She nods at Tash.
"Natasha! Tash for short." The blonde supplies her name, grinning.
Joan nods. "...Tash. We can bring Tash along, if you'd like."
Tash squeals again. Carol laughs. "Yeah, sure. Sounds..fun." Tash is already pulling her along, tittering on about how they should go 'dress cuter, we could go to the mall, there's always the cutest guys wandering around...' "Ah, guess we'll meet you down by my truck."
"Sounds like a plan." Joan watches them go, amusement clear on her face.
Ororo's eyebrows raise as she can still hear Tash from down the hall. "Tash has a tendency to get a little...attatched."
"Carol likes her." Joan says, tone suggesting it's a fact, not conjecture.
"Oh. Well. Alright then."
.
"Hey, whoa, slow down Half Pint. What's your hurry?"
Her first reaction is to cringe at the words 'half pint'. Just, ugh. Before she can get to the point of threatening bodily harm, though, the voice behind the words registers...and then so does the recognition of who it belongs to.
Eyes wide, Carol spins around. "Jack!"
He grins. "Well, yah don't have to act that surprised..."
"It's just...Ms. Monroe said you'd probably bow out pretty quick, and I was figuring it's not like you'd have much reason to care beyond..."
He waves her on to follow him. "Beyond...what? You're my sister. Besides you all I have is two half-brothers on my mom's side, and we don't always get along so well."
"So..so you're staying a while?" Carol asks, hopeful. She'd been so prepared for him to just vanish as quick and easy as he'd appeared, she tried not to let herself think it through any further. But the truth of it is, tough as she can play at being, the thought of having a big brother..of not feeling so oddly alone anymore..she likes it.
"Yep. I'm staying a while."
"Awesome!" The halls around them grow quieter and less occupied, and Carol realizes where he's leading her. "Why are we going down to the..."
"Because I've got something to show you."
He leads her into the garage, a cavernous space occupied by a variety of vehicles, including Carol's truck. It also serves as a mechanics dream work space, with a wall set with an extensive and well-used set of tools, plus a massive, wheeled red tool box.
Carol spots it immediately. It's the only thing that hadn't been there the last time she came down here. "Oh...oh, no way."
"You like it?"
Carol darts past every other car and work space, transfixed. "Like it? Oh my God, It's gorgeous."
Jack beams. "Yeah, had a feeling that'd be your reaction."
Carol runs a hand along smooth black leather and grins. It's a motorcycle. Polished chrome and deep purple with a skull designed on each side. "God, I've wanted to learn how to ride one for ages, but Mom wouldn't allow it."
"Well, hell. I gotta at least take you for a ride, then." He strolls over to the switch on the far wall that will send one of the large bay doors to opening.
Carol's eyebrows raise. "Wait..really?"
"Really." He tosses her the helmet hanging off the handle bars. "Not that we need one too bad, but, yah know..."
She straps it on - it's a little big, but it'll do - and gets on the 'bike behind him. She's never ridden on a motorcycle before, but something about it had always looked exhilerating.
Holding tight to her brother as he takes off with abandon, she realizes she may be hooked.
.
Days pass. The rest of the students continue to give Carol plenty of breathing room, unless she approaches them. She wonders if this is a general rule they keep to with all new people that come through, or if it has something to do with it being well known she's feral. A bit of both, maybe? Either way, she appreciates the hell out of it.
The art teacher is on her way back, she's informed, but she's welcome to borrow the supplies in the art room if she feels so inclined. All the 'new' she's surrounded by gives her plenty of fuel; she aquires a sketch book and within just a few days she's already got several pages worth of sketches. Some of the students going about their usual daily activities, a few of the grounds surrounding the school, and a few of Tash since that's who she finds herself spending the most time with. Oh. And then there's the ones of Jake McCoy that she's careful not to let anyone see because no way is she about to risk him finding out she has such an instant crush on him. Something about him just...just...
Sometimes, Carol isn't so well in control of certain things. She can't explain it. Instinct just likes to take over at certain times. And it is trying very hard to do so with Jake McCoy.
It doesn't help that he's so...just...he sits himself down with her in the cafeteria at lunch time on the occasion he sees she's alone. He drags her out to try playing some baseball, refuses to let her get away with staying inside when Ms. Munroe decides to let them all have a pool day, and gets one of the teachers to use his powers and coat the floor of the Danger room (one of her favorite rooms of the ones she's seen) with a layer of ice so they can use it to play a game of hockey.
(He captains one team while she captains the other. She can skate circles around Jake, and her team wins easy.)
She could almost think he's actively flirting with her, but he always backs it up a bit when she tries to really flirt back. So clearly he does like her. Just, only as a friend.
Wild Thing doesn't like this. Not one bit. Thinks he's..he's..
Thinks he might just be mate material. But Carol is not going there, so she ignores the instinct. For crying out loud! She can't be thinking about that at seventeen! It won't get her anywhere anyway; he's got a girlfriend. Some girl a few years older than them named Sarah.
So Carol will just..enjoy him as a friend. She can do that.
Yeah. Of course she can.
...
Logan reappears after a few days. She's calmed down some by this point, herself. Just decides to give him a wide berth for now. Maybe he'll make the first move.
He seems to have decided the first move should be hers.
They seem to be at an impasse.
Carol decides to just let it be for now.
...
"Anyone show you what the Danger Room can do yet?" Jack asks her one afternoon, sat across from her at the greasy steakhouse where he's buying her dinner.
"No. Well, I mean, Ms. Munroe showed me where it is and explained what it's used for, since my Mom had already told me about the X-Men, but no one actually showed me. Why?"
Before he can answer, their waitress makes an appearance, a tall and rail thin woman, middle-aged, her hair dyed blonde. "Sorry, I apologize for the wait, it's awful busy here today. Pair o' you know what you want yet, or...?"
Carol goes first when Jack nods at her. "The sirloin, sixteen ounce. Rare. And a loaded baked potato, please." She doesn't given any thought to how odd it must seem - a relatively petite young woman dressed in a pink blouse and white skirt, ordering enough food to just about satisfy someone Jack's size. Usually, when around anyone else aside from her mother, she quietly orders what they would expect of her - a salad or something. But it's been ages since she's had some real food as a result of this, and she knows Jack doesn't care.
The waitress, however... two manicured eyebrows shoot up in surpise. "Erm..well..salad or..."
"Soup. Cheesy potato."
"That's an awful lot of food. Girl your age ought to start thinkin' about watchin' her figure...and are you sure you want that steak rare?"
The reaction is ridiculous. The waitress probably shouldn't be making comments like this, but it's not the older womans fault Carol presents such an odd picture. Wild Thing races half way to the surface defensively anyway and a scowl contorts Carol's features. "If it ain't still mooin', I don't want it." She fires back, accent growing more slangy and voice lowering to it's natural alto. "And hell, maybe if you bothered to sit down for a real meal there'd be curves enough on you to fill those jeans out. Might make yah less a judgemental old bitch, at that."
Clearly startled, the woman clears her throat and gives a shaky nod. "Erm. Rare steak, loaded baked potato, soup, got it. Ah. And you?"
Jack's got an eyebrow raised in Carol's direction, but doesn't miss a beat as he orders his food and the waitress shuffles off. "...that would be why." He answers Carol's earlier question. "You can fool everyone else for a while I'm sure, but you won't fool me or Logan. We've both been there. Going through so many changes, under so much stress. You need a way to blow off steam."
Carol can't bring herself to feel too bad about snapping at the waitress. But she knows her brother's right. "Show me when we get back then?"
He nods. "My pleasure."
...
The Danger Room, he explains, can be used to set up many different sorts of simulations for the X-Men - sentinels, Brotherhood opponents, members of the Hellfire Club. But it can also, much more simply, be used to set up a sort of opstical course, either with basic dumbies to be targeted, or to be worked around. Jack sets up one with an equal measure of both.
And he shows her...
He shows her how to fight.
Not like she learned to fight in the cages. That's dirty fighting, and Jack admits that style has it's place. But what he shows her is a little more uniform. Moves that are meant to stun and disarm only temporarily, not to fully disable. For one with gifts like theirs - a healing factor, enhanced senses, animal instincts, and some enhanced strength - performing these moves correctly requires equal degrees of restraint and concentration.
That's why he shows them to her, he says. "Learn to perform these moves as their meant to be performed and you'll have learned some control of the rage by default. Let it out, but only in bursts. You don't always have to maim someone to get their attention."
She quickly comes to the decision that she enjoys him as a sparring partner.
...
"...we should totally ask Ms. Munroe about taking another trip to the mall," Tash is prattling on as she and Carol wander there way down to find some breakfast, "a bunch of us could go and...hey! What's wrong?"
Wild Thing floats forcefully to the surface as she catches a familiar scent... That perfume. No one else here at the mansion uses it, but she remembers someone else who had. She follows the trail.
Tash stays hot on her heels. "Hey! Carol! What are you...where are you going?"
"Someone new..." She grumbles, darting quickly past a few other students, trailing down the hallway...the hallway that leads to the art room, actually. "Someones just got here."
Tash is quickly getting used to Carol's odd swings in mood and feral tendencies towards easy distraction (even if the empath doesn't always realize that's what she's sensing in her friend). She doesn't miss a beat. "Rogue, maybe, the art teacher? Oh, I hope so! I've missed her, she's soooo nice!"
What are the chances that the art teacher would just happen to wear that same unique perfume as...
Not very good. Carol doesn't bother knocking, just throws open the door to the art room and comes to stand inside, arms crossing. "Anna. Yah know, I could tell right away there was somethin' off about yah."
It's the waitress that her mother had recently hired at her diner. All the way back home, way up in Alberta. Odd that she should end up here in New York, as well.
Tall. Dark hair with that pretty streak of white. She's dressed far different now, looks nothing like a teacher - a black tank top beneath green fishnet, skinny jeans and lips painted black. Black gloves, too. Very punk, Carol kind of likes it.
"It's Rogue, actually. Nice to see yah too, hon."
"Oh. Do you already know..." Tash has just caught up and stops short next to Carol, bewildered.
Hard now and bordering on angry, Carol doesn't take her eyes off Rogue even as she answers her friend. "Nope. Never seen her before. Hey, can you give us a minute? I'll come find yah."
Tash blinks at her, clearly unsure what to do with the sudden change in her friend. But shrugs. "Yeah. Okay. Uhm, welcome back Miss Rogue."
"I'll see yah soon, Tash."
The blonde beats a hasty retreat.
As soon as she's sure the blonde is out of earshot, Carol shuts the door and stalks further into the room a few paces. "Do you mind tellin' me what in the hell you're playin' at lady?" Her accent has gone kinda slangy again, like she learned from her friends at the Warehouse, and her voice has lowered to it's normal alto.
Rogue sighs, though that might be amusement that's dancing behind her eyes. "Easy there, peaches. Play wasn't mine. I just do what the..."
"Boss lady tells yah too." Carol finishes for her, scowling. "Rule number one around here, eh?"
"Pretty much. Boss lady's the only one liable to try an' tell yah any different, oddly enough." Rogue shrugs. "Anyhow, you were makin' some waves up there. Big enough to catch attention elsewhere, and then else-elsewhere and then...well, 'Roro's got an odd way of just knowin' stuff. We still don't know how she does it. But she told me to head on up north and check it out, an' that's all I was doin'." A pause. The older woman crosses her arms as she eyes Carol up, a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips. "You kicked serious ass in that cage."
Carol blinks. And then almost blushes. "You..you saw that?"
"You kiddin'? Who'd want to miss that?" The smirk turns itself into a grin, transforming Rogue's face entirely. "I mean, it made it all the more interestin' when I saw it was Jack up there, too. D'you know, I ain't seen anyone who can hand Jack his own backside like that, save for Logan. Course he maybe just wasn't ready for yah ta be such a little hurricane. But whew, you were fun to watch, peaches."
Carol finds herself fair beaming with pride. She can't even help it. "Well...really?"
"Really."
"Thanks." There's a pause as Carol's thoughts work there way past the distraction. And then she finds herself staring. "I'm...sorry. This is going to be rude an' I know it but uhm, how can you be a mutant when...?"
Rogue holds up her gloved hands. "Well, that ones a long story. See, there's a way to kinda...hide our powers. Make 'em go away, just for a little while. It's messy to start with, though..can get even more so the longer yah use it if yahr like me and the temptations too strong."
Carol eyes up the gloves. "So..what's.."
Rogue smiles again, softer this time. Warm and sweet. "It's alrigh, sugah. My mutation is my skin. I touch people and things happen. Used to be I'd drain yah all together, like a damned leech. But I got some control now. Can just take bits n' peices. I've got real good with just borrowin' other powers. Fact is, I don't always even need the gloves, but usin' the serum long as I did leaves my control a little shaky for a while, so just to be safe it's the gloves again for now. Anyway," she goes on, not giving Carol time to respond, abruptly chipper again "Ah was told that if Ah find anythin' missin' in here, you're prob'bly the culprit. Ah hope yah aren't plannin' to hold out on meh! Ah have class three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday."
Wild Thing takes stock of the woman. Sniffs the air, takes a moment to work out whether her instincts are screeching any warnings, like they used to. But she gets nothing of the same vibe from the older woman now. Anna - Rogue - whatever her name is, she's being genuine now. Plain honest. And Carol would really like to keep her free access to the art supplies. "I'll be here."
"With some sketches to show me?" Anna adds sweetly.
"Yeah. With some sketches."
"Lookin' forward to it, peaches!" The older woman grins happily.
Carol wanders back out of the art room wondering, not for the first time since arriving at the mansion, what the hell just happened?
...
It happens slowly. At first Jamie just makes sure to come to the art classes every week because she wants the free access to supplies. But Anna...Anna likes her.
"These sketches are amazing. Yah really never took an art class before?"
Jamie shrugs. "I wanted to. But grandmother was a dancer and wanted me to be one too. Said it would help me to be more poised r' somethin, and between that and hockey...anyway, erm, I can draw well enough I guess but I'm really no good at all with a paint brush or anything else."
Anna beams at this, apparently delighted. "Well, you can come find me whenever yah like, then, sugar, I'd just love to give yah some extra lessons, it'd be fun and I think yah'd enjoy it!"
Jamie's hesitant, but isn't even sure why, and Anna's smile is so sweet, her excitement so genuine. "Well..alright. Yeah, sure. Sounds good."
...
A few weeks pass and classes start up. Carol asks her Mom if the plan is really for her to finish out her 12th grade year at the Mansion. Her mother shrugs and just asks, why not?
So...it's that simple, in the end. They just..stay.
...
"I put Rogue's class on your rotation, last one of the day." Ororo tells her. "She said you'd likely want to take it."
Carol doesn't mind the idea at all.
...
"... I mean, do we really even need to know geometry? It's like, who actually uses..." Tash is prattling on in her usual no-breath-in-between sort of way. "... I doubt we'll even remember that anyway! Right? Hey. Carol?"
Carol starts a bit. She'd been ignoring the other girl, though not on purpose. "Huh?"
"You ok? You're not even eating, aren't you usually like starving by now?" Tash looks genuinely worried. "You're not sick, are you? I thought that wasn't possible."
"It's not, really. I'm fine." Carol tries to be reassuring. "I'm just - thinking. That's all." She reaches for her fork and stabs at her salad with complete disinterest. She is hungry, but not for the leafy rabbit food. Why does she keep up this charade anymore, anyway? She's starting to forget her own reasoning.
"Well c'mon, something is wrong, I can feel it."
"It's nothing, Tash. I'm just..."
"It's Jake. Isn't it?"
Carol scowls, but says nothing. Jake has been MIA for days now. No one knows why, but the speculation is that he'd been quietly given leave to go see his girlfriend - the girlfriend herself being a few years older and already in college.
"Oh! I felt that, it is because of Jake! Well, you know, I did tell you he's got a girlfriend." Her tone is sympathetic, not haughty as the words would imply.
"Yeah, well. Not too bright, am I?"
"Her Birthday is coming up in a few days. Ms. Munroe's his mom, he probably didn't have to work too hard to convince her to let him go see Summers before she comes to visit this weekend. You'd better just forget him. He and Summers have had this thing going for like ever."
Carol picks sullenly at her salad and says nothing more.
"Y'know." Tash goes on anyway, tone a little more mischievious now. "There's plenty of other boys here who are kinda into you."
Carol snorts, eyebrow raising. "Really?"
"You're kinda a babe, you know that right? Don't act so surprised. You just need to act a little more - approachable."
"I mean, I've never had trouble where that's concerned before. I just didn't realize..."
"Well, I think it's time you start. C'mon, lets see. Hmmm. Unbutton the blouse a bit. What are you anyway, a nun?" Carol almost laughs out loud at the thought, but complies, and Tash goes on. "There. I mean, you've got plenty to show off, why not flaunt it? And the hair - take the bun out." Carol rolls her eyes, but reaches up to take out the pins holding her hair in a neat chignon at the nape of her neck. Thick brunette waves flow down to rest over her shoulders and Tash grins. "Gorgeous!" The bell rings. Lunch has ended. Tash looks Carol over one last time as they stand to leave, and nods as though her work is done. "Good enough, anyway. Now c'mon. Shoulders back, chin up, and walk like you're looking for a snack. Trust me, one will find you."
Carol can't hold back the laughter this time. "Aw, Jesus - hey, who even taught you to talk like that?"
Tash just grins and struts off to her next class, hips swaying.
...
She's right, though. All Carol has to do is flash a smile in the right direction. By the time two more classes are through, she's got two potential dates and one straight-up-but-low-key offer of sex (granted the last one is from a boy she's flirted a bit with before).
("There's this old tool shed way out at the furthest corner of the grounds, surrounded by woods, no one goes out there except for... I mean, we could just go for a walk, if you wanna.")
Damn. What is it with the kids at this place? No ones wastin' any time, that's for sure.
Her last class being art with Anna, there are more girls than boys crowding the room. None of them pay her much mind - Carol keeps mostly to herself in this class - but she can hear the whispers.
"Did you know she's coming to visit again?"
"Jake McCoy's been gone a few days, I wonder if...?"
"You know, he's been working for his Dad, helping out down in the lab, I heard he bought her flowers..."
"...bet he puts a ring on that by graduation if he can work the money up, no way he keeps her on the hook much longer if he doesn't, you know how she talks..."
Carol doesn't get angry. Honestly, she doesn't. Actually she's kinda just - annoyed at herself. For having sat on it for weeks without just asking him or...or...
She takes her pick of the boys who had approached her that day, naturally deciding on the brave one that had straight up offered sex. Sneaking out and away proves easier than she thought it would be - it's a nice evening, and there are other kids scattered all over the mansions grounds. They wander off slow and quiet, Carol flirts shamelessly, he almost loses his nerve, she pulls him along, and...well. He's almost definitely a virgin. She'd figured as much, but kinda likes the idea of being the one to fix that for him. She draws it out, too, flirts and teases and flirts some more until he probably won't last much longer and then she...
It isn't until much later, when she's in bed that night and trying to sleep and the rush begins to wear off the rest of the way, that she realizes. This is an awful small school. And one thing she's become hyper-aware of very quickly is that rumors at a very small school spread like wildfire.
Oh. Shit.
