Jacelynn had barely set foot into Bayville High when she noticed something was off.

She felt eyes on her constantly as she walked through the halls. That wasn't new, the rest of the brotherhood had cultivated that certain kind of reputation that meant they got more then a few. But this wasn't that, she had a gut feeling. This wasn't even the appreciative gazes of people (rightly) thinking she's hot, which she enjoyed much more.

These looks were just unnerving.

She ducked into the nearest women's bathroom she came across, wondering if there was something wrong with her illusion. But the Jacelynn that stared back at her in the mirror was fine. Her face was normal and her hair was perfect. She spun around to make sure no one had placed a 'kick me' sign on her back, but there was nothing.

Jacelynn frowned. This was odd, she thought to herself as she smoothed down her skirt. She looked perfectly fine. She looked great, even. What was the issue?

Jacelynn sighed, running a hand through her hair. There was no point just standing in here trying to figure it out; she was never going to get anywhere. She might as well just go about her day as normal and just try to ignore the looks. Ignoring her problems was a talent she'd cultivated over the years, after all.

The morning was mercifully boring. Lunch took a turn when she and her roommates walked up to the cafeteria only to find it closed for "unspecified reasons." Lance offered to grab Gut Bomb, conscripting Todd to come along and hold everything. This left her, Fred and Pietro to wander aimlessly outside until they got back.

"So there's gonna be a party tonight?" Fred questioned.

She nodded. "Yeah, Duncan Matthews' is throwing one. Y'know, the football quarterback. Blond, tall?"

Fred frowned. "I don't think I've seen anyone tall at school."

"What do you consider to be tall Fred?"

Her roommate paused for a long moment. " If I have to look up when they're talking," he finally decided.

"And you're like, what. 6'8?" Jacelynn asked, to which Fred nodded in response, "then shit, yeah by that measure everyone is short."

"The real question," Pietro cuts in, "Is does he throw a good party?"

She tilted her head to the side, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, I'd say he does. His parents are rich, so he's pretty liberal with booze." His house was also an absolute goldmine for swiping valuables, although that wasn't something she was going to casually admit in the middle of the schoolyard.

"Oh, then I am so there," he said as he spun the soccer ball in his hand.

"Is free alcohol all it takes to get you to do things?"

"I'll take money too."

"So what's it going to cost to get you to start doing your part of the chores?"

"A hundred bucks or that much in booze," Pietro replied without an ounce of sarcasm.

Fred looked down and started counting on his fingers. Jacelynn gaped. " Jesus fuck, do you hate sweeping that bad?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a waste of my time."

"You could do the whole house in five minutes."

"My time is valuable, 'Lynn. Who am I to deprive the lovely ladies of Bayville my presence?" he replied, winking at two passing girls. They both giggled and blushed.

She, on the other hand, was not impressed. "First of all, my name is Jacelynn, not 'Lynn. And secondly-"

"Yeah yeah," he cut her off, waving a hand in her general direction as his eyes followed the two other girls, 'Speaking of valuable time, I need to secure myself a date or two for the party tonight. Later, losers." he said, already heading off.

'Pietro's weird," Fred declared.

"Weird is one word for it," Jacelynn sighed. "Is school over yet? I'm ready to go home."

Regrettably, the lunch break wasn't even over yet, meaning she had to suffer through a couple more hours. However, Lance soon returned with Gut Bomb, and her outlook improved once she started eating her fries.

She and Fred continued their aimless wandering but with Lance in tow this time. The boys talked about some wrestlers with ridiculous names, so Jacelynn had resoundingly little to contribute to the conversation.

It also meant she had nothing to distract from the looks. Every minute, it seemed, she felt someone's eyes on her. She'd hear hushed whispers followed by muffled laughter - and she couldn't shake the feeling they were about her.

She clenched and unclenched her fist at her side, not wanting to come off as too rattled. This was going to drive her nuts until she figured out what the fuck is going on.

But that might have to wait; she amended as she caught sight of a lone Jean standing in an offshoot hallway. No fellow X-men hanging around, no boyfriend looming behind her. This may be her best bet to talk to the girl.

She told her roommates she'd be back, tossed her empty fry container into a nearby garbage can and approached the red-head.

Jean looked lost in her thoughts, a hand running up and down her forearm. She didn't even see Jacelynn when she was standing right next to her.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jacelynn asked.

Jean whirled, her eyes widening in surprise before immediately narrowing. "What do you want?"

Jacelynn balked. "Um, alright. I just wanted to talk. I saw something that I'm pretty sure you're going to want to hear."

Jean scowled further, putting her hands on her hips. 'If this isn't an apology, I don't want to hear it."

'An apology?" Jacelynn repeated.

"That's what I said."

Jacelynn scoffed."I have barely talked to you once. So what the hell would I need to apologize for?"

"I figured you were a bitch," Jacelynn would have been amazed that goody-two-shoes Jean had sworn if the next part of the sentence hadn't hit her like a ton of bricks, "But I didn't think you'd be so low not to realize you shouldn't try to steal someone else's boyfriend."

Jacelynn reeled. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Duncan told me everything that happened at the theatre."

That bastard! He threw me under the bus to save his own ass, Jacelynn seethed in her head. "That is NOT what happened at all."

"Save the excuses. I know what kind of girl you are; you can't lie your way out of this one."

"Care to elaborate on what kind of girl I am?" she asked her voice ice cold.

"You show up to school dressed like that, surround yourself with male attention, and then have the audacity to flirt with guys in relationships and then lie about it."

"So you're calling me a slut."

Jean pursed her lips. "I don't like to use those kinds of words, but some of the other girls at school might be saying so."

"Let me get this straight. You get half a story, spread it around to everyone, and then you have a holier-than-thou attitude about the whole thing?"

"I didn't 'spread it around.' I warned the girls I know, and they warned the girls they know. So if you have a problem with it, maybe you should have thought about the consequences of your actions.

"Consquences of what, Jean?! I didn't go after your stupid boyfriend. I didn't do anything but see your boyfriend swap spit with some random girl."

'I'm done with this. If all your going to do is lie to my face, then get out of my sight!"

"I can see why Duncan cheated now. I can understand not wanting to fuck a conceited plastic bitch like you," Jacelynn snapped.

"Leave!"

"Last time I ever try to help you," Jacelynn muttered, flipping off the redhead and disappearing around the hallway corner.

When she was sufficiently away from Jean, and her heart wasn't pounding in her chest, Jacelynn slid down a wall, sat on the ground and put her head in her hands.

So that's what all those looks were about. Half the school was apparently gossiping about how she was a boyfriend stealing slut.

It wasn't the first time someone had called her that. She'd dabbled in casual dating when she was moving around with Mystique. And she would be the first to admit her clothes tended to err on the shorter side. But, sue her, she liked putting together fashionable outfits! Jacelynn dressed the way she did for herself, and it had never bothered her when people assumed things about her based on it.

But dozens upon dozens of judgemental eyes on her felt a lot worse. She felt hot and itchy. She desperately wished she'd worn pants instead of a skirt. She wanted to punch someone and simultaneously melt into the shadows, never to be seen again.

"You okay, Jacelynn?" came the concerned voice of Fred.

Shit, her friends. She quickly schooled her features into nonchalance and raised her head. "Oh, hey guys," she gave a small wave to Lance and Fred, "I'm alright. I just have a wicked migraine."

Lance winced in sympathy. "You want some Advil? I've got a bottle in my locker."

"Nah, I'm okay. I took some earlier,"Jacelynn lied, standing up.

"Alright. Offer's there if you change your mind, though."

"I'll keep it in mind," she replied as the trio started heading down the hallway, "Although you know what would really make me feel better?"

"What?"

"A ride home right now so I don't have to stick it out for the next three periods."

Fred laughed. "I have a migraine and wanna go home too Lance!"

The rock tumbler rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, nice try. I have a class I can't miss this afternoon, so unless you're walking, you're out of luck."

"A class you can't miss because you have a test? Or are you just terribly busy staring at the back of Kitty's head?" that comment earned a laugh from Fred and a good-natured shove from Lance, though she found her balance before she careened into the lockers. "What? It was a genuine question!"

"Oh, I'm sure it was," Lance's sarcasm was palpable.

She had another witty retort on the tip of her tongue when Fred interjected." Hey, look who it is," he jerked his head further up the hallway. Jacelynn saw who he was referring to immediately and scowled.

Of course, the universe wouldn't throw her a bone, and not ten minutes after their confrontation stood Miss Apparently Perfect Jean Grey. Next to her was Scott Summers, and she could feel Lance bristle at the sight of him. The X-men turned blatantly accusatory glares at her friends as they walked towards them, and Jacelynn got the gleeful feeling things were about to get messy. Good.

"What are you looking at Summers?" Lance taunted.

"Where's Kurt?" Scott asked briskly.

"Ha!' Fred barked, "Yeah, like we'd tell you. "

Jacelynn folded her arms in front of her chest. 'Exactly. Where's the fun in that?"

In the span of about two seconds flat, Scott flew between Fred and Jacelynn and lunged at Lance. Grabbing their friend by the scruff of his shirt, he slammed him into the lockers.

"Hey!" Lance barked as he hit the wall.

"I said where is he?"

"Get off of me!" was Lance's only reply

"What have you done with Kurt?!.

Jacelynn was about half a second from tearing Scott off of him herself when Fred intervened,

"Get lost, slim!" he bellowed, picking Scott up by the collar of his sweater like he was the weight of a paper clip.

"Put him down!' Jean called out. Jacelynn stepped forward, blocking the girl from Fred.

"Don't give me another reason to hurt you Red," she threatened.

Jean's hair started to float behind her ominously, her fists clenched. The lockers around them started to shake, and Jacelynn didn't need to look at Lance to know he was one motion away from turfing everyone to the ground. She shifted, slipping into a fighting stance as dozens of voices cheered for the impending brawl.

One voice cut above the rest. "WHAT is going on here?"

The five of them turned as the crowd of teenagers parted like the red sea to reveal "Principal Darkholme." Jacelynn suppressed a smile. Well, she wouldn't get her fight, but this would certainly suffice.

"We weren't doing nothing," Fred dropped his hold on Scott, letting him put two feet back on the ground.

"Fred's right . We were just walking to class together -" she started

"And Scott went ballistic on us for no reason!" Lance finished.

"Oh, I've got a reason," Scott growled. Jeez, Jacelynn thought, way to dig your own grave, idiot.

Jean seemed to have some semblance of rationality tucked away in her brain. "Scott-" she began.

"Quiet," Principal Darkholme silenced her, "You two in my office, now," she said, already walking in that direction.

Lance scoffed, putting an L up to his forehead the moment Darkholme's back was turned. Jacelynn couldn't resist a mocking little salute at the two X-men passed them, not saying a word in response.

"Aw man," Fred said, "I was kinda hoping to crush them."

"Don't worry, Fred," Lance replied, patting his arm, "We'll get them next time."


Fred didn't have to wait long for another chance. Rogue didn't show up at the boarding house that night, and Mystique sent the boys out looking for her. Fred, Lance and Todd went back to the school. Pietro got sent out downtown to look for her, although if he was actually out looking for a girl, she doubted it was Rogue.

Jacelynn herself got situated with the job of staying back and seeing if the other teen returned to the house. On the one hand, she didn't have to do any work. On the other, it left her essentially alone with her thoughts.

And her thoughts kept circulating back to the day's revelation. So that wasn't exactly a great place to be.

She curled herself up on the sofa; the TV turned on to the vapidest reality show she could find in an effort to turn her brain off, and waited.

Roughly three episodes after she first started watching, the door opened in the middle of a commercial break. She looked up just as Rogue appeared in the foyer, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Well, well well. If it isn't the woman of the hour," Jacelynn joked.

Rogue glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here? Or have you not noticed my room's two doors down from yours."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "I meant why you're sitting here holed up in the living room on your own."

"I got charged with waiting for you. Now you're back, so I can call Mystique and then go crash in my room."

"You're not going to Matthew's party? Are you giving up your attempt to seduce him away from Jean that quick?"

"That didn't happen! I have no idea what the fuck Jean's on about!"

Rogue shrugged. "I mean, I wasn't sure if it was true or not, but y'know, it is kinda believable."

Jacelynn narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"People are gonna make assumptions because of the way you dress. Like they'll think your a bitch, or a relationship destroyer or whatever. So maybe you should change what you wear?"

She stood up, feeling her blood boil. "I'm not a homewrecker, but I am a bitch, so if people want to read into me based on the way I look, fine. So be it! But I'm not taking unsolicited fashion advice from a girl who looks like Hot Topic threw up on her." she snapped, stalking upstairs.

Jacelynn heard Rogue mutter something about just trying to help, but she didn't care. It was day one of this, and she was already sick to death of people judging what they perceived her dating habits to be despite knowing fuck all about her.

She started the evening debating putting a blowtorch to her closet, but dammit, she wasn't going to let people shame her into changing who she was.

Or at least, she was going to make it seem like she didn't give a damn on the outside and work towards actually feeling like that on the inside too. And maybe get some payback on Jean along the way.