On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me
Four students playing hooky,
Three musicians out of tune,
Two dancing lovebirds
And a Wolverine in a pear tree.
"Shh! Shh! Shh!"
It was difficult getting out of the mansion during the day. The constant hissing at each other from their rooms to the stairwell was annoying too, especially when classes were in session and they had to be this quiet. Somehow, one way or another, these four students were determined to make it outside the boundaries of their school to have a day to themselves. They did not want to endure any classes today.
Rogue turned to Kitty. Forgiving of the last transgression, she thought her the leader of this expedition, even though Bobby made the initial suggestion. "How do you suppose we slip out, sugar?" she asked Kitty. "Bribe Logan with a box of cigars?"
"Well, he's been pretty lenient before." Kitty peeked around the corner. While it was empty of all authority, she still had her doubts and stilled the others from moving. "I mean, Logan won't tell on us…would he?"
Bobby snorted. "I wouldn't put it past him."
Piotr crossed his arms. "I disagree, comrade. Logan will let us through. He's gotten us contraband before."
"Yeah, gotten us things," Kitty pointed out. "He hasn't allowed us to leave."
"He also lounges around," Bobby argued.
Around and around the banter went. It did not contribute to their day off. It passed the time in a way that made all four apprehend that they were wasting it. The point of playing hooky was to escape and have a good day without having to care about their daily activities. However, it was going to be difficult to explain to their teachers why they did not bother to come. When Piotr mentioned it to change the topic, all sorts of stories were then exchanged.
They could not claim sickness. Jean Grey would have been on them in an instant and declared their excuse a lie. They could try for extra study time, but they could have asked. Storm or Jean or even Cyclops would have easily granted the request. The only legitimate one that they came up was claiming that their homework wasn't done. Plenty of other students said the same thing and were able to get away with it. They only had to make up the work they missed.
Except the four weren't in their rooms. They were still bickering. When Kitty heard some noise nearby, she took the other three by the hand and dropped them through the floor with her. Unfortunately, she did not know until the last minute that they landed in the girls' bathroom…and that the tiled floor did not offer any cushion to their fall. Bobby and Rogue slammed in different stalls. Piotr hit his head against the sink and almost broke it. Kitty herself landed on a side table, knocking over a fake plant.
"Is everyone all right?" she asked, concerned. Oddly enough, she did not care about her friends being hurt, but that someone heard their crash.
"I will be," Rogue promised as she exited. She rubbed her head.
"I think the sink has seen better days," Piotr added. He pointed out the dents in the counter.
Kitty looked at Bobby when he appeared. "You?"
"Well, I think I've seen enough of the girls' bathroom," he said. "Now I know why you all congregate in groups."
Rogue punched Bobby in the shoulder quickly. "Don't be fresh."
"We've gotta get out of here," Piotr mentioned. He too was uncomfortable being in a place he did not belong. "Did we say where we're going and how?"
Everyone turned to Bobby. He shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what to say. Kitty blew out some frustrated air. Piotr tensed his muscles and counted silently in Russian to calm himself. Rogue punched Bobby again.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" she mocked. "You got us into this mess and said how great it'll be outside the mansion. You don't have a plan?"
"What can I say?" Bobby smiled. "I like playing by ear."
"Oh, for God's sake," Kitty mumbled. She spoke louder. "Ok. Are we agreed that we need to get off the property? Head to McDonald's for some food?"
They all nodded in agreement. So, it was finally settled. Breakfast at their favorite fast food joint was the best course of action. Finally seeing their awkward situation, Kitty saw that discretion for Bobby and Piotr was best. She went to the door and peeked out. She passed through the door and checked the hallways. The coast was clear.
She returned to the bathroom. "Let's go."
Piotr, Bobby and Rogue followed Kitty out and to the lobby. The way to the front was free too. Marveling at their good luck, the four friends continued their trek until a shadow jumped out of nowhere and stood before them.
Logan pointed to the stairs. "Classes. Now."
That ended hooky. Shamefaced, the four teenagers obeyed Logan. Bobby led the way, hoping that any of the teachers will understand why they were now late. The next discussion would have to be about their tardiness…and in a few minutes, he hoped. Logan remained at the rear as they ascended the stairs, ensuring their arrival back to class.
Bobby was mad and it was all his fault this happened…and he wasn't going to hear the end of it for a while. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!