Sorry about the delay in posting - finals really stink.
Thank you guys for the great reviews! I'm always open to input. I'm glad to see some people like my story. Hopefully, I'll have more of a chance to work on it over break (or not, what with all the sleeping I plan to do ( !!)
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Bobby's POV
I found my car keys and wallet in the pocket of a pair of jeans that I had worn yesterday. Luckily, I hadn't sent them down to be washed yet. Taking a deep breath, I opened my door and made my way outside. Maybe she had changed her mind. Scratch that. Jubilee, change her mind about shopping? Maybe she had found someone else to take her. I really didn't feel like spending the day with her. Actually, I did. I did want to catch up with her, plan some pranks, heck, even do some shopping for myself. But I didn't want her to spend time with me. Maybe she would be the one to finally figure out I was becoming a solid block of ice. What the heck was wrong with me, anyway? I couldn't turn back. Why couldn't I turn back? How deep was that patch on my chest? Was my heart a beating, cold chunk of ice?
I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. They didn't go away, exactly, but they did quiet down somewhat. When I got to the garage, Jubilee was sitting on the hood of my car. How had she finished her frozen cereal in that short time? I wondered. The cereal bar wrapper she was holding answered my question.
"Cool, there you are!" she exclaimed, jumping off of my car and approaching the passenger door.
"Cool as a cucumber," I replied. How true, how true. "So what's the plan," I asked her.
"Why don't we hit the mall first, and afterwards, we can go grocery shopping."
"Oh, so now I get to go to the mall?"
"Well, I want to go grocery shopping too, and I know I'll need help carrying all my stuff," she smiled sweetly.
"Fine, fine, we'll do it your way," I said, opening the door for her. She got in, being careful to remove the whoopee cushion under the seat cover first, and tossing it in the back. She reached over and opened the driver's side door for me.
"How'd you know about that?" I asked, getting in and starting the car.
"Paige warned me. You did give her a ride to the beauty salon once, right?"
"Yeah. Guess that means you know about the itching powder on the doorframe, right?"
"I do now. Thanks for the warning," she said, moving as far towards my side as her seatbelt would allow.
"Darn it. That's what I get for not keeping my big mouth shut." I said, pulling the car out of the gates in front of the mansion and turning towards town.
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, she spent that whole night agonizing over where the rash on her arm had come from. She thought she was dying of some horrible disease."
I couldn't help laughing at that. Trust Jubilee to make me feel better. She seemed to have that gift. Even when she was a young teen, she would listen to your problems for hours on end, and say the one thing that would either resolve them or make you temporarily forget about them. That ability seemed to have grown with her. Maybe that was her second mutation - a weird form of empathy. Right then, I considered telling her about my problem just to see what she had to say about it. The thought only lasted a second. I couldn't let anyone know. I'd gone to so many lengths to hide it, and here I was considering blabbing to the young girl sitting besides me. What was wrong with me?
A silence descended upon the car as I drove towards the town's shopping center. Jubilee refused to call it a mall. "Malls have more than twenty five stores," I'd heard her say often enough.
"Professor Xavier asked me to rejoin the X-men," she blurted out, breaking the silence.
"Hey that's great! Did you accept?" I asked.
A pause, then, "Yeah, I did."
"Well that's wonderful. Glad to have you back," I said, taking my eyes off the road to glance her way.
"Thanks. I was kinda surprised. I thought he was gonna ask me to enroll in the school when it reopened this fall," she said. Then, biting her lower lip, she asked, "Do you think I did the right thing?"
"When you joined the X-men, you mean? Yeah, of course. If you could do it when you were only thirteen and barely trained, you're gonna be great at it now that you're older and more experienced."
"But I spent the last couple of years living a somewhat normal life. I almost never used my powers, and I definitely didn't train."
"And I went away to college to get my degree. Scott went off to find himself after Jeanie died. Kitty's in college now. We've all taken time off at some point. But there's just some things you never forget. You're powers are still there, and you know how to use them. And I really don't think you have to worry much about your training. You've kept in shape."
"How would you know that?" she asked me.
I took a deep breath, unsure if I should fess up or not. Finally, I decided that I had done nothing wrong and had no reason to feel guilty. "I saw you in the Danger Room this morning," I confessed, "I was upstairs in the control room. You did great."
She looked at me and for a second, I was worried she'd call me out for spying on her. Then, she just smiled and said, "Thanks. The Professor also wants me to teach an intro to gymnastics segment in beginner's phys ed next semester, and I thought that I'd start practicing so I'd be ready."
"You didn't look like you needed any practice," I said, before realizing it sounded stalkerish. "I mean you seemed like you knew what you were doing."
"Well, I'm glad you liked it. I used to be a lot better," she told me. "Hopefully, some practice will help me get back in shape."
I didn't know how to respond to that. So I didn't. Changing the subject, I asked her about her time in Los Angelos.
She was quiet for almost a minute, and I was about to tell her that she didn't need to say anything she was uncomfortable with when she began. Her voice sounded small and far away, lacking the exuberant undertone that seems to define Jubilee. "Well," she responded, gazing out her window, "Some of it was just like I remembered. The weather was perfect and the people were beautiful." She took a breath. " But there was a ton of stuff I didn't remember, or maybe I'd blocked out. We lived in a working class area, and I can remember hearing shooting going on across the street. And sirens. They woke me up at least once a week." Pausing, she stole a glance at me before returning her attention to the window. "When I was younger, all I lived for was fun. Even when I was out on the street, I don't know, it was almost like a game or a huge adventure. I guess I've grown up since then."
She continued staring ahead for a few more seconds, perhaps reflecting on what she had just said. I remained silent, mostly because I was unsure of what to say. Then she turned towards me and continued, "Rent out there is outrageous. Emma set up a trust fund for us when we got there. It covered most of the utilities and groceries, but both Angelo and I had to find jobs. He worked at a fast food joint, and I tried to make it in the movies."
"Yeah," I replied, glad for a change in subject matter. "I remember you mentioned that. How'd that work out?"
She gave a rueful smirk, "Well, it wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Mostly, I got parts where they needed young girls for Asian movies. I'd got a couple auditions on my own, but afterwards, I found an agent. He seemed nice at first."
"At first?" I asked, pulling into a space at the shopping center. It was pretty close to the entrance, and I was proud of myself.
"Yeah, I blew a part, and he tried to console me by telling me that I could get much further in the business if I were more willing to use some of my other assets."
"What!!!" I couldn't believe someone had told Jubilee that. Although I'd never been as gung ho about protecting her as Logan or some of the other guys, I could feel a surge of anger rising. I wanted to find the guy and freeze the living crap out of him. "What did you tell him?" I demanded.
"Well, I blew him into the wall and collapsed most of the studio. Let's just say I was blackballed from the industry after that. Uncooperative, destructive and a mutant - three strikes and you're out. It could have been worse, though. I'm sure he could have taken me to court. But I did a background check on him and found out that he had a warrant out for his arrest in Nebraska for pulling something similar on a fifteen year old girl."
"So what did you do?"
"Well, ya know how Gateway has a weird way of showing up just when you need him?"
"Not really." Oh, I see, I thought angrily. That teleporting little Yoda wannabe's playing favorites now. He can expect a cold present form yours truly next time he shows up.
"Well, he does," she continued. "He made an appearance and Mr. Agent-Man mysteriously ended up in a jail cell in Omaha. I haven't heard from him since," she smiled triumphantly. Then she looked around, realizing where she was. "Hey, why have we been sitting here when there's shopping to do"?
"I don't know, you tell me," I retorted, "You're the one who spent the last fifteen minutes talking nonstop."
"Hey, what do you mean by that?" she asked, feigning insult. "Don't pretend you weren't riveted by my story."
"Riveted?" I teased back, getting out of the car. "More like bored stiff."
"Hey!" she exclaimed, opening the door and exiting the car carefully to avoid contact with the itching powder, "That was harsh!"
I smiled and reached over to flick her ponytail. Her hair was much longer than she'd worn it before. The sunlight reflected off of it and I could smell her apple-scented shampoo. I met her eyes for a brief second. I'd forgotten how blue they were, or how they contrasted with her Asian features. She was wearing a midnight blue baby T-shirt, which just made the contrast more apparent. Her eyes had always fascinated me. Whoever said that the eyes are the windows to the soul must have had Jubilee in mind.
Suddenly, I realized that I was staring. Breaking contact, I muttered, "Let's just get this over with," and made my way towards the entrance.
Thank you guys for the great reviews! I'm always open to input. I'm glad to see some people like my story. Hopefully, I'll have more of a chance to work on it over break (or not, what with all the sleeping I plan to do ( !!)
________________________________________________________________________
Bobby's POV
I found my car keys and wallet in the pocket of a pair of jeans that I had worn yesterday. Luckily, I hadn't sent them down to be washed yet. Taking a deep breath, I opened my door and made my way outside. Maybe she had changed her mind. Scratch that. Jubilee, change her mind about shopping? Maybe she had found someone else to take her. I really didn't feel like spending the day with her. Actually, I did. I did want to catch up with her, plan some pranks, heck, even do some shopping for myself. But I didn't want her to spend time with me. Maybe she would be the one to finally figure out I was becoming a solid block of ice. What the heck was wrong with me, anyway? I couldn't turn back. Why couldn't I turn back? How deep was that patch on my chest? Was my heart a beating, cold chunk of ice?
I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. They didn't go away, exactly, but they did quiet down somewhat. When I got to the garage, Jubilee was sitting on the hood of my car. How had she finished her frozen cereal in that short time? I wondered. The cereal bar wrapper she was holding answered my question.
"Cool, there you are!" she exclaimed, jumping off of my car and approaching the passenger door.
"Cool as a cucumber," I replied. How true, how true. "So what's the plan," I asked her.
"Why don't we hit the mall first, and afterwards, we can go grocery shopping."
"Oh, so now I get to go to the mall?"
"Well, I want to go grocery shopping too, and I know I'll need help carrying all my stuff," she smiled sweetly.
"Fine, fine, we'll do it your way," I said, opening the door for her. She got in, being careful to remove the whoopee cushion under the seat cover first, and tossing it in the back. She reached over and opened the driver's side door for me.
"How'd you know about that?" I asked, getting in and starting the car.
"Paige warned me. You did give her a ride to the beauty salon once, right?"
"Yeah. Guess that means you know about the itching powder on the doorframe, right?"
"I do now. Thanks for the warning," she said, moving as far towards my side as her seatbelt would allow.
"Darn it. That's what I get for not keeping my big mouth shut." I said, pulling the car out of the gates in front of the mansion and turning towards town.
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, she spent that whole night agonizing over where the rash on her arm had come from. She thought she was dying of some horrible disease."
I couldn't help laughing at that. Trust Jubilee to make me feel better. She seemed to have that gift. Even when she was a young teen, she would listen to your problems for hours on end, and say the one thing that would either resolve them or make you temporarily forget about them. That ability seemed to have grown with her. Maybe that was her second mutation - a weird form of empathy. Right then, I considered telling her about my problem just to see what she had to say about it. The thought only lasted a second. I couldn't let anyone know. I'd gone to so many lengths to hide it, and here I was considering blabbing to the young girl sitting besides me. What was wrong with me?
A silence descended upon the car as I drove towards the town's shopping center. Jubilee refused to call it a mall. "Malls have more than twenty five stores," I'd heard her say often enough.
"Professor Xavier asked me to rejoin the X-men," she blurted out, breaking the silence.
"Hey that's great! Did you accept?" I asked.
A pause, then, "Yeah, I did."
"Well that's wonderful. Glad to have you back," I said, taking my eyes off the road to glance her way.
"Thanks. I was kinda surprised. I thought he was gonna ask me to enroll in the school when it reopened this fall," she said. Then, biting her lower lip, she asked, "Do you think I did the right thing?"
"When you joined the X-men, you mean? Yeah, of course. If you could do it when you were only thirteen and barely trained, you're gonna be great at it now that you're older and more experienced."
"But I spent the last couple of years living a somewhat normal life. I almost never used my powers, and I definitely didn't train."
"And I went away to college to get my degree. Scott went off to find himself after Jeanie died. Kitty's in college now. We've all taken time off at some point. But there's just some things you never forget. You're powers are still there, and you know how to use them. And I really don't think you have to worry much about your training. You've kept in shape."
"How would you know that?" she asked me.
I took a deep breath, unsure if I should fess up or not. Finally, I decided that I had done nothing wrong and had no reason to feel guilty. "I saw you in the Danger Room this morning," I confessed, "I was upstairs in the control room. You did great."
She looked at me and for a second, I was worried she'd call me out for spying on her. Then, she just smiled and said, "Thanks. The Professor also wants me to teach an intro to gymnastics segment in beginner's phys ed next semester, and I thought that I'd start practicing so I'd be ready."
"You didn't look like you needed any practice," I said, before realizing it sounded stalkerish. "I mean you seemed like you knew what you were doing."
"Well, I'm glad you liked it. I used to be a lot better," she told me. "Hopefully, some practice will help me get back in shape."
I didn't know how to respond to that. So I didn't. Changing the subject, I asked her about her time in Los Angelos.
She was quiet for almost a minute, and I was about to tell her that she didn't need to say anything she was uncomfortable with when she began. Her voice sounded small and far away, lacking the exuberant undertone that seems to define Jubilee. "Well," she responded, gazing out her window, "Some of it was just like I remembered. The weather was perfect and the people were beautiful." She took a breath. " But there was a ton of stuff I didn't remember, or maybe I'd blocked out. We lived in a working class area, and I can remember hearing shooting going on across the street. And sirens. They woke me up at least once a week." Pausing, she stole a glance at me before returning her attention to the window. "When I was younger, all I lived for was fun. Even when I was out on the street, I don't know, it was almost like a game or a huge adventure. I guess I've grown up since then."
She continued staring ahead for a few more seconds, perhaps reflecting on what she had just said. I remained silent, mostly because I was unsure of what to say. Then she turned towards me and continued, "Rent out there is outrageous. Emma set up a trust fund for us when we got there. It covered most of the utilities and groceries, but both Angelo and I had to find jobs. He worked at a fast food joint, and I tried to make it in the movies."
"Yeah," I replied, glad for a change in subject matter. "I remember you mentioned that. How'd that work out?"
She gave a rueful smirk, "Well, it wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Mostly, I got parts where they needed young girls for Asian movies. I'd got a couple auditions on my own, but afterwards, I found an agent. He seemed nice at first."
"At first?" I asked, pulling into a space at the shopping center. It was pretty close to the entrance, and I was proud of myself.
"Yeah, I blew a part, and he tried to console me by telling me that I could get much further in the business if I were more willing to use some of my other assets."
"What!!!" I couldn't believe someone had told Jubilee that. Although I'd never been as gung ho about protecting her as Logan or some of the other guys, I could feel a surge of anger rising. I wanted to find the guy and freeze the living crap out of him. "What did you tell him?" I demanded.
"Well, I blew him into the wall and collapsed most of the studio. Let's just say I was blackballed from the industry after that. Uncooperative, destructive and a mutant - three strikes and you're out. It could have been worse, though. I'm sure he could have taken me to court. But I did a background check on him and found out that he had a warrant out for his arrest in Nebraska for pulling something similar on a fifteen year old girl."
"So what did you do?"
"Well, ya know how Gateway has a weird way of showing up just when you need him?"
"Not really." Oh, I see, I thought angrily. That teleporting little Yoda wannabe's playing favorites now. He can expect a cold present form yours truly next time he shows up.
"Well, he does," she continued. "He made an appearance and Mr. Agent-Man mysteriously ended up in a jail cell in Omaha. I haven't heard from him since," she smiled triumphantly. Then she looked around, realizing where she was. "Hey, why have we been sitting here when there's shopping to do"?
"I don't know, you tell me," I retorted, "You're the one who spent the last fifteen minutes talking nonstop."
"Hey, what do you mean by that?" she asked, feigning insult. "Don't pretend you weren't riveted by my story."
"Riveted?" I teased back, getting out of the car. "More like bored stiff."
"Hey!" she exclaimed, opening the door and exiting the car carefully to avoid contact with the itching powder, "That was harsh!"
I smiled and reached over to flick her ponytail. Her hair was much longer than she'd worn it before. The sunlight reflected off of it and I could smell her apple-scented shampoo. I met her eyes for a brief second. I'd forgotten how blue they were, or how they contrasted with her Asian features. She was wearing a midnight blue baby T-shirt, which just made the contrast more apparent. Her eyes had always fascinated me. Whoever said that the eyes are the windows to the soul must have had Jubilee in mind.
Suddenly, I realized that I was staring. Breaking contact, I muttered, "Let's just get this over with," and made my way towards the entrance.