Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men and they don't own me. At least that's
what I keep telling myself.
_______________________________________________________________________
Thanks so much for the great reviews. Like I said before, I don't know if this will turn out to be Jubilee/Bobby. It probably will eventually, but I think right now I'm mostly focusing on Jubilee b/c she's my favorite character and UXM isn't using her to her full potential (or at all). I threw in Bobby b/c he's another one of my favorites and I've always liked how Bobby and Jubes interact with each other. Or at least how they interact in my little world. Other X-men will make random appearances too. Anyway, keep the feedback coming. _______________________________________________________________________
The shopping center had just opened when Bobby and Jubilee arrived. Except for a couple of power walking senior citizens, it was relatively deserted. Bobby took a moment to gather in his surroundings, and then told his companion, "Alright Jubes, I'll be at the arcade. Meet me in the food court at high noon."
"Hey, what if I need help carrying all my stuff?" Jubilee asked.
"How much are you planning on buying?" He looked worried.
"I dunno," Jubilee replied truthfully. "A lot, I think. We won't be leaving for LA for another week, so I'll need some stuff to wear. Plus, accessories, bath stuff, you get the gist." She sighed dramatically and added, "Oh, my X-men spending account, how I've missed you!"
"I think you've brought the wrong guy. Juggernaut would have a much easier time carrying all this. Want me to go get him?" Bobby asked, only half joking.
"Nuh-uh. You're not getting out of this so easily."
"And how did I get into it, exactly?"
"Can I help the fact that I'm irresistible?"
"Irritating, more likely." Bobby muttered, looking longingly in the direction of the arcade. Although it had just opened, the sounds of laser fire and gunshots could already be heard.
"Look," said Jubilee, noticing his anguished expression, "why don't you head over there now while I get some of the small stuff out of the way? Then you can meet me in front of Diane's. Let's say at about eleven."
Glad to be temporarily relieved of porter duties, Bobby quickly agreed and the two mutants headed off in separate directions.
As Jubilee made her way towards the first store on her list, dodging the senior citizens, whose ranks seemed to be multiplying, she couldn't help but marvel at how different everything was. She passed by two vacant storefronts on her way to The Attic and she was filled with nostalgia. One of the empty spaces had once housed Underground Wheels, a great place to shop for roller blades and roller blade accessories. They'd also carried a large assortment of skateboards. The store must have closed recently. During a visit to the X-men, less than one year before the Massachusetts Academy had closed its doors, she'd bought two skateboards from there. The memory was accompanied by a pang of sadness. The skateboards had been for Everret and Angelo.
Ev hadn't even lived long enough to open his gift.
Jubilee stopped walking and took a ragged breath. It didn't help. It didn't help that she was in a mall that differed so much from the ones she had grown up with that she couldn't help thinking about Los Angelos. It didn't help that every time she thought of LA, she thought of Angelo. Heck, Angelo and Los Angelos - how could she not relate the two? But she didn't want to. She didn't want to think of Ange. Not yet. She wasn't ready to deal with what had happened.
It wasn't that she was denying anything. She knew he was gone. She'd hugged his body, which was already well on its way to becoming cold and stiff by the time she'd been brought back. She'd held onto Ange and sobbed softly for what seemed like the longest time, barely aware of Paige's hand on her shoulder. Wolvie had been the one who finally pried her free and led her to another part of the infirmary while others discreetly took away the remains.
She missed him so much. She wasn't ready to let go. Not without saying goodbye. She'd dreamt of him every night since her return. Sometimes they were just hanging out; she remembered being at the beach. Once, though, she'd dreamt of Angelo the corpse, returning from the beyond to blame her for his demise. The mental image of his rotting hand reaching for her, his face contorted into a hideous grimace, would haunt her for years. That wasn't the first time she'd woken up in tears since arriving at Xavier's, but it was the only time she'd been awoken by her own screams.
Stop it! she mentally chided herself. Stopstopstopstopstop!!! She didn't need to do this to herself. Dwelling on what had happened wouldn't make anything better and would definitely make her feel worse. Besides the guilt, fear and sadness that accompanied thoughts of her former roommate, thoughts of Ange inevitably brought forth thoughts of Ev. Thoughts of Ev brought thoughts of her parents. She knew what would happen if she allowed her train of thought to continue in the direction it was headed. She'd seen so many people die over her short lifetime, and watched countless others suffer. She didn't want to recall them all.
She'd been doing that all week.
She began wishing that she and Bobby hadn't split up. Or that she had stayed at the mansion. When she had someone to talk to or goof around with, it was easier to pretend that everything was okay.
Jubilee felt her eyes beginning to tear and angrily tried to blink back the hot liquid. She refused to start crying in public. She just wouldn't. But blinking wasn't helping. She felt the tears growing and knew that soon they would be too big to hold back. Frantically, she scanned her surroundings. The gang of senior citizens had moved on. Two young teens were sitting and laughing on a bench a few feet away from her. Otherwise, the building seemed pretty empty. Finally, she became oriented enough to notice the way to the restrooms and made a break for it.
The floodgates gave way just before she reached the women's bathroom door. She pushed the door open hurriedly and ran inside, crashing into a girl who was on her way out. "Sorry" mumbled Jubilee, running passed. The girl, instead of getting angry (as Jubilee expected that she herself would have had someone run into her) cringed, and then quickly dashed out the door. Although this reaction would have perplexed Jubilee at any other time, in her upset state she missed the strange behavior and dashed into a stall, intent on retrieving toilet paper to mop up her tears.
Jubilee left the bathroom a while later. She hadn't been wearing any makeup when she'd left the mansion, which meant that there would be fewer signs to point to her breakdown. No running mascara and the like. Her eyes were still slightly red and puffy, though she'd used wads of paper soaked in cold water to try to bring the swelling down. Her breath was slightly ragged, but she knew from experience that that would pass. The tiredness she felt was a completely different story. She knew she'd feel remnants of that for the rest of the day. Intent on forgetting her sorrow and possibly ease her exhaustion, Jubilee headed for the coffee kiosk she remembered seeing at the shopping center's entrance.
There was only one person working the kiosk when she arrived, a twenty something girl with black and pink hair wearing headphones and reading a textbook. There was no line, so Jubilee just stood in front of the counter. The girl didn't notice.
"Excuse me," Jubilee said, her voice sounding more confident than she felt.
No response.
"Ah-Ah-hem," Jubilee cleared her throat loudly.
The girl glanced up and quickly put aside her book and headphones.
"What can I get for you?"
"Can I get a large iced strawberry mocha with extra whipped cream?"
"Sure, that's $4.25," the girl, whose name badge read Eva, responded.
Jubilee paid with a five-dollar bill, depositing her change into the tip jar. The jar was almost empty, and the three quarters made a loud clanging sound. Eva glanced in the direction of the noise, and then continued making the drink.
"So, what are you studying?" asked Jubilee.
"Huh?"
"Your books. I thought the schools around here were on summer vacation."
"They are. I'm taking a summer course in accounting at Westchester Hills." She noticed Jubilee's confused look and added, "it's the local community college."
"How do you like it so far?"
"Boring. Too much routine for me"
"Oh."
Eva continued her work behind the counter for several seconds before asking, "You're not from around here are you?"
Jubilee was taken aback by the question, and paused before responding. "I used to be. Sort of. I'm planning on moving back in with some friends."
"Why?" The tone Eva used was both derisive and shocked.
"Why?" Jubilee echoed. "What's wrong with moving back here?"
"You mean you don't know? Haven't you been reading the papers? Watching TV? Do you live in a cave?"
"Um, not to my knowledge. My apartment was a mess, but I wouldn't call it a cave."
"We're freaking Mutantville, USA now. Those X-men have come out and said they've been running some sort of private mutant school in a mansion a few miles away from here."
Jubilee felt her stomach clench. Her emotions were a mixture of sadness, anger, fear, and something else. Disdain? Resentfulness? God, she hoped not. She didn't want to turn into the mutant version of the girl standing in front of her. She'd always tried not to let her opinion of people in general be spoiled by a few bad apples.
"I mean, what if it's contagious? I don't want to be a freak. What right do they have moving in here without permission? That's why I'm taking summer classes. I want to transfer to NYU as soon as possible. I don't want to be around here any longer than I have to be," continued Eva, placing Jubilee's mocha down on the counter and staring at her expectantly. Obviously, the girl expected Jubilee to support her opinion.
"Thanks," Jubilee said quietly, picking up her drink. She met Eva's gaze and held it for a few seconds before turning to leave.
"Wait! Omigod! You're not one of them are you?" Eva called after her. Her voice was both fearful and hateful at once. Also, it was slightly on the panicked side.
"One of them?"
"One of the students there?" Sharon was almost hyperventilating. If there had been any other shoppers present, she would have been creating a scene.
"No. No I'm not," Jubilee responded softly, then walked away without turning back.
Thanks so much for the great reviews. Like I said before, I don't know if this will turn out to be Jubilee/Bobby. It probably will eventually, but I think right now I'm mostly focusing on Jubilee b/c she's my favorite character and UXM isn't using her to her full potential (or at all). I threw in Bobby b/c he's another one of my favorites and I've always liked how Bobby and Jubes interact with each other. Or at least how they interact in my little world. Other X-men will make random appearances too. Anyway, keep the feedback coming. _______________________________________________________________________
The shopping center had just opened when Bobby and Jubilee arrived. Except for a couple of power walking senior citizens, it was relatively deserted. Bobby took a moment to gather in his surroundings, and then told his companion, "Alright Jubes, I'll be at the arcade. Meet me in the food court at high noon."
"Hey, what if I need help carrying all my stuff?" Jubilee asked.
"How much are you planning on buying?" He looked worried.
"I dunno," Jubilee replied truthfully. "A lot, I think. We won't be leaving for LA for another week, so I'll need some stuff to wear. Plus, accessories, bath stuff, you get the gist." She sighed dramatically and added, "Oh, my X-men spending account, how I've missed you!"
"I think you've brought the wrong guy. Juggernaut would have a much easier time carrying all this. Want me to go get him?" Bobby asked, only half joking.
"Nuh-uh. You're not getting out of this so easily."
"And how did I get into it, exactly?"
"Can I help the fact that I'm irresistible?"
"Irritating, more likely." Bobby muttered, looking longingly in the direction of the arcade. Although it had just opened, the sounds of laser fire and gunshots could already be heard.
"Look," said Jubilee, noticing his anguished expression, "why don't you head over there now while I get some of the small stuff out of the way? Then you can meet me in front of Diane's. Let's say at about eleven."
Glad to be temporarily relieved of porter duties, Bobby quickly agreed and the two mutants headed off in separate directions.
As Jubilee made her way towards the first store on her list, dodging the senior citizens, whose ranks seemed to be multiplying, she couldn't help but marvel at how different everything was. She passed by two vacant storefronts on her way to The Attic and she was filled with nostalgia. One of the empty spaces had once housed Underground Wheels, a great place to shop for roller blades and roller blade accessories. They'd also carried a large assortment of skateboards. The store must have closed recently. During a visit to the X-men, less than one year before the Massachusetts Academy had closed its doors, she'd bought two skateboards from there. The memory was accompanied by a pang of sadness. The skateboards had been for Everret and Angelo.
Ev hadn't even lived long enough to open his gift.
Jubilee stopped walking and took a ragged breath. It didn't help. It didn't help that she was in a mall that differed so much from the ones she had grown up with that she couldn't help thinking about Los Angelos. It didn't help that every time she thought of LA, she thought of Angelo. Heck, Angelo and Los Angelos - how could she not relate the two? But she didn't want to. She didn't want to think of Ange. Not yet. She wasn't ready to deal with what had happened.
It wasn't that she was denying anything. She knew he was gone. She'd hugged his body, which was already well on its way to becoming cold and stiff by the time she'd been brought back. She'd held onto Ange and sobbed softly for what seemed like the longest time, barely aware of Paige's hand on her shoulder. Wolvie had been the one who finally pried her free and led her to another part of the infirmary while others discreetly took away the remains.
She missed him so much. She wasn't ready to let go. Not without saying goodbye. She'd dreamt of him every night since her return. Sometimes they were just hanging out; she remembered being at the beach. Once, though, she'd dreamt of Angelo the corpse, returning from the beyond to blame her for his demise. The mental image of his rotting hand reaching for her, his face contorted into a hideous grimace, would haunt her for years. That wasn't the first time she'd woken up in tears since arriving at Xavier's, but it was the only time she'd been awoken by her own screams.
Stop it! she mentally chided herself. Stopstopstopstopstop!!! She didn't need to do this to herself. Dwelling on what had happened wouldn't make anything better and would definitely make her feel worse. Besides the guilt, fear and sadness that accompanied thoughts of her former roommate, thoughts of Ange inevitably brought forth thoughts of Ev. Thoughts of Ev brought thoughts of her parents. She knew what would happen if she allowed her train of thought to continue in the direction it was headed. She'd seen so many people die over her short lifetime, and watched countless others suffer. She didn't want to recall them all.
She'd been doing that all week.
She began wishing that she and Bobby hadn't split up. Or that she had stayed at the mansion. When she had someone to talk to or goof around with, it was easier to pretend that everything was okay.
Jubilee felt her eyes beginning to tear and angrily tried to blink back the hot liquid. She refused to start crying in public. She just wouldn't. But blinking wasn't helping. She felt the tears growing and knew that soon they would be too big to hold back. Frantically, she scanned her surroundings. The gang of senior citizens had moved on. Two young teens were sitting and laughing on a bench a few feet away from her. Otherwise, the building seemed pretty empty. Finally, she became oriented enough to notice the way to the restrooms and made a break for it.
The floodgates gave way just before she reached the women's bathroom door. She pushed the door open hurriedly and ran inside, crashing into a girl who was on her way out. "Sorry" mumbled Jubilee, running passed. The girl, instead of getting angry (as Jubilee expected that she herself would have had someone run into her) cringed, and then quickly dashed out the door. Although this reaction would have perplexed Jubilee at any other time, in her upset state she missed the strange behavior and dashed into a stall, intent on retrieving toilet paper to mop up her tears.
Jubilee left the bathroom a while later. She hadn't been wearing any makeup when she'd left the mansion, which meant that there would be fewer signs to point to her breakdown. No running mascara and the like. Her eyes were still slightly red and puffy, though she'd used wads of paper soaked in cold water to try to bring the swelling down. Her breath was slightly ragged, but she knew from experience that that would pass. The tiredness she felt was a completely different story. She knew she'd feel remnants of that for the rest of the day. Intent on forgetting her sorrow and possibly ease her exhaustion, Jubilee headed for the coffee kiosk she remembered seeing at the shopping center's entrance.
There was only one person working the kiosk when she arrived, a twenty something girl with black and pink hair wearing headphones and reading a textbook. There was no line, so Jubilee just stood in front of the counter. The girl didn't notice.
"Excuse me," Jubilee said, her voice sounding more confident than she felt.
No response.
"Ah-Ah-hem," Jubilee cleared her throat loudly.
The girl glanced up and quickly put aside her book and headphones.
"What can I get for you?"
"Can I get a large iced strawberry mocha with extra whipped cream?"
"Sure, that's $4.25," the girl, whose name badge read Eva, responded.
Jubilee paid with a five-dollar bill, depositing her change into the tip jar. The jar was almost empty, and the three quarters made a loud clanging sound. Eva glanced in the direction of the noise, and then continued making the drink.
"So, what are you studying?" asked Jubilee.
"Huh?"
"Your books. I thought the schools around here were on summer vacation."
"They are. I'm taking a summer course in accounting at Westchester Hills." She noticed Jubilee's confused look and added, "it's the local community college."
"How do you like it so far?"
"Boring. Too much routine for me"
"Oh."
Eva continued her work behind the counter for several seconds before asking, "You're not from around here are you?"
Jubilee was taken aback by the question, and paused before responding. "I used to be. Sort of. I'm planning on moving back in with some friends."
"Why?" The tone Eva used was both derisive and shocked.
"Why?" Jubilee echoed. "What's wrong with moving back here?"
"You mean you don't know? Haven't you been reading the papers? Watching TV? Do you live in a cave?"
"Um, not to my knowledge. My apartment was a mess, but I wouldn't call it a cave."
"We're freaking Mutantville, USA now. Those X-men have come out and said they've been running some sort of private mutant school in a mansion a few miles away from here."
Jubilee felt her stomach clench. Her emotions were a mixture of sadness, anger, fear, and something else. Disdain? Resentfulness? God, she hoped not. She didn't want to turn into the mutant version of the girl standing in front of her. She'd always tried not to let her opinion of people in general be spoiled by a few bad apples.
"I mean, what if it's contagious? I don't want to be a freak. What right do they have moving in here without permission? That's why I'm taking summer classes. I want to transfer to NYU as soon as possible. I don't want to be around here any longer than I have to be," continued Eva, placing Jubilee's mocha down on the counter and staring at her expectantly. Obviously, the girl expected Jubilee to support her opinion.
"Thanks," Jubilee said quietly, picking up her drink. She met Eva's gaze and held it for a few seconds before turning to leave.
"Wait! Omigod! You're not one of them are you?" Eva called after her. Her voice was both fearful and hateful at once. Also, it was slightly on the panicked side.
"One of them?"
"One of the students there?" Sharon was almost hyperventilating. If there had been any other shoppers present, she would have been creating a scene.
"No. No I'm not," Jubilee responded softly, then walked away without turning back.