"You've been pretty quit since yesterday Pietro."
"Yeah I uhh," He paused for a moment, thinking, "got mono. Yeah...mono. But I'm better now."
"Okay," Lance said slowly, trying to comprehend what his friend just said as they stepped through into the doors to the school. They passed the door to a classroom then heard a scream and saw something phase through the lockers
"Lance Dominic Alvers! Where the hell was my serenade?" Kitty yelled.
"What?" Pietro put his hand to his ear, "Coming Wanda!"
"When I catch you you're dead Maximoff!" Lance turned to Kitty, "How'd you even figure out about that?"
"Pietro told me, what do you think?" She spat out.
"Well I was gonna go through with it, but Toad couldn't learn bass," Lance stuck his thumb over to the mutant in question.
"You were going to teach Toad bass for me?" She questioned shyly.
"Ummm... yeah?" Lance said.
"That is so sweet," She flung her arms around Lance's neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Todd leaned and mentioned to Freddy, "Is it just me or are women crazy?"
"Very crazy," Freddy replied. The two lovebirds went to class, while Freddy and Todd walked off. As they passed an open door Todd noticed a few students playing chess.
Todd paused, looking through the door, "Nah," he said as he shook his head.
"What?" Freddy asked. He had stopped two feet ahead of Todd after noticing that he wasn't following him.
"Nothing. Hey, you wanna skip and get some nachos at the gas station?"
"Neh, if we cut again Mystique will have our balls in a sling," He reminded Todd.
"Yeah good point, yo."
"Plus we're dissecting a starfish today, remember?"
"Hey, as long as it ain't a frog, yo."
"I didn't know the inside of a starfish would be so damn freaky, yo," Todd held out his hands in front of him, "And now my hands smell all funky."
"They always smell that way."
"Oh yeah."
They passed by the chess room again as they headed to second period. No one in there now, yo.
"What's in that room?" Freddy asked
"Huh? Oh, nothin'. What class you got next, yo?" They continued down the hall.
"Keyboarding or whatever."
"What am I gonna do durin' study hall, yo?"
"I dunno, maybe Pietro or Lance will be there."
---
Several minutes later...
---
"They're not here," Todd whined. He looked around the classroom one more time, just to make sure. Then he saw some students at a long table setting up a chess board.
He sat down as the bell rang and tried to think if he had any homework. There was a test in Mrs. Bolan's class next period. He hadn't read anything, naturally. He thought of the deal he made with Leala and he felt queasy. Why didn't I study? he thought.
He looked back at the chess players, And why did I tell her I'd join, yo! He studied the chess players, noticing how they moved the pieces. After watching them play for twenty minutes he couldn't remember who's turn it was.
He layed his head on the table and started drifting off to sleep, closing his eyes for just a moment. His lifted his head and noticed that he was instead a brilliantly clean place. It had blinding white tile everywhere and the sink and toilet where made of white porcelain with gold handles. "Ah," He said, "Mystiques bathroom." He turned to find the best part of all; in the tub was Wanda, covered in only water and quickly fading bubbles. Todd started drooling. Just as he started taking his clothes off when heard a bell. "Huh?" He woke up to the school bell dismissing class.
later, after school
Todd crouched, catching flies behind the school dumpster. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Leala walking down the sidewalk away from the school, heedfully clutching a book and glancing around her. He hopped over to her, "Hey what's with the book, yo?"
"Carrie, by Stephen King," She stopped walking for a moment while she answered him, but then continued walking, "Excuse me, I have to get home."
"Oh, well, what class is it for?" Leala looked back at him, "The book, I mean."
"It's not for a class. If you're going to be sociable you can walk me home," She said dryly
"I don't know what sociable means, but I'll walk with ya," He started hopping along side her.
"So, how did you do on the test today?"
Todd winced, remembering the test during third period, "I dunno, didn't get my test back yet, yo. Did you?"
"That's not what I meant. How do you think you did?"
"Ok, I guess."
After a few minutes of walking and talking they neared the gas station. Todd asked "Hey, want some nachos?"
"No thanks, I'll wait for you though," She said. They started walking into the gas station when they heard someone shout out.
"Hey Toad is that you?" It was Lance, "Where the Hell were you? We waited for 10 minutes."
"Hey this is a buddy," Todd said, pulling her by the arm to go see the leader of the Brotherhood. They moved in closer to Lance.
"And who's your friend?"
"We have nachos," Pietro sped up to the group while Freddy carried two plates of nachos from the gas station, "Hey what's going on here?"
"Nothin'," Todd said.
Freddy caught up to the group, "Aren't you gonna introduce us?"
"Hey Lance," Pietro questioned, nodding his chin in the direction of a purple truck turning into the gas station, "Think the Jeep could take that Dodge?"
"I dunno, wanna find out?" Lance asked. Todd and Leala both turned pale when they saw Leala's father driving the truck. He pulled in and stuck his head out the window.
"What's going on here, girl?" He called out, "Get in the truck, right now. What did I tell you about those boys?"
Freddy looked at Todd, blurting out for everyone to hear, "What, you nail his daughter?"
"Guess a lot can happen in ten minutes," Pietro said.
They saw Devan reach down to the console and bring a radio up to his mouth, "Hey, Edna, I'm gonna need a wagon at the gas station near 4th and Davis,"
"Oh great, the cops!" Pietro rolled his eyes, "What did we do now?"
"Loitering," Devan called out.
"That's still a crime?" Pietro asked.
"Hey, I'm getting gas!" Lance called out.
"And theft," Devan said as he got out of the car holding a tazer.
"Theft?" Lance asked.
"He knows about the fuseball table," Said Freddy.
"Shut up," Lance said.
"Ok, I want everyone in a line against the wall," Devan said.
"Says who?" Lance retorted.
"Great this is the third time I've gotten arrested!" Pietro said.
Lance said, "Shut up," and let out a small tremor.
"Will you people make my life easy and just get against the wall?" Todd said.
"Todd," Pietro said, "You're in the Brotherhood. None of our lives our easy."
"Just shut up and get against the damn wall."
"Don't we get a phone call?" Lance asked.
"At the station," Just then a police wagon drove up, "Ok everyone in the truck."
"Make me!" Pietro said.
"You could hop your ass in that wagon, or I could tazer you," Devan craftily grinned, "I'd enjoy either."
"I'd like to see you try," Pietro retorted.
"Your funeral boy," And with that Devan lept towards Pietro with his tazer, only to fall on his face where the speed demon used to be.
"You were saying, old man?" Pietro stood behind him with a chesier grin on his face. But before he could revel in his glory he heard Lance's voice from behind him.
"He wasn't saying anything, and you're getting in this wagon."
Pietro sped to the back of the wagon and laughed, "Yeah right." Then he felt a hand grab his shirt collar and haul him into the back of the wagon.
"Come on Todd, get in the wagon," Lance said. Todd started hopping towards the wagon when Devan was getting back up and started walking over to Freddy.
"Get in the wagon," He put the tazer to the big man's skin. Freddy squirmed only a little and smiled.
"Stop, that tickles!" Freddy snickered.
"Bunch of mutie freaks," Devan muttered, "Resisting arrest, huh?"
"No," Freddy looked around worriedly.
"Freddy quit screwing around and get in the wagon," Lance yelled.
"Ok," Freddy walked towards the wagon and got in.
---
at the police station
---
Devan walked in with the officer driving the wagon and part of the Brotherhood in handcuffs. They walked to the officer at the front desk. She eyed the boys suspiciously, "What is it this time, boys?"
Devan butt in before any of them could say anything, "Loitering, theft, resisting arrest, and drunk in public."
"What? Bullshit!" Lance cried out.
"He knows about the horse," Whispered Freddy.
"Shut up!" Pietro said.
"Hey, do I get my phone call now?"
"Cool off in a jail cell first," After saying that the boys were led to a jail cell.
"You know Freddy, you could make a door for us," Pietro mentioned.
"Fred you listen to him and you're outta the Brotherhood," Lance said.
Their spat was interrupted by another officer, "Ok, you guys get one phone call." He let Lance out of the cell. Lance immediately dialed the Boarding house.
"Pyro! Tell Wanda to go get the jeep down at the gas station by the school and then to come down to the jail to bail us out!"
Once the call was finished Lance was taken back to the cell, where they waited.