Time Skip! (Bling!)

I wake up late for the first day of my new school, wooo! That was sarcasm by the way... Just, you know, making sure you guys watching from home picked up on that. I mumble sleepily and flop out of bed. School was hard enough without being a mutant so I shudder to think about what it's going to be like with that stigma. I suppose the other X-men will be there to back me up though, which is more than what some other mutants have, right?

I head down to breakfast and grab some toast before rushing to the X-van. Why I always manage to get a broken alarm clock is beyond me. Bobby didn't bother waking me up either as he is 'ill' with a cold and so is taking a day off... though how someone who can turn himself into ice can catch a cold is beyond me. I guess getting ill myself isn't something I'll have to be all that worried about now though, so at least I have that going for me.

We arrive at school and the other new students and I go to the office to collect our schedules. I look at it and I try to find my class- math by the way. Amazingly I only manage to get lost once, which is an achievement, if like me, you're bad with directions... as in really bad, really, really bad... So bad even... actually, no. I don't feel like sharing that memory, it's too horrific.

I even manage to get there before the bell sounds, which is exceptionally punctual of me.

I share the class with Kitty, who I sit next to at the back, Amara, who sits next to Kitty and my attempted murderer who was sitting closer to the front and looked about as pleased to be there as I was. Which was both good and bad. My stupid teenage brain kept fixating on her and not the work I was supposed to be paying attention to.

Apparently Kitty has a sixth sense or something for these sorts of things, however, and gave me a jab. "Hey Martin." She whispers, glancing around conspiratorially.

"Mmm, yes?" I answer somewhat distractedly. Little Miss Murder was twirling her pencil around her finger in complicated series of rapid motion and at the time I thought it was coolest thing I had ever seen. Stupid teenage brain. Math is important!

"Why do you like, keep looking at X-23?"

I blink, coming back to myself, "X-20-what?" I asked, turning to look at her. Wait, is she asking about the math?

"X-23...?" She sighs at my blank expression. "You know, the like crazy chick."

"Ohh, so that's her-" I interrupt myself with a cough, whoa nearly showed too much interest there. "I mean, Oh, her... Just making sure she doesn't kill anyone."

Maybe it was the way I said it, but she gives me a look, clearly not believing my incredibly plausible reply. "Come on, tell me the truth."

I fold my arms stubbornly "That was was the truth." I state adamantly.

She crosses her arms too, "Fine then, lie, but like, I'll find out the truth one way or another."

Hold on, was that a threat? What sort of methods did she have? Did she have an entire underground informant network? Was she some kind of emotional detective? "What do you mean, you'll-"

"Wait..." She starts, interrupting me. I watch her curiously as she thinks for a few moments, her eyes moving from me to X-23 and back again.

"What?" I ask, nervously. Was my secret out? Was my not even two day old crush on a girl I barely knew the name of already a hot gossip topic?

Suddenly she gasps, realization spreading her face as she gave me a vulpine grin. "You think she's cute, don't you!" She half asks, half demands in a tone that sounded a lot more accusatory than it should have.

Goddamn, how did she work it out so quickly. Was I that obvious? Could anyone work it out or was she just some kind of prodigy? "What? Pfft, no I don't. I- I haven't even spoken to her yet." I replied, stumbling over my lie in my haste to get them out. Hey, don't judge me for my deceit, does nervous stuttering really count as conversation?

"You like, totally like her!" She gasps, whispering far too loudly for my tastes, her eyes wide.

"Shh!" I say, "Kitty, she'll hear you!"

She gasps again "So you admit it!"

"What, No I- I did not! All I said was-"

"What are you guys talking about?" Amara buts her big head in, smiling innocently like she hadn't already heard the whole thing and was just asking so embarrass me further. Okay, alright, maybe that take's a little paranoid even for me.

"Martin likes X-23!" Kitty replied a little too enthusiastically for my liking. Why does she care who I like? Not that I like X-20-who-a-ma-who. Who even is she? Didn't even know their name until today. You can't pin anything on me!

"Awww! They'd be so cute together!" Amara exclaims and I inwardly groan.

Kitty nods "Yeah, he's been staring at her for like, the entire lesson, It's so cute!"

"Kitty" I whine, pressing my head into my arms as I slump on my desk, hiding my flushed cheek. "She'll hear you! Maybe she has like super hearing or something!" I caution, "And I wasn't staring, I was only- Glancing at her."

She waves her hand dismissively "You're like, being so paranoid Martin!" I sigh and try to get back to my work.

"So?" She asks, disturbing me again.

I give her an annoyed look, "So...?"

She rolls her eyes, "So, like when are you going to talk to her?"

"What?!" I splutter, shaking my head "Nuh uh, No way." Whoa, whoa, whoa, she expects me to go talk her? She threw me out of a window! Like, a three story one! Seriously like, what am I going to say? 'Oh, hey there, I'm just that guy you tried to kill the other day. How are you?' No! Just- just no! I can't, where would I even start.

She crosses her arms, "Go and like talk to her at lunch or I'll throw your cat in the pool!"

I glare at her, "You wouldn't! Not to Jeremy!"

"Oh yes she would!" Amara says and Kitty nods.

"You psychopaths! He's just an innocent kitten!" I exclaim.

They pause at that, "Okay, maybe not your cat." Kitty amends.

"But what about your mattress? Or all your clothes!" Amara adds and I shoot her a glare.

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll go talk to her!" I huff, giving in. "Just don't do anything drastic, alright." Maybe if I go along with their schemes they'll keep it to themselves, right? How hard could talking to X-23 really be?

The two of the give me twin grins of victory "Great! You'd better tell use what happens!" Kitty demands cheerfully.

"Yeah, and no chickening out!" Amara adds as the bell rings and we begin to pack away our books.

"Yeah, yeah. You just keep your mitts off of my mattress!" I let out sigh as I head to my next class and away from the two trouble making teens. My next class consists almost exclusively of me racking my brain good conversation starters. It didn't going well.