Katie couldn't believe that Rogue was leaving her behind to deal with the Brotherhood. It was the next day of school after the geology trip. School had just ended, and Katie noticed that Rogue hadn't even bothered to look at her, nonetheless talk to her. Instead, she spent all of her time with the X-Men. "Rogue, where are you going?"
"I, ah, gotta go," Rogue said, eyes split to the side. Katie crossed her arms, waiting for more of an explanation. "I joined the X-Men."
"I thought that they attacked you," Katie said automatically. "And used us as enemies in the simulations. What happened to change your mind?"
"I found some things out. Besides, the X-Men aren't bad people." A car honked not too far away where Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Kitty Pride, and Kurt Wagner were. "I gotta go."
"So that's it?" Katie called. "You find some new friends and I'm kicked to the curb? I thought we were a team, Rogue!"
"We are a team! Just because you live at the Brotherhood house doesn't mean you have to fight on their side," Rogue said, the car honking again as Kitty and Kurt began making their way towards them. "If you want, I can talk to the prof about bringing you over the mansion."
"Oh, of course. An upgrade from the crappy couch to a mansion," Katie said with an eye roll. "Who could resist?" Katie felt hurt more than anger then at that moment. "I thought we were a team... Teammates think about each other. I had no idea where you were, Rogue..." Katie watched as Rogue opened her mouth to say something before her new friends swiped her away. "I guess we aren't a team anymore. It was nice having your back, Rogue!"
Rogue looked behind her to say something to Katie, but the dark haired girl was already going to Lance's jeep. She took the passenger seat before anyone could stop her, and stared straight ahead to ignore the tears pricking her eyes. "Whoa, you alright, Katie?"
"I'm fine, Toad. Just drive back to the stupid house," Katie replied, dropping her bag. "I'm not joining in on the Monday Musings of Idiots. I have homework now that Mystique finally got the girls' room done." Lance patted her shoulder. Katie stiffened under his touch and he drew away. He had forgotten how easy Katie got uncomfortable.
Katie said nothing as the boys messed around with Lance yelling at them to be careful with his jeep. She stared straight ahead and listened to the radio as best she could, and was out of the car before it even pulled to a full stop. She went to the girls' room, also known as her room, and slammed the door shut, earning a yell from Mystique.
She threw herself on her bed, grabbing the pillows and breathing so she wouldn't cry. Her only friend in this crappy place had left her for the enemy. For the people who used them in simulations to practice against. She was well aware when Lance and Pietro knocked on her door, but she ignored it on purpose. She even threw a pillow at them when Lance opened the door anyway.
Katie took out her algebra homework, completing in a record of fifteen minutes when her phone rang. She picked it up, looking at the caller ID. "Mom?"
"Oh, darling, what's wrong? Is it a boy?"
Katie sniffled. "No. My only friend left the Brotherhood to go fight with the X-Men."
"I'm so sorry, honey," her mother, Janet, said. "I'm coming down next month, if that makes anything better. I'll be there soon, baby girl. Hold out for me and make some new friends. I wanna scare a boyfriend when I get up there."
Katie laughed, feeling better now that she had spoken to her mother. "Thanks, mommy. I love you."
"I love you too. Goodnight."
"Night." Katie hung up, and stared at her phone as the door opened and the smell of pizza wafted in. Pietro and Lance walked in with a plate that had two slices of pizza on it. "Thanks, guys."
"So, Rogue joined the X-Men, huh?" Lance asked, making conversation. Katie made a face at her pizza. "I guess it's true then. I figured Mystique was lying."
Katie nodded. "Hey, can't she shapeshift or something like that?"
"Yeah, Mystique can take on various forms," Pietro said. "Not that it matters because no one really knows what she looks like without the blue skin, not even herself."
"So it's possible," Katie said without elaborating on what she found to be true. Mystique had scared Rogue into joining the Brotherhood. Not that Katie cared, because she was going to stay with them for a long while. Probably until her mother decided to bring her back home. "I'm surprised you aren't joining the other two idiots in their musing. I'm sure their brains are going on overload."
"We were worried about you," Lance said casually. "You might not like us, but we got curious. What could be going on inside the room that Katie just got her hands on... and we were wondering if we could take up the other two beds."
"Knock yourselves out," Katie said, knowing that it was what they wanted all along. "But if you keep me awake at night, I will knock you out for a week." She grabbed her next subject's homework and set to work on it.
"How will you do that?" Pietro asked with a smirk. "You won't be able to catch me."
"You're faster than a rabbit, Pietro... But you're arrogant," Katie said simply. "So, all it takes is simply luring you into a trap." Pietro kept smirking, and Katie tried pushing him off her bed. "Go away. I have homework, and I actually care about my grades." Pietro zipped by, grabbing her homework and dashing around the room twice before setting it back down on her bed. The forgery was perfect.
"Hey, wanna do all of my homework?" Katie asked, finding the answers to be right. Pietro grinned. "Okay, fine. You can stay, but you have to do at least one subject a night, which is whatever one I say."
"What about me?" Lance asked.
"You just don't annoy me, and we'll be alright," Katie replied before leaning back on her pillows. "Now shut up. That was all of my homework, so goodnight. I have to be rested up so I can face the world alone tomorrow." Pietro turned off the light so she would have an easier time and turned on a lamp light by his bed on the other side of the room.
Lance leaned down and whispered, "You're not alone, Katie." He stood up, and made his way to his bed, changing quickly and giving Katie a chance to appreciate him shirtless before laying down and going to sleep comfortably. She heard Pietro's snores, and sat up. She was putting on her shoes when Lance's hand came in contact with her shoulder.
"Crap, Lance," she breathed out. "You scared me."
"Where are you going?"
"To walk. I'm not running home, if that's what you think." She finished tying her shoes and stood up. "I'll be back in five minutes. I promise."
An hour later, Katie was crawling into her bed. She had completely forgotten about the time and went movie skipping. Lance had his back turned toward her, though she could tell that he wasn't asleep. When she was nearly asleep, he said, loud enough for her to hear, "That was longer than five minutes."
"Shut up," Katie mumbled, throwing her shoe at him. He yelped and glared at Katie before mumbling and going back to sleep. "I didn't pay attention to the time." She received no response, and fell into sleep rather quickly.
Katie refused Rogue when she tried to say something to her the next day. "Katie, come on. I talked to the prof, and he said it's a high possibility. Your mom has to be okay with it, but otherwise, he said he'll take you in."
"Funny how you had to ask after seeing me get worked up for it. What'd you think I was going to say, Rogue?! 'Yeah, sure, I'm perfectly fine. Let's be best friends forever and ever even though you pretty much abandoned me!'?" Katie slammed her locker door shut. "I'm not like that, Rogue. And I thought you knew that."
"I didn't know if you wanted to come to the Institute, Katie," Rogue said in her defense. "I mean, I just didn't know, Katie. You were settling into the Brotherhood pretty well."
"Rogue! Like, there you are!" Kitty greeted with a smile. "Are we still going to the movies later?"
"Yeah, just-" Katie began walking off before Rogue could see her tears. "Katie! Katie! Ugh, thanks Kitty."
Katie walked to her first hour class and plopped down next to Kurt. She crossed her arms and glared at the board. "Uhh... Are you okay?"
"No, I am not, so look forward, blue boy."