A/N: I had originally written these next two chapters as one, but I didn't like how long it was; so I broke it into two. Part of this chapter (the part about the school Jubilee is planning to attend) was inspired by a story by Rachel Martin entitled The First Time. It is an incredible story, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine it the plot.
Boy-Scout or Rebel
"Shit!" Jubilation swore, as she knocked over the measuring cup of powdered sugar; spilling it's contents on the floor, where it mixed with an cracked egg, and some flour that she had spilled earlier. "Stupid fucking sling."
She walked back to the cupboard, to retrieve the container of powdered sugar, so she could measure out another portion.
"Need any help?" Raven asked, as she stepped into the kitchen.
"No, I got it." Jubilation replied, struggling to pour the powdered sugar with one arm, since her right arm was still in a sling.
"It sure looks like you could use a hand." Raven said, noticing the mess on both the counter, and floor; as well as on Jubilation herself. "What, exactly, are you doing?"
"I'm making Scott a birthday cake; it's his birthday today." Jubilation replied.
"Ah. That would explain why you are up so early on a Sunday." Raven said. "But that doesn't explain why you don't want any help."
"Because, I want to do it myself." Jubilation replied. "I want it to be a surprise, and I want him to know that I did it all by myself."
"With your arm still in a sling, I doubt you'll be able to get it done, without a little help." Raven said. "But hey; it's your choice." Then she left the room.
"I probably wouldn't have my arm in this sling if it wasn't for you." Jubilation mumbled, as she got back to preparing the frosting, hoping to have it ready in time to put it on the cake that was currently baking.
She knew Scott had a bit of a sweet tooth, despite his protests otherwise; so she had decided to make him a chocolate cake, with a thick layer of chocolate frosting on top. She had also decided that she wanted to make it all from scratch, which was turning out to be harder than she had first thought; especially since she still had her right arm in a sling.
But she was determined to do it, and even more determined to do it without any help; well, except for the help that Kurt and Peter were giving her, by promising to distract Scott until she was done.
Mixing was the worst part, and trying to mix the frosting was proving difficult; since the thicker it got, the harder it was to stir with only one arm. She nearly toppled the bowl twice, and had to use her hip to prevent the bowl from falling onto the floor once.
The buzzer sounded, letting her know that the cake was ready.
"No, no, no; I'm not done yet." She said, as she forgot about the frosting, and went over to the oven. She put on an oven mitt, and reached in to grab the first of two layers. She placed it on the counter, and grabbed the second layer.
The tray slipped out of her hand, as she was transferring it to the counter, and crashed onto the ground; spilling the cake.
"No!" She shouted, as she watched the cake break apart; ruining it.
"What happened?" Peter asked, as he appeared in the kitchen. "Is everything okay?"
"Scott's cake." She said, as she started to tear up. "It's ruined."
Peter walked around the counter to see what had happened. "Oh; wow." He said, when he saw the mess.
She couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and she started crying.
"Hey, hey, hey." Peter said, rushing to her side, and rubbing her back. "Don't cry; I'm sure we can think of something."
"It's too late." She replied, between sobs. "I don't have enough time to make another layer, and, even if I did, I don't have enough ingredients."
"Wait; you still have one layer, though, right?" He asked, looking at the counter, and seeing that she did indeed have one layer safely cooling on the counter.
"Yeah, but it was supposed to be a double layered cake." She replied. "If I just use that one layer, it'll be all small, and Scott will think I didn't care enough to make him a big cake."
Peter started laughing, which only confused her. "Jubes, Scott isn't going to care about the size of the cake." He said. "He'd be happy with a cupcake, as long as it came from you; especially when he finds out that you made it yourself."
"Are you sure?" She asked. "He won't think that I don't care about him?"
"How can you be so insecure?" He asked. "You always seem so confident, but when it comes to Scott, you can't seem to understand that he is completely into you. The guy likes you, Jubes; a lot. So don't worry so much, and just enjoy having the second best looking guy in the school as your boyfriend."
Once again, as only he seemed able to do, he made her laugh. "While I have to admit, Kurt is kind of cute, but I'm pretty sure Scott is cuter." She replied.
"Oh, you wound me." He said, holding his hand to his chest as if he had just been shot. "So, are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah." She replied, wiping the tears from her face. "I guess I'll just make a single layered chocolate cake for him, then."
"Trust me, he'll love it." He said, with a smile. "And I promise not to eat more than one piece."
"I'll tell you what." She said. "Since you cheered me up, and are helping to keep Scott occupied; I'll save the rest of the frosting, for you. I made enough for a double layered cake; so I'm going to have some left over."
"Deal." He said. "Consider Scott thoroughly occupied."
"Just make sure you have him back by noon." She said. "I asked the Professor if we could have a small birthday lunch with just the team...and me."
"Will do." He replied. Then he was gone.
Feeling a little better, but still not great about having dropped one layer of Scott's birthday cake; she got to work finishing it.
Once the cake had been finished, and the kitchen was cleaned, Jubilation had retreated to her room to get ready; she didn't want to go to Scott's birthday lunch covered in cooking ingredients.
A shower, and a fresh change of clothes later, she was heading down to the dining room, with Scott's present balanced precariously in her left hand. After navigating the stairs, and students running around, enjoying their day off, she arrived at the dining room. She was the first to arrive, so she placed the present on a side table.
"What did you get him?" Peter asked, suddenly appearing beside her.
"I'm not telling you." She replied. "You'll just have to wait and see, like everyone else."
"You know I could probably unwrap it, see for myself, and re-wrap it before you even blinked, right?" He asked, giving her a smirk.
"You better not." She replied, giving him her best glare; which only made him laugh.
"Okay, I won't." He said. "But what I will do, is help you set up."
Before she could reply, he was gone, only to show back up seconds later.
"Done." He said.
She looked over, and saw that the table was set, and the food was already waiting. "I could have done that." She said.
"Yeah; I know." He replied. "But I wanted to give you a break, since your arm is still messed up."
"Thank you." She said. "I should probably go find Scott, and bring him down."
"I'll make a quick round, and make sure the others are on their way." He said.
She left, and headed back upstairs to Scott's room. She knocked, and waited for him to open the door.
"Hey, birthday boy." She said, with a smile. "Are you ready?"
"Ah, yeah." He replied nervously, as he stepped into the hallway.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, as she took his hand, and started walking down the hall.
"No; or yes." He replied. "I don't know."
"What is it?" She asked.
"My parents called this morning, and told me that they were going to be here for lunch." He replied. "Apparently, they talked to the Professor last week, and he told them about lunch and invited them."
"And that's a bad thing?" She asked.
"Well, maybe." He replied, looking around to make sure no one was close enough to hear. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I'm going to see them; I haven't seen them since I went home for a couple of weeks this past summer. But so much has changed in my life, and I don't know how they'll react."
"So much...like us?" She asked, getting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Yeah." He replied. "That, and the X-Men. I'm just not sure how they'll take it."
"Scott, are you embarrassed about me?" She asked.
"What? No." He replied, stopping her and turning her to face him. "Not at all."
"Then why haven't you told your parents about us?" She asked. "We've been dating for four months now; I already told my mom all about you."
"You have?" He asked, sounding surprised.
"Well, yeah." She replied. "I tell my mom everything."
Scott rubbed the back of his neck; something she had learned he did when ever he was uncomfortable. "I guess, it's just that I don't have that kind of relationship with my parents." He replied. "You need to understand that my parents are a little...older; I was a late in life baby. And because they're a little older, they're a little more old fashioned. We've never really talked about my personal life; it's always about school, and my grades. And before I got here, they started to talk to me about my possible future career. So, when we started dating, it never even crossed my mind to tell them about you, since they've never shown any interest in my personal life."
"Are you going to tell them about us today?" She asked.
"Yeah." He replied. "I want them to meet you, and see how amazing you are."
"Okay." She said, feeling a little better, but not completely. "Any idea when they'll be here? Because I kind of have everything ready."
Almost as if she had conjured them with that question, the doorbell rang.
"I think that might be them now." He said, looking down the hall at the foyer. "I should probably go answer it."
"Do you want me to come with you, or should I just head to the dining room?" She asked.
"I'll meet you there." He replied, giving her a kiss on the check and releasing her hand. Then he walked towards the foyer, where Raven was walking towards the door.
She hesitated for a moment, before heading to the dining room alone.
Jubilation stood next to Peter, Kurt, and Ororo, against the wall, as Scott came in with Raven, and his parents.
"Ah, Mr and Mrs Summers; how nice to see you again." Professor Xavier said, as she reached out and shook their hands.
"It's nice to see you too, Professor." Mr Summers said.
"Please, it's Charles." Professor Xavier replied. "How was the drive down?"
"Good." Mr Summers replied. "The roads were surprisingly clear for most of it; although we did hit a little traffic outside of Columbus."
"Wait; you drove down?" Scott asked. "Why didn't you fly?"
"The Corsair's engines are undergoing some upgrades, so I couldn't fly her." Mr Summers replied. "And we needed a way to get your present all the way here from Omaha."
"Omaha?" Peter whispered to Jubilation. "Scott never struck me as corn-husker."
"Shh; I'm trying to listen." She replied.
"When we talked to Charles, he mentioned that you had shown an interest in his motorcycles." Mrs Summers said.
Scott looked guiltily at the Professor, before glancing at Jubilation. "Ah, yeah; I have." He replied.
"Well, Alex left that old Indian in the garage, and we thought you might like to have it." Mr Summers said. "It still needs a lot of work before it's road ready; but we figured it might make a nice hobby for you."
"Really?" Scott asked. "You're giving me Alex's old motorcycle?"
"Yeah." Mr Summers replied. "I'm sure he would have wanted you to have it."
"Thank you." Scott said, shaking his father's hand, and hugging his mother. "I don't know what to say."
"Just promise that you'll be careful, and not drive crazy; like your father and brother." Mrs Summers replied.
"I believe, introductions are in order." Professor Xavier said. "I'm sure you remember Henry."
"Of course; Alex always spoke highly of you." Mr Summers said, shaking his hand.
"And this is Raven." Professor Xavier said.
"Yes, Alex spoke of you often, too." Mrs Summer said. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"And these are some of Scott's friends." Professor Xavier said.
"Hello, Mr and Mrs Summers; I'm Jean Grey." Jean said, as she stepped forward and shook their hands. "I'm in Scott's class."
"Nice to meet you, Jean." Mrs Summers said, with a smile.
Scott lead his parents over to the others. "Mom, dad; this is my friend Kurt." Scott said.
"Nice to meet you, Kurt." Mr Summers said, shaking his hand.
Kurt, who looked a little surprised that they hadn't reacted to his appearance, merely shook his hand, and nodded.
"This is Peter, and Ororo." Scott said.
"So, Scott's a mid-westerner?" Peter said, as he shook their hands. "Never pictured him for a country boy."
Ororo elbowed him in the stomach, and gave him a nasty look.
Scott reached out and took Jubilation's arm, pulling her closer. "And this is Jubilation; my girlfriend." He said.
"She is?" Mrs Summers asked, looking at Jubilation closely.
"Well, then it's especially nice to meet you." Mr Summers said, pulling her into a loose hug and kissing her on the cheek.
"Scott's never mentioned a girlfriend before." Mrs Summers said. "How long have you two been dating?"
"Not now, Katherine." Mr Summers said. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know her better later. Right now, I'm sure everyone is anxious to eat."
"Oh course." Mrs Summers replied. "We'll all sit down later and talk."
Scott smiled at Jubilation, but she could tell that it was a nervous smile; which matched her feelings exactly.
Lunch went by in a haze, for Jubilation; as she was worried about having to talk to Scott's parents after it was over. She was so out of it, that Peter had to nudge her with his elbow to get her attention. "Hey Jubes." He said, when he finally got her attention. "The cake."
"Oh." She said, standing up. "I'll be right back."
Everyone watched her leave, only to return moments later balancing a cake in her left hand. She placed it on the table in front of Scott, and sat back down. "Happy birthday." She said.
"Oh, wow; thanks, Jubes." He said, giving her a smile.
"She made it herself." Peter said. "I know; I saw the mess."
Ororo elbowed him again.
"What?" Peter asked, looking at her.
She shook her head, but didn't reply.
"You made this?" Scott asked, ignoring Peter and Ororo.
"Yeah." Jubilation replied, blushing. "I wanted to do something special for your birthday."
"Thank you." He said, leaning over and kissing her cheek.
Her blush just got even deeper, and she avoided looking at his parents.
"It's kind of small." Jean said. "Is there even going to be enough for everyone?"
Jubilation shot Jean a glare, and wished that she hadn't invited her; but she was Scott's friend, so she didn't say what was really on her mind. "I'm sure there will be." She replied.
Once the cake was eaten, it was time for the presents.
There were only two left, and Jubilation wanted to make sure her's was the last one; so she picked it up, and held onto it, until the Professor handed his to Scott.
"This is from me, Scott." Professor Xavier said, as he handed Scott a small box. "I already talked to your parents about it, and, while it took some convincing on my part, they are in agreement that it's something you're going to need."
Scott opened the box, and looked over at the Professor. "Sir?" He asked.
"Yes." Professor Xavier replied, with a nod.
Scott pulled out a set of car keys. "A Car?" He asked. "Why?"
"So you have a way to get around when you go to college." Mrs Summers replied. "You're going to need a car."
"I don't know what to say, Professor." Scott said. "Thank you."
"It was my pleasure, Scott." Professor Xavier replied. "I can tell that you are going to do great things in life, and if I can help in any way, I'm glad."
Scott placed the keys down, and got up to shake the Professor's hand.
"Well, it looks like there's only one present left." Peter said.
Scott sat back down, and looked at Jubilation.
Suddenly, she wasn't feeling as good about her present. Scott had already been given his brother's old motorcycle, and now a new car; how could she compete with that. "Ah, here, Scott; happy birthday." She said, as she handed him the box.
He took the box, and carefully unwrapped it. Then he removed the top. "Oh, wow." He said, as he looked inside. "Sweet."
He removed the Baltimore Orioles baseball cap, and put it on; a huge smile on his face. Then he took the team jersey and unfolded it.
"I hope I got the right size." Jubilation said, as she avoided looking at anyone other than Scott.
"I'm sure it's good." He replied, looking at the back. "Nice, a Ripken jersey."
"I remember you cheering for Baltimore this summer, and saying that he was your favorite player." She said.
"He is." He said, his smile growing even bigger. "This is the best, Jubes; I love it. Thank you."
He leaned over to give her a kiss, but she turned her head at the last second; so he kissed her cheek. She was too embarrassed to kiss him in front of his parents.
As Scott sat back, she glanced over at his parents, and saw his father smiling; his mother, on the other hand, still had the same stoic expression she had on since Scott introduced her as his girlfriend.
Jubilation was about to follow the others out after lunch, but Mrs Summers stopped her in her tracks. "Where are you going, dear?" She asked. "I was looking forward to getting to know you better."
"Ah, I was going to give you some family time." Jubilation replied. "But I'll stay if you want."
"Yes, I insist." Mrs Summers said. "We're only going to be here until tomorrow; so that doesn't give us a lot of time to get to know you."
"What do you say, we go check out your new car, Scott?" Mr Summers said.
"Ah, sure thing, dad." Scott replied, taking Jubilation's hand in his, and leading them through the house to the garage.
Once the lights were on, it wasn't hard to find which car was Scott's; it was parked right in the middle, pointed towards the door, and ready to go.
"Wow." Jubilation said.
"Yeah, wow." Scott said.
"I believe, that's a Mazda RX-7, if I'm not mistaken." Mr Summers said, as he approached the car. "Yep, I was right."
"It's a little...sporty." Mrs Summers said, as she walked over to stand next to Mr Summers. "When Professor Xavier talked about him buying Scott a car for school; I assumed it would be something a little more practical."
"Katherine." Mr Summers said, looking at her and shaking his head. "The man bought Scott a car; I don't think we have the right to nitpick his choice in model." Then he turned to Scott. "Why don't you take your girlfriend for the maiden voyage in it? I'll go find Charles, and ask him where we can put your bike; while you're gone."
"Are you sure?" Scott asked. "I can help you unload the bike."
"I'm not that old, Scott." Mr Summers said, with a smile. "Besides, if I really need help, I'm sure I can find someone around."
"Um, okay." Scott said, turning to look at Jubilation. "You want to go for a ride, Jubes?"
"Sure." She replied. "I'd love too."
Scott opened the passenger side door for her, and helped her in. Then he closed the door, and went around to the driver's side. Once he was in, he helped her buckle up, before buckling his own seat-belt.
He started the engine, and pulled out into the driveway.
Once they were on the road, she finally said what was on her mind. "I don't think your mom likes me." She said, looking at the scenery pass them by.
"I wouldn't say that." Scott replied. "Just give her time to get to know you. I kind of sprung this on them, by not having told them about you earlier; I'm sorry, about that."
"It's fine." She said. "Your dad seems really nice, and I think, as long as he's around, he won't let your mom get too hard on me."
"Yeah, dad is like one of the friendliest people in the world." He said. "I knew he would like you right away."
"So, do you really like your present?" She asked.
"Are you kidding me?" He replied, adjusting the cap that he hadn't taken off since unwrapping it. "That was the best present I ever got."
"Even better than a motorcycle, or a car?" She asked.
"Even better." He replied. "Because it came from you, and it was something personal; something you learned about me. I mean, you even knew that Ripken was my favorite player; that is awesome."
"I'm glad you like it." She said. "I was afraid that, after the car, nothing I could give you would matter."
"Anything you gave me would have mattered to me, Jubes." He said. "Because it would have come from you. I just feel bad about the present I got you for your birthday, now."
"Why?" She asked, reaching into her shirt to pull out a gold necklace, with a heart pendant. "I love it; I only take it off to shower."
"Yeah, but it wasn't like what you got me." He replied. "You got me something personal; I got you something that I thought looked pretty and you'd like."
"But Scott, it's so sparkly." She said, with a laugh. "Guys can never go wrong with getting a girl something sparkly; jewelry is always a great gift."
"Well, I promise you, that for Christmas, I'm going to put a lot of thought into your present." He said. "I'm going to get you something that is perfect; even better than jewelry."
"I don't know, Scott." She said, tucking the necklace away. "It's hard to beat jewelry."
She started to feel a little better, but soon noticed that they were heading back to the Institute, and she was going to have to face Mrs Summers again.
Scott pulled into the garage to find his mother talking to Jean.
"Wow, nice car, Scott." Jean said, as he got out, and helped Jubilation. "You have to promise to take me for a ride sometime."
"Ah, sure; but some other time." He replied, distractedly. "Where's dad?"
"He's unloading the motorcycle over in the workshop." Mrs Summers replied. "Charles suggested it as a good place to store it until you've got it up and running again."
"Okay, I should go see if he needs a hand." Scott said, reaching for Jubilation's hand.
"Oh, leave your little friend here with us." Mrs Summers said. "We can have a little girl talk, while you help your father."
Scott looked at Jubilation, and she nodded her head. "Okay." He said. "I'll be right back."
He ran outside, and disappeared around the corner.
"So, Jubilation...that's an interesting name." Mrs Summers said. "Where is it from?"
"Ah, I'm not exactly sure." Jubilation replied. "I never really asked."
"Well, where are you from?" Mrs Summers asked. "Are you from around here?"
"I'm from California." Jubilation replied. "Beverly Hills, to be exact."
"Were your parents born there?" Mrs Summers asked.
Normally, this line of questioning would have Jubilation seething; she hated people who just assumed because she was Chinese, she was an immigrant. But since it was Scott's mother, and she didn't want to offend her, she just bite her tongue. "Yes." She replied. "My Grandparents are the ones that immigrated from China."
"Interesting." Mrs Summers said, sounding anything but interested. "Jean was just telling me that she's applying to Columbia University Medical School; where are you planning on going to university?"
"Oh, Jubilation is only sixteen, Mrs Summers." Jean replied, with a laugh. "She's still a sophomore in high school."
"You are?" Mrs Summers asked. "I see."
"Yeah, but I was planning on going into fashion." Jubilation replied, feeling the need to defend herself. "I'm going to apply to the Fashion Institute of Technology; I'm thinking of doing a double major in fashion design, and business management."
"I guess it's better than nothing." Mrs Summers mumbled. "So, I take it that you are a mutant too? Like Scott."
"Yes, I am." Jubilation replied.
"Yeah, but her powers aren't really anything spectacular." Jean said. "She can put on a pretty light show, but nothing compared to what Scott can do; his powers are impressive."
Before Jubilation could explode in anger, Scott came running back, with his father jogging behind him.
"We're back." Scott said, a little out of breath. "Motorcycles unloaded, and everything."
"So, what say Scott takes us on a tour of the grounds?" Mr Summers said. "I, for one, would love to see them."
"Sure, it'll give us a chance to talk...alone." Mrs Summers said, glancing over at Jubilation.
"Ah, I think I'll go work on my World History homework." Jubilation said. "It was nice meeting you, Mr and Mrs Summers."
"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to join us for dinner?" Mr Summers said, ignoring the look his wife was giving him. "We're staying in town for the night, and heading back tomorrow morning, but we had hoped to take Scott out for a family dinner, and I would love the chance to get to know you better; I feel like I've barely had any time with you."
Jubilation looked at Scott, who was nodding. "Okay." She replied. "I would love to join you for dinner."
"Excellent." Mr Summers replied, smiling. "How does five o'clock sound?"
"Good." Jubilation replied.
"Okay, then; Scott will come get you around four-thirty, and we'll all go out to dinner." Mr Summers said.
"Sounds like fun." Jubilation replied, forcing a smile on her face.
She turned to leave, and heard Jean saying goodbye to Mrs Summers, before following Jubilation out.
Jubilation waited until they were far enough away form the garage, before turning to face Jean.
"What is your problem?" She asked, angrily. "I thought you were my friend."
"I am your friend, Jubes." Jean asked, looking confused. "Why would you even say that?"
"Because, lately, you've been acting like a total...bitch." Jubilation replied. "You put me down in front of everyone, every chance you get, and you belittle me in front of Scott and his parents. Friends don't do those types of things."
"Maybe, instead of accusing me, you need to take a long hard look at yourself, Jubilation." Jean said, standing straight; as if to emphasize their difference in height. "I'm only speaking the truth. If you think that what I say is belittling, or putting you down; then maybe you need to understand that that's just who you are, and deal with it."
Jean shoved past Jubilation, slamming into her right shoulder. "Ow!" Jubilation cried out. "You fucking bitch."
She was about to use her powers to blast Jean in the back, as she walked away; but a younger student walked into the hall from the kitchen, and got in between them.
She retreated to her room, where she locked the door, and collapsed on the bed. Then she started crying into her pillow.
THE END