I've decided to upload every weekend, so expect an update either on Saturday or Sunday, likely Sunday as I have more time after doing schoolwork.
Wow, already the fourth chapter. Didn't I think I'd get this far so quickly, the story just writes itself until mindblock sets in, which happens to me a lot.
I really am getting addicted to this song, I think it fits Sam quite well so go and check it out.
disclaimer: I only own OCs.
with that done, on with the chapter...
You're falling, you're screaming,
You're stuck in the same old nightmare,
He's lying, you're crying,
There's nothing left to salvage,
Kick the door 'cause this is over,
Get me out of here,
Simple Plan ~ No love
My whole body ached, as predicted Logan had made all of us do five laps around school. Only me, Jubilation lee (though everyone calls her jubilee), Mirage and John were left to finish. I was ahead of everyone except John, but to be honest I reckon he could beat us easily, he just couldn't care about the lesson at all.
Unfortunately for us, the day was a sweltering hot one, the dirt pathways surrounding school exceedingly warm as heat bounced off them. None of us could be bothered to explain the heat in science, just wanting to finish the final lap in time so Logan didn't make us do it again.
As teachers go, he was probably the strictest but that was because he was a grumpy old sod, though I'm not brave enough to say it to his face. None of us are, not even the bigger guys like Piotr.
I kept a decent pace, right on John's heels as we rounded the final corner before the tennis courts. I could feel sweat collecting on my chest and under my armpits, not very lady like but the blazing sun made it impossible not to be sweating. It was even worse for me as I desperately wanted to jump head first back into the swimming pool.
As we twisted around the tennis courts and into the back yard, me and John were jogging side by side. It wasn't exactly a competition, but I could tell John didn't want to be beaten by me, and so picked up the pace. He was breathing heavily but not so much that he sounded completely out of breath, while I wanted to pass out there and then. I didn't let him have the satisfaction of winning without a fight, jogging faster to catch up with him again as the end was in sight.
Everyone half Heartedly clapped us stragglers on, Logan stood away from the students, the same bored expression he wore every lesson with a cigar at the side of his mouth.
Fair enough, John just made it before me as he leaned over to place his hands on his knees. I did the same as I caught my breath back, taking in deep breaths of warm oxygen. Mirage and Jubilee caught up a few minutes later looking really pissed off and tired.
"We could really use that trick of yours right now." John commented in-between gasps, mentioning my prank from this morning, and I honestly agreed with him.
"I would if there was any water, it's too hot." I answered back, legs shaking in exhaustion. I'd happily shower everyone in cooling water, but, I've never actually tried manipulating a large amount before, only small bucket sized ones and even they could be unpredictable if I wasn't ready.
We didn't get long to rest as Logan strode towards all of us, puffing on his cigar. His attire of white tank top and combat trousers were a common sight in lessons, same with his I don't give a shit whether you die in this lesson or not look, so none of us expected him to go easy on us after the running.
"Quiet, we're gonna do some verses practice. Oi big guy, come here." He motioned for Piotr, who stepped forward without hesitation, him having the most rest as he had finished first. He stood in front of Logan, towering above him though he wasn't phased by his height. Within a flash Piotr was flipped onto his back, the ground shaking like an earthquake as he connected with the mowed ground. Logan merely puffed on his cigar, staring down at Piotr's damaged form, the ground physically cracking from the impact.
"Pick a partner and start practising amongst yourselves, any slackers will do another five laps." He barked, all of us rushing in a frantic mob to find partners.
I got paired up with Jubilee as Johanna was still sleeping off the hang over. She was extremely hyperactive and floored me within the first few minutes. Luckily I wasn't the only one getting thrown onto the ground, John was paired with someone I hadn't seen before, possibly the new kid but it was hard to tell. Considering he was pretty weak looking, he had no trouble flipping John onto the ground. Piotr quickly regained his dignity by pinning Danny Jordan to the floor every time, Danny's only ability being that he could make himself invisible, which was pointless in this lesson.
Again Jubilee pulverised me, the sight of the blue sky a common one as the lesson carried on.
I took a bite of the green apple in my hand, the juiciness helping me become unstressed. The canteen was alive with chatter as everyone got their lunch before the next lessons started, everyone starving as their brains turned to mush.
I sat glumly at my usual seat by the window, staring out onto the courtyard where many students practiced their own unique abilities, but nobody was out there today. Johanna wouldn't be turning up, either because she was asleep or because the food would make her nauseous, so again I was left alone as I never spoke to anyone else unless it was necessary.
The combat lesson wasn't really exciting, Logan showed us some new techniques by using Piotr as his guinea pig, luckily he could take it. We had geometry afterwards with Professor Summers, a complete waste of time as I didn't understand a word of it.
So my day hadn't gone too well, and it wasn't looking up as I had science, mutant ethics and history for the rest of the day. I savoured the time in the canteen, it was somewhere that meant I wasn't a hermit but also helped clear my head before the next lot of lessons.
Finishing the apple, I discarded it in a nearby bin, gulping down a bottle of water as I felt dehydrated.
"Room for one more?" I looked up for the source of the voice, and found John with an apple in his hand. He threw it up into the air and caught it again, a little game he played while waiting for my answer.
"It's a free country." I countered, John taking the chair opposite me. I could tell he had something to say about my comment, maybe something on how it wasn't for mutants, but he never spoke it aloud.
I resumed my gaze out the window, so glad to not be outside in the sweltering heat as the temperature rose with each passing hour.
"Where did Professor X find you?" John's question caught me off-guard, slightly suspicious of his motives behind it.
"Why do you ask?"
"Think of it as a two way thing, I ask you question and you answer it, you get to ask me one. It's fair right? We get to learn more about each other if we put pressure on one another." He explained, which didn't make me feel any better about asking his questions. Admittedly it was something to pass the time, and I was curious to know more about him.
John leaned back in his chair, his trusty lighter in hand as he flicked it open and studied the flame. So he had managed to get it working, he must really know his mechanics if he fixed it that quickly, or he just knows his lighters.
Screw it, he can judge me all he wants, it won't make me feel any worse than what I already do.
"I was in a foster home in Illinois, I'd been there since I was eleven." I said, staring at my fingers on the table as they coiled and uncoiled due to the uncomfortable nature that surrounded the foster home. It wasn't hell on Earth, but I'd rather not go into detail about it.
John didn't seem shocked by the news, nor did he show sympathy, so I decided to ask my own question.
"What about you, where did he find you?"
It was only fair that I asked him the same question, right?
He shut the lighter suddenly, an obvious annoyance at the question.
"Hey, you're the one that said you have to answer the questions to get a question." I said before he could say anything, and it was quite humorous at watching him hold his tongue.
"I never said you had to answer the questions, and I'm not going to answer that one." He snarled rather viciously, sending me aback at his mood swing. I guess this was why Johanna called him a jerk, and I was beginning to see why.
"Look John, I could've chosen not to answer your question. The least you can do is answer mine." I said in a raised voice, quickly regretting it as other students turned their heads in our direction before getting back to their lunch.
"Fine, just ask me a different one."
"No, that's not fair, it has to be the same question as before."
"Then I'm not answering."
"Then you've broken your own rules."
"Holy fuck, how stubborn are you?"
The words stung, and I'm pretty sure John knew it. I forced down any stray language that originally I wanted to say, and glared at him with blazing eyes. Today really wasn't the best day to piss me off, not with the nightmares, Fredric from yesterday still haunting me, and Logan's so called combat skills.
"Not meaning to be rude, but I've actually not trusted many people knowing I went into care. At least you could try be as trustworthy to me as I am to you right now, or there is no point in these stupid questions because I won't be answering anymore until you do." I threatened, silently praying that it wasn't my time of the month, not needing something else on my plate.
John remained silent, internally seething at my stubbornness as he opened the lighter again, switching the flame on in a dazzling but terrifying manor.
"My parents abandoned me, the Professor found me, that's all you need to know." He finally replied, slowly breaking away pieces of the awkward wall between us. I showed empathy, knowing what abandonment feels like, and I was grateful for him opening up for once. He radically changed the subject, back to his normal self as he stared at the flame from his lighter. He stewed on many questions, but found only one sprung into his mind as he stared at the flickering shades of orange.
"So do you find me attractive? You never actually answered it before." He asked, closing the lighter. I couldn't tell whether he was playing with me or asking honestly, but either way it made me shift in my seat.
I didn't want to say something that would put him down, but I didn't want him getting the wrong impression either. This is why I hate relationships, shit like this!
"Well, um, yeah. There are a lot uglier guys around, and most of them are assholes to go with it. Honestly, I'd say you're one of the most attractive guys I know." Maybe I shouldn't have added the last bit, as his smirk grew larger as his eyes gleamed. He was playing as usual, but I couldn't help but think he was taking this as a hint that I liked him.
I wouldn't mind calling him a friend, only really knowing Johanna and a guy friend would help with knowing what stuff they liked. But other than that, I couldn't say anything romantically, too much hassle and I didn't want to hurt him by cutting him out when the nightmares got too bad.
He seemed satisfied by the answer, and continued with his lighter, a habit that looked more like an obsession as he became hypnotised by the flame.
I pushed the water bottle in a little circle on the table, my other hand a rest for my head as I thought up more questions. There were so many that I wanted to ask, but because of his little tantrum most of them seemed too personal.
"Do you like comics?" I asked after the silence grew deafening. John raised a curious eyebrow, his brown eyes staring at me as if I had grown three heads.
"I'm not a hardcore fanboy, but I read the batman comics from time to time." He answered with an obvious interest as to why I asked, I nodded my head, it was a good choice after all.
"I used to love reading them when I was a kid. My dad had some of the vintage Captain America ones too, though we weren't allowed to read them as they were too old." I added absentmindedly, the only good memory I had of dad was him lecturing me on why I wasn't supposed to open the sealed packages. Actually, that could have been the only memory.
"We? You have siblings?" John picked up on my mistake straight away, making me stare at the bottled water, picturing the murky water of the lake on that early spring morning.
"I had a brother, he died." I forced normality into my tone, unable to look up from the table in case tears tried to escape.
"What happened to him?"
You're asking too many questions John.
I wanted to say it out loud, but decided to give him an invasive answer.
"It was just an unfortunate accident, that's all you need to know." It was barely above a whisper, but John caught the sarcastic tone to it from when he hadn't answered completely. He stared at me, knowing the bell for lessons would go soon.
He rolled the apple across the table, me slamming a hand onto it before it rolled off the edge. I looked up to see him smiling, not a grin, just a tight smile that could go unnoticed.
"I didn't want it anyway. If you don't have anyone to sit with in the canteen, me and my roommate always have a spare seat." John stood up as soon as the bell went, turning to me one final time with his lighter still blazing with the orange flame.
"Sorry about your brother." He said hastily before heading off as students began to pile up around the exits. When he had gone, I picked up the apple and stared at it. It was the same green one as mine, only slightly larger and looked at lot more appetising. I placed it in my bag for later, not wanting to waste food as I had always been taught.
"Science here I come." I said with little interest, pulling my bag over one shoulder. A hand wrapped around my waist, spinning me around to face the culprit. To my horror, Fredric with his bug eyes grinned maliciously at me.
"Thought I'd catch up with you sooner or later, what are the odds." He faked surprise, gripping the flesh of my waist tighter as I tried to break free.
"Get off me creep!" I shouted at him, the insult never spilling off my tongue before.
"There is a fire to you then, no wonder flame boy took an interest in you. I've always loved a bit of competition, well, ones I win." He whispered into my ear, the fish smell still on his stale breath.
I wanted to puke, why did we go to that damn bar?
The mark on his forehead from last night was a deep purple, and it looked painful.
Good, the creep deserves it.
"I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other, see you around sweetie." He tried to kiss me, so I took the chance and lifted by knee swiftly. He groaned in pain and with his grip on my waist weakened, I slipped out of his hold and ran down the corridors.
I didn't stop until I reached science, no sign of John so I assumed he was skipping the lesson. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw everyone else had turned up on time except me. The whole class stared at be judgementally, some even whispering busted amongst themselves.
"Miss King, as this is the first time you've been late to my lesson, there won't be any punishments. However, you will have to sit at the front where I can keep an eye on you." Dr McCoy's voice held disappointment rather than anger, mainly because he thought I was a model student and liked his classes, I just didn't do anything wrong.
"Yes sir." I grumbled, taking the seat at the far corner of the front row, seeing a boy I hadn't seen before. His blonde hair and blue eyes made him look handsome, and his face did look kind.
I sat down and quickly pulled my textbooks out, instantly having a ball of paper thrown at my head. I turned around and found it had been thrown by Danny, he wasn't giggling though as I had expected, instead his face resembled something of a silent warning. Angrily, I opened the textbooks and tried to ignore him.
"Hi, I'm Bobby." The mysterious boy said, a kind smile on his face. Ah, so this was Bobby, the kid with the ability to create ice.
"I'm Sam." I greeted, looking up briefly before returning to gathering everything I needed for the lesson.
He felt torn, she had answered his questions even when they were personal to her, but he couldn't comply in doing the same. John pondered as he sat in a small crevice that gave a view of New York City. The little hideout he had found within his first year, finding the tranquility he needed away from his classmates.
It was hidden enough so teachers couldn't see him, but meant that if he had to rush inside then it wasn't too difficult. True, his clothes became dusty as the crater-like hole was showered in eroded Earth. He liked the spot, it meant he was shaded from the sun's killer rays and there was no chance he was going to be bothered by anyone.
John studied the lighter intently, the metal glimmering in the sunshine. He couldn't even contemplate what he would do without it, he'd likely go insane, the lighter a constant reminder of what he could and that was the realisation he needed to remember.
He wasn't normal, and honestly he was glad. Humans treated mutants like monsters, fearful of what they didn't understand, and that made them a danger, especially to the newly enlightened mutants out in the world. It angered him how they weren't allowed to show what they could do, hell, if they focused on their abilities more than stupid lessons, they would be strong enough to fight against the hate. But no, Professor X didn't encourage violence in their abilities, in fact he would likely punish it.
John flinched as he heard footsteps pass by, though he couldn't see anyone. Looking at the pathway, he saw that footprints were forming in the dirt, but there was no visible owner. John knew that it could only be one person.
He silently exited his hideout, and stalked the invisible person until they were far away from his hidden lair.
"Danny boy!" John shouted, a cry of shock heard as Danny turned visible. He had tripped over his own feet, lying flat on the floor as he grumbled angrily at John. Danny's dignity seemed to be at a low, his pure white hair littered with specks of dirt, pale skin complexion making him look like an actual ghost. Everyone thought his mutation made him look that way, though he never confirmed it.
"What the fuck? Damn it John, if the teachers catch us I'm blaming everything on you!" He threatened, pulling himself to his feet, brushing off stray dust. John just found it amusing, snickering behind a fist as he watched Danny glare daggers at him.
"Oh lighten up, it was a perfect opportunity and I wasn't going to waste it." John tried to redeem himself, though Danny still seemed pretty pissed.
"Where did you even come from? I swear I would have seen you." He questioned warily, thinking he knew every secret on the school ground. John tapped his nose which angered Danny further.
"That's for me to know, and you to never find out."
"You're an asshole."
"I've been called worse." John countered, still finding the situation hilarious. "What are you doing skipping class anyway, trying to steal my thunder?" He asked with his usual humour. Danny sighed, letting John off with his little prank, but it nearly gave him a heart attack.
"There's no way I'm sitting through an entire lesson of McCoy going on about fucking gas particles, I'd rather hang myself. That new girl, the water one, she's taking some tips of you. Was late for the lesson, first time as well, though it could've been because of Creepy Freddie."
John's ears pricked up, hearing the person he despised. Danny cursed under his breath, knowing he had said too much.
"What has the creep done now?" John asked suspiciously, deciding it was best to keep up with the gossip that hung around Freddie.
"Look you didn't hear it from me, but he's determined to finish what he started or that's what he said. John don't give me that look! I don't want anything to do with it but he's blackmailing me, he says if I don't spy on her he'll..." Danny abruptly stopped, John shaking his head judgementally.
"Danny boy...didn't know you had it in you." He tsked dramatically, Danny's cheeks flaring up in embarrassment, the pale red looking unnatural on his face.
"Hey, if you could turn invisible you'd do it too. I'm pretty sure that's every guys dream, it'd make spying on girls so much easier." He argued, but John still didn't let it slide, never knowing Danny could be such a pervert.
"No I wouldn't, because I'm not sexually frustration like you." John quipped, Danny unable to counter it as he was speechless. At this, John took a step towards Danny and made his best intimidating face, Danny in turn taking a step back.
"Stop spying on her, Freddie maybe blackmailing you, but you don't wanna know what happens when you cross me." He dared, eyes blazing with fury. It was all an act, he wasn't really angry and he honestly wouldn't do anything to the skittish boy, but Danny didn't know that. He shrunk away, hands held up defensively as the sun rained down on both of them.
"Okay, okay. Jesus, I didn't want to do it anyway so you've done me a favour. Freddie's not gonna like it though, he may seem weak but he's got a temper to him." Danny warned, but John just shrugged it off.
"So have I, and he knows better than to cross me, I've got iceman on my side as well." John added, though it wasn't needed as he thought he could take care of the creep by himself, and knowing Bobby he wouldn't want in on the confrontation.
Danny nodded his head, though he wasn't so sure that John could win, Freddie had a few tricks up his sleeves. They heard the bell go for fourth lesson, and it wouldn't take long for people to notice they were outside.
"I'm gonna head to lesson, just, don't tell anyone what I told you, I've had enough swirlies this week." Danny grimaced, the old fashioned prank of stuffing someone's head in a flushed toilet never got old, and it still applied in a school for mutants.
"Me too, mutant ethics with Professor X is such a joy." He said sarcastically, yawning for empathises as he just wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep for a year. However, he knew better than to be late for Professor X, and sped walked back inside with Danny chasing behind him. It didn't take long for the sport freak to pass him by, making the point of accidentally bumping into his shoulder.
John hated running with a passion, and he was honestly sick of it from first lesson. So he went by his own pace and got to the lesson still on time.
He took a chair at the back of the room by the window, finding that Sam was sat in front of him. She didn't notice him sit down, so he pretended that he never saw her and daydreamed as Professor X's voice became mumbled, it was something on "how do we distinguish whether a mutation is a danger or useless?"
According to everyone else, I'm just a danger...
He grumbled to himself, only looking up to see that Sam was listening intently. She really was a star student, maybe him being around would change that...
So much speech! Sorry for the overload of that, but mindblock kinda took over for a bit, I plan on uploading on Sunday but I might just skip to next week instead, tell me if you'd like to see a new one on sunday.
thats all for now,
~ gothgirlstrikesagain