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"Ah've gotta be completely crazy." Rogue thought to herself for the sixteenth time in the last five minutes.
After Mandy, the uppity sales girl, had whisked Rogue away to the women's fitting rooms, she insisted that Rogue actually try onthe hunter green blouse. Worse still, Mandy wanted Rogue to MODEL the blasted thing too!
Not wanting to make a scene and attract Duncan's attention, Rogue had conceded. After all, she was better off hiding in the girls' fitting room than a clothes rack. And Duncan would NEVER think to look for her here. Hot Topic, yes. Abercrombie & Fitch, definitely not.
Hell, she could probably make Logan doubt his sense of smell by hiding here.
"Oh my gosh! I like, totally found the CUTEST outfit to go with that sweater!" Mandy was back from her 30 second journey to find Rogue more clothes to try on.
Rogue's eyes widened. That gal had to be related to Quicksilver somehow. There was no way a normal human could move so quickly.
"Here miss, put these on! You'll look SO totally awesome!" A bundle of clothes was pitched over the door and Rogue caught them with an "Umph."
Unwrapping the nearly ten pound cotton/polyester package, Rogue glared through the door at Mandy. Included was a mini-length denim jacket with long sleeves, a brown leather fashion belt, a pair of faded hipster jeans and a pair of brown suede high heeled boots.
"You have GOT to be kidding me." Rogue muttered under her breath. "Ah gotta be crazy."
Mandy was instantly at the door, her ear pressed up against the wooden slats. "What was that miss?"
Rogue raised an eyebrow and glared through the door again. "Ah said you're crazy. These pants'll never fit me. They're way too small."
"Oh just trust me, I have an eye for these things." With that, Mandy bounded away from the door as another customer emerged from a dressing room down the hall.
"Oh my gosh! That looks so totally cute!" Rogue heard the girl exclaim as she assaulted her next victim.
"Thank Gawd." Rogue said aloud, rushing to put the clothes on so she could scope the store for Duncan and his buddies before the oh-so-preppy valley girl came back. Rogue definitely had to give Kitty more credit, she had nothing on this gal.
Without bothering to check herself in the mirror, Rogue zipped up the pants, which amazingly did fit (kid must be a telepath too), and threw on the boots before peeking around the door. She sure as hell wasn't going to model the outfit for Mandy, but the clothes would make for good cover. After all, Duncan was looking for a Goth, and this outfit would certainly throw him off.
When she didn't hear or see Mandy nearby, Rogue took her chance and followed the labyrinth of closet-sized dressing rooms back to the retail area.
She scanned the store quickly and found no evidence of Duncan or his group of merry mutant haters. Sighing with relief, Rogue made her way to the front of the store to check the main hall. She really didn't want to get leave the store just to run into the goons on her way out of the mall.
As she peered through the glass windows in the store, looking this way and that for the band of blockheads, she nearly plowed over the hat display when Mandy, yet again, caught her from behind.
"Ohmygosh!" The preppy pre-teen screeched, "what did I like, tell you?!" As Rogue turned to the girl, she found that this time the store clerk really WAS bouncing. "You are like, SO totally HOT!" Mandy was getting at least half a foot of air by simply hopping up and down on the balls of her feet.
So, that made three for three. The girl had the same qualities as Quicksilver, Jean AND Toad. Gotta be a mutant. "Ah wonder if she has any idea?" Rogue thought.
Then, as Rogue was struck with another thought, a slow smile crawled its way to her lips. "Ah wonder if the Professor would stick this kid in Jean's room?"
The concept was almost too insidious to consider. After all, Rogue didn't necessarily get along with Jean, but the concept of ANYONE being forced to share a room with a girl as bubbly, excitable and downright terrifying as Mandy was just too cruel.
Logan wasn't scared of much, but two minutes alone with this kid would send even HIM screaming from a fight.
Rogue was about to offer a retort to Mandy's "hot" comment, when another voice from behind caused her to actually knock over the hat display this time.
"Hey! You!" It was Duncan all right. No one else had such an extensive mastery of the English language.
Rogue immediately dropped to the floor while keeping her back to Duncan. He was alone, so she considered kicking backwards and instantly dropping him, but as Mandy bent down almost too calmly, and began picking up the hats, Rogue was inexplicably compelled to do the same.
She had to think of Kitty after all.
She pretended to busy herself with cleaning up the mess while Mandy stood, armload of hats included, and addressed Duncan.
"How can I help you sir?!" The young store clerk asked, bright and bubbly as ever as she began putting the hats back in place.
"Are you shopping for your girlfriend?" She began, "I know the perfect gift!"
"Uh, a-actually I'm looking for someone." Duncan quickly re-found his voice and it was as mean and spiteful as ever. Rogue cringed.
"You seen a girl around here?" He started, his grammatical proficiency again surpassing his reputation.
"Well," Mandy giggled. Another cringe from Rogue. "I SEE lots of girls here. Are you having trouble?"
Rogue almost turned to stare. Almost. Was Mandy actually making FUN of Duncan Matthews? It couldn't be. No way. She was probably just flirting. That's right, flirting.
Flustered, Duncan went on, "I mean, you know, some girl. She's real gothic and crap. Total loser. Filthy mutant too!" Duncan was starting to sound exasperated.
Rogue could just feel his eyes scathing her back. She knew he was doing all he could to get a rise out of her. Baiting the hook to see if she'd bite.
Oh, she'd bite all right. She'd bite hard.
Rogue started to stand up when Mandy rocketed to the ground to squat in front of her. Without making eye contact, she reached for a black mesh, wide-brimmed hat, possibly the most hideous thing Rogue had ever seen, and plopped it right on Rogue's head, covering her tell-tale white bangs.
"There!" the girl said, beaming. "That's just perfect!"
Then, even more surprisingly, she took Rogue's denim covered elbow and stood up.
And spun Rogue around…
In a circle…
Right in front of Duncan.
When Rogue, wide-eyed and horror-stricken, faced Mandy again the girl simply smiled at her, then at Duncan.
"Isn't she HOT?!" the clerk exclaimed.
"What the HELL?" Rogue thought for the second time that day. She couldn't tell if the girl's antics were perfectly plotted or just nuts. What in the Sam-hill was she playing at anyway?
"Well?" Mandy demanded of Duncan, refusing to accept his silence. "Isn't she?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess." The confusion in Duncan's voice was apparent.
"Hey," he said, touching Rogue's covered shoulder and causing her to flinch. "YOU seen some mutant Goth freak lately?"
Still facing Mandy, Rogue sighed. There was no way this was going to work. He HAD to know what was up.
She might as well just fess up now and just kick his butt.
Kitty would hate her, the Professor would be thoroughly disappointed and no one at the Institute would talk to her again, but at least she'd have some danged dignity left.
Rogue began to turn to face Duncan and her hand came up to remove the gigantic, appalling Satin Sinomay hat (Rogue could read the tag hanging in her eyes).
Before she could complete the action, however, she found herself facing Duncan with her arms pinned at her sides. She started.
Mandy was holding her hostage? Against Duncan?
Mandy shook her a little. "Oh she's just shy! We haven't seen any FILTHY mutants in here have we?" Rogue kept her head down and slowly shook it from side to side. No WAY this was going to work. Right? He couldn't POSSIBLY be that stupid…
"Oh. Well, okay. Uh, you see her, just uh, yell or something, 'kay?" Rogue could just make out his face through the thin material of the hat and he was sporting a completely dumbfounded look. Rogue almost wanted to laugh. Almost.
That is until his buddies came forward and Rogue immediately tensed. She was dead. She just knew she was dead.
"Hey!" one of them yelled.
"Yeah, hey!" A second chimed in and Rogue rolled her eyes.
"What is it with these guys and that word anyway?" Was it some kind of secret code used by dumb-asses everywhere?
"That her?" The first one said as the group, Rogue counted at least five new sets of feet, flanked Duncan.
"Is who her?" Mandy asked, her voice dripping with innocence and honey. Normally it would make Rogue want to vomit, but she was far too nervous about the current odds.
He pointed at Rogue. "Her. Is that the filthy mutie?" Rogue's stomach dropped. Yep. She was dead for sure.
"Where?!" Mandy practically yelled, garnering the attention of a few other shoppers.
Rogue knew if these guys didn't kill her, she would ultimately die of embarrassment instead.
"Well, her…" he said, dropping his voice, "Ain't that the dirty mutant?"
"Excuse me?" Mandy scoffed, acting offended. "How dare you call my friend that!?"
"Yeah, God Griff. You jerk!" Duncan chastised, punching his friend in the shoulder. "Can't you see this ain't her? This girl's totally hot!"
"Oh. Mah. Gawd." Rogue thought to herself, her jaw dropping. No way this is happening.
"Okay Rogue, tahme t' wake up now. This horrid little nightmare has t' end. Wakey, wakey." Rogue screwed her eyes shut and willed herself into her bed at the institute.
When she dared to peel one eye open though, she was still in the mall, at Abercrombie and freakin' Fitch, surrounded by Duncan and his goons and getting redder by the second.
Griff rubbed his arm gingerly. "Ow, man. Geez. Sorry."
"Hey," Duncan retorted, "don't apologize to me, apologize to the hottie."
"Hottie?" Rogue screamed in her head. "Oh barf. Ah oughta knock you silly, you slimy, no good…"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Um, sorry." Griff interrupted Rogue's silent tirade.
Rogue bit her tongue. She wanted to laugh, sob, scream, run, fight, dance and die simultaneously. Overall, she was ready to pass out from the flurry of emotions buzzing inside her, so she was extremely surprised when she just shrugged in response.
"Now look what ya've done ya big buffoon, you offended her." Duncan was again rallying the gentleman's cry and making an attempt to defend the "hot girl's" honor.
Rogue really wanted to hit him.
"Geez. I'm really sorry about my friend's behavior. He's a complete jerk. It's obvious you're not who we thought." He said with a sickeningly flirtatious smile.
She REALLY wanted to hit him.
"So, uh, what's your name anyhow? I don't think I've seen you in here before." This time he bent over a little and ran his hand down her covered arm.
Oh, she was definitely going to hit him.
Before she could make a move, she was suddenly jerked away from Duncan by none other than Mandy.
"Oh yeah, as if! First you call her a dirty mutant and then you want her name?" The store clerk berated him. "Get a clue you dirt bag."
And with that, Mandy grabbed Rogue by the elbow yet again and dragged the undercover mutant down the aisles to the dressing rooms, leaving Duncan, his gang, and Rogue herself completely stunned.
XXX