A Lovers Feud
By: Alex Destine
Chapter 22
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He was growing just a tad bit tired of standing outside. It wasn't comfortable, he could tell you that. He had been trying for around ten minutes to open the window but it seemed the only way in was breaking it. He wasn't looking forward to it.
"Damn it Maximoff! Let me in! Let me in!" somehow he doubted he would actually be allowed in.
Is that idiot still out there?! thought Pietro as he sat playing Solitary on Mystique's computer. (It helped him think...) He decided to check on the stupid boy once more.
"Haven't you broken your neck yet?" Pietro's voice sounded muffled by the closed window.
"Let me in Pietro!" Evan would've added a 'please' to it, but pride wouldn't allow such a thing.
"You keep saying that yet I just don't see it happening... just climb back down and be off to fight the evils of the world."
"You ARE the evil of the world!" Evan was sure that wouldn't let him in.
"You wound me Evan... after we shared our childhood together and everything... I mean, I know I haven't been the best friend to you all the time but... but really! 'The evil of the world' isn't that a bit much?... And here I thought that with Kitty and me together now maybe you and I could be friends..." Pietro lowered his head and sighed in pure sadness.
"So... does that mean you'll open the window?" Evan asked hopefully.
"No WAY! You aren't worthy of having such a good friend like me... you're going to have to work pretty hard on your attitude mister if you wish to change that and right now I don't think you're open enough... so go away and maybe... much later I might lighten your day by actually talking to you..." Once again Pietro closed the drapes behind him.
It took Evan a few minutes to register he was still outside on the very uncomfortable ledge while the white haired demon remained inside doing....
Whatever it was he was doing.
"Let me in! Let me in!" he began to scream at the closed window. "Fine Maximoff! Have it your way!" Using one of his spikes Evan broke a small section of the window, enough for him to unlock it from the outside.
"HA!" said Evan triumphantly as he encountered the blue eyed boy who was leaning against the desk.
"Oh yeah Daniels! Congratulations on your first 'breaking and entering'. I'm sure the Professor will be proud." Pietro sure wasn't taking the blame for the broken window.
"Now tell me what you're doing Maximoff!" screamed the righteous boy.
"God! Lower your voice! There are people out there... and if you're so curious, then look for yourself..." Pietro signaled toward the computer screen which now held a half finished game of Solitary.
"You didn't do all this just to play that stupid game!"
"Well, unlike you, we don't have a computer in our house so maybe I came here to tick Mystique enough to get us one... you being here? Well, guess that's a bonus." Pietro was having fun.
"No way! You did something evil on that computer!"
"Well, I did change your grades... but that's not 'evil' now, is it?" he looked all-innocent.
"What?!"
"Get ready for when your aunt calls you to talk about those D's and F's Daniels... really! I'm sure they expected better from you..."
After that the chase began.
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She was running. Fear had penetrated every muscle in her body andd she moved as fast as possible to escape. Still, no matter where she turned or how well she was hiding she could always hear the traumatic steps... getting closer... and closer... and closer...
"Oooooh Claudia... Claaaaaaudia... the notes... Give them to meeeeeee..."
Oh JESUS CHRIST!! thought the black haired girl as she remained very still inside the janitors closet where she had been the past 15 minutes.
Slowly she opened the door to take a look outside into the deserted hallway.
She didn't know what was worse, seeing how isolated everything was or actually seeing Jenny.
She began to move to the end of the hallway, carefully listening to any sound that might give the annoying blonde cheerleader away.
She peeked her head out from behind a couple of lockers and was relieved to see the connecting hallway also deserted... until a door opened.
"Claudia!... which bathroom did you decide to go to?! Honestly!" Jenny was coming out of the girls' bathroom with a lost expression on her face.
Quickly Claudia began to run in the opposite direction.
"I'm not getting caught by the likes of her!" she was turning now toward the other hallway, not really caring where she was going as long as it was 'away'.
Unfortunately she had to stop since something... made her stop.
"OUCH!" she said
"Hey! Watch it yo!" said the sandy haired boy as he picked himself off the floor. "I just came from the infirmary, I don't need to go back there."
"You have to help me!" cried Claudia as she grabbed onto Todd's shirt. "I have this wacko after me and I need to get away!"
"This school is full of wackos, you're gonna have to narrow it down." Todd began to absentmindedly brush himself off until he felt the girls grip move from his shirt to his arm, from where she pulled him to the corner of the hallway.
"You see that?" Claudia was pointing toward the other end of the hallway, which now had a clueless Jenny roaming about.
"Yeah, that's C-03." said Todd matter-of-factly.
"Huh?"
"Cheerleader – 03.... You're C-06 if I'm not mistaken..."
"You categorized us?"
"Better to keep track who to run away from when jocks get ideas..." Todd eyed the black haired cheerleader suspiciously. "This is some sort of prank... look, I've had enough of you people for one life time, let alone for one day. I'm outta here yo."
"NO!... you don't understand, she wont leave me alone!" Claudia was desperately holding on to Todd's arm now. "Make her go away!"
"Claudia?... is that you?..." Jenny had been hearing voices on the other end of the hallway and was making her way there.
Once she reached the end of the lockers she then moved her head slowly, peeking around to see what was going on. And that's when she saw... nothing.
There's nothing here... she thought as she turned around and made her way back to her classroom. What a waste of time...
"What?.... How... how did we?... I mean... what?" Claudia was speechless. Something Pietro and Kitty would've liked to see.
"Umm... you ok?" asked Todd as he looked around to see if Jenny had indeed gone away.
"We were... there." She pointed to the ground. "Now we're ... here?" she signaled to the top of the lockers, which was where they were standing on right this minute.
"Umm, adrenaline? ... yeah, yeah... that stuff will make you do anything! Boy, you sure jumped good!" Todd was beginning to sweat a little.
"But I didn't jump..."
"See? You're such a great jumper you hardly noticed... so... you wanna get down?"
Todd helped the black haired girl down the lockers and watched as she carefully moved to check the hallway.
"Is she gone?" Claudia asked.
"Yeah... why were you running away from her?" Todd was slightly curious.
"Cause her insistent nagging is enough to drive you mad!"
"Oh! ... Kinda like Pietro?" said Todd cheerfully since he understood the concept.
"EXACTLY like Pietro!"
"Oh...ok." The green-eyed boy could not blame her.
Claudia gave a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the lockers.
"Thanks a lot Tolensky." She said as she smiled at the younger boy.
"Sure, no problem yo... guess you should leave now, right? You're probably missing class."
"What?! Back where C-03 can find me? I don't think so... I guess I'll just have to keep myself busy." Of course, Claudia had enough to do, so she wasn't exactly going to be bored. "Where are you going?"
"As long as it's far away from Duncan, I'll be happy." replied Todd as he stared at his shoes.
It seemed for the first time Claudia noticed the bruises on Todd's face and arms, and the swelling and cuts. She felt awful for allowing a simple annoyance like Jenny take up her whole mind while others so clearly had a rougher time of things.
"Duncan... did this to you?" she asked.
"Most jocks and cheerleaders have that hobby..." the younger boy looked up. "You don't join in that stuff though."
"I don't think that's right, much less fun." Claudia re-adjusted her small backpack and decided that, for once, she might actually enjoy a bit of help with her things.
"So... are you good with computers?"
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Not one single student... not one! Darkholme was beginning to get upset. And here I thought I'd be enjoying my afternoon giving detentions...
In all truth she actually needed the stress relief. According to her agenda tomorrow she would be meeting with Magneto ... she always needed a couple of extra Tylenols before and after talking to that man.
Probably wants a status report... as if he doesn't know what's going on already! He spies on us all the time. Maybe this time he'll actually ask how Maximoff is handling himself. He just drags the kid into my not-so-waiting arms.
She was walking by the same corridor for the third time now and was beginning to hate it. Aside from Magneto she also had to think about what to do with the current situation between Mr. Alvers and Mr. Tolensky. She hoped they could keep it toned down for a while... at least until after Magneto had left.
Lance better be handling Mr. Matthews or else he's getting grounded. she thought as she remembered the way Todd had been. She wasn't what people would call 'compassionate', but she wasn't going to allow a bully like Duncan to harm one of her recruits.
Suddenly a silver lining came through the dark clouds of her afternoon.
Darkholme watched as the innocent looking girl kept moving around the hallway, completely unaware of the hunting Principal she was going to meet.
"Hello there Jenny." Said Darkholme in a sweet, yet somehow scary voice.
"AH!.... Ms. Darkholme... hi.... I HAVE A PASS!"
"Let's see it then..."
Jenny began to search her pockets; soon she gave up on those and began to search her small bag... later she also gave up on that and returned to look in her pockets.
"Um... I seem to have dropped it somewhere... maybe it's in the bathroom?" the young girl said hopefully.
"Well, it shouldn't be there Jenny, now should it?"
"No Ms. Darkholme."
"You know what that means?" Mystique was enjoying this... oh yes, she was.
"But I had a pass! You can ask Claudia!"
"That's right!... you're coming to my office." smiled the evil Principal ignoring what Jenny had said completely.
At least Mystique finally had her detention-victim safely with her. All she had to do was head to her office and start the fun.
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"You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" sang along a happy Pietro as he continued to run from one corner to the next in 0.5 seconds.
"Come on Pietro! No fair! Go fix my grades!" Evan wasn't happy with D's and F's... and he was showing his anger.
"Well since you ask so nicely." answered the white haired boy as he stuck out his tongue at the other boy.
"Mystique's going to be here any minute and you're here goofing off!" Evan tried shooting a couple of spikes on the floor to stop Pietro but the sophomore simply jumped over them and kept on running.
"You have to say please!" said Pietro as he now sat comfortably on Mystique's chair.
"Go fix them now!" a couple of more spikes were thrown and soon landed on the back of the chair.
"Ouch... she's not gonna like that." Commented Pietro as he was now standing next to Evan. "That's an expensive chair too, hope you can cover it."
"Well you caused this!" was all Evan could say.
"Well no one invited you here! ... and please stop whining about your grades. I didn't really change them, you know." Pietro was now taking out the spikes from the chair and handing them back to the other boy who was looking rather sour.
"Why do you torment me so?." Evan took his spikes back and stared at the mess in which they had left the office.
"Cause it's fun to tease, duh!" Pietro was now leaning against the door thinking of what he should do next.
He still needed to find some way of making sure Mystique didn't come to the play tomorrow but he was terribly out of ideas for that.
Oh, I'll just wait until the last minute to do something about that... after all, I work better with a challenge. So with this charming thought and Mr. Smith's evaluation fixed, he could leave the office with a clear conscious.
"I'm bored... let's get out of here." He said casually as he began to move toward the window. However, a sharp scream made him stop.
"What is going on here!!" came the voice of Principal Darkholme from the other side of the door as she entered the general office.
"She's back! She's back! What do we do?!" asked Evan as he grabbed Pietro for answers.
"I don't know! Leave maybe!"
"But this mess..."
"I'm sure she won't mind it, don't worry. Now let's go!" Both boys ran, one faster then the other, to the window.
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Ms. Darkholme was now very upset with her incompetent secretary who couldn't stop making messes. Did she have to be in that office all the time or else the entire school would go to Hell?!
"Why can't I leave in peace for just one minute!?" she screamed at the nervous secretary.
"But ma'am... it's not my fault the coffee maker blew up all over the documents..." the smaller woman tried to defend herself but by the look she was getting she realized she would have to take the blame for such an accident.
Why can't I have an intelligent staff?! Mystique briefly wondered as she unlocked the door to her office.
"Ma'am, I really did have a hall pass... May I leave now?" asked a hopeful Jenny.
"No. You're getting detention, that way you'll remember to keep your hall pass next time." Mystique unlocked the door and stepped right in.
Then quickly closed the door and stepped right out. Her face a ghostly white.
"Ms. Darkholme... are you alright?" asked her secretary as she took in the frightful face.
Mystique opened the door once more and, with some difficulty, took a longer look inside.
Papers were on the floor, all with various degrees of holes in them. Some of her decorative pillows were also on the floor, along with some of its stuffing right beside it. The couch itself had some of the stuffing out as well... and her favorite chair had three holes in the back.
Someone was going to pay dearly for this...
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"Come on Daniels! Move!" Pietro was standing on the ledge of the building once again waiting as Evan climbed down the spike-made stairs on the wall.
"Who said you were climbing down this way?!... find your own way down." Said the dark skinned boy as he began to take out the spikes he had already used.
"Hey! Don't! I need those!" Pietro began to push the spikes back into the wall just as Evan was trying to pull them off.
However, between all those struggles they didn't notice as some of Evan's spikes were beginning to grow from his arms. In one brusque movement, just as Evan was pulling, he allowed his arm to drop which had the effect of making the newly made spikes launch from his arm... and break the window below them.
"Oops..." said Evan hoping no one was at the receiving end of that.
At the same time Pietro, though he'd never admit it, lost his balance and landed right on top of Evan, who lost his grip on the ladder spikes making both boys fall hard on the ground.
"Ouch... my head..." cried out the white haired boy as he gently touched his head.
"Your head?... what about my ass! That's what hit the ground first, you know..."
Evan was going to set down priorities here.
"Well, maybe your ASS wouldn't have gotten hurt if you hadn't been greedy with the ladder Daniels... and another thing... OUCH!" Evan had pushed Pietro off of him rather harshly. "Watch it!"
"You watch it! You were still on top of me!" both boys tried to get to their feet only to find a head looking down on them.
"Heehee... Hi Scott..." said an embarrassed Evan.
"Hey Shades... Lance isn't anywhere near there, is he?" Pietro smiled sweetly.
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He had been running around the entire school for almost an hour. Lance Alvers had to be somewhere! He wasn't in any of his classes or with any of his teachers, his car was still parked outside so Scott knew he wasn't skipping too far off. But still, try as he might, he couldn't find the leader of the Brotherhood.
The one day I'm actually looking for him... thought the senior X-man as he held tight to his borrowed camera.
His plan to counter-attack Lance's pictures of Freddy and Mallory was still strong... it would just be stronger when he actually had the counter-attack pictures of Lance.
Might as well rest here for a while... he thought as he leaned over a fountain and drank.
Most of the afternoon classes were almost gone and he needed to find the other senior alone. It would be much more difficult to catch Lance in some embarrassing moment if the other boy had his guard up around other people.
If I were Alvers, where would I be?... that never helps, why do I keep asking myself such stupid questions when they don't work?!... he thought as he leaned against some lockers. So,.... If I were Lance, where would I be?
He thought he had better continue on his journey or else he risked having an unpleasant encounter with Principal Darkholme when she was in one of her 'detention-happy' moods.
As he was moving away he heard the sound of breaking glass and suddenly felt something fly by him. He noticed that what flew by him was strong enough to hit locker doors and pass through them.
"WHAT THE...?!?!" screamed Scott as he stumbled backward and away from the broken locker that could've been his head.
He realized it was a spike... one he knew all too well. He then heard a loud 'thud' sound coming from outside and figured that was probably where he'd find his younger teammate.
"Ouch... my head..."
That's Pietro thought Scott as he moved toward the voices.
"Your head?... what about my ass! That's what hit the ground first, you know..."
And there's Evan... he couldn't believe he was skipping... he was going to get it for this.
Scott peered through the broken window and looked down at the children.
"Heehee... Hi Scott..." said an embarrassed Evan.
"Hey Shades... Lance isn't anywhere near there, is he?" Pietro smiled sweetly.
"I wish..." the older X-man said under his breath.
"What?" asked Pietro as he stood up.
"Nothing... and just what are the two of you doing outside the school instead of inside a classroom?" Scott folded his arms as he waited for an explanation.
"I don't have to answer that! You're not my daddy! You're not my boss! I do as I please! I'm not afraid of anything or anyone! I don't care if I'm skipping! I can do as I want!... Oh GOD! Move Summers before Darkholme sees me!!! ..." Pietro immediately ran through the window and was now standing in the middle of the hallway while Scott helped Evan through.
"Not afraid of anyone Maximoff?..." asked Evan as he brushed himself off.
"Shut up Daniels!" the white haired boy then realized he was in an empty hallway with both Summers and Daniels...
They could kill me and no one would even know! Then they would probably stuff me in a locker and Lance would be able to find me by the smell! thought Pietro as he began to back away.
"Gee, look at the time... I have a couple of classes to get to... see ya!" he said and was quickly gone.
"What's up with him?" asked Scott as he watched Pietro run away.
"Beats me... but I know he was doing something back in Mystique's office."
"You followed Pietro all the way to Mystique's office?!" asked an exasperated Scott.
"...Yeah?..." the dark skinned boy wished he had Pietro's power at that moment.
"I can't believe you did something so irresponsible! And you're skipping classes to do these kind of things?! The Professor is going to find out, you know."
"Hey Scott, why are you here?" Evan asked.
"Um... I'm... I'm supposed to be here! I was sent by a teacher to get something."
"Well, it's very irresponsible of you to be here talking to me while your teacher is waiting, you know."
Scott gave him 'the look'.
"Ok ok! I'm going... chill out dude." And now Evan was on his merry way back to his class.
Scott stood there for a few seconds and wondered what he would do now.
Guess I'll go outside and get some fresh air... maybe I'll come up with something. he thought as he made his way to the back of the school.
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Lance Alvers had spent the last hour sitting on the bleachers, which overlooked the football field, watching as the team went through their daily practice. Someone who didn't know Lance might think he was simply a fan of the sport.
Upon closer inspection, you could see the brown haired boy was holding a plastic bag filled with clothes. Not his, of course, they were much too preppy for his tastes.
As he sat there he had had plenty of time to think and to, most importantly, build up his anger. He was angry for what had been done to Todd... he was nothing but a little boy and to have been bullied like that by that jock was something that wasn't going to slide by.
But he was angry for other things too... he was angry at Scott for always pestering him, he was mostly angry at himself for having allowed Summer's 'picture plan' to reach the level that it had. He felt like such a traitor when he remembered how trusting Pietro had been that he would fix this problem... and indeed he had fixed it, but it didn't take away the guilt.
He was angry that he couldn't have one moment of peace. If bills weren't so far behind because Mystique hadn't paid them, then they were almost out of food because Freddy had eaten it all. Or if Pietro hasn't yet burned something around the house then Todd had decided to blow up the TV trying to 'fix' it.
After he realized that Pietro and Kitty deserved to be together he began to see things in a different way. If Pietro could be happy with non-other then an X-man then surely he could do the same... although his idea was more acceptable since
Rogue had been a Brotherhood member first. He had thought he could be happy... but these things never worked out for him.
Yes, Lance Alvers was angry with a lot of things, and today he was going to let some of that anger out.
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Authors note:
Hello.
Wow! I can't believe the reviews.... I haven't checked these pages in a while... (can you tell?) I just can't believe so many people like my story.... I mean, I knew I got a lot of reviews but I never expected all this specially after more than a year of no updates...
Wow!... that's all I can say cause I'm speechless.... Wow! Thank you.
So, OK! I'm gonna re-read everything I've written so far and I'm gonna get my X-men: Evolution Mojo thing going here. I need some time cause school is in the way... but know that I'm out there.... this time conscious... and that I'm thinking like Pietro.
Though that has never proven to be healthy. ;P
Now, some more comments: (please don't feel bad if you've updated and I haven't named you. I LOVE YOU ALL!!! HUGGIES FOR ALL MY REVIWERS!!!)
Gokusgirl "U SADISTIC CHILD!" I laughed so hard when I read that!! I know I am... I'm sorry special huggies your way
X-Girl I'm a posting! I'm a posting!! Thanks for your reviews hon!
Jen123 Kitty does say 'like' a lot... I'll look into it...
Xcoolcomic "Keep writing you are almost done :) kinda sorta ;)" No, you just say that to make me feel better ;P Everyone knows the day before the play has been the longest in history... in fact it has 48 hours at least all into itself.
mILIE "I Love ur sarcastic humor i don't know why but i find that a very cool quaility in a writer and a person"
AAAAHHHH!!! . huggies
Bitrona "I LOVE THIS STORY CAUSE U FOCUS ON THE BROTHERHOOD AND I LOVE THE BROTHERHOOD AND I LOVE PIETRO"
Well me too!!!! I'm working on it! I'm working on it!!
Flamekiller Those are a lot of 'evers' man....... You top those with ice cream and I'm yours! (in a fanfiction sort of way ;P)
And I'm stopping here! Don't feel bad! I love you all!!! I'll be in the re-reading process right now... excuse me. later!
Love,
AlexDestine