Summer Time Blues
Update (on me): From my last story, Alex got herself caught up with Bad news, Lance. I started a story but was unable to finish it because of the wheels in my brain becoming slow. So.. I finally trashed it and replaced it with this one.
Update (on X-Men): Yes, school is over- meaning Scott has graduated. Summer vacation has come and now is going with two weeks left of freedom.
Now onto the story.....
Summer Time Blues
Last few weeks of summer was a drag. The X-Men had fun and battles with the Brotherhood of Mutants all during their vacation. The thought of school starting back up was a total bummer to them all.
The tall senior student, Jean Grey, picked up her speed to reach the air conditioned mansion.
“It’s blazing out there,” she muttered, shutting the set of heavy doors behind her. The mail stack was quite large today. As she flipped through the colorful envelopes, one stuck out to her. The printed envelope was large and shaded a light blue with a delicate boarder along one side of it. Jean slid her finger inside the mail and slid the top open. She began pulling the letter out when a jingle of a pair keys startled her.
“Jean, you hungry?” Scott Summers’ voice had deepened since he graduated from high school. She folded the mail and jammed it in her back pocket.
“Sure am. Let’s go.” Jean threw the rest of the mail down and followed him to the door, sliding her arm around his. Jean quickly grabbed his ribs, making him squirm.
“You know I’m tickling!” he said, reaching out of her grab when she went for him again. Jean giggled as she finally snatched the keys from his hands.
“I know,” she said, battering her eyes.
“By the way, what’s that envelope you mysteriously folded and put in your back pocket?” Scott drove down the small circular driveway and out into the housing area.
“I don’t know. I never got to read it!” She reached back and pulled the blue mail out, successfully opening it all the way. Scanning the sheet, Jean’s eyes suddenly got big.
“Well? What is it?”
“Uh, nothing,” Jean lied, trying to hide it. Could it really have gone through?
“Liar,” Scott muttered, pulling into the small Burger City. “Come on Jean! I know something’s up! You say nothing but it’s obvious the way your eyes got big, that something important came!” Scott helped the girl out and followed her to the door.
“I- I’ll tell ya during a burger.” Jean disappeared inside before Scott could reply.
*~*
Kitty found the mail stack Jean brought in and scanned through the stack. One envelope caught her eye. It was large and had a delicate boarder with hearts and stars. She didn’t hesitate to open it, ripping the cover open. The sophomore girl’s lips turned upward as she continued to read.
“Yes! YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” said over and over, dancing around the room. “Yeeeeeees! Yesssssssss!” Kitty did three back flips and front flip. “Woa.” She caught herself before falling of dizziness. “I didn’t know I could do flips. Kitty shook the dizziness off and went to find someone. The skinny girl collided with a largely built man, Logan.
“Watch where you’re going half pint,” he grumbled. Logan started to leave when Kitty grabbed his arm.
“Look! Look, look, look!” She waved the paper in his face furiously, while jumping up and down. “Like this is so exciting Mr. Logan! I’m so happy!”
“Stop moving and I will!” He started to grin, but held it back. Kitty continued to jump up and down, making it hard for Logan to read it. He finally reached out and snatch the letter.
“Well, if you’re going to just snatch it, maybe I shouldn’t like, let you read it!” She crossed her hands then rolled her eyes.
“So, you made some contest, huh?” He continued to read.
“Not just some contest!” Kitty protested. “Modeling! I could get a career in modeling! You know-” she stopped short and started prancing around the room, holding her chin up high and swaying her hips.
“Riiiiight,” he handed her the paper back and started to leave.
“You don’t think I’d be good?” she whined, following him to the front door. Logan disappeared outside, unwanting to answer. “I’ll be good! There’s a scholarship involved, you know!”
*~*
“Congrats, my model,” Scott got the pleasure of teasing Jean the way home.
“I’m not a stinkin’ model, yet!” Jean rolled her eyes. They made their way back inside the cool mansion. “I’m going to my room.”
“To practice modeling in front of your mirror?” Scott threw at her. Jean turned, sticking her tongue out then stalked away.
“Yeah, congrats Jean,” Scott mumbled, entering the kitchen. “Hey Kitty!” Scott said, startling the girl on the phone. She dropped the cordless device.
“Like, you scared me to death!” she picked the phone up, said a few words then hung up. “Did you hear the news?” She pressed forward, inches from him.
“Depends on what the news is. If it’s about modeling-”
“Yes! I’m so happy!”
“I’m glad you’re happy for Jean. She’s a nervous wreck!” Scott laughed, grabbing a nearby coke.
“Jean?” Kitty practically stopped breathing.
“Yeah. Jean got a letter this morning in a printed envelope-”
“Like this?” Kitty showed her letter.
“You got it to?” Scott examined the letter. “Yep, it’s the same. Well, this calls for a big celebration because our two girls are going to be models!” Scott teased with Kitty. Kitty didn’t smile.
“Yeah. Sure.” She walked off, her head dropped.
“Come on Kitty.” Scott caught up to her. “Even if you’re competing against Jean, who cares!” Kitty stopped once at her room.
“You, like, don’t get it,” she muttered. “Jean, she’s got the looks, the walk, the attitude to be a model. She’ll outdo me any day!” Kitty shut the door before Scott could answer.
*~*
“Check,” the Professor of the Institute spoke softly. His opponent scowled at the pieces behind her.
“How? I don’t- oh, I do,” Alexya Wilson moved a pawn up to block the move.
“You’re learning very well, Alex. Are you ready for school?” Professor asked, moving another piece.
“I don’t know. Everyone keeps asking me that. And I really don’t know.” She looked up, meeting his eyes. “I miss my friends there, I miss the homework I dread bringing home, I miss the poisoned school food. I guess I’m ready.”
“But something’s troubling you.” Professor concluded.
“Yeah. Kind of. Well, no, not really.” Alexya moved her queen forward, taking out one of Professor’s chess men. She sighed. “Yes.”
“Do you wish to talk about it?” he asked, sliding a piece up. “Checkmate.” Professor leaned back, folding his hands together. Alexya gawked at the board.
“No,” Alexya said, standing. “Thanks for the game.” Alexya started to leave, but felt him staring at her. “Professor, I will talk about it. Just not now. I need to think about it.” Alexya met his eyes again. Please.
I’ll be here, he said, watching her leave.
“I know.” Alexya wanted to go back to school. But she also wanted Lance back. It hurt so much the day he told her they would only be enemies. Her eyes swelled up with tears as she sat outside the Professor’s office. Alexya couldn’t admit to anyone her feelings for him, no matter how much it killed her. She kept her mind closed so Professor or Jean couldn’t pry.
*~*
Jean finally decided she would enter the contest. Picking up the phone near her bed, she dialed the numbers on the entry.
“Modeling American Girl, Debbie Morris,” an elderly woman answered the phone.
“H- hi, I’m Jean Grey. I got this entry-”
“Are you entering or declining?”
Jean stopped short, listening the clicking of the keyboard on the other side of the phone. A thought occurred to her. She never asked Professor if he would allow her to enter. “Would you please hold for a minute. I, uh, have a beep.” There was no answer. Setting the phone down, Jean closed her eyes. Professor?
Yes Jean.
Um, never mind. She opened her eyes. “No point telling him. I’m sure he’ll let me go. I hope anyways.” She picked the phone up. “Hello?”
“I’m here. Are you entering or declining?”
“Entering.” Jean twisted her long red hair around her index finger listening to the clicking on the other side.
“Miss Jean Grey?”
“Yes?”
“This Saturday, July 28th, 2001, you need to report to your the Skyline Mall at 12pm. Make sure you’re wearing a blue shirt of any type and a pair of American Girl jeans. Is everything else clear?”
Jean smiled as she looked up to see herself looking back in the dresser mirror. “Clear as crystal.”
“It seems another girl, by the name of Katherine Pryde, lives at your residential stay. Please have her call as soon as possible. We need to know who all is entering. Have a nice day,” before Jean could ask about Kitty, the phone line went dead.
“Kitty?” Jean went next door, knocking softly.
“Come in!” Kitty’s voice answered. Jean walked in to see Kitty crying hard and the envelope torn in half. “Jean?” Kitty sat up, wiping the tears off her mascara streaked face.
“Kitty, I heard. I think it’s so awesome we both go entered.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. You know thousands have entered and only the top fifty were chosen to walk to runway.”
“I know.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“What do you think?!” Kitty started crying again. Jean handed her a tissue, then sat next to her. “You! That’s what’s wrong. I don’t have a chance against you! You’re so pretty! You can walk like a star and you- you-”
“Kitty, it doesn’t matter. Think of it this way. This is one excuse for us to borrow Professor’s credit card and go shopping.” The word shopping brought a smile to Kitty’s face. “Come on. It’ll be fun. If I win or you win or we both win-”
“-or not win-”
“Or not win, it’ll be fun. Please don’t be sad or mad. Let’s make the best of it. Okay?” Jean and Kitty stared at each other.
“Like, I guess I need to call them.”
“You do. I already called. That’s how I found out you entered.” Jean handed the cordless phone she set in her back pocket to Kitty. “I figured you didn’t want to leave your room like this.”
*~*
“Ah said I didn’t want to!” Rogue set her novel down and glared at persisting boy. The blue elfed boy sighed.
“Fine zen! I vill go by myself!” He turned around, stalking out of the room
“Fine with me,” Rogue yelled.
Kurt gritted his teeth. He wanted to go swimming but no one wanted to go with him. Kurt always felt awkward going by himself and felt lonely. He asked Scott, but Scott didn’t have time for those fun things; he was looking for a job. “Vhat’s dis world coming too?” He sputtered. Kurt noticed Alexya, bawled up in front of the Professor’s office. “Hey Alex.” She looked up, wiping the tears.
“Kurt?” Her voice was shaky.
“Vhat’s da matter?” He sat beside her.
“Nothing.”
“You’re crying about nothing?”
Alexya couldn’t help but smiling. “No, I mean, never mind.”
“You can talk to me,” he smiled.
“No, I have to deal with this.”
“Vell zen, do you vant to go swimming?”
“Not really. I-” She stopped to see Kurt’s head down. “Why not?”
“Yea!”
*~*
Two hours at the mall, Jean and Kitty both picked out different plain dark blue shirts and a pair of American Girl jeans.
“Like, this is so much fun, you know!” Kitty said, prancing in front of the mirror. She let out a slight giggle, turning around. Jean wore a smile that turned into a laugh.
“You know, read doesn’t go with blue. Maybe I should wear my hair up,” she said, holding her hair up. “Then again, maybe not.”
“I wish we got those letters sooner. Tomorrow’s the day! Saturday!”
“I know.”
“Are we, like, going to invite anyone?”
“I think we should invite just the girls. The guys would go crazy watching all the girls prance on stage!” Jean disappeared inside a stall and started changing.
“Rogue and Alex?”
“Uh-huh. Unless you want to invite the others,” Jean opened the stall. She purple button up shirt was still open, exposing her black lacy bra.
“Yeah, just the girls.” Kitty stripped her shirt off and replaced it with her pink slip on.
*~*
Day of the Competition
*~*
“Oh wow,” breathed Kitty. She was standing on the second floor of the Skyline Mall, standing with Jean, Alexya, and Rogue. The contest was spread out before the four girls. It seemed like thousands of gorgeous girls, all dressed in American Girl outfits were standing below.
“Ah don’t know why I let you convince me to come,” Rogue complained.
“Oh Rogue!” Alexya sighed. She looked at Kitty who still stared at the crowd. “I tried warning you both, this is a national contest,” she said gleefully, obviously enjoying the surprised looked on Kitty and Jean’s face. “Remember, this is only New York. In some of the other forty-nine states, they probably have even more contestants. Don’t worry though, you two. I know they’re only picking one girl here, but when you get to the finals, in California, they’re taking five.”
“Keep talking Alex.” Jean straightened her blue shirt. “You’re making us feel better by the minute,” she rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath.
“I try,” Alexya smiled.
“I like, feel so sick,” Kitty gasped, placing a hand on her flat stomach.
Jean chuckled and leaned out over the rail. “If you aim right, you could knock out quite a bit of competition that way.”
To Kitty’s surprise, Rogue came to her rescue. “You guys are awful,” she said reproachfully. “Kitty’s already nervous enough, without that kind of help.”
Kitty tried smiling a thanks, but her face was paralyzed. I can’t believe I’m doing this. After all I went through to get here.
“Shouldn’t you be checking in?” Rogue asked, jolted Kitty back to present. She pointed down to the long line of girls below them.
“Yeah and while you two do that, Rogue and I are going to grab our seats,” Alexya said, grabbing the girl by her sleek shirt. “Come on.”
The line was long and seemed to take forever. Kitty jumped when someone touched her shoulder.
“Hey Kitty, you’ll be fine. It’s okay. Remember, just for fun.” Jean’s calm voice helped Kitty calm down. She nodded dizzily.
“Name?” a woman behind the table asked curtly.
“Uh, Katherine Pryde. I, uh, preregistered.