Ya know, I didn't expect a lot of the weird things that happened to me in my life. Like getting my head stuck in a pumpkin on Halloween when I was seven cause I thought that a Jack O' Lantern would be a nifty costume. Or finding a bunch of kittens in my open knickers drawer at the age of 13 cause our pregnant cat thought it'd be as good a place as any to nest before having her babies. And especially not kissing my first boy and watching his face ripple in straining veins, his eyes losing a vital glisten before snapping open as he convulsed on my bed.

Of course that all seemed pretty every-day after meeting Logan. I hadn't bet on living at Xavier's School for the Gifted. Yeah, my life keeps getting weirder and weirder by the day - you don't have to tell me that. It kinda got normal for a while, a few months, till Logan came back from Lake Alkali. Then hormones and a wild friendship started rockin' the X-Boat and well - let's just say things between Logan and I are a little unpredictable. I like it that way though - ho baby do I ever.

Another thing I got when I moved here - I scored two best friends, the best friends a girl could ever want. Kitty and Jubilee. Jubilee is a pistol, completely insane, and Kitty - well she's just a gorgeous sweet-pea. I mean, people think I'm innocent, shit I got nothin' on little Kitty. Me and Jubes are kinda protective of her, but man, she's got her own strength. Not a lot of people see it, but we do.

Jubes and I sat in that night, waiting for Kitty to come back from her date with Bobby. We were reading magazines, chatting, being generally girlie and inappropriate. It was getting towards nine-thirty, we supposed Kitty's date was hotting up by now.

Bobby and Kitty were like - the Ideal Couple. No seriously, after Jean and Scott, they're the poster-couple for the X-Men. Almost two years on from the day I'd gotten here, and Bobby had kinda - manned up a bit, ya know? Shoulders wider, face thinner, more square. Course Kitty - wow. Big brown eyes, longer hair and a cute little body - she was a killer. She made a girl proud! And it was only natural that Bobby and Kitty would eventually get together - they got along like a house on fire and had everything in common. I knew for a fact Kitty just adored him, and ya know, we were pretty sure he loved her right back.

That's why no one was more surprised than me and Jubes when Kitty came racin' into our room, eyes red and mascara running, tissues bundled in her hands and a horrified look on splashed on her face.

"Jesus Kitty," Jubilee jumped up, dashing over to her, "What happened? Who died?!"

"No one," she sniffled, blowing into the tissue, "Bobby and I won't be dating any more!"

Woah. I frowned, getting up and joining Jubes at Kitty's side, "Why?"

The brunette doll threw herself down onto her bed, sobbing into her pillow, shaking her head.

"Come on Kitt," Jubilee sighed, rubbing the girl's back, "We're sisters, remember? We tell each other everything!"

Sighing, Kitty rolled over, drawing her legs up and hugging her jean-clad knees to her chest.

"I went to Bobby's room to meet him before the movie. I got there, and ya know... with John sitting there in just a towel, I kinda thought well - it was strange, but then guys living in the same room - it's no big deal we get dressed in front of each other all the time right?"

Jubilee nodded, brown eyes glinting... she knew what was coming next. I didn't - I'll be honest. But my stomach was knotting up terribly.

"Anyway," she breathed deeply, closing her eyes and continuing, "We go see the movie, and everything's okay. Everything's perfect. We go for a walk in the gardens when we get back - ya know that little place under the oak?"

"Shit yeah," said Jubes, "Make-out patch, babe."

"Yeah," Kitty nodded, "That's what I thought too! So we finally get to kissing - it's about damned time we've been dating for months!"

I have to smile at her look of utter exasperation.

"And whilst we're in the middle of a deep tongue-involved kiss he moans - oh God-" She closed her eyes and gave a sob, "He moans 'Oh Johnny'!!"

Ya know, there were a lot of reactions I should have given her right then. Deep compassion was probably one of them, a look of sadness and a hug. I mean - I'm not a backwards thinking person - I don't care who Bobby wants to jab, he liked someone other than Kitty and the jerk didn't tell her. It pissed me off.

Despite the anger that grew in me, I promptly fell off the bed, pissing myself laughing.

"It's not funny, Marie!"

Woah, real name usage. She was pissed. I looked up at an angry Kitty with a giggle living in my chest, shaking my head and pulling myself up.

"Oh I'm sorry," I gave a vocal sigh, "Oh man I dunno why I just find that so ama---" I broke into laughter again. Dammit.

"Quit it Rogue," Jubilee growled, hugging Kitty tightly, "Our girl is in distress here man!"

"I'm sorry!!" I repeated, crawling up onto the bed and carefully hugging Kitty too. "Aww come here."

We all hugged for a good long minute, Kitty sobbing quietly on our respective shoulders, and it wasn't till she'd let it all out a bit that we ventured for details.

"Well what did you do after that?" I asked her.

"Well," she paused, "Well - he looked really really scared. For a second, I kinda felt sorry for him. Cause he looked so damned frightened. But then I just - hit him!"

Jubes gasped, "Jesus, you hit him? What for?"

Kitty blinked at her, "Well wouldn't you? Calling out someone ELSE'S name like that I mean really!"

"That's what I thought," I agreed.

"Anyway - he kinda looked surprised and I just said 'Why didn't you tell me you liked someone else instead of stringing me along like this?' He was still really shell-shocked. He looked at me and said - oh what was it - something like 'I called out a boys name, Kitt!'"

"What did you say?"

"Whaddaya think? 'I don't care who's name it was, it wasn't MINE!' and walked off."

Jubilee gulped, "That was it?"

Kitty sighed darkly, shaking her head. "No, then the jerk goes and yells out 'Kitty - I'm GAY!' like it's some news."

Now it was Jubilee's turn to fall off the bed giggling. I snigger, looking to Kitty and raising a brow.

"Jerk," Kitty smirked darkly. "I said that too, you know? I just went 'Like DUH!' Gee, I couldn't figure that out for myself!"

Pulling herself back up onto the bed, wiping her eyes, Jubilee chuckled, "Man -what happened next tell me tell me!!"

The girl shrugged.

"He asked me not to tell anyone. I told him to go talk to Professor Xavier about it. He said that he wanted to talk to ME about it, of all people! Cause I was his best friend."

Jubilee's laughter faded, and she swallowed, pulling the hilarity off her eurasian features. "So... what did you do?"

With a fresh tear sliding down her face, Kitty shrugged.

"We talked. He was going on about how awful it was for him, hiding it from me, and everyone, and how much of an outcast he felt, not only being a mutant but being gay. And then he vented about - oh all sorts. He experimented with John apparently."

"EW!" Jubilee leapt up on the bed and flapped her hands madly, pulling off her yellow pleather jacket, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it. "EW EW EW! BAD mental picture!!"

Kitty watched her with some amusement for a moment, then smiled.

"It's not that it's two guys - it's just," Jubes shuddered, "THOSE two guys!"

"You think that's bad - then I had to hear about his crush on Scott."

I shrugged now, "Don't blame him for that one, Mr. Summers can be sorta camp."

Now Kitty sniggered.

"And Logan."

I glared at her. "MAH LOGAN?!"

Kitty nodded and giggled madly, whilst I just grumbled.

"The little slut can't have him, Ah swear. Ah'm wearin' the tags and that ass is all MAHNE!"

"We know man," giggled Jubilee, "We know."

"Jean knows, Storm knows, the freshmen years get the speech on arrival - Logan is property of Rogue," Kitty said, counting off on her fingers, "Even if he doesn't know it yet."

I nodded, "Damned fucking straight!"

"Not in my case," sighed Kitty.

Damn. This was hurting her. I knelt next to her again, wrapping an arm around her and leaning my head on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Sugah," I said softly, "Obviously it wasn't meant to be."

She nodded with a sigh, "I feel so used, ya know? Like I was just some sorta cover, and when it got inconvenient for him he just blew me off."

"Hey!" Jubilee yanked on her arm and met her eyes, "Bobby is probably hurting just as much, ya know? It took him a lot of courage to do what he did tonight -tell you and all. You're right though, he shouldn't have done what he did. But given the situation - you think you can forgive him?"

Wow - since when did Jubes become the Committee for the Protection of Bobby Drake? I looked to Kitty.

"Oh I already did," Kitty said, "He means so much to me, that's all. I really -" Her voice became soft, "I really loved him, you know?"

That broke my heart. One glance to Jubilee and we were hugging Kitty again, long supportive silences filling the time as we sighed and hugged and squeezed.

"It's okay, Kitty," I said, "Another guy will come along. They always do."

"Not one like Bobby," she said.

Jubilee sniggered, "Thank God!"

I gasped, hitting her, and somehow the joviality was catching, because Kitty giggled and hit her too, a tentative smile taking her face.

Yeah, she was going to be okay. I put an arm around her again, and squeezed it, looking to her meaningfully.

"You can tell Bobby, from me, that if he looks at Logan even sideways, I'm gonna knock his block off into next week so that even the Brotherhood couldn't find it."

Kitty giggled again, nodding, "Sure I'll tell him."

"That's a nicer speech than she gave the Freshmen kids this year," said Jubilee.

"They just got the Bruce Lee deal."

Kitty gave a menacing glare, pointed to an eye, then mimed claws sprouting out of her hands, pointed to her groin, her biceps, to her eyes again, the menacing glare still piercing, then shook her head slowly, wagging a pointing finger in a 'no-no' gesture. Jubilee sniggered, and I just tilted my head and blushed.

"Yeah yeah yeah, laugh Kitty."

"I am," she grinned.

"I say we watch some kick-ass movie where a lot of stupid men get it and eat lots of junk food," announced Jubilee.

Kitty cheered, and as we pulled her down in front of the small tv-set in our room, she was all for it, ready to dive into slobbery and heal the pain tonight had caused her.

I don't know if Kitty really got over what happened. I mean, she's best friends with Bobby still, and they still see each other, just not as much as before. Bobby still hasn't come out yet. Part of me is angry at that. I figure the X-Men don't hold secrets - we tell each other stuff. I can't help but feel deeply sad for him, that he's frightened, and hiding something. It's not fun, hiding what makes you different, and being ashamed of it. I'll probably never be happy with what sets me apart from humanity, but there's a reason for that. Bobby has no reason to feel anything close to what I do, in a perfect world.

One good thing I noticed, is that he does talk to Xavier now, and I think things will change pretty soon. For the better I hope.

Oh, and I whopped Bobby one good the other day. He knows now - eyes off my Logan. END