Jubilee was going to try again for her license this Saturday. Fifth time's a charm, right? She'd had her permit but just couldn't get in enough practice. She needed to practice today to get all the kinks out for tomorrow. She ran into Mr. Parks, who was busy, and Scott had an important meeting and Jean was in the middle of research. That left only on other soul: Wolverine. Would he teach her? She wanted to drive so badly she got up the courage to ask him. She had to corner him so he couldn't run away.
She got him in the gym of all places, just finishing his workout.
"Logan?" She sang his name, giving him an eerie feeling.
"Jubilee." He went to leave, fearing what might be coming.
"Wait a sec... I need a favor. I'm taking my driver's test tomorrow and wanted to go out and practice today. Can you take me?" She tried to sound as sweet and innocent as possible.
"Sorry." He tried to get away but she cornered him again. Time for blackmail.
"Please? Everyone else is busy. I need to do this or I will fail my test and wind up having to join your class for lessons with the other kids. Please..." She was begging.
He knew why everyone else was busy -- he wish he was too. She was blackmailing him unfairly. One day with her was better then two/three times a week. He wouldn't survive that. She knew he'd have to say yes. She was good.
"Fine," he gave in. This was not the afternoon he had planned.
Finally he changed and met her in the garage. The only car available was the Porche. Scott had fixed this one up with automatic drive but, still, he couldn't let Jubilee drive it.
"Sorry, kid, no can do. No car."
She eyed the Porsche. That was a car to drive, but it was Scott's. She could manipulate him way too easily.
"Please? I know we aren't suppose to use Scott's favorite car but I need to practice before tomorrow. I won't hurt it."
Not intentionally but it would happen -- Logan felt it. He grabbed the keys. Scott would not be happy with him for this. Good. He hadn't gotten laser-eye upset in a while.
He got in and buckled up. He did it for the just-in-case factor and Marie would want him to, especially if Jubilee was driving. She was about to start the car and he grabbed the keys forcefully.
"Hey? What?" Jubilee didn't understand what she had done wrong already.
"What do you do first?"
She thought, How stupid. She was just so nervous. "Buckle up, adjust seat and mirrors."
"Correct." He handed back the keys after she complied with the instructions.
She was edgy and her hand trembled trying to get he keys into the ignition. It even made Logan tense up. "Just relax. Take a deep breath." She closed her eyes and followed his instructions. She stated the car with a light grinding sound. She put her foot on the break, put the shift into R and then pulled out. She backed up a bit ragged; stop, go, stop, go, and pressed on the gas too fast.
Logan just smiled as she went into drive. "See? You got it."
He clenched on even tighter to the seat away from her view. She puts the petal to the metal. Logan didn't mind fast when he was in control and behind the wheel, but with Jubilee driving he didn't like it at all.
"Slow down," he said, "remember the speed limit."
"Sorry."
"Okay, make a left here." She took the corner on two wheels, tire screeching. The car behind her slammed on breaks and honked the horn. "Watch it!" Logan yelled. Jubilee got bit jittery and he made her pull the car over to a complete stop. "Okay, what didn't you do there?"
She was so confused and nervous. This was all going wrong. "I forgot to look, signal, slow down and stop."
"Very good. Those elements are usually important." He was being very sarcastic and raised his voice a bit. It didn't help her shaken, frustrated state. "It's okay, you're okay, relax."
She calmed a bit and then started out again. "Let's go now." She checked and triple-checked for any vehicles coming before pulling out and off on the road again.
"Now I want you to change lanes for me."
She was a thousand times better so far then when she started out. Logan even loosened his grip on the door handle a bit. Then Jubilee got distracted by a few hot-looking guys off to the side of the road. A honk and a growl brought her back into reality. She swerved the car back into her proper lane.
"Watch the road, not the boys!"
"Sorry," she apologized.
"Well, 'sorry' can get you killed!"
That did it. That was not the right thing to say at this particular time. Jubilee went hysterical and burst out crying. Again they pulled the car over.
"I'm sorry, " Logan apologized. "I'm sorry -- you're doing okay, doing just fine now. Take some deep breaths and we'll try again, okay?"
She dried her eyes and breathed. How come it was so hard for her to drive and for everyone else it was easy? Logan thought about how hard it was to teach it. Driving was the easy part for him. He needed her to loosen up. With being too emotional, she could never drive. He had her take them out to a small restaurant and he bought some fries and shakes.
She felt better afterwards. She did fine the rest of the way and now it was time to parallel park. Logan knew it would happen but allowed it anyway. He was right...she did it. Then she hit a non-moving object -- the parked car in front of her. She looked back and then hit the gas as the car was in forward, not reverse. She was frantic. The guy came out and Logan exchanged insurance info and told the guy he was trying to teach her to drive. The guy had two teenage daughters himself and knew what a hassle it could be. He laughed about the whole thing and told Jubilee he got worse dents then with his own daughters so she must be doing very well. That made her feel at least a bit better.
They got back and Logan thought Scott would be enraged about the dent in the car. Logan told Jubilee she just needed to relax and she'd pass on Saturday. Then she ran off to find the rest of the gang. Scott and Felix came out and eyed the car.
"Thanks a lot, guys," Logan said. Scott felt overwhelming satisfaction that Logan got stuck driving the afternoon away with the she-devil on wheels.
"You're still alive, I'm amazed!" Johnathan said.
"The scary thing is, she might pass," Scott added. He had been helping her learn on the side. She didn't want to get stuck taking the class with Logan since she'd be several years older then the rest of the students.
"I hope not. With her on the road, I'd never drive again," Logan said.
Scott looked at the dent. "You had me scared there, Logan. I wasn't even expecting her back in this condition," he said as he eyed his Porsche. "Sorry 'bout that."
"No, you're not, but it won't take long to fix it." Logan walked off and Scott got started to work on the car.
Jubilee ran and told everyone about her driving afternoon. "I knew it!" St. John said. "I knew you'd trash the Porsche."
"I'm surprised Logan let you drive it," Katherine said.
"I'm not," Bobby added.
"He thought Jubes might actually trash Scott's car..." Rogue giggled at that thought.
"I didn't trash it! It was just a small dent."
"No, I was right. I am psychic."
"More like psychotic!" Rogue added.
"You girls just don't understand. A dent in a Porsche is the equivalent of totaling it. It just can never be the same again," St. John explained.
Jubilee took her test that Saturday and came home with Scott. Both had faces that were unreadable. "So..." Jean wanted to know.
Jubilee then flashed her license with her pearly whites and devilish grin on it and exclaimed "I'm legal to drive. Isn't it great!" and ran off to show her friends.
"May the Lord be watching over us all." Scott concluded.
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