Smells Like Teen Spirit (open)

[Sam Barker]

It was a day like any other for Sam, very little had changed the last few days since he had joined the institute, other than him not seeing his parents as much. He hadn't really talked to any of the other kids there either. It wasn't that they were mean to him or anything of the sort, it was more that he was to shy to approach any of them. Logically he knew that they were like him and would likely be understanding of his situation, but he still couldn't get over feeling like he was some kind of freak. He couldn't get past that, and so he sat alone instead of joining with the other kids from the Institute, letting out a small sigh as he picked at his food with his fork, pasta with some kind of white sauce and meat chunks today. He didn't bother asking as he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was made of.

No, nothing had changed for him in the grand scheme of things, he still sat alone eating lunch, dressed as normal for him. A white tee shirt and jeans, a plaid over shirt and a green hat. He was used to it, and he was content to watch the other kids eat and talk, mostly the other kids like him. Those that lived in the mansion. He wished that he could just go over there and talk to them, but he couldn't imagine why they would want to talk to him. He couldn't even control his powers that well yet, and they were not really that cool. Not when compared to what he heard some of the other kids could do, like read peoples minds or teleport.

"I feel stupid, and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us." He sang to himself, running the song through his head as he watched the group of kids.

His fingers tapping to the silent beat. Pausing for a moment once he hit the chorus he would give a quick look around, though he wasn't really expecting anyone to be paying attention to him, nobody ever did. Not seeing anyone paying any real attention to him he would look at his backpack that sat on the chair next to him, the second largest pouch open and inside was a soda. Closing his eyes for a moment to concentrate he would picture the soda coming to him, and sure enough the can started to move, slowly floating upward to him, allowing his hand to snatch it out of the air quickly, hopefully before anyone saw him. That was one nice thing about his power, he didn't have to worry about doing small things anymore, he could just bring stuff to him.

That thought did bring a small smile to his face as he tapped the top of the can three times before opening it, the hiss of the carbonation escaping sounded as he opened it, but it was the only thing that could wash down the taste of school food in his mind, a lot better than water would at least.

[Lance Alvers]

Lance sat in the corner of the cafeteria, looking over the gathered students eating. As usual, the X-Freaks were sitting in a little clique all by themselves, probably laughing at the poor masses surrounding them. As with all his other schools, all the other groups were sitting separated too. The jock table was in the center, loud and annoying as always, with the popular chicks and girl athletes sitting in nearby tables. The geeks and nerds were in the far corner, probably trying to find a cure for cancer or something; the skateboarders and skaters were near the exit, probably trying to escape as soon as the teacher’s backs were turned, and so on. The cafeteria was big enough, thankfully, for Lance to have a table of his own along with a few other scattered loners. Even if the other Brotherhood members had bothered to show up for lunch, he wouldn’t want to sit with any of them. Lance was too used to moving around and not getting involved with his fellow housemates. Even if this did look like it might be a longer stay than most, he didn’t think he’d be getting too attached to people. Even if he did, it would take longer than the few months he’d been there. Most of them were stupid anyway, even if they weren’t complete losers.

As his eye roamed over the room, it was caught by a boy a few tables away. Despite his appearance and demeanor, Lance was never one of those typical bullies - the kind that went out of their way to bother people. However, he did enjoy picking on people when they crossed his path (hey, he had to keep himself entertained somehow), and this kid looked like he’d be fun to play with. There was something in his withdrawn appearance that just begged to be poked and prodded, and Lance wondered if he’d seen the kid before in the halls. He’d have to keep his eye out the next time he was bored.

Then he noticed exactly where the kid was looking and he couldn’t help the smirk form on his face. So the kid liked someone at the X-Geek table, either that or he actually wanted to be friends with those people. Lance could easily tell him not to bother. Not only were all those people not worth spitting on, most of them wouldn’t know someone like him existed. They were too busy with their training and pretending to be superheroes (rather than the soldiers Lance knew both sides were training to be) that they would never notice a lowly human wanting to join their ranks.

He saw the kid stop his thrumming fingers and look around, not that he did a very good job. He didn’t even look over his shoulder, and since Lance was slightly behind his right shoulder, his scrutiny wasn’t discovered. He had a moment to wonder what the kid was even trying to hide when he saw a soda can fly out from the bag next to him into the kid’s hand. Lance blinked for a moment in surprise, and then once again in annoyance. So that was why the kid wanted in with the X-Geeks. He knew what they were. The question was, did they know him? And if they did, did no one bother to give those kids any kind of rules, since so many of them seemed to lack even minimal common sense?

Now Lance was all for using his powers to make his life more convenient. He saved at least five bucks a week by rattling a soda out of the machine rather than using more conventional methods (not to mention it was always fun watching as the next person who comes to the machine gets their face covered in fizz while Lance just waited until his soda calmed down before opening his. But that was something to be saved for empty hallways and vacant classrooms, not for the middle of a crowded cafeteria. He stood up and casually walked over to the kid’s table. He swiped the can from his hand and sat down in a nearby chair. He leaned back against his seat, and looked at the kid over the can as he took a long drink.

“Nice trick you got there, kid,” Lance said, lowering the can to the table, his voice friendly while his eyes were hard in irritation.

[Sam Barker]

Good, no one seemed to notice me.

Though as if the universe was set to prove him wrong someone swiped the soda from his hand just as he was about to take his first drink of it. He wanted to protest, and when he looked up at the kid that had done it he swallowed. The kid looked like the type to shove Sam in to a trash can, and he was already afraid that he was intending to do just that, forgetting completely that he had powers and with them could likely throw him in to a trashcan instead. As if that wasn't bad enough, the kid seemed to have seen what Sam could do. When he heard the boy's words all the color from his face would drain from fear. Was he going to tell on him? Was he going to expose him as a freak in front of all of these people?

"I... I don't kn-know what you're t-talking about..." He quickly lied, unable to hide the stutter of fear in his voice, knowing that he had been found out. His eyes scanned the area around him almost frantically looking for an escape route, but never moving to meet the other boy's eyes. Thoughts about his stolen soda were gone, replaced with fear of being exposed.

The actual tone that the kid took with him did very little to sooth his nerves, and his fingers started to tap on the table rapidly as he tried to think of a good lie that this kid would believe, he was sure that denying it wouldn't do anything if he had actually seen him do it. Why did he have to be so stupid and use his powers at school!? It must have been the thrill of having them, but all the same it was stupid and he knew it, and yet for some reason he did it anyway.

Crap, crap, crap.

Swallowing hard he mentally tried to calm himself, at least on the outside. Rationally speaking he wasn't in trouble yet. Even if the kid was to shout out that he could do that who would believe him? And surely the other X-men would come to his aid to deny that it was even possible right? After all if he was exposed wouldn't they all be?

"I didn't do any trick..." He lied again, quickly averting his gaze from the boy afraid that he would see the lie in his face. He wasn't a very good liar, that was for sure. It wasn't a skill that he had a lot of skill in but if this situation got bad he would need to get better quick, real quick.

[Lance Alvers]

Lance raised an eyebrow at the kid’s stuttering and paled face. If he thought that would get him past any kind of real hater, he was dead wrong. Very dead if it was the wrong person. Even when the kid calmed himself down, the lack of eye contact and earlier frantic search made it quite obvious that all was not as he said.

“You’re a lousy liar,” Lance murmured, taking another drink of the soda. The kid drank the same kind of soda he did, so at least this part was enjoyable, even if the rest of it wouldn’t be so much. “Don’t do that again,” he continued in a scolding and annoyed tone, frowning at the kid in something that almost could be called a glare, but not quite. “If you can’t figure out that doing shit like that in a crowded cafeteria is a bad fucking idea then do us all a favor and don’t fucking use them again. Some of us have lives we want to keep.”

[Sam Barker]

He was surprised that the kid didn't call him a freak or point him out to the other kids, instead the kid lectured him? Something that Sam already knew, he was being careless and he knew it. So he just hung his head and listened to the boy speak, nodding slowly when it hit him. He said 'us' meaning that he was a mutant too? That was slightly better, it means maybe he didn't blow things already if this kid was like him. With that thought his body perked up slightly, feeling that not all hope was lost.

"I know... It was stupid, I'm sorry... I will try not to do it again." He said slowly, his voice low and sulking like a busted kid, which he was.

Slowly Sam would look up, not meeting the kid's eyes, but focusing instead on his chin, and he offered the kid a weak smile, hoping that maybe the kid would lighten up since he wasn't going to expose him? Plus it was just kind of nice to be talked to be someone, and this kid looked tough and even cool, at least compared to Sam.

"But, you said 'us'. So that means you are like me right? You're a... a," he would lower his voice as he said the last word, "mutant." With the last word out of his mouth it would clamp shut, his breathing seemed to stop as he waited for the kid's reply. He hoped he was a mutant like him. Maybe someone that he could talk to, things were going by really fast and he just didn't feel like he could approach the X-men and other kids. But maybe he could find someone to confide in with this boy?

[Lance Alvers]

“Don’t say that like you’re ashamed of it,” Lance scoffed, but relaxed in his seat. At least he wouldn’t have to browbeat the kid into admitting what a fuckup he just did was. As long as he keeps better care of his powers from now on, Lance’s job was done here. Except the kid wanted to talk, and while Lance didn’t really feel like socializing right now, it was a topic he liked and one he couldn’t talk about with many people.

“Yeah, I’m one. This town seems to attract people like us like honey. I’m surprised you don’t know that.” He took another drink then looked at the kid again. If he was prone to it, he would have tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy but he was all too aware of how dorky it made him look, so instead he just raised an eyebrow again.

“How’d you know about that word, anyway? Not like everyone on the street knows what a mutant is. Not like us, anyway,” he asked. Maybe the X-Geeks did know this kid after all.

[Sam Barker]

He didn't really know what to say to the kid's question, how did he know the word mutant? Well the Professor had used it when he talked to Sam and his parents, like the kid here he said there was nothing to be ashamed of. He still couldn't help that though, he was already an outcast and he was sure that having these... powers would only alienate him more. Still, as if giving a silent answer he turned his head to look over at the table with the X-men sitting enjoying their lunch before turning back to face this kid, lowering his head so that his gaze met the table.

"I uh... I live at the Institute... When they talked to my parents they used that word when describing what I was and my... gifts." He said with a frown. He wasn't sure if he considered it a gift or not, it was cool and all but like this kid pointed out, he couldn't really use them in public.

"What do you mean this town attracts people like us? You mean there are more then just the institute kids? Don't you go there?" He asked looking up slightly, about chest level with the kid. His voice still quiet, afraid of being heard, even though the chatter of the lunch room was more than loud enough to drown out his voice to anyone not at the table.

[Lance Alvers]

Lance snorted in response. Honestly? Him, an X-Man? Seriously, this kid got kicked in the head this morning or something. “Do I look like one of those losers?” he asked, finishing up the soda and tossing it towards a nearby can. It jumped off the edge, but he didn’t care. Someone else would pick it up. Like that tree hugger with a PETA shirt currently giving him a death glare. He gave her a mockingly innocent smile as he watched her pick up the can and march it over to the recycling bin. He barely refrained from rolling his eyes as she made a big spectacle of putting it in the bin marked “cans,” and simply turned back to the boy in front of him. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she walked away in a huff, probably to tell all her friends what a monster he was for trying to throw out a soda can. God, it was so much fun to piss off those “green” people. So easy too.

Feeling a little better, he gave the newly discovered X-Man his full attention again. “So you’re an X-Geek, huh?” he asked with almost the same mocking smile he’d given that other girl. “What are you doing alone then? I thought you guys liked to play at being ’one big happy family.’”

[Rogue]

Rogue picked at the remainder of her school-made lunch. It often made her wonder if she could see the ingredients list first before actually letting it enter her system. Then again, ever since she'd absorbed Carol she'd been feelling rather... well, healthy. Maybe super-strong immune system was on the list of powers? If she was eating this, she sure hooped so. Rogue looked around the cafeteria, eyes meeting Lance talking to... some kid.

"Hey, ain't that kid goin' t' the institute?" Rogue asked quietly to the person next to her. They gave a shrug in response, and went back to thier food. Rogue got up, threw away the lunch and disposable tray. The southerner did not trust Lance, and being sorta new to the institute herself she might as well go over there and say hi. Althoguh Rogue couldn't help wondering why nobody invited him to sit with them... he must've be brand-spanking new.

Which meant he had no idea who Lance Alvers was.

"X-Geek huh? Real original, Lance," Rogue said with sarcasm, overhearing what he said as she approached. She folded her arms. "As a matter of fact, Ah was jus' about t' invite him. 'Parently nobody knew he was one of us..."

She smiled at the new guy. "Ah'm Rogue. This guy ain't givin' ya too much trouble is he?"

[Sam Barker]

Sam watched as the kid threw the soda can, missing the trash can. He had thought for a minute to help guide it in to the can, but he remembered that he told him not to use his powers in public like this. And he really didn't want to be found out or get this kid angry, the fear of being thrown in a trashcan while lessened was still present. He noted the angry girl, but didn't say anything, last thing he wanted was to make her or him angry at him, so instead he just sank in to his chair trying to look invisible.

"X-Geek?" He asked confused of what he meant, he had no idea what an X-Geek was, he didn't even know that the kids in the institute were expected to fight with their powers, he still thought that he was just going to learn how to control them so they don't manifest on their own. He was about to answer the kid, telling him that he didn't really know anyone at the institute yet, and that he didn't think he would really fit in with them. However, he wouldn't get the chance, just as he opened his mouth to talk he heard a female voice from behind him, causing him to jump in surprise. It seemed that she knew the kid he was talking to, someone named Lance?

He turned to look at the person that spoke, quickly looking away from her after he did. He had seen her at the institute but had never approached her, not that he approached anyone. But he had a real problem with talking to girls, and when she said that she had been about to invite him his face filled with a bright red color, in contrast to how pale he had been from fear that Lance was going to beat him up.

"I'm Sam..." He managed to mumble, shaking his head frantically when she asked if Lance was giving him any trouble. "N-no... He was helping me out... telling me not to use my powers where people can see me..." He said still looking down, hunching his shoulders as if expecting her to slap him over the head or something and tell him that he was stupid for using his powers where people could see him.

[Lance Alvers]

Lance had just enough time to be amused by the confused look on the kid’s face before he noticed Rogue coming up behind him. He frowned at that, not really wanting to see her. This was a prime example why it was just a bad idea to get attached to his teammates. He and Rogue were never the best of friends, but he’d thought they had an understanding. Unfortunately, the only thing she seemed to understand was her need to be near Scott Summers, even if he would never look at her twice. That loser was so hooked on Grey it wasn’t even funny.

He simply rolled his eyes at her comments, but didn’t move. She’d used the same term and worse when she was with the Brotherhood, so he had no patience for her new better-than-you attitude that she’d developed since leaving. He would have just gotten up and walked away, but like he’d suspected before, this kid was just too fun to watch when he was flustered. And it didn’t seem like it took much to get him to that point. His little hunched position at the end tore Lance in two directions, too. On the one hand, the weakness so obvious in this boy was laughable if not pathetic; but on the other, the same weakness also made him almost childlike and vulnerable, pulling on Lance’s instinct to protect him. He didn’t know if he wanted to tease the kid - Sam, apparently - some more or if he just wanted to drag him somewhere safe until he could pull himself together.

So he settled for dealing with Rogue instead.

“Love the attention you give your new recruits, Rogue," he said, looking up at her with a peeved, but bored expression on his face. "At least at the BH house, we get an introduction when someone moves in.”

[Rogue]

Rogue blinked. Ok, so maybe Lance was helping. Even though most of them were kind of guilty of using their powers every once in a while it was dangerous to get into the habit. "Sam? Nice t' meet ya. An' yeah... that's actually probably a good idea. Not everyone's quite so understandin'," Rogue agreed, not wanting to completely show up Lance. They were on the same team at one point... it's not like she hated his guts or anything... she just knew he could be... well... Lance.

And she had to stick up for the little guy before Lance went and did somethin' "just for fun".

Rogue's face turned to anger at Lance's comment. Ok, so she kind of deserved that. "Ah didn't-" she started to protest loudly, before taking a breath and calming herself down. No point to raise a scene over nothing.

"Ah told ya, Ah didn't know," Rogue protested in a more hushed voice. She sighed, knowing at this point any excuse would probably be just pointless. She could yell it till she was blue in the face and Lance would just stand there with that same stupid, smug grin. 'Cause they both knew he was right, really.

"Somethin' wrong there? Ah... didn't mean t' make this uncomfortable..." the Southerner apologized to Sam.

[Sam Barker]

There were a lot of things going on that he didn't really understand. Apparently Lance and Rogue new each other, and she went to the Institute like him, but he lived somewhere called the "BH house", and whatever that was it seemed there was some kind of rivalry? He thought it could be like the institute, maybe like rival programs for mutants? With football teams and stuff. She seemed to back off a little bit and turn defensive when he said that the BH house welcomed their members, though Sam wasn't sure what the Institute normally did, just that if he had a public welcome he probably would have died. So maybe it was a good thing that he didn't get one.

"Oh... It's ok. And, I will try not to use my powers again..." He mumbled quietly not wanting to cause more of a problem then he seemingly had already. From the way they argued it seemed like they were a couple or something, they obviously had some kind of history.

Right now he felt a bit trapped though, and he couldn't seem to sink further in to his chair to escape, it was times like these he wished he could just move through objects and run away. He still didn't know what was really going on, but he could tell that this had a lot of potential to get bad. The energy in the air just seemed to be tense, there was certainly some kind of rivalry between this BH house and Lance and the Institute and Rogue, though it was possible that he was just freaking out and reading to much in to it.

"S-so... did you... you know. Want to have a seat or something?" He asked Rogue, all the while being careful to not really look at her, almost like he was afraid of turning to stone if he did. He did realize that asking her to sit down was probably not the best thing in the world to do if they were bickering already, but he didn't know what else to do. He sure as hell couldn't tell her to go away, and he was sure both of them would stop him if he tried to walk away. Though the idea of telling Lance to go away never entered his mind, so he was mostly resigned to sitting through this and hoping for the best.

[Lance Alvers]

Lance refrained from rolling his eyes again somehow. That was his point in the first place. How were they supposed to know who was on their side if they didn’t know who else lived in that monstrosity of a house? And what was the logic of that anyway? Letting others figure out who was an X-Man or not. Baldy must be on some really crappy drugs if his logic was this warped.

He turned back to Sam when he started mumbling about not using his powers again. Good, but Lance wished he wouldn’t keep repeating it. It made him wonder if the kid was being sincere or not. He was about to point it out when Sam followed it up with an invite to Rogue. He so did not want to sit at the same table as an X-Man, much less a traitor like her.

He glared up at her before pushing his chair back and standing up. “Well, I’ll let you two bond or whatever,” he said snidely, putting his gloved hands in his pocket while trying to look as indifferent as possible. “Catch you later, losers.”

[Sam Barker]

Now Lance was going to leave, which wasn't what he wanted either. He didn't know what to do, Lance had just been trying to help him, and Rogue seemed to have the same goal in mind. And now it seemed like he had to pick between them. He would admit, that the loser comment stung him a bit, mostly because it is what he believed about himself. Hearing his beliefs echoed back to him always hurt, and it would show in a small flinch at his words, yet he still didn't want him to go.

"You don't have to go..." He said quietly, looking down at the food that was all but forgotten now. He had lost his appetite after the scare of thinking he had been found out. He wasn't about to make a more aggressive move for him to stay though, he was afraid enough as it was that Lance would just tell him to go to hell or something. He never handled rejection that well, and he already kind of liked Lance. he seemed confident and collected, two traits that Sam really wish that he had. He always felt like such a mess that he admired the people who could take charge and not be so afraid of everything all the time.

He didn't want either of them to leave, even with them fighting and without him really adding anything to the conversation it was kind of nice to have people at his table. He could at least pretend that they were all friends then or something, if nothing else it was a small, if temporary cure for his loneliness.

"Neither of you have to stay if you don't want to though, I am just saying you don't have to leave..." He would finish meekly.