In the Med-Lab I slowly eased into my human form, wincing as my injury became ~much~ more apparent. Two ribs underneath had been broken, but thanks to the nifty trick Dr. McCoy had shown me, I was able to reset them myself. There was, however, still a nasty red circle and a rip in my uniform where Paige had kicked me. As a matter of fact, Paige was right here helping me.

The top half of my uniform was unzipped and hanging down behind me, as Paige wrapped some gauze around and over the bruise.

"Paige! Not so tight, I can't breath!"

"Its supposed to be tight."

"Paige, this is a bandage, not a corset."

"Listen I read about this in --"

I jerked back and loosened the bandage then fastened it. "Oh-no Guthire, I am not gonna be your test subject on a new treatment that has been proven successful in a remote part of Ghana or something. Besides, It has to be loose enough to let me go to my ice-form."

The door of the Lab wooshed open and Jono walked through in all of his blazing glory.

"Hey, Sparky," I called, pulling my uniform back on, patches of white gauze showing through the hole. Jubilee had quit calling him Sparky because he didn't really like it. I kept calling him that for the same reason. It seemed our whole group tiptoed around Jono while he insisted he wanted to be treated normal.

("Hullo, gel,") came his response. Actually, he didn't really seem to mind I called him that, come to think of it. Maybe it was because I did treated him like anyone else, teasing and joking to them at every other chance.

"What happened to you?"

("Not much actually. Just came ter get some new bandages.")

He opened a cabinet and pulled out a large roll of thick black bandages. He sat on the nearest bio-bed and started wrapping his chest.

("Paige, go ask him if he needs help.") I sent to her.

She glared at me, "He can take care of himself."

"I know, but its the thought that counts. Besides, anyone can tell he's exhausted! Helpin' him out doesn't have to mean you like him (even though you do), it's just what friends do, ya know?"

"No, I don't," she whispered

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever....Jono? Need some help?" I walked towards him.

He glanced up, ("I can take care o' myself.") His reply bordered on frosty.

"Don't be a jerk. Besides, you're doing a sloppy job of it." I smiled cheerily and snatched the roll of bandage and started wrapping.

("Thanks.") I imagined he would have taken a deep breath, had he been able to, his mind voice had a certain tone of weariness to it.

("No problem.")

Just then, I had a wicked idea.

"What am I doing! Me 'n' Ang'lo were gonna um...do something right now, he's expecting me!"

Ok, here it comes. I glanced over at Husk, "Paige, could you finish up for me? I gotta run."

Paige blinked, "I..uh..well...sure. Yeah." For a moment, her eyes had that certain "doe in the headlights" type of look.

I smiled at her, she was gonna kill me later, that is if she wasn't thanking me.

I had to practically drag myself up the steps of the girls dorm. It was warm and humid in the bathroom, only one of the five showers was running, M probably, since Jubilee was in her room, and Paige was a little...busy in the med-lab.

We each had out "own" shower. There were four of us and we had gotten into the habit of using the same ones over and over. The first shower wasn't used, the second, which was J's, had a rubber ducky sitting in a corner, a seriously abused shower matt, and a bottle of Mr. Sudds. Paige had dibs on the third one, her shower being the only one not equipped with soap of any kind or razors. Showers, for Paige, were really more of a gesture to keep Jubilee of her back. Monet had the fifth which contained a myriad of shampoos and conditioners and body foams (and a hundred other bottles that I could only guess the contents of). My shower had several water stiffened uniforms hanging from the towel bar. The walls were still coated with the fluffy remains of shave cream from a dispute Jubilee and I had this morning.

After pulling the curtain, I peeled off my uniform and hung it on the rack with the others. I closed my eyes and turned the water on. It was cold, but that didn't bother me, it just felt good. I took a deep breath. The air and water tasted...fruity? I snapped open my eyes to see green water pouring from the nozzle.

"What?!"

I reached up and twisted the tip of the nozzle. As soon as it was off, thick globs of green goo fell from it, barely missing my head.

"Nasty! What is this? This is sick..."

"Having problems, Summer?" M called.

("Nothing...") I sent back.

I dropped the nozzle and tried rinsing myself off with the clear water that now came out. It came easily off my skin, and thankfully didn't stain my hair. By now I had figured out what happened. Last month, I emptied a pack of red Kool-Aid into Jubilee's already pink and strawberry smelling shampoo. Her hair was a shade of pink for about two days, but after persistent scrubbing had finally come out. I sighed. I guess I deserved this. J and I were constantly pulling some prank on someone. We were best friends, but weren't above pranking each other.

I reached my hand outside and groped for my awaiting towel and wrapped it tightly around myself. I slapped the curtain to one side and got out.

I turned to my ice form to absorb the moisture in my hair and the bandage, and then back to normal. I began to comb out my hair when M got out of her shower. She seemed to not notice me, and pulled her hair dryer out from under one of the sinks. That was typically Monet and I took it in stride. After going to my room and changing into a clean black leotard, I went to J's bedroom.

("Jubilee?") I asked before entering.

"Door's open," her muffled reply was barely heard through the door.

I opened the door to find her sprawled across the bed, face buried in a pile of pillows. A bag of Dorito's lay on the floor beside her nightstand with its contents scattered about. The window was open and several shirts threatened to be whisked away. Her yellow jacket was thrown over the door to her closet which was filled with everything but clothes. She may complain about the state of Paige's room, but she never said her's was any better.

She mumbled something like, "White want?", but it was hard to tell, besides, I was used to Jubilee making no sense.

"This is a stick up," I said as I crawled under her bed, my fingers searching for her hidden stash. I found several things that I couldn't see and frankly, didn't want to. Finally, I felt the cool, hard plastic lunch box and pulled it out. Superman was flying across the lid, with a beautiful woman in his arms. I flipped the latch open and pulled out a fistful of candy: Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie Rolls, Blow Pops and Milk Duds.

"Noooo....not m' candy!" she mumbled sleepily as she sat up.

"Yes, this is my revenge! You tried to discolor my hair and now I steal your candy," I said in a mock Sinister voice.

I heard her mumble something like, "I can't believe it didn't work."

"Nope it didn't. Sorry."

I left and went to my room.

Late that afternoon, after a long nap, I went to the Rec Cottage. Paige and Angelo were in the middle of yet another game of Scrabble. Jubilee and Everett were playing Ping-Pong, the ball bounced off of their heads as much as it bounced off of the paddle. M lay across the couch reading a ~very~ thick book. The rest of the team had not yet gathered.

Alanis Morisette was playing and Jubilee was singing along. She had this awful, but sometimes amusing habit of distorting the lyrics to every song. The song was "Head Over Feet" but Jubilee's version went something like "You've already run me over, in spite of me, and don't be alarmed if I flip, head over feet. And don't be surprised if I sue you for all that you are, I couldn't help it you ran me over in your car!"

I walked over to the Scrabble game.

"Who's winning?" I asked.

"I am," they said in unison. Paige looked up at me and rolled her eyes, then turned back to Angelo.

"That's not a word!" Paige said consulting her dictionary.

"Its a rare...uh...delicacy served in...uhhh...New Zealand," said Angelo

"Xykurva?"

"Si."

"Can't use foreign words," Paige said tossing her head in triumph.

"Than you, Senorita, can't use that Shi'ar word of yours."

Paige chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Uhhhh...."

"Call it even?" asked Angelo.

"Yeah, sure," she said reluctantly.

("Are you mad at me?") I sent to Paige.

"I should be," she mumbled.

Angelo glanced up at her, then me, in a look that I decided was unexplainably cute.

("But are you?")

"No, Ah...I can't say that I am."

("Good. You know the drill, I'm gonna pump you for details as soon as I can.")

"Whateva....hey! I saw that!"

"Saw what?" I asked confused.

She was turned toward Skin, "I saw you switch that piece! You can't do that!"

Angelo looked the picture of innocence, except for that cigarette hanging from his mouth (ok so he didn't look very innocent, but he was trying).

I put my hand on his head and squeezed, "Do you know what this is?"

"Nope, tell me."

"A brain-sucker. Do you know what its doing?"

He shrugged.

"STARVING!" Jubilee, Paige and I yelled in unison. That was the oldest joke we had, and we used it at every opportunity.

Angelo shook his head, then took a drag from his cigarette. He flipped the stolen piece back to the box, "Satisfied?"

Paige sighed, "Oh sure, why not."

"Have a seat," he said, pulling me into his lap.

I extinguished the cigarette with an icy hand, "If I have to sit here, I get to breathe fresh air."

"Fair enough."

Paige snorted, "Since when did you play fair?"

" 'bout thirty seconds ago."

"Sounds about right," she replied.

For a moment I thought I heard the phone ring and asked Jubilee to turn it down.

She did and we sat for a moment, then the phone rang again.

Monet picked up the nearest phone and switching to her extra special all important I'm-better-than-you-voice said, "Good afternoon, Xavier School, this is Monet speaking... Alright...Summer, telephone."

I stood and walked towards the phone, it could be one of four people, because only four people knew the number here: my parents, and Beth, and Kris.

"Emily?" the voice asked. It was Beth.

"Hey, Beth, 'sup?"

"I'm at your house."

"You're at my house?"

"Yeah, they took your brothers and went on vacation, remember?"

I had been home for Christmas, it was nice to see the family agian, and after I left, they took off for Florida. "Yeah, but--"

"Well Papa and I stopped by to crash for the night."

"Stopped by from where!"

"Indiana," she said matter-of-factly.

"Never mind, if this has to do with your dads job, than it could become confusing."

"You're right. Ok, I have a surprise for you."

"Really? Lemme guess: a million dollars?"

She laughed, "How'd ya guess?"

"I'm just good at it; seriously, what's the surprise?"

By now I was walking around the room, away from the speakers and back to the scrabble game. I looked down at the scrabble board; about half the words there seemed to be unpronounceable, and the other half were unreasonably long.

"Me an' Papa are gonna come visit cha."

"You're coming here, like in person, tangible?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, that's great!"

"Were on our way to Maine an' Papa said we could stop here."

"Maine? What's in Maine."

"A political convention. Well, you know why were going." Yeah, Kris's biggest pay offs came from things like this. Shaking hands with all those important politicians...

"Well, Emily, listen can you forward this call to...umm..."

There was a pause, and I heard Kris' voice in the background, then Beth finished "Sean Cassidy?"

"Yeah, Ok. Bye Beth."

"By Emily."

I pushed the menu button of the phone and then a six digit code that would cause the phone nearest Banshee to ring, after a confirmation light flashed I hung up.

Angelo, who had wandered from his game, glanced at his watch. "Shouldn't we leave soon if we're going to go to Boston?"

Everyone ended up going with the exception of Mondo. Why he stayed behind, I didn't know, but he smiled warmly and waved good-bye to the rest of us as we piled into the Hummer and drove off. For the first few minutes it was a battle over what radio station to listen to, and eventually, we just talked.

It was decided that we'd meet back together at six and we would leave the mall at eight. The mall parking lot was jammed, but eventually, we found a space a reasonable distance from an entrance.

You know you watch too much "Star Trek" when...You pull the legs off your hamster so you can have a Trible.

"Shades of Gray" 2/?, send comments to Me, monet@uky.campus.mci.net