When Peter said "institute," I thought of a professional, modern setting like one of the pricey science schools I couldn't afford to go to. For some reason I pictured the place with scientists in white lab coats that specialized in mutant studies and sterile, white walls everywhere. I hadn't expected it to look like…a mansion. We drove about an hour and a half before entering a very lush, green neighborhood. I recognized the area as Salem Center, a posh place I thought I'd never go. Large estates could be found here and there, but the institute was found far removed from all of them. Scott drove up to the large, front gate. There was a plaque by the gate that read "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." Rolling down the window, he pushed a button on the side of the gate, saying "it's me." The gates creaked and slowly opened, allowing us to drive onto the grounds.

The gravel driveway led straight up to an old yet stately building. The word "mansion" came to mind rather than "institute." The grounds themselves stretched on around the school with a lake off to the side, gardens, and a good number of paths that led to who knows where. This was where Peter got to live now? And all this time I was keeping him from coming back to all this. Scott parked the car in front of the main entrance and we began to strenuous task of hauling all the boxes out. Maximoff, the little slacker, let Kurt and Scott handle that. His excuse was that he needed to talk to the professor about me staying. The inside was even more amazing—something out of a James Bond movie! Old wood floors, pillars, stained glass—this institute was a lot more than I thought it would be.

"Wow," I breathed, staring up at the vaulted ceilings, "This is amazing. Why didn't you want to come back to this sooner?"

Peter just shrugged, answering simply, "Cuz I was hangin' out with you,"

"But—"

"Alright, c'mon," he took me by the hand, leading me down the hall, "I gotta introduce you to the professor. He's a nice guy, but let me do the talking."

"Err…ok," I gulped.

For as big and official as the school was, I didn't see to many "gifted youngsters" wandering the halls. Peter explained on the way that it was just because it was summer break. A lot of the kids had gone home, but a good handful stayed. According to him, the kids who stayed usually chose to remain because they were runaways or had nothing left for them at home. I couldn't help but feel like a runaway myself.

Peter took me to an office door at the far end of a hall. A golden plaque on the door read "Professor Charles Xavier." So this was the "professor" and headmaster I had heard so much about. I only hoped Peter was telling the truth when he said he was on his good side. Peter knocked and a "come in" could be heard on the other end. He opened the door, revealing a young man sitting at a big office desk. He wore a nice grey suit and was completely bald.

"Ah, Peter," Xavier smiled, "Welcome back!"

"It's good to be back, Professor," Peter nodded, entering the office.

I followed him, and when I got closer to Xavier, I saw that he was sitting in a wheelchair. It looked fairly high-tech, though, so he probably had an easy time getting around campus. The professor's eyebrows raised upon seeing me.

"You brought a friend?" he remarked.

"Uh, yeah!" Peter perked up, "This is Robin. She lives in my neighborhood back at home, we're really close friends."

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Robin," the professor smiled and extended a hand.

I smiled shyly back and gave his hand a shake. So far, he was a lot nicer than I expected. I dunno why, but I just figured all school principals/headmasters had sticks up their asses.

"Sooo," Peter spoke as he leaned into the desk, "Robin kinda wants to get away from home for a bit, and since it's summer and all and we got a lot of space and not too much goin' on, I was kinda thinkin' she could stay for a while."

Xavier gave him a curious glance before saying, "So you want to host a visitor?"

Peter blinked before replying, "Uh, I…I didn't know we could do that,"

"Of course," Xavier chuckled, "Students have friends and family come visit them every now and then. We have a few visitors rooms set aside as well. Just remember that the maximum duration of a visitor's stay is 5 days and that she'll be your full responsibility."

Peter looked a little speechless at the sudden info dump. He didn't even seem to know about the whole visitor thing before now.

"Peter, did you read that part in the school handbook I gave to you?" the professor asked.

"Must have missed that part," he shrugged.

I chuckled, knowing he probably didn't even read a page of it. Meanwhile, the professor pulled out a notebook from his desk, flipping through a few of the pages. The notebook was filled with names and dates on them, presumably a ledger book for visitors.

"Miss Robin…er, what was your last name?" he asked as he scribbled my name down.

I heard Peter stifle a laugh, so I elbowed him in the side.

"Banks," I answered stoically.

"Right then," he muttered to himself as he filled in my last name, "Robin Banks…"

He paused for a moment, letting the irony of the name sink in. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose and chuckled to himself. However, Peter was trying his hardest to not burst out into uncontrollable laughter, so he tried to keep his volume to a low giggle. I merely rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"Right! Ahem…" the professor regained his composure and put the book away, "There's not quite as much going on here since it's summer, but perhaps you'd like to sit in on a few classes?"

My nose crinkled at the thought at first. Who'd voluntarily want to take classes in the summer? But then I thought of how different it could be. Maybe this mutant institute taught subjects differently, and if I opted out of them, I'd never get the opportunity to see. Plus, I could experience the kind of school environment Peter was exposed to, which I couldn't lie that I was interested in.

I slowly nodded, saying, "Yeah…ok."

"Do you have any subjects in particular that are favorite of yours?" he asked, pulling out yet another notebook from his desk.

"I'm good at math," I shrugged.

After paging through the book for a few moments, he scribbled something down, saying, "Professor McCoy has an algebra class tomorrow at noon, if that interests you."

"Ok," I perked up, "That sounds nice."

"Peter, I trust you know what class I'm talking about?" Xavier motioned toward Maximoff, "You can take her there tomorrow?"

"Sure, no problem," he shrugged.

So far, Xavier's Institute was far more welcoming than I had imagined. I thought for sure they'd have some reservations about a human staying on campus, but everyone there seemed pretty ok with it. For the rest of the day, I was in total bliss! Peter gave me a tour around campus (although he was tricky to keep up with) and we even ran into Kurt and Scott again along the way. I was excited for the next day when I'd get to see more of the school life, maybe meet some other kids who could actually tolerate me the same as Peter.

But when Peter took me to my guest room, I felt reality come crashing back down. I was without any luggage: just myself, a pair of jeans, and the Pink Floyd T-shirt Peter lent me. The guest room was stark and without much décor; there was even a place that was obviously designated for a suitcase or backpack, but I had nothing. I was on the run—at least it felt like it…

"Robin, you ok?" Peter spoke up, snapping me out of my haze.

I whirled around from the door to my room, "What? Oh, yeah!"

"If you don't like the room—"

"No, no, it's fine!" I said quickly, "I just…Thanks for letting me come with you."

He seemed a little surprised to me get all sentimental on him again. Maybe he thought after last night, I wouldn't be too much of a sap anymore.

"Of course," he said casually, "It's no big deal. You needed time away, so I gave it to you."

"But—I mean, not everyone would have done that," my brow creased, "I-It was so last minute and I thought for sure things would be awkward between us after…well after last night…"

The two of us both averted our gazes from one another at the very mention of it. That awkward kiss, him digging glass out of my hands; it was an unusual night to say the least. It was evident it still bugged us both.

"No, we're still cool," Peter cleared his throat, "We're still friends."

I nodded, the word "friends" running through my head over and over. It felt selfish to want more than that, after all, our friendship was a pretty kickass thing. But as I thought, he didn't want someone as young as me…

After realizing a pause had fell between us, I straightened up and said, "I'm gonna settle in, ok? I'll come find you for dinner?"

"Sounds good," he smirked, "I know some good places for food,"

"Can we walk out on the check, again?"

"Absolutely."

"Great!" I grinned, then retreated into my room.

As soon as the door was shut, I let out a tired sigh and slid to the floor. Even though I had slept well, I still felt exhausted. Poking at my eye, I found that it was still a little sore, and upon examining it in the mirror, it still had some purple around it. Looking down at my scabbed hands, I remembered the home I had left. This wasn't the first time I left home for more than 24 hours. With an overbearing older sibling and the life of a klepto, I often found the need to retreat. But I had never left over something this serious before…Jordan had never hurt me so bad like this.

"Am I even planning on going back?" I thought to myself.

If I did, would anything change? I might get in extra trouble for running off with a mutant, but not much else. If I stayed, I'd pretty much be choosing to run away for good. It was a thought that crossed my mind a few times before, but one I never followed through with. Whatever it was—familial ties, the guilt that mom wouldn't want me to leave home—I stayed put. I remembered that one song, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

And I guess at the moment, I didn't know. I flopped down on the bed, relaxing my muscles and shutting my eyes. After a few minutes of contemplating, I decided that I was here to clear my head until I was ready to sort the mess I had left back at home. Who knows, maybe I'd find something here to help me fix it all.

AN: Really sorry about the slow update! I went on a 3-week long vacation but now I'm back and ready to finish up Robin's story! This chapter is a little uneventful, too. It's like a transition chapter between the New York suburb setting and the Institute. But don't worry, the other chapters will be more angsty. A little less stealing and more feelings, so I hope that's ok with you! And thank you to Bubbles90 and Pollyyatesx for your first time reviews on this fic~