Growing Up
By kiragecko
Not mine. Which is good since I'm meaner then Marvel. There really should be a restraining order so I can't ruin Jube's and Logan's world anymore. Still, I think this one has a sickeningly sweet ending, or at least will, so that's okay. They'll be fine – you might be feeling ill, but they'll be fine.
Ch.1 – Happy donut days and evil computers
The bright sun was making her feel light and happy, she noticed with amusement. Apparently killing those guards had upset her more then she had thought. The happy feeling was rare enough to be appreciated and when the smell of donuts hit her she didn't stop to consider. Why go home depressed about donuts?
Four donuts and half a hot chocolate later Jubilee flopped onto a park bench with a contented sigh. Two left. These were the good kind, like the mini donuts she used to eat when… when she was in Canada. Rats, now there was a dark cloud skulking around in her happy mood. She glared at two nice looking people until they walked away in confusion. That made her feel a bit better.
She wandered the park, absentmindedly going through the donuts and drink. Eventually she arrived at her apartment and climbed the stairs, still smiling softly. Once inside her room she even danced a bit, putting on one of her country CD's. She turned it off after a bit, when it threatened to bring back memories, and put some pop on.
She was really going to have to get some new music soon, but it was hard when you lived in Japan and liked your music fresh. She turned it off and listened to her messages – two jobs for tomorrow and a guy from the bar that wanted a date. He sounded like the one whose wrist she'd broken. She erased the message, not interested in people who found pleasure in pain. She knew too many.
Twenty minutes of glaring at the computer passed tolerably. She made supper and set the table, even washed a counter or two half-heartedly. The computer smirked at her avoidance techniques, knowing she'd give in when she was faced with the dishes. There wasn't any mold; they'd sit for a while yet.
She slurped noodles while she checked her e-mail. Serve the stupid computer right if she fried it with noodle juice. There were all the usual messages – five from 'Ro, two from Scott, one from Hank. None from Kitty today, she seemed to have given up. Jubilee deleted all of them and looked for the one from Bobby. There was always at least one from him, and she usually read it. He'd been her friend for a long time.
She found the ones from Paige first. Three of them. She thought for five minutes before deleting them. Unread. Then she deleted the sixteen junkmail messages. There, she'd finally found Bobby's.
-Hi, Jubes
-I know I promised but don't delete this. Please. Kitty's
There was more, of course. She managed to close it before her eyes skipped to the next lines. That liar! Tears streaked her cheeks as she stamped though the tiny apartment. Pain burned in her chest as she fought to keep all the dangerous thoughts out of her mind. What had been so important that he'd risk burning her last bridge? He'd promised! He'd promised not to talk about anything, just to talk. He'd promised that they could be friends; that he had to deal with all the other stuff to much anyways. He'd promised!
She ran down the stairs, out the front door, and through the park. She dropped, not realizing it was onto the same bench as before. Kitty. What was he going to say about Kitty? It didn't matter. She hadn't written in a while… It DIDN'T matter. She never read Kitty's stuff, of course. The woman believed if you made someone guilty enough they'd do whatever you wanted them to. She hadn't spoken to Kitty even before she left. Still, Kitty was stubborn. Why had she given up?
IT DIDN'T MATTER!
But it did.
-Hi, Jubes
-I know I promised but
don't delete this. Please. Kitty's
-just so depressed. She
doesn't talk much anymore and
-she's always crying.
Hank's really worried. Says she
Not her problem. Why would Kitty be so depressed? She had a job, a life, a personal identity. She wasn't getting sucked back in. She knew that every time it was harder to get back out. Look at Bobby. He'd come back and now he was a lump of ice 24/7 and hadn't had a relationship in years. It wasn't her problem. Kitty was probably still mooning after Wisdom. Not her problem.
But Bobby thought it was.
-Hi, Jubes
-I know I promised but
don't delete this. Please. Kitty's
-just so depressed. She
doesn't talk much anymore and
-she's always crying.
Hank's really worried. Says she
-could be suicidal.
Wisdom's here. We thought maybe
-he could help.
-Look, you have to know
what's going on. You have to
-have read SOME of their
e-mails. We need you. Logan
That evil, slimy, horrible JERK! She almost fried the computer before coming to her senses. These days she had to pay for everything she destroyed. It taught self-control better then any class she'd ever taken. Instead she stared at the wall, the floor, anything other then that evil screen. She didn't want to know about Him. She didn't want to ever hear about Him again. What if He was the reason Kitty's depressed? What if He was… dead? No. Impossible. NO!
-Look, you have to know
what's going on. You have to
-have read SOME of their
e-mails. We need you. Logan
-isn't getting any
better. You have read some of them,
-haven't you? He's
gone crazy, Jubes. He's completely
-lost it. He needs you.
He's just staring at the wall blankly
-and not even Kitty can
get through to him. Feral. Feral
-and without a will to
live. Please, Jubes. We can't
-take this anymore. I
know I promised but this iskilling us.
-Come back. Hate me, but come back.
-Bobby.