xp_logs | Crystal and Jennie

Backdated. Crystal looks for Jennie to talk to her about the events of the previous week, but due to a concern of her own, ends up starting a discussion Jennie would really rather not have.

After confirming that one of the occupants of the sunroom was, indeed, the person she was looking for, Crystal approached her former roommate. "Jennie?" she said to get the other girl's attention. "Are you busy at this moment?"

"Nope," Jennie said, finishing punching in an equation on the graphing calculator on her knee. She looked up at her former roommate. "What's up?"

"How are you?" It was, perhaps, a simple-sounding question, but Crystal was not quite sure what to say, and Jennie's answer would affect the way Crystal chose to proceed.

"Okay," said Jennie, leaning forward on her elbows. She hadn't really spoken to Crystal in a while, she'd just been so busy with the team and school and rehersal that little things like maintaining a social life were starting to fall by the wayside. "All things considered anyway. Why? What's up?"

"I suppose that the 'all things considered' matters are why I am asking," Crystal said, sitting in a chair nearby. "I just wanted to see how you are doing." She seemed to be doing a lot of that these days, although, all things considered, nowhere near as much as others.

"I'm good," Jennie shrugged. "Can't complain. I made full team, have all of my appendages in the right place and I helped bring in someone who was being accosted by an angry mob. How you been?"

"I am fine. Congratulations on making full team... full team of what, exactly?" Crystal asked, not sure what Jennie meant.

"X-Men," Jennie shrugged. "Ask your boyfriend about it."

Crystal nodded. Unlike seemingly everyone else in the mansion, Crystal's first thoughts did not veer towards the X-Men. She had been here as a student, she was now here as a teacher, and she was here to teach, not don a leather outfit and run off to fight.

"Jennie," Crystal began, "do you have a problem with the fact that Forge and I are dating?"

"No," Jennie said, looking confused. Why in the world would she think there would be a problem? Oh, right, the email she sent Forge to make the smug bastard squirm. "I really don't. You're both adults and if you wanna then that's your perogative." Just beware of him dumping you while you're in a hospital bed.

Crystal didn't know about Jennie's e-mail; she had known that Forge and Jennie had gone to an Xavier prom together and had also been on a date, plus Jennie had just said 'Ask your boyfriend' not 'Ask Forge'. "If we..." Crystal sighed softly. "I see."

Oh for crying out loud. "Dude, seriously? I don't care. Date him. Have fun. I've moved way beyond our one date. I only bring it up to watch him squirm. I really don't care," Jennie met Crystal's eyes.

Crystal looked right back at Jennie. "I do not understand. Why do you wish to make him squirm, Jennie?"

"'Cause he's my friend," said Jennie. "Sometimes friends tease each other. You know me."

No, she didn't. At this moment, as she had before, Crystal did not feel that she knew a single thing about the young woman with whom she had once shared a room. Jennie had changed in some ways, and stayed the same in others, but neither of these were necessarily ways that Crystal felt were positive ones. "I am sorry, Jennie, but this does not make any sense to me," Crystal said after a few moment's pause, still looking straight at Jennie. "There is a difference between teasing and wishing to make someone uncomfortable. I am unsure of what it is that you mean in this case."

"Look, you know the circumstances in which Forge decided on not going for a second date made him look like a huge douche. I hold no ill will to him or to you for dating him, but I figured I'd get my revenge in my own way. Now that vengance has been achieved, you both can go on your merry way and whatnot," Jennie pulled her calculator back on her knee and punched in a few more numbers before looking back up, "I mean, seriously, it's cute that you're all concerned, but I don't care." And Jennie's tone was very cear that she was finished with the matter.

"People never make mistakes?" Crystal shook her head. "That was almost four years ago for him. He has changed a lot since that time. I know that you were hurt, but he is not the same person he was then."

"I know," Jennie singsonged. "Again, lack ire that you are dating. Have fun," get married, spawn socially backwards children, whatever floats your boat.

Crystal nodded and stood up. "We will. We do. I can see that you are busy. Enjoy the rest of your day.

"Bye," Jennie said, going back to her homework. How cute, she'd just stopped by to check whether or not she was pissed about her and Forge dating. Not, 'how was getting turned into a dog?' or 'I recall the aniversary of your mother's death is coming up.'

Then again, it'd been two years for Crystal, as Jennie was often reminded.

There had been more that Crystal had wanted to say, but from what she could tell, Jennie had been more interested in her calculator than in talking to Crystal. She'd asked how Jennie was at the beginning of the conversation, Jennie had given her answer,and didn't seem very interested in holding a conversation. Crystal had no desire to stick around and attempt to make conversation with someone who didn't seem to want to talk with her. This conversation... it reminded Crystal of the year she and Jennie had spent as roommates. Sometimes they had been on friendly terms, sometimes less than friendly terms, and sometimes Crystal had hardly spent any time in their room. Now seemed to be one of the less-than-friendly terms... except this time, Crystal had a room of her own to return to.

"Goodbye, Jennie," Crystal said, and she left the room.