Malibu Madness: Beach Bullies?

[x-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Doreen and Julian run into some 'old friends' on the beach. Words are exchanged and Dori manages to keep the situation under control.

You know," Doreen said, waving her arms widely as she walked, "I really didn't miss the smog at all. But it is good to be back home," Doreen said, walking next to Julian. Even her swimsuit was a far cry from the trendy, expensive suits that dotted the beach. Her little two piece was a year old, and she could have her tail over the bottom half without it pushing it down too much. That was more than enough to make up for the fact that it was literally a polka-dot bikini.

"I can't wait to go swimming!"

Julian was happy to be home, the salty air was all he could smell right now, though the odor of smog had hit him like a ton of bricks when he stepped off the plane. Despite that, this was home, "Oh it's not that bad Dori. The air is just too clean back in New York." He grinned and playfully punched his friend in the arm, nearly unseating Monkey Joe.

"Swimming would be great though- oh, and I can't wait to go surfing!"

Bright laughter could be heard someways down the beach. A blond running, scurrying to catch a frisbee that landed in the sand. Her eyes were downcast but her smile was carefree, straight blond hair whisking forward and brushed away from her mouth immediate as she righted herself. She tossed her head to the side, the wind helping her hair frame her perfect face with glee as a boy ran up and tackled her. He grabbed her waist from behind and lifted her off the ground, laughing as they toppled and dropped into the sand.

He hoovered over her for a moment and she grinned back at him with her sunny disposition, finger pads caressing the side of his face until another blond, a male came jogging up, plucking the frisbee from her hands. Words were quietly exchanged and the couple looked up.

Suddenly, expressions changed and what was their private moment melted away, replaced by higher-than-thou postures, smug smiles and condescending eyes.

"Look Cas, Keller has a pet," Blake said, pulling Cas Morgan to her feet. For a moment, hesitation crossed her expression, but then three other girls fell in behind them, along with the blond, carefree male with the frisbee and another dark haired friend Kellan knew.

"Look's like a Rodent to me," Cas recovered and she sneered over her smile, brimming with disgust.

Doreen heard them, but didn’t turn around, even though her tail frizzed out a bit and Monkey Joe was looking back at them swearing in squirrel. Her friend had always wanted a piece of the local bullies. She resolved to keep walking forward.

“Yeah, there’s really nowhere that you can surf in New York, unless you made waves in the pool or something,” she said brightly. She had plenty of practice ignoring people calling her names.

Julian noticed the change in Monkey Joe's demeanor even if he couldn't understand what the fuzzball was saying. "You know, I tried to make waves in the pool back h-" he had to catch himself from saying home, New York was not home. "Back in Westchester. Almost had it too, but damn water is heavy." Over the sound of the surf and the laughter of children, Keller heard a familiar sound, "Rodent."

Turning he spotted Cas and Blake's pack almost immidiately, making a b-line across the sand towards them. "Fuck," was all he could think to say for a moment as he tried to will them out of existance. When that didn't work anger started to build up inside him, invisible tendrils of telekinetic force slithering amongst the beach sand in search of weapons to use against the rapidly approaching pack of jackles.

"Hi Kellar," Cas greeted and one of her friends mimicked with their smirks. "Hi Kellar," All three of the girls seemed to say at once. With Cas's fingers linked loosely through Blake's, the seven descended on the pair like vultures.

"Nice of you to take her out for a walk," Blake said, throwing a nodding gesture to Dori. "Guess when you manifest, your options cut out on you."

"Standards drop a little?" the blond Male, Nick, chimed in.

"Or a lot," Cas quickly added.

"Where's your leash?" Nick asked and Blake cut it. "He's training her - next stop, down on her knees."

The guys howled, shaking their hands and the two gave a high five, stumbling back with laughter.

Julian's eyes narrowed as he glanced between Cas and Blake, a wicked smile on his lips as his mind found a picnic table to hurl at the kingpins like a bowling ball. "I'll admit I'm surprised you even know that word, Blake. You never were exactly the smart one," he was referring to manifest.

"Doesn't take a genius, honey," Cas replied sweetly. "We read up on mutants."

"Look at that tail," Cas's friend said, her Indian accent thick with weird fascination. "You're not actually dating her are you?"

"Dating the Rodent?" Cas cut in before Dori could say anything, applauded. All four girls laughed and the guys grinned, before Blake broke from the group, stepping towards the pair. "Go home Julian. You alienated yourself when you came out."

“We’re not dating. He’s just my friend,” Doreen pointed out, “And this is our home too.” Cripes, she had grown up with a couple of the kids in the group. The difference, she supposed, was she never went out of her way just to pick on someone.

“And I like my tail. I’m sorry you guys can’t understand, I really wish we could’ve been friends.” Except for Cas, possibly, because Cas was always scary.

[Calm down, it’s okay,] she turned her head, clicking to Monkey Joe, who was still swearing loudly at the group of people. [They just don’t know any better.]

"Oh my god " Cas mocked a gasp. "She's talking to it!"

"Do you practice that at home?" Nick teased.

"--Where you're alone and no one wants you? boo hoo--" Mark, Blake's wingman chimed in, pretending to cry. He'd been friends with Dori a long time ago, grown up on the same street. Now he couldn't stand to look at her for all that she represented.

"Shut up," Blake shoved Mark good natured and of the seven, the pair could see that there was a natural friendship there, but in the face of two they had known, Blake wasn't likely to give Julian any means to stand up tall and proud.

"Friends?" Cas turned her full attention on Dori. "We could've never been friends--"

"--not with mutants" the redheaded girl said.

"--or liars--" the Indian girl added.

"--or losers," Cas finished off.

Doreen did bristle at that a bit, “So whey are you all friends with each other then?” She knew Cas for a liar for the rumors she spread, and only a loser couldn’t see past the way she looked. The last few months at Xavier’s had been some of the best since she had manifested. And while these people weren’t worth the effort that violence would be (and it never solved anything) it didn’t mean she had to lay down in the dirt and take it anymore.

“We’re not the liars or the losers. I’m sorry you all are so… so… blind!” She said, clicking a bit at the end just from pure frustration.

As she'd been defending them, Julian had quietly been wrapping his telekinesis around them, gently so as to not alarm them. "Forget it, Dori, they're a lost cause. Hopeless, spoiled little nothings who won't amount to anything in their entire lives." He took a step forward, toward Cas and Blake, the air crackling with TeeKay energy, "In fact, I think what's really going on here is that they're jealous...and in desperate need of a swim to cool off." He smiled wickedly at the last bit.

"You wouldn't dare," Cas snarled at Julian, taking a step towards him. Blake balled his fist and he pushed her back. He knew what was going on, he'd read about mutants and their powers. He wasn't blind. "Oh we'll surmount to something because no one likes your kind. It's all over the news and just a matter of time before they're tagging you like animals. People don't promote animals," Blake said, stepping in Julian's face.

Nick and Mark hung back, the three girls as well, goosebumps crawling across their skin as the energy around them made them step towards each other. The smaller Indian girl studdered and she shivered. "Ww-w-what areyou doing?"

Sending a plum of beach sand into the air behind them, Julian didn't back down. "You better back off if you know what's good for you, Blake. Calling us animals might be pretty bad for your health." He glanced back to Cas, "Go back with your fucking whore of a girlfriend and leave us alone." He popped another TeeKay bubble beneath the surface behind the now frightened teens.

Cas looked momentarily hurt, but she recovered as Blake took another step forward, goading Julian on. "Come on, do it. It'll be the last thing you ever do, Keller. All they're going to see is a mutant that took advantage of his power on a human. So come on!" he shouted angrily.

The others had gone silent at the face off, slowly urged together against their will and they were starting to panic.

"Julian!" Doreen stepped in front of her friend and looked him right in the eye, "Stop it. Come on. They're really not worth it, you know? We don't need to prove them right. Please," she said the last quietly.

His eye twitching slightly he looked to his left and right. A small crowd of silent observers had gathered around the scene, including a couple cops, with whom Julian really didn't want to press his luck. Fortunately, they didn't have anything on him and couldn't prove that it was him that caused the minor sand bursts. Looking to Dori, he could see her agitation, then back at the members of the pack. With a slight sigh he let the energy drop and turned his gaze back to Blake. "You're lucky she's here, Blake. This isn't over." With that he turned to walk away, back toward the safety of the beach house.

Blake stepped forward but Cas got in his way, pressing against his chest and murmuring that it wasn't worth it, Julian's power got to his head and that he's a loser. But his eyes followed the pair while the rest of his posse backed up a few paces, then turned and started walking away. "No, this isn't finished," he said under his breath, then upon turning, took Cas in his arms and guided her away from the commotion.