Too Pink for me - Logan Howlett +18

05: My soul

Feeling like you're always at the bottom of the conversation, as distant as a footnote in an educational book that nobody pays attention to—how long can you endure that? And then... how much pain can it cause?

The view of the facilities alongside Logan could be likened to a ride in some dubious safety vehicle at a small summer fair. A whirlwind of emotions that is difficult to process due to the speed at which you're experiencing them. Yet, Rosellina couldn't consider her encounter with the Canadian a failure, as getting along with him, even marginally, felt like a step forward. At least he had the courtesy to show her the attic, despite clearly not wanting to be there.She could easily accept Ororo's words about their troubled relationship: "Logan is just like that."While that might be true, Rosellina wouldn't have bought into the excuse if those perceptive eyes hadn't seen how differently Logan behaved when that red-haired woman appeared. His rocky phrases softened in her presence, as if he wanted to caress her with his words when he spoke to her. From what Rosellina could observe before feeling intrusive, Logan seemed like a different person. Those eyes showed a man drowning in his own longing.

A couple of knocks on the door snapped the Italian out of her trance. How long had she been lost in her thoughts? She realized she had been sitting at the vanity, brushing her hair repeatedly while drifting through memories. Her eyes sparkled as she turned toward the wooden door, eager to see who her visitor was.

"Come in, Rogue."

She set the brush down on the table before standing up to greet her new friend properly.

"Storm was right; you've got almost x-ray vision!"

Rogue wasted no time in joking as she entered Rosellina's room. The playful smile she wore was infectious, and Rosellina couldn't help but catch that energy.

"I don't know if I'd go that far; I can only see every once in a while. I'm still working on controlling it," Rosellina confessed, feeling a bit embarrassed about not fully mastering her powers.

The occasional involuntary glimpses worried her; she feared she might see something she wasn't supposed to.

"Well, I'll need a demonstration later of what you can do. But..."

"You want to know what happened with Logan."

Rogue let out a small laugh at Rosellina's spot-on interruption, caught red-handed.

"You could say that every student in this school has an honors degree in gossiping; you can't blame us," she replied with feigned defensiveness, not feeling the least bit ashamed of wanting to know more. "Some of them even have doctorates."

Rosellina bit her lip lightly. Where did she get such imagination? She couldn't hold back a small laugh at the thought of such a thing.

"Are the teachers included?" the Italian asked curiously, inviting Rogue to sit with her on the bed.

"Hank is the one with the doctorate in that subject."

Rosellina's eyes widened at the idea that Hank might be the example of what the school expected in a new school year. And she had a feeling she and Logan would be the latest topic in those tabloids.

I honestly didn't expect Hank to top the list.

Rosellina thought as she realized how quickly certain events could become the latest episode of a morning soap opera at this school, hungry for fresh drama.

"So? How did it go?" Rogue leaned in closer to Rosellina, who looked at her hands for a moment.

"He openly said he hates me."