Generation Next (X-Men fanfic)

Three

Skylar skipped around the room while she finished getting ready. "I convinced Storm to let us skip class so that we can go get your stuff."

Ziva suppressed a small shudder at Skylar's overly cheerful tone. How could she be that cheerful at eight in the morning? "Great, I need something else to wear." She frowned. "Wait, when did you convince Storm?"

"While you were still asleep, sleepyhead!"

So, she was this cheerful and she'd been up for who knows how long already, great. She really didn't need this. Craig wandered into the room, followed by her least favorite water gnome, Lenny.

"Morning, ready for class?"

"We aren't going to class," Skylar told Craig. "I convinced Storm to let us take Ziva to get her things. I was very logical and told her it wasn't wise to let her go alone and unprotected."

"Sounds good, I'll drive," Craig, answered.

"Shotgun!" Lenny yelled.

Craig rolled his eyes. "Ziva needs to ride upfront so she can give me directions to her place." Lenny glowered at him but said nothing further as he slunk over and propped himself against the wall.

"Well, are we going or what?" Skylar was bouncing around on the balls of her feet as she spoke.

Craig chuckled. "Yeah, let's go before Storm changes her mind and makes us go to class instead. He ushered them off down the hall.

"I'm eighteen, why do I have to go to classes anyway?" Ziva grumbled.

"It's not just regular school stuff. It's more mutant related, philosophy and other things, all related to mutants and powers. The professor believed in a lot of that. The big moral questions." Skylar shrugged as they entered the garage.

"We'll take the truck," Craig lifted the keys off the hook by the door.

Skylar made a sound of disappointment. "Aw, can't we take the MDX?"

"Storm would have fit if we did, you know that. The MDX is her baby. We'll take the Escalade, everyone hop in," Craig called out.

Skylar was grumbling and eyeing the MDX across the garage as she jumped in the back beside Lenny. Who looked less than happy about not getting to ride shotgun.

Ziva wished Lenny had opted to stay behind altogether, she wasn't fond of him. As far as she was concerned, water boy could go drown himself. Every time she turned around she caught him staring at her ass. The guy needed to back off or she'd drop him with enough electricity to jump-start the time machine from Back to the Future.

Craig pulled out of the garage and Ziva gave him directions. The ride was less than comfortable; she honestly didn't want them in her tiny apartment at the shelter. Didn't want them to see where she was living. To see how she'd been living. Not that she was particularly embarrassed by it, but she didn't necessarily want them to know that she was living at that place like some loser who couldn't get her life together.

"This is it," she told Craig, pointing to the shelter building.

"Cool." He pulled up and parked.

Lenny snorted from his spot in the back seat. "Isn't this a homeless shelter?"

Ziva twisted in her seat to glare at Lenny. "You seriously want me to fry you don't you, Mutant Ice Cube?"

Lenny arched an eyebrow at her. "Mutant Ice Cube?"

Skylar giggled, "That was a good one, Ziva. Come on let's go get your stuff."

Ziva shoved her door open and led the way to her tiny apartment inside the shelter. It was more of a one-room studio. A tiny bedroom, bathroom, and an itty-bitty kitchen that was smaller than a walk-in closet.