Hanging By A Moment

Hanging By A Moment
Chapter 26: Jealousy

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The holidays came and went for the students of the Xavier Academy as they did every year, bringing forth their own level of cheer and merriment. For Jean Grey, however, the holidays were always more difficult given the highly strained relationship she had with her family. In addition, it was the first time in the course of their relationship that she had really been so far away from Scott for so long. But as the old saying goes…Absence makes the heart grow fonder. And for Jean, she felt she was living proof of those words as she often thought about her lover and yearned for the simple comforting love that only he could give her. And despite her father’s lectures, her mother’s pestering, and her sister’s criticism…Jean still had the golden necklace of a the majestic Phoenix that Scott had given with the loving engraving that always warmed her heart. It helped her through much of the difficulties and reminded her of just how lucky she was to have a man like Scott in her life.

When they finally reunited a few days after New Years, it had been bittersweet for the both of them. Jean may not have been one for the clichéd melodramatic love scene that their reunion seemed so exemplified by, but she was beyond caring at this point. If her relationship with Scott led her down those roads, so be it…For it didn’t make them any less meaningful.

Distance had shown them just how deep, profound, and serious their relationship was becoming. It was starting to feel like something more than a boyfriend/girlfriend thing and growing into something much more meaningful. Being apart had helped put their love into perspective, showing just how much a part of them that it had become. And when they finally did reunite, it made them feel all the more close both as friends and as lovers. And on the night they did return in that bittersweet reunion, they celebrated this new closeness…All night long.

Eventually, everybody else from the Academy returned from their respective holiday vacations, ushering in a new semester. Winter was now in full swing and snow covered most of the landscape around Bayville. Life at the Academy would gradually return to its usual state of operation as students began a new slew of classes to begin the new year. And for Jean, Scott, and their friends, it was just another step in college life at the Xavier Academy.

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With classes back in full swing, an initial period of adjustment followed for much of the student body. However, once everybody adapted to their new schedules, it became easier for them to go about their lives just as they had before. And with the cold New York winter settling in, the dog days of the school year held strong in the minds of all the students, yet everybody had their own way of coping with them.

For many of the students, sometimes the best escape from the winter was to do summer activities and thanks to an indoor pool at the local gym and fitness center where many of the students went to work out and relax, some were doing just that.

Scott, Jean, Betsy, Rogue, Kurt, and Wanda were all at the gym, taking a little time over their weekend to do a little swimming to help them unwind and relax after all the restructuring to their lives they had to do with the new semester. It was a snowy, cold weekend, not at all uncommon to those who had lived in Bayville for more than a year. Yet in the minds of those who sought a little relaxation and escape from the weather, a little swim was the ticket. And for those who just wanted to relax, it was a good time to catch up with friends after having been gone for the holidays.

“So all this time…It was because of Remy that you were acting so withdrawn?” said Jean as she relaxed upon one of the chairs in her bikini alongside Rogue, who had told her the story of how she had brought herself out of the rut she had dug herself into.

“Yeah…I know,” said Rogue, feeling kind of sheepish about it now even though it had been so trying on her up until about a month ago when she and Remy finally came to their senses and admitted to having real feelings for one another, “It sounds kinda stupid and it sure ain’t an excuse for the crap I put Kurt, my mom, and the rest of y’all through.”

“Hey, it’s okay Rogue…Really, I understand where you’re coming from,” assured Jean, giving her friend a lighthearted smile, “I know better than most people just how nuts love can make you…Hell, it nearly drove me crazy up until Scott and I finally sat down and talked about it.”

“I don’t doubt that,” said Rogue with a slight chuckle, finding it somewhat funny now that all those complications were behind them, “But still…I wish I could’ve stood up and said somethin’ sooner rather than makin’ myself act like such a basket case for all those months.”

“Yeah…I know what you mean,” admitted Jean with a sigh, “But the thing is…We both made it through…We both found love in the end. It shouldn’t matter how long it took for either of us to find it…What really matters is how you cherish and value the connection you now have…Because it’s a truly wondrous connection that few people get a chance to feel.”

“Amen to that, sugah!” Rogue with a smile, “And even now that I look back on it…I think it was definitely worth all that crap we had to go through in the end. And hell…If I had to…I’d do it again because it was just so magical in the end that I…I really can’t put it into words.”

“Mmm…Yeah, it really is hard for the mind and the heart to comprehend…But hey, I’m not complaining!” said Jean with a grin as she continued to relax and watch her friends fool around in the pool.

“Me neither!” affirmed Rogue as she too relaxed her tired body and enjoyed the simple pleasure of having a moment to step outside the rigors of college life.

Both women sat in silence for a moment, simply watching their friends have a good time. Scott and Kurt were on the diving board, doing back flips and cannonballs to their content while Wanda and Betsy swam laps from one side of the pool to another, sometimes racing each other just for the fun of it. Such simple manners of play were a welcomed sight to Jean, who felt as though she had spent too much time back home with her family, who didn’t seem to understand the concept of fun as she did. But right now, she didn’t want to think about that. She was back in Bayville, she was back with her friends, and she was back with Scott…And she refused to let things like her long standing issues with her parents get in the way of that.

“So Rogue…Tell me a little about this oh so wonderful Remy Lebeau…” said Jean with a grin, breaking the silence and prompting Rogue to blush somewhat as she turned back to her redheaded friend.

“Well…There ain’t much to tell that ya probably don’t already know, sugah,” said Rogue in response with a grin, “We flirted for a long time…We had fun and played our games…”

“Games?” said Jean curiously, “What kind of games?”

“Oh you know…The fun kind,” said Rogue with a suggestive tone in her voice, “And I guess in many ways, we’re still playin’ those games with each other since that was kind of what brought us together in the first place. It just…It grew beyond anythin’ either of us could have imagined.”

“Sounds pretty serious,” said Jean, knowing all too well where she was coming from given how her relationship with Scott had manifested.

“It is…And I think the holidays proved it,” said Rogue as she mused somewhat of how far she and Remy had come, “We must have called each other at least 50 times during that whole ordeal. I’d just be sittin’ in my room with the phone talkin’ to him for hours about pretty much anythin’ that came to mind…And some of that talkin’ got kinda heated…If ya know what I mean.”

“Ooh…Long distance phone sex,” said Jean with a grin, hinting to Rogue that she had been no stranger to it over the holidays as well, “Is there any better way to pass the lonely nights away?”

“If there is, I don’t know it…” shrugged Rogue with a grin, “But it just goes to show how serious Remy and I are. We pretty much bypassed all the usual relationship filler beforehand when we were just flirtin’…So it’s gotten pretty deep pretty dang fast. I already know I’m in love with him…And I’ve let him know that time and time again whether we’re sharin’ a nice dinner together or fuckin’ in a utilities closet in the math building…”

“Okay…That last part, I didn’t need to know,” said Jean, unable to keep herself from laughing.

“Hey, you asked for it sugah,” grinned Rogue, “I can’t help it if me and Remy like thrill sex. Some people like romance with candlelight, expensive gifts, and all that shit…But there’s just no substitute to havin’ the man you love go down on you on a teacher’s desk in the middle of the day!”

“Oh no! You didn’t!” said Jean as she looked back at her friend with a flabbergasted, yet enthused look on her face.

“We did…And boy did we ever!” she said proudly, not making any qualms about it.

“Damn girl!” said Jean laughing and grinning widely at her always interesting southern friend, “You and Remy really know how to go all out.”

“Hey…When you’re a couple like me and Remy…Sometimes it’s just too hard waitin’ to get back home to experience that one awesome feeling of bein’ so close and intimate to someone ya love so much,” she said in a deep tone as thoughts of all the passionate moments she and Remy had shared together both before and after they admitted their feelings to one another brought as smile to her face.

“Mmm…Yeah, it really is amazing,” said Jean, thinking back as well to the times when she and Scott had been a little adventurous in their sex life, looking over towards the locker room areas where they had done a little ‘thrill seeking’ of their own.

As the two women mused over those sensual thoughts, as if on cue, Remy Lebeau stepped out from the male locker room area wearing sweaty gym clothes. He had been working out for over an hour as he often did at least twice a week or more, but when he came down to see if the pool was crowded at all, he was just as surprised to see Rogue laying there as she was to see him.

“Hey cherè,” he greeted as he walked over towards Rogue as she got up with a pleasantly surprised look on her face, giving him a nice full view of her bikini clad body, “Remy didn’t know you were gonna be here this afternoon as well.”

“Remy!” she said as she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, mindful of his sweaty body, “I didn’t know ya came here!”

“Hey, dis here homme’s gotta keep in shape if he’s gonna keep up wit ya, don’t he?” he said with a grin.

“Well…It sure as hell couldn’t hurt,” said Rogue as she gave his biceps a firm squeeze as she felt the nice hard muscle in her hands, giving her a few arousing feelings and thoughts in her mind.

Jean watched this rather playful scene with her friend and her lover with a grin, now understanding what Rogue meant when she said she and Remy liked to play their own brand of games together. And from what she could surmise so far from their interaction, both subtle and obvious, she could see why they were so well matched.

However, Jean’s presence seemed almost forgotten upon Rogue as she now focused on the surprise appearance of her boyfriend. And since she was never one to squander a nice opportunity, she wasted no time in seizing the moment, and neither did Remy.

“Hey, Remy was checkin’ de pool out to see if it was too crowded for a quick swim…But now dat you’re here, what do ya say we change and head out for a little lunch?” suggested Remy.

“I got a better idea…” said Rogue as she snaked her arms around his neck with a sensual look on her face, “Just answer me this, Cajun…Was the men’s locker room occupied all that much when ya came through?”

A slow grin formed across Remy’s face as he picked up on the obvious signals of her body that he knew so well. And since he had just had a nice workout…Maybe a little ‘cool down’ was in order to relax the soreness in his body away.

“Nope…Not at all cherè,” he said with a grin, “Care to see for yourself?”

“You even gotta ask?” she quipped as Remy took her hand and began to lead her over towards the empty male locker room where they both planned on doing a little workout of their own, but before she could get too far, Rogue turned back to Jean for one more quick note, “Jean…Cover for me, will ya?”

“Sure thing Rogue…Have fun you two!” said Jean with a grin as she laughed to herself at the sight of her friend disappearing with her lover into the locker room, knowing full well what they were going to do.

While Rogue and Remy made their way off to have a little ‘fun,’ this did not go unnoticed by some of the others as Wanda and Betsy finished swimming another lap and stopped at the side of the pool for a brief rest.

“Hey, did I just see what I think I saw?” said Wanda with a curious look as she and Betsy looked over towards the locker room where Rogue and Remy had just disappeared in.

“You most certainly did!” said Jean as she made her way over from her chair towards the side of the pool where her two girlfriends currently were, “That was Rogue and that new boy toy of hers, Remy Lebeau, heading off into the locker room together.”

“Oh I wonder what they could be doing in there?” said Wanda in a sarcastic tone as a grin spread across her face, knowing full well the kind of things that could happen in a locker room since she had a few fond memories of such instances with Kurt.

“Oh bloody hell…” said Betsy, rolling her eyes at the sight of what she had just seen, not feeling too enthusiastic about seeing something she had been trying hard to avoid seeing for some time now, “I still can’t believe that all her fucking around last semester was all because she was fucking some Cajun. And now she’s dating the guy?! What in the hell is the world coming to?!”

“Hey, lighten up Betsy,” said Jean with a slight laugh, somewhat oblivious to her friends distress at witnessing such a scene, “She and Remy have been fooling around since last summer. Now it’s just gotten more serious.”

“Well it damn well should have if they’ve been together for that long!” said Wanda, one of the few who wasn’t surprised when she heard that Rogue and Remy were now involved romantically after having had a discrete sexual relationship for quite a while.

“Yeah, if they kept coming back to each other, then there had to be something between them,” said Jean in agreement, “And from what I just saw, it’s pretty strong.”

“Pretty strong?” said Betsy in a cynical tone, “Rogue drove us up the wall with her attitude for months on end all because of some guy she loved to fuck and now she wants to be in a bloody relationship with him? Am I the only one here who doesn’t find that just a little odd?”

“Hey, give them a chance Betsy,” said Jean, rolling her eyes at her friend’s cynicism, thinking she was just making a big deal about it, “You know Rogue…She’s far from traditional when it comes too relationships. And the one she has with Remy is definitely beyond that. I’ve seen them together and I know about Remy since he’s friends with Scott…And I think he and Rogue really go well together. I can see them working out really well in the long run…She’s already admitted to being in love with the guy.”

“Love?!? Oh bloody hell! Why do I even try?” said Betsy in a frustrated tone as she abruptly jumped out of the pool and made her way over to a chair where she hoped to get away from hearing the words ‘love’ and ‘relationship’ again.

Both Jean and Wanda were somewhat shocked at Betsy’s behavior. They knew she was always cynical and overly critical of relationships, but she never got this worked up about it before. Sure, they knew she was probably a little uncomfortable being the only one of them not in a relationship of some sorts, but it was just taking a toll on her that they hadn’t expected to see.

“Geez, what’s her deal?” said Wanda, shaking her head at the sight of her purple haired friend.

“Beats me…” shrugged Jean as she jumped into the warm water alongside Wanda, “She’s been extra irritable lately.”

“Tell me about it,” said Wanda in agreement, “I wonder what’s got her thong in a knot.”

“I don’t know, Wanda…” said Jean as she thought about it a bit more, “She’s been like this for a while now.”

“Well I sure hope she breaks out of it soon,” she said as she turned her attention away from her moping friend, “All those cynical comments and bizarre criticisms of hers are starting to get on my nerves.”

“That’s just Betsy,” said Jean with a shrug, “But you’re right about one thing…She has gone to new extremes lately.”

“No kidding,” groaned Wanda as she thought back to a few of the comments she had made about her and Kurt in the past that had tried her temper, “I don’t know…Maybe she hasn’t been laid in a while. You know the kind of affect that can have on a girl…”

“Well…I used to,” said Jean with a grin as both she and Wanda let out a round of giggles before they began swimming a few laps together while they let Betsy cool down.

While Jean and Wanda began swimming laps, Scott and Kurt were still fooling around on the diving boards, having contests to see who can do the most over the top dive. They had been at it for over a half hour now and for the most part, Kurt was winning due to his more nimble form. Scott may have had muscles and strength, but what Kurt lacked in that manner, he more than made up for in flexibility and agility.

“Ha! You lose again mien friend!” said Kurt upon surfacing from doing a double back flip off the high dive and beating out Scott’s dive yet again.

“Damn…So much for best three out of five,” said Scott, thinking this game was getting too lopsided for his tastes.

“The odds are always in my favor vhen it comes to diving!” proclaimed Kurt proudly, “That’s vhat the benefits of growing up on a farm and Germany vith former circus acrobats vill lend you!”

“I’ll take your word for it, Kurt,” said Scott as he climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel and began drying himself off.

“Hey, you may have more muscle mass, but I have more flexibility,” he said as he climbed out as well, “And unlike most people, I know how to use it! Just ask Vanda…She’ll tell you.”

“I’m sure she will…” said Scott with a chuckle as he took the towel and ran it through his hair.

“So…Vant to try your luck again?” he said in a confident tone, “How about a best of seven?”

“Nah, I think I’ve had enough of this game man,” said Scott in response, “You’ve more than made your point about your diving skills. So for now, let’s just say you win and we’ll call it a day.”

“Suit yourself mien friend,” he said as he prepared to go back over to the diving board while Scott made his way back over towards where he and the others had set their things when they came in.

Looking back over at Kurt, Scott was glad to see him in such a cheerful mood again…Especially after how tense he was when he found out that Rogue was romantically involved with Remy. Needless to say, he was quite shocked along with many of the others to learn that she had been involved with him for so long on a physical and personal level, but only recently did it turn into something more profound.

Kurt had long harbored a distrust of Remy because of how his actions seemed to affect Rogue’s behavior. Then after learning from Rogue herself that it was mainly her choices that led to her erratic behavior, it did change somewhat. It had been a difficult transition, watching his sister go into her first real romantic relationship since high school, but upon seeing just how happy she was with Remy, how nicely he treated her, and how well they seemed to communicate with each other, he eventually started to come around…After plenty of coaxing.

As Kurt continued to fool around on the diving board, Scott made his way over to the area where Betsy was sitting that overlooked where Jean and Wanda were still swimming laps. He was tired from both his workout and his swim, so he decided to simply try himself off and relax a bit. Being able to swim in the middle of January was a strange feeling for him, but since swimming always helped him unwind and relax after a hard workout, he wasn’t complaining. And as he sat down upon the chair next to Betsy, who was still in somewhat of a stupor after having seen Rogue run off with Remy yet again for more of that oh so wonderful thrill sex that they seemed to be addicted to, he quickly noticed her demeanor.

“Hey Betsy,” he said casually as he sat back in the chair, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah…Just peachy,” she muttered in response.

“Well…Where’s Rogue?” he asked, noticing that she was gone and thinking that maybe it was a good idea if he asked a different question.

That question only seemed to sour her mood more as she grumbled a few incoherent words before answering.

“Off fucking her boyfriend again, where else?”

“Oh…” said Scott with a light chuckle, knowing Remy well enough to believe that whole-heartedly and feeling glad that neither he nor Rogue were wasting any more time after finally admitting to what they felt for each other, “That doesn’t make you happy?”

“Of course not! Why would it?” she shot in response, surprising Scott with her seemingly angry tone.

“Hey, hey…I’m sorry!” he said, holding his hands up in defense, “I just…Didn’t know that…I mean, isn’t Rogue your friend?”

Turning back towards Scott as he stammered somewhat in his words, Betsy let out a deep sigh. She was never one to willingly admit that something was seriously bothering her since she had always been one to try and handle it herself. But this particular situation was out of her hands…There was nothing she could do to change the fact that the whole world seemed to be sick with love and she was the only one not afflicted.

“I know…I know,” she said in a less stern, more serious tone of voice, “It’s mean of me and I should be happy for her in the same way I should be for all my friends that have found love with some wonderful guy…”

“But you don’t…” finished Scott, quickly ascertaining why she was acting like this with his uncanny knack for perception, “Because it leaves you hanging out to dry all alone…While everybody else seems to rub it in your face.”

Betsy looked back at the former marine with a surprised expression, but nevertheless she managed to smile and even laugh somewhat at his words.

“Jean was right…You really do have a knack for perception,” she said to him, sounding a little better now.

“Didn’t take too much for me to see it…” he said in response, “It’s not like you do a good job of hiding it. And something tells me…It’s not something you want to hide. So you try and let your friends know in your own subtle way…”

Once again, Betsy had to concede to the fact that Jean wasn’t lying when she said that Scott was no pushover. He could read the writing on the wall with ease, not going the path of naivety or ignorance and simply using common sense and his intellect…Something many of the men that Betsy had been with seemed marginally skilled with at best.

“Well, when you’re right, you’re right luv…” she admitted, choosing not to go the denial route like she so often did when confronted with issues like this.

“So…What do you plan to do about it?” asked Scott, pushing a little further as Betsy seemed to concede to his insight.

Betsy just ran her hands through her damp, purple hair, letting out an exhausted groan of self loathing, for she knew she had somewhat brought this upon herself for not believing in her friends when they said they were in love. If only she had been willing to admit that, then maybe she could have accepted it long ago and she wouldn’t have ended up in this lousy stupor she had dug herself into. But being the stubborn woman she was, it was only now that she was finally coming to terms with it.

As she thought about it, she found herself looking back at the alluring blue eyes of Scott Summers…The man who Jean had fallen so madly in love with. In seeing the way he managed to look beyond the surface and see through her guise, she was beginning to believe that this man wasn’t some fluke…He was the real deal. He was a nice, honest, decent man…One who just happened to have a very attractive, muscular body, sculpted so elegantly by his years in the military, and a knack for satisfying women in the utmost as Jean had so vividly described to everybody time and time again. Her eyes ran up and down his sexy body before settling on his eyes and trying to avoid thinking some of the more racy thoughts about him that she knew Jean wouldn’t approve of.

But damn it…It was too hard for her. In her minds, thoughts of Scott just throwing her down right then and there, stripping her clothes off, and fucking her senselessly just wouldn’t leave her. She only knew what she knew from Jean and part of her wanted to see if it really was too good to be true…But this was Scott Summers she was thinking these thoughts about…Her best friend’s boyfriend and lover. She didn’t want herself to think those kinds of thoughts, but too much of her yearned for that which she knew she couldn’t have.

“I guess there isn’t much I can do about it at this point…” she finally answered, trying to talk her way out of what she was thinking, “My friends all went one way…I chose to go another and now look at me? Look how fucked my choices have left me!”

“Well it doesn’t have to be that way, you know?” he assured her, thinking she was definitely every bit as stubborn as the Betsy Braddock he and the others knew so well.

“Yeah right…” she said skeptically.

“It’s true,” Scott justified as his tone grew more serious, “You don’t have to feel like this forever and you don’t have to end up feeling so left behind. Your friends just chose to believe in something when it came along…You didn’t. But it’s not too late to change that.”

“And why the hell should I change that?” she said bitterly.

“Oh, I don’t know…Maybe because it’s clearly making you miserable?” suggested Scott, not skipping a beat.

Letting out a frustrated grunt, Betsy could not think of a response to that as she looked back at the young man sitting across from her mildly amazed that he was able to be so observant even when she was clearly putting up a fight. She hated feeling defeated, but she couldn’t deny the truth in his words.

“Look Betsy,” said Scott, stepping in before she could dig herself any deeper, “You’re stressed and you’re miserable because everybody seemed to get something you didn’t. But no matter how miserable you are, it’s never too late to try and look at things from another perspective. One of the ways everybody ended up with something new and profound was because they thought outside the box while you still seemed to be stuck in the same mindset of the past. And you’re clearly still stuck in it from the looks of it…”

“Yeah…No kidding,” she mumbled.

“But you don’t have to feel this way…You can learn to think differently,” Scott went on to explain, “If being this way makes you miserable, then you shouldn’t keep doing it. If you do what you’ve always done…You’re just going to get what you’ve always gotten. It’s that simple.”

Betsy was left speechless, which was not an easy task in the eyes of anybody that knew her well. For so long, she had never equated men to having very insightful minds when talking to her since she always thought they were just staring at her legs, breasts, or ass. But here was a guy who actually used the frontal lobe of his brain to make an observation…One that she could actually use.

She couldn’t believe it…But this guy was the real deal. He truly was everything Jean had said he was. She had always avoided talking to him, unlike the rest of her girlfriends. But now as she took in what he had just told her, she finally saw what they all had seen long ago…That Scott Summers was a genuinely nice guy who was every bit as interesting and compassionate as Jean had so eloquently described.

Betsy had never been with a man like that…She had always ended up going after the guys who looked as though they would make a good fuck buddy or at least a decent one night stand. But never did she go for the guys who just seemed different. Jean had and it had yielded her a truly wonderful man. And the more she thought about his words, the more her mind began to race as she looked at the young man’s alluring appearance and took in his insightful thoughts.

He was so different…So kind…So nice that Betsy couldn’t help herself from wanting him. All those sultry thoughts of him doing all the things he had done that had yielded Jean so much pleasure and joy to her were just becoming too much. It was getting just too hard to restrain herself as she began to act less rationally and more instinctively.

“You really are a smart guy, Scott…” she said, managing a smile.

“Well…Thank you,” he responded, not used to words like that from Betsy.

“I can see why Jean loves you,” she went on to say, “And I can see why she’s been so happy ever since you two hooked up.”

“Well she’s made me very happy as well,” he said, “After everything I’ve been through in the past, I’m very lucky to have someone like her.”

“Yeah…Jean’s a great gal,” said Betsy as she found herself rubbing her neck and back with a look of discomfort on her face, “She just…”

Then, she stopped suddenly as she let out a slight moan as she rubbed her shoulders. Seeing her body contort in a strange way seemed to spark Scott’s attention as he set his towel aside and a look of concern fell upon his face.

“Are you alright?” he asked as she continued to rub round her back and shoulder area.

“Yeah…I’m fine,” she said in a purposefully unconvincing tone, “I just…I think I pulled something in my workout and its been driving me crazy all afternoon.”

“Here, let me see…” said Scott as he moved in closer as Betsy willingly turned around so that he was facing her back.

Unknown to either of them, Jean had seen this happening from the other side of the pool and a sudden look disgust fell upon her face as she saw what Betsy was doing. She knew her friend and she knew how she liked to operate around men…But she sure as hell didn’t want her doing so around HER man. Immediately, she began to swim frantically towards the other end of the pool to where her friend was now clearly making some kind of move on her lover before Wanda could react.

“Hey Jean!” said Wanda as she turned to see Jean swimming away, “Hey! Wait up! What are you…”

But her words fell on deaf ears as she merely followed, trying to catch up even though Jean was definitely swimming faster than usual for some reason.

Back over with Betsy, Scott was looking over her shoulders, trying to locate the pulled muscle she claimed to have, but couldn’t find any of the clear signs and simply came to another conclusion.

“Well…It doesn’t look like you pulled anything to me,” said Scott, “I think you’re just really tense.”

“Yeah…Can’t say that’s a surprise,” she said, feeling a bit shaky inside as she felt his warm hands on her bare skin, “Could you…Maybe try to rub it away? I mean…Jean told me you were great at giving massages.”

“Well…I can try,” he said, somewhat wearily as he noticed some rather odd undertones in Betsy’s voice that she was clearly trying to hide.

Nevertheless, he began to gently rub her back and shoulder area with the techniques he had so earnestly mastered over the years thanks to the help of his foster mother and tons of practice. Immediately, he got a reaction out of Betsy.

Once again, Jean had not been lying about Scott’s more ‘antiquated’ skills. He really did know how to use those hands of his…And boy did he use them well. He seemed to know how to isolate and sooth any muscle no matter how small or difficult it may be. Her body, having been horribly deprived of great sex for too long now, immediately began to contort in delight at his touching. Was this really what Jean experienced on a regular basis? Was this really what she got to enjoy all the time? If so, then she could see why she had been smiling so much since she had hooked up with Scott and she could finally understand why she was so happy with him. He was so good at this…Hell, she couldn’t remember the last man, if any, who had given her a decent massage. If this was what he was like with his hands, then just how well could he use those skills during sex? She wanted to find out…She so desperately wanted to feel what it was that Jean had felt that had made her so happy since being with this man.

Scott continued to get some rather powerful feedback from Betsy as he tried to rub away the so called ‘tension’ as Betsy had described. He felt some definite strain in her, but not as she described. Having not known Betsy nearly as well as he did the rest of Jean’s friends, he didn’t know what to make of it. But with each motion, he seemed to be stimulating something within her as she let out a soft moan, letting her mind swim in a whirlpool of sensual images that only heightened her desire to see them through.

A wet feeling was forming in her lower regions…One that was a lot more intense than usual given that it had been a while since she had gotten sex of any kind. Part of her just wanted to grab this man, throw him on the floor, and fuck him senseless in front of everybody and she was on the verge of doing just that…Until a loud, booming voice brought her out of her world.

“BETSY! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?” yelled Jean as she jumped out of the pool with a look of rage on her face.

Startled, Scott immediately stood up, thinking she had gotten the wrong message out of what he was trying to do.

“Jean…Wait, I…” but he didn’t even get a chance to finish as Jean shoved him aside.

“Stay out of this Scott…I know what I saw!” she said as she focused on her purple haired friend.

“Jean, what are you…” began Betsy as she got up and nearly stumbled back as her very angry redheaded friend now stood within mere inches of her.

“SHUT UP! YOU SNOT NOSED LITTLE BITCH!” bellowed Jean as she shoved Betsy back, causing her to stumble as she now bore the blunt end of the angry redhead’s rage.

Scott could only stand back and watch as Wanda soon joined him, getting out of the pool and watching the situation continue to intensify. She gave Scott a anxious look, but he just shrugged in response, for they could do nothing more than listen at this point.

“Jean, calm down, luv!” said Betsy as she began to get over her startled state and refocus her energy on dealing with her raging friend.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” she shot in response as she once again gave her friend a threatening shove, “You tried to fuck my boyfriend! YOU TRIED TO FUCK MY BOYFRIEND!”

“What?!” she said defensively, trying not to add any fuel to the fire, “No, I…”

“BULLSHIT!” she yelled in response, “I saw what you were trying to do! I saw it all! I know the signs! I know ALL your little tricks! Don’t even try to fucking deny it!”

Betsy didn’t say anything in response, knowing anything she said would probably be a denial as was her custom in most situations like this…Only this time, she was facing her best friend…Not some jealous ex of a guy she had flirted with…But the best friend she had known since she was 15.

“Jean…I know what you saw…” she began.

“You’re damn right I know what I saw! I’m not stupid!” yelled Jean, not cooling down in the slightest, “I know you’ve been being extra bitchy lately, but this is a low I NEVER thought you’d sink to! You’re supposed to be my best friend! We’ve been best friends forever! And best friends don’t try to fuck each other’s boyfriend!”

By now, other people were beginning to look on as the scene only grew more intense between the two young women. Scott and Wanda could only watch from the sidelines as Kurt soon joined them, having been one of the many who had heard Jean’s loud, booming voice.

Betsy knew she couldn’t justify herself now…She couldn’t even try it at this point. There was no way she could go that far with her friend even after what she had just done. She had tried to fuck her boyfriend…And she knew in her mind she sure as hell would have if she could. But this was only adding to the growing animosity between her and Jean as she felt enraged at both herself and Jean for not looking beyond the surface.

“Jean…” said Scott as he finally stepped forward and placed a hand on Jean’s shoulders, trying to keep her from lunging forth and further worsening the situation and while this did help to hold her back, it didn’t lighten her mood in the slightest.

“WHY?!” she yelled, wanting desperately to beat the shit out of her purple haired friend for even considering trying to take Scott away from her, “Why Betsy?! Is criticizing everything and making snot-nosed comments not enough for you?! Every time…Every fucking time…All you do is just bitch about anything I say when I talk about actually being happy with someone! So why the fuck do you want to take it away?! After everything we’ve been through, why fuck would you sink so fucking low?!”

“BECAUSE I’M BLOODY JEALOUS!” the young British woman yelled, unable to suppress herself any longer.

That had done it…That had pushed Betsy over the edge. She never took being yelled at very well, whether it was done by friends, parents, or anybody else for that matter. All this time, it had been building up inside her…Festering every time she saw Jean or her friends so happy with the love they had found in their lives while she was left hanging. She hated admitting anything that made her sound weak…But it had simply grown too much for her to take…It had grown too much for her even manage anymore as her booming words finally silenced Jean.

“Is that what you fucking wanted to hear?! Huh?!” she said with obvious strain in her voice, “Is that what you fucking want me to say?! FINE! I’ll say it! I’ll admit it! I’m fucking jealous of you! I’m fucking jealous of you and Scott! There! Happy?!”

Jean didn’t know what to say, for only now was her mind actually beginning to process what she had just done to her friend. Now, Betsy looked like she was going to have a breakdown at any moment and every onlooker could clearly sense it.

Then, without saying another word, Betsy stormed off, leaving Jean standing there in a daze at what had just happened. Scott still had his hand on her shoulder and she felt him tighten her grip on her, giving her a comforting squeeze as she placed her hand over his for a moment, not saying a word.

“Jean…I’m sorry,” he told her in a soft tone, “I shouldn’t have let that happen. I…”

“No Scott…You did nothing wrong…Except for being a nice guy,” she said to him as the expression on her face fell, “It’s my fault…I just…”

But she couldn’t finish…Instead, she simply escaped from her boyfriend’s grip and walked off as well with a cold, hard lump in her throat forming. Scott wanted to go after her, but Jean was gone before he could even try.

Now, he, Kurt, and Wanda stood flabbergasted at what had just happened. It had all devolved so quickly. Jean and Betsy…Two best friends who had been there for each other for the better part of their lives…Had just erupted in a fit of rage. Now they were both stuck in a pit of remorse. This couldn’t happen…Something like this couldn’t come between them…But they had let it…And now their friendship seemed on the verge of complete ruin.

“Guys…” said Scott as he turned to Kurt and Wanda, “I’m going to try and go after her…I can’t let this happen.”

“Do what you have to do mien friend…” said Kurt in response, knowing both Jean and Betsy couldn’t let over eight years of close friendship all fall apart like this.

With an affirmative nod, Scott made his way out of the pool area in pursuit of his girlfriend. But even after he was out of sight, Kurt and Wanda just stood there…Wondering what could come of this. Looking back at each other, they both showed their worried expressions as they both found themselves in a comforting embrace, hoping that this storm would pass.

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Jean didn’t spend much time in the gym after having made such a huge scene about something that had just spiraled out of control. After having changed out of her swimsuit and back into her winter clothes, she made her way out of the building with every intention of just going back to her apartment and sulking for the rest of the weekend.

Yet outside waiting for her was the man who had been the catalyst for this whole thing…Her boyfriend, Scott Summers. She had hoped to avoid him on the way out since this wasn’t something she was ready to talk about just yet, but Scott wouldn’t have that…Like it or not, he knew he was a part of the problem here and he felt he had every right to be a part of the solution.

“Jean…Wait,” said Scott, the tone in his voice deep and serious prompting Jean to stop cold in her tracks.

Jean had tried to keep the tears from forming in her eyes, but she had failed miserably. She didn’t want to think about this, but she knew that was all but impossible at this point. She wanted to just run…She wanted to get away from this problem that she felt she had let get out of hand…However, she didn’t have the heart to do so as Scott came up to her and slowly took her in his arms.

Immediately, she sank into his embrace, letting out a few sobs into his chest through the cold, January air. Scott could feel her inner turmoil as he held the woman he loved closely and tenderly, feeling he let out all her frustration in a fit of tears.

“Shh…it’s okay, Jean…It’s going to be okay,” he told her softly, gently running his hand through her long, fiery red hair.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry,” she told him, feeling so low at this point after having let him get caught in the middle between her and Betsy.

“Hey…Come on, Jean…Don’t be like that,” said Scott as he gently cupped her chin with his hand and lifted her face so that he was now looking her directly in the eye, “This is still partially my fault too. I should have seen what Betsy was trying to do.”

“She shouldn’t have done it to begin with…” said Jean in response, looking away as another large lump formed in her throat, “You…You don’t know her as well as I do. I’ve known her for years…I know how she thinks. And…I just…I can’t believe she would try to…I can’t believe she would even want to…”

“Jean…Jean, come on…” said Scott, not wanting to see her dig herself into a rut like this, “Betsy is your friend…You said it yourself, she is your best friends. What she did…She did for a reason…And she made that painfully clear.”

Remembering Betsy’s loud yells of her reason, Jean felt another wave of guilt consume her. She was jealous…That’s all. After all the things she had done…Parading and flaunting how happy she was and how madly in love she was…She often forgot that Betsy didn’t have what she had. She never got a chance to feel the kind of things she felt…And all she had done was rub salt in the wound by describing how wonderful it was time and time again, pretty much rubbing it in her face.

Now that she thought about it, she somewhat understood why Betsy did what she did. On so many levels, Jean had change an awful lot over the past five months. Before that, she scoffed at the concept of love…Now, she was praising it as being the best thing that had ever happened to her. From a steadfast seductress…To a woman deeply in love with the best man she could’ve asked for…She had undergone so much growth and had been through so much change that she often forgot those she was leaving behind…Like Betsy.

“Oh God…” she said to herself in a low, dispirited tone, “What have I done?”

“Jean…” said Scott softly, not wanting to hear her cry.

“How could I have let this happen?” she went on to say, her tone growing all the more strained, “She and I have been friends for so long…And I ruined it…I completely fucking ruined it!”

“No Jean…You didn’t ruin it,” said Scott in a strong tone as he held onto her, keeping her in his arms for support, “You reacted…That’s all.”

“I…I shouldn’t have…” she began, but Scott didn’t let her finish, for he knew she would just sink lower and lower into despair if she did.

“Jean…You can’t blame yourself for reacting to something that made you feel so furious,” said Scott, “And I’m just as much to blame. I should have seen it sooner and I should have known that Betsy was trying to start something…”

“But you don’t know her…I do,” said Jean, her mind still having a hard time processing what had just happened with her best friend.

“That may be true…” Scott conceded, “But that still doesn’t give me an excuse…Just as much as it doesn’t give Betsy an excuse. She’s your friend Jean…And I know how much friends mean to you. I just…I don’t want to be the one who comes between you and your friends.”

Jean fell silent, not knowing how to respond to her lover’s words. She just looked up at him with tears in her eyes as she clung to his warmth for comfort. His words were desperate and true, almost begging her not to leave this unfortunate event hanging strong on his conscious. This whole thing was uncharted territory for the both of them…For they had never been in love before. Now they had each other and there were times when they didn’t know how to handle this profound new part of their lives.

Jean once again felt tears welling up in her eyes as she gradually felt his warmth sooth her sorrow. Scott even managed to give her a warm smile, hugging her close to his body as he tried to sooth away that which had so suddenly affected her.

“Hey…I love you,” he told her, “I don’t want to become a burden on your life Jean…”

“You’re not, Scott…You’re a blessing…You always have been…And you always will be,” said Jean in response, “I just…I screwed up.”

“Yeah…We both did,” said Scott, “But I want to help fix it…”

“You are…You’re here for me…” she told him tenderly in response.

“Yeah…But I want to do more,” he said.

Looking back into his beautiful blue eyes, Jean finally managed to wipe away her tears and smile at her lover. Even when they both messed up in such spectacular fashion, they could still manage to stay strong together and be there for each other. They may not have been perfect, but they sure as hell wouldn’t let that from making their lives together as meaningful as possible.

This was just one of the many tribulations that people faced in the course of a relationship…And neither of them wanted it to impede that which they had built together. And for that reason, Jean finally felt she had the resolve to fix this.

“No Scott…You’ve already done so much,” she told her lover, “Now…It’s time for me to do something. Betsy is my friend…And I’m not going to let it fall apart like this.”

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AN: Well, I’ll leave it there for now! Things sure have a way of getting messy in this world, but as with so many things, it’s far from irreparable. Stay tuned to see just how this situation is resolved and don’t worry, the best is yet to come! Big events are looming just over the horizon and you won’t want to miss them! So what do you think so far? Have you like how this story has progressed? Please tell me! Send me your reviews via slickboy444@aol.com or post them on the website! I don’t care which one you do as long as you REVIEW! Thanks a bunch for reading everybody and I wish you all the best!