Why do they hate Lance?

an Xmen Evolution fanfic

Why Do They Hate Lance?



Lance stood just out of swinging distance in front of the boys locker room door. He wasn't sure what he was doing here. Back at his old school in Northbrook he skipped gym and most of his other classes. Mystique had warned him when she enrolled him that his ditching days were done. It wasn't like he was afraid to break the rules she had laid down when she offered him a new start here in Bayville, but he didn't see the benefit of crossing her his first week of school.

Third Period : P.E. Rm 135 – Coach Talburs

Class was nothing special, the boys stretched for the first five minutes, then they had to run laps. Lance had to be timed so the coach could judge his "improvement" over the course of the remaining semester. One downside to transferring mid semester is having to put up with the rest of the class watching you, trying to figure out if you're someone they want to know or avoid. Lance wanted to avoid them all, and pretty much counted on the idea that he would deal with anyone who thought they might want to become friends.

He wasn't here to make friends and play nice nice with the locals. He was here to get stronger and better control of his powers. That, and settle things with Kitty Pryde, the girl who had unknowingly become Lance's new muse and mental fixation. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and he had to know how much she hated him. He knew she did, who wouldn't hate a guy who dropped a whole school on top of them after trying to get them to steal test scores.

Coach Talburs blew his whistle twice and then called out for Lance to stay behind a minute while all the other boys ran off to hit the showers before the bell rang for next period. Lance tried to act like he cared about what the Coach had to say about him having to work hard to prove he deserves a good grade in this class given that his transfer ones all sucked. He was at least giving him a chance to pass, so Lance just clenched his fists trying not to let his powers kick up while he fought the urge to talk back to the guy. When Talburs was done wasting his time Lance headed for the locker room.

Lance pushed open the red painted door and into the dank and sweaty atmosphere of the tiled concrete room that the school district tried to pass on as a sanitary place to bathe. Boys were hanging around the room ranging from fully dressed to freshly out of the showers with white towels twisted closed around their waists attempting to cover their privates. Some were more successful than others depending on their weight, height and size.

"Alvers, don't take forever with that mess of hair you got, classes start in ten." Scott Summers shouted from in front of his locker. Lance turned his head at the sound of his name, regretting the decision immediately. Scott must have just gotten out of the shower and was in the process of exchanging his towel for cloths.

"I don't blame you Alvers, Scotty-boy makes us all ashamed of what it means to be a man." A blonde muscular boy came up and placed a hand on Lance's shoulder. Lance resisted the urge to punch him, barely.

"Hey, at least I have the courage to face the public Duncan, you get dressed behind the shower curtain." Scott retorted checking that his sunglasses were straight and secure.

"I do it for the rest of you," Duncan smirked, "Wouldn't want you girls getting jealous over what makes a real man." Scott and Duncan exchanged silent glares as they finished dressing and gathered their stuff.

Lance just rolled his eyes and ignored them. He found an empty locker and began undressing for the shower. Duncan and Scott were about to continue their less-than-witty retorts to one another when they noticed one of their classmates standing just beside them eyes wide, jaw gaping.

"Marshall, what's with you?" Duncan asked thinking his teammate had lost his marbles. Marshall nodded his head forward looking past the two guys. Scott and Duncan each raised their eye brows and first looked at one another, and then slowly turned their heads towards what Marshall was staring at. They joined their classmate in staring dumbfounded at the sight before them.

Lance caught the silhouettes of the guys out of the corner of his eye and turned to face them. He observed them for a second then let a grin of understanding slide across his face.

He turned and walked to the shower, flicking it on and then turned back to them as he grabbed hold of the curtain.

"Take a long hard look boys, this is what a real man looks like." He smirked, laughing as he slid the shower curtain closed and stepped beneath the hot water.

Lance let the steam and water rinse over him leaving Scott and Duncan speechless as they quickly left the room purposefully avoiding eye contact with one another.