“Hey, Rogue, wait up a sec!” Bobby called from behind her. She turned around and waited as he jogged through the crowded hallway to get to her.
“Hey, Bobby.”
“Hey,” he grinned, out of breath. She hugged her books to her chest, feeling uncomfortable under his glazed. He seemed to realize he was starring and laughed again, shaking it off.
“So,” he started, “You’re coming from the Professor’s physics class, right?”
“Yeah,” she forced a smile, a little relieved by the small talk. “We had a test today.”
“Yeah? How’d it go?”
“Oh, you know the Professor,” she laughed a little and shrugged. “He thinks we all are potential geniuses or something. It was insanely hard, I’ll be lucky if I passed.”
“Nah, I’m sure you did fine. You’re really smart.”
She looked down at the floor when he blushed. Unconsciously her fingers moved to stroke the tag dangling off her other hand.
Bobby laughed again, out of no where, and then cleared his throat. “Listen, Rogue. I wanted to ask you something.”
She looked up horrified by the tone in his voice. “Bobby, I don’t think---”
“No, just let me talk for a sec, okay?” He took her elbow in his hand and led her out of the center of the hallway off to the side. The near panic on her face was all he saw, not that her hand was no longer stroking the tag but desperately clutching it.
“I know you’re worried about your skin,” he began, not removing his hand from her elbow. “But I’m not. It doesn’t bother me at all, Rogue. I think...I think you’re absolutely beautiful.”
“Bobby--” She choked out.
“No,” he stopped her. “You are. You’re beautiful and smart and kind and strong and---” he swallowed and looked down at the floor nervously. “Anyway. What I’m trying to say is I really like you. A lot. And I wanted to ask you if you’d like to go out with me some time, please?”
She sighed and forced herself to meet his face. It was so innocent, open, and pure, hungry and desperate all at the same time. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was what she looked like a few months ago. What everyone looks like when they’re shamelessly bearing a part of their soul.
“I’m sorry, Bobby,” she reluctantly whispered. “I...I just can’t. Not yet.”
He nodded, obviously already a little bit prepared for rejection. His eyes dropped, meaning to look down to his feet in defeat but they never made it that far. They finally feel onto the tiny gloved fingers clinging to the old scrape of metal with everything they had.
“Rogue, he’s not coming back,” he said as gently as he could.
Her hand finally released the tag as she adjusted the books in her arms. “Yes he is. He said he was coming back for them.”
“But not for you,” he pointed out.
For a fleeting second she looked as if he’d slapped her before her features settled back to their placid calmness. She just put a smile on her face for him and shrugged her shoulders.
“Well,” He fidgeted on his feet. “Good luck, Rogue, I hope you get what you what. Just remember, I’m always here for you, okay?”
She nodded. “Thanks, Bobby.”
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