DISCLAIMER: Superstar!

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Jess put her head in her palms and stared across the football field to where Kurt and Scott were talking. She knew the entire conversation, or what it probably was, by heart.

"Seen Jean?"

"No, why?"

"I can't believe her. I bet she's with Duncan again."

"Dude, she can't be with Duncan."

"Why not?"

"Cause he's over there with the rest of the jocks."

"Oh." at this point, Scott would pause, turn, and glare in that general direction for a moment. "She went out with him on Saturday."

"Ja."

"I can't believe she would stoop that low to get back at me."

"Why would she want to get back at you?"

"Taryn, of course."

They had obviously reached another stand still in the conversation, because Scott threw up his hands and walked a few feet away.

Jessica Simmins, the empathetic irritant, had a desire to fulfill her duty as matchmaker with him before the end of the week. That meant either getting Jean to admit her undying love or making sure Scott saw another, far easier, girl.

This was not going to be easy.

She sighed and let her eyes lock back on to Kurt. Kurt was one who refused to let her work with him and as always accusing her of using her powers. But he was her favourite person to watch. He had the most incredibly interesting relationships of anyone.

In love with Kitty, but she was with Lance, so he was very good 'friends' with Tabitha. Those two could have been a beautiful couple, but noooo. They had to keep it physical, didn't they? He was best friend and confidant to about three people, but what he was known best for was distracting people from their problems.

God, but Jess wanted to play with his emotions!

At that point, Kurt stumbled forward as Tabitha hit him from behind.

########===#######

"Kurt!"

"Ughff!" Kurt instinctively moved his hands back to catch Tabitha's legs and hefted her so the piggyback was easier on both of them. "Tabby!"

"Nice catch."

"Danke. Now, d'you mind? Scott and I are talking." He said, looking over his shoulder at her.

She shrugged and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Fearless Leader won't mind me listening. Will you, Scooter?"

Scott frowned at her. "It's Scott."

"Yeah, Scooter." Grinned Tabitha. "Now, c'mon. Gimme gossip! Let's go!"

"Get off, Tabs." Said Kurt, releasing her legs so she slid down, half choking him in the process.

Setting her feet on the ground, Tabitha just slunk around to face his front and smiled coyly. "Well, Scott gets you at home. I never get to play with you."

"That's not what I hear." Muttered Scott, smirking at Kurt over her head.

"Oh, clappe." He groaned. "Tabs, I'll talk to you next session."

"But I want Elf now." She said, pulling him forward by the shirt. "You gonna deny me that?"

"Ja, I am." He grinned, but set his hands on her hips all the same. "Scott's more important than you, sorry."

"Well, if you're really into that sorta thing…" she leered back at Scott. "Fearless Leader can join in if he wants."

Scott blanched, but Kurt just laughed. "I don't share well. Not with guys anyway. Sorry. But all the same? Friends over smokers any day."

"Uh!" she stared at him. "You're prejudiced against smokers now?"

"Yes I am."

"Well, fine then!" she pushed away from him. "I declare you officially dumped."

"My heart is breaking." He drawled.

"Good."

"Uh huh."

"Goodbye forever, you heartless foreigner!"

"Bye."

She flicked him off and waved to Scott, then started back toward the school. The two boys watched her, then Kurt turned back to Scott. "So. What were you saying about Algebra?"

"I'm going to ask you once more. What the hell is with you and Tabitha?"

He grinned. "Me and Tabitha? Not much." He said, looking back at her. "It's kind of… well… I'm not sure. We're just friends. That… meet in the Chemistry cupboard."

Scott snorted. "That's disgusting."

"Ja… but at least I know where I stand with her." Said Kurt. "If ever I wanted to give it up, all I'd have to do is tell her. Same with her. I don't have to second guess anything with Tabby."

"This is about Kitty, isn't it?" Scott crossed his arms, watching Kurt's face carefully.

He shrugged. "It used to be. Tabby was there when Kitty wasn't. Now… now it just is."

Scott laughed. "If only Jean were that easy."

"If Jean was that easy you wouldn't be interested. Admit it." Grinned Kurt, nudging him. "You like the chase."

"Oh yes." Scott said flatly. "Please Jean. Run from me. I do so enjoy it."

"You like me running from you?"

Both boys froze, then turned slowly. Jean and Rogue were standing behind them, both looking highly confused.

"Jean!"

"Rogue?"

"Scott. Kurt." Rogue raised her eyebrows. "Where's the cookie jar?"

"Huh?"

Jean waved it off. "What were you talking about?"

"You know what, Scott?" Kurt grabbed Rogue's arm and started walking backwards. "We have History. See you later?"

"But- Kurt- you can't-"

"Ja, I can. You're better off without me, mein Herr!" he sang.

Scott glared at him as he left. "D.R. after school! You, me, and ten Wolverines!"

"Got drama club, sorry dude!"

Jean let Scott seethe for ten seconds, then stared at him. "So… this is about… what?"

########===#######

Kurt and Gary exchanged glances and sighed.

"They're never gonna get it." Groaned Gary.

"They might… if we can get Pietro off the bird cage." Reasoned Samuel.

"And get Lance in the bird cage." Added Kurt. "Which is not going to happen. Dude, I'm telling you. Oberon or not, Lance is not doing that."

"What about Kitty?"

"What are you talking about?"

Rogue and Todd looked at each other and grinned. The actors were not making it easy for the backstage crew, of which Kurt was a part. They were a month from performing A mid-Summer Night's Dream, but Lance, even though he was playing king of the fairies, was refusing point blank to almost all the things he was supposed to do. Rogue and Todd were living up any minute they had free of being servants and men with donkey-heads respectively.

"Hey guys! What's up?" asked Jess, appearing beside them. "Any new crushes I should know about?"

She stared at her, then her eyes narrowed. "You didn't."

"Didn't what?" asked Jess. "Oh, no. No, I haven't touched your love drive in like a month. I was wondering if you wanted to get back with Pietro?"

Todd snickered. "Yo, Jess, not gonna happen."

"It better not." Growled Rogue, rubbing her knuckles.

Jess held up her hands. "Fine, fine. It's just that… you were so cute and I feel so responsible for you two."

"You were!"

"I wasn't!" she sighed, then looked sideways at Lance and Kitty, tickling each other with feathers from the prop box. "Anyway… what's the story with Lance and Kitty?"

"there's a story?" asked Todd. He looked around at them. "Aside from Romeo and Juliet the modern day drama?"

"Wow, he's been paying attention in English." Said Jess.

"Leave off." Growled Rogue. "Now what are you talking about?"

"They're giving off waves of boredom over there, but they look all 'oh Lance, take me now'. So, I was just wondering if you knew what the real truth was?"

"No idea. Far as I know, they're hopelessly in love." Rogue shrugged and flicked over a few pages of her script. "But, knowing them, they're probably due for another breakup this week."

Jess grinned. "Really?"

"Don't you dare do anything." Snapped Rogue, pointing her finger at a point between Jess's eyebrows. "No match making. No powers. No hinting to them that they deserve better."

She held up her hands again. "Rogue, sugar. Would I ever do anything like that if someone told me not to? And Kurt did tell me. Fifty times." She added, irritated.

"You would, you have, you will." Said Todd, matter of factly.

"I won't! No matchmaking of the powered or old-fashioned kind. I will not hint. I will not talk to them at all. Brownies' promise!"

They glared at her for several moments. "So why are you here?"

"I want gossip, that's all." She turned her gaze to Kurt. "Besides, I'm more interested in Scott and little Miss Perfect this week. But while we're talking… any news on the Kurt to Tabitha front?"

Rogue and Todd looked at each other, then turned and walked away.

Jess rolled her eyes. Why didn't anyone trust her? One stupid little accident and none of them believed her anymore. Okay, so it wasn't so little… and it was more like three accidents… but it was one time!

She shoved her hands in her pockets and moved on, only to be hailed by Kurt. "Hey, Jess, you seen Pietro in the last ten minutes?"

"Uhh… practicing lines with Zoe and Mason in the birdcage."

"And have you learnt your lines yet?"

"What? All five of them? How can you expect me to have-"

He closed his eyes. "Clappe. Can you tell Pietro he can keep the cage?"

"I can." She nodded and turned toward backstage.

########===#######

Tabitha yawned and almost collapsed onto the table. "Remind me to never, ever, ever drink bourbon again."

"Morning."

She grinned at him from the bed her arms made. "I had so much fun last night. Being single is a lot better than I remember."

Pietro rolled his eyes. "It was a Thursday."

"My addiction does not know the days of the week." She said, pulling her cigarettes from her back pocket. "Much like my other addictions."

"Ugh. Take 'em outside, Tabby." He groaned, waving his hand.

She lit one, pulled on it, and blew the smoke at him. "No."

"They are disgusting. Have them be gone. Now."

"Pietro, get with it. You're a bad guy. You're meant to smoke." She grinned.

He raised an eyebrow. "The girls prefer nons." He said. "So I see it as an investment NOT to smoke."

"Yeah… same with guys, apparently. I had to dump Kurt again yesterday because he doesn't like it." She said thoughtfully. "Maybe I should buy extra strengths to annoy him."

Pietro zipped into the chair beside her and leaned forward. "Your thing with fuzzball isn't real, right?"

"As far as I know."

"So if he were to start going out with someone else… you wouldn't care."

She raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Pietro, honey, this is going to come as a shock, but Kurt doesn't swing that way."

"You are so funny."

"You sure you don't want a smoke, Pie?" she asked, offering the pack. "No, I probably wouldn't care. But as it's not going to happen… why?"

He stared at her. "You do know about the thing with Pryde, right?"

She nodded. "Who doesn't? He'd kill to have that chicken lay his eggs."

"That has to be the weirdest saying I've ever heard." Said Todd, coming through the kitchen door. He headed straight for the fridge and started hunting.

Pietro smirked, then leaned closer. "Feel like torturing Lance?"

"What?"

He put an arm around her shoulder and leaned close to whisper. "Okay. Lance acts like an idiot when he's thinking about Kitty. And he's always thinking about Kitty. That can't possibly be good for the Brotherhood image."

"Uh huh…" she nodded slowly.

"And poor old fuzzball, he's been having a rough time with the jocks these days, he deserves a good luck."

"That L was meant to be something else, wasn't it?" she said, her eyes narrowing. "And that is a total insult to me, you son of a bitch."

"Hey!" he laughed, taking the punch easily. "Calm down, I was trying to win you over. Now, Lance hates fuzzball. Imagine how much it would suck to lose your girl to your worst enemy."

Tabitha glared at him, then smiled slowly. "Lance does deserve something of a reality check, doesn't he?"

"Exactly."

"There's just one problem." She said, carefully.

"What's that?"

She crossed her arms. "I lose my Chemistry lessons."

"You don't take-" began Todd, but he stopped himself, his face scrunching up in disgust. "Oh, yuck. I am never touching beakers again, yo…"

Pietro brightened again. "I just thought of that. Lance will need someone to buddy up with on those cold, lonely nights."

She sat back, thinking. After a full five minutes, in which Pietro had left and come back again, she sighed. "And I want an hour every night in the TV room- on… my… own."

Pietro nodded. "Fine with me."

"Not with me, yo!" cried Todd, waving his toast. "That room's my main source of entertainment!"

Ignoring him, Pietro stuck out his hand and Tabitha reached up to shake it.

########===#######

Scott closed his locker, then looked to the side. "Oh, it's you. Kurt?"

Tabitha grinned at Scott, then looked past him to Kurt. She looked very determined.

He smiled charmingly. Scott groaned inwardly. Here we go… These two needed a hobby. "Fraulein Smith. To what do I owe the disgrace?"

"Just wanted to ask you something. Can we make this official?" she asked.

He stared at her. "Official? Make what official?"

"The break up yesterday." She cocked her head to the side, chewing her lip. "Only I had a conversation with someone, and, well, you're not too good for my popularity standings."

Scott scratched his head. He'd never heard this one before.

Kurt blinked, his mouth falling open slightly. "V- y- v- you what?"

"Yeah. It's like that, isn't it? And well… you know how it is. The boarding house, the mansion? They don't go together too well. As a matter of fact, I think this is for the best. Besides, Blue, I'm afraid blue isn't really my colour."

"So no more… you mean… you and me… we're not…?"

"No, we're not." She agreed. "You were a great fashion accessory. But time moves on. Style changes. Blue was definitely six months ago. So um… yes. I have to go shopping for Earth style now. See you." She smiled at them both, then turned on her heel and all but ran down the corridor.

Scott turned to Kurt, who was staring, open mouthed, after her. He clicked his fingers in front of his face. "Yo, Kurt, you in there?"

"That… Scott, that was serious." Mumbled Kurt, pointing after her. He looked up at him incredulously. "I was just dumped."

"I wish. Kurt, the two of you always break up with each other, right? It's not that funny any more." He said simply.

Kurt tried to laugh, failing miserably. "Scott, I'm telling you. When we do the 'break up'? We… insult… each other… that… there was no insulting! None!" he ran a hand through his hair. "Dude! I was just dumped."

Scott chuckled. "Okay, now it's getting funny."

"It's not funny, man." He said. "Tabitha –Take me I'm yours, Tabitha– Smith just dumped me. This really… kinda hurts."

He laughed. "Kurt, c'mon, you've got Biology. Better move."

"But-"

"Look, buddy, you don't really have a huge problem here. I say you go talk to her at lunch or something. Get it sorted. Stop gaping like a fish."

Kurt blinked, closed his mouth, then nodded. "Yeah… ja, you're right. I'll… I'll talk to her later. See ya later."

"Bye."

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