DISCLAIMER: I resent the word potential. I hate potential. Three of my teachers keep calling home to tell my parents I have potential. Myah, grah.

Tabitha sighed. Things hadn't gone as planned all week. She kept missing Kurt in the halls, and when she did run into him, she didn't even get a smile or even an acknowledgment of her existence.

It sucked that there wasn't even a chance of him ever liking her again. All this twisted and confusing emotional bull was getting to her.

She gasped slightly as he came on stage, apologising for some technical thing. She gasped again as a flash shot through her head, making her close her eyes from pain.

Fred looked down at her. "Tabby? You okay?"

She blinked and looked up at him. "Yeah." But she wasn't happy. She glared up at Kurt as he finished his little speech, finding herself suddenly incredibly ticked off.

"HOLD IT!"

Fred flinched back as Tabitha shot to her feet, glaring and pointing at Kurt. "You don't move, Wagner!"

He gaped as she pushed her way past the other spectators, toward the aisle. He stared around, thanking any deity that was listening that the other X-men weren't there tonight.

She bared her teeth, freeing her leg of the row and practically spitting. "You!"

Kurt was staring at her, dumbfounded, as she started toward him, yelling. "You and I need to talk." When he didn't say anything, she actually growled. "Now!"

He shook his head. "You are joking…"

"Here and now." She snapped.

He laughed nervously. "You've got to be joking…"

She shook her head. "I'm not joking. I am not happy. Can you see me smiling? Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Tabitha, we can do this later."

"No we can't!" she snapped back. "We do it now. When you can't just disappear."

He rolled his eyes resignedly and stepped back, holding open the curtain. "Fine…"

She hauled herself up to the stage and grabbed his shirt to pull him after her as she disappeared from Fred's view.

He and the rest of the audience blinked.

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

"What the hell is your problem?" demanded Kurt, as quietly as he could.

"You are." She snapped. "I'm sick and tired of just going along with this. I refuse to break up with you!"

He slapped his hands to his face and pushed back his hair. "We're not together!"

"We are. The fact is Kurt, we are, and that's why you're being such a bastard these days!" she snapped, poking him roughly. "We're never going to properly break up until you learn to face a few facts!"

"WHAT-" he scrunched his eyes tightly closed, then looked at her. "Okay… what are you talking about?"

She folded her arms. "You aren't angry at me."

"I beg to differ." He deadpanned.

"Well, I know better." She stopped and looked to the side, wondering why that sounded odd, before continuing to glare at him. "Look, all the REAL reasons you gave me for not liking me anymore? They were lousy. And they weren't about me. Okay, so I can relate to them, and I do have a few of them, but what you really don't like is that that's how YOU act, not how I act, and you know that, so it pisses you off!"

He stared at her for a few moments. "You've lost your mind. This last few weeks have really screwed with your head, haven't they?" he smiled nervously. "You can't handle someone not wanting to spend every other day with you."

"That's bullshit and you know it." She snapped back. "Those things you said to me- acting insane so no one will ever see you hurt. Sound familiar?"

He glared at her, but didn't answer.

"I forget the past and pray it won't happen again? Hello?"

He looked away from her eyes.

"I laugh and close my eyes, so no one will see me cry." She smirked as he turned further away. "While deep down inside, all YOU want is someone to hold you and take all the pain away. Or am I missing the point entirely?"

His eyes turned back to her face and, for a few moments, they just glared at each other. The radio around his neck suddenly crackled back into life and Kurt turned away, raising the earpiece again. "Ja?"

"The lighting cable wasn't connected."

"What?"

Ted laughed. "Mike couldn't find the lighting cable. So it seemed like the entire board was offline."

He blinked and smiled. "Yeah. Thanks. So we're ready to go?"

"Any time you are."

He nodded to himself and adjusted the frequency, walking away from Tabitha. "Okay, Carl? We're set. Yeah, just some stupid problem. Send 'em up."

Tabitha cocked her head at him. "What? Nothing to say to me anymore?"

He paused and looked back at her. "We're putting a lot of people on stage in two minutes. Unless you can recite Shakespeare and materialise a costume, you're gonna have to get going."

"Chicken." She muttered. He raised a lazy hand and saluted with one finger over his shoulder, leaving her to walk off in the other direction.

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

Kurt leaned on his fist, watching Pietro run around the stage from the wings.

This was pathetic. I mean, who was she to tell him he was a coward? That he wanted someone to take care of him?

He rubbed his ear absently, glaring at his clipboard.

Bitch.

He'd sat through the entire play, fuming silently. Intermission had run very smoothly. He'd been polite, grinning and laughing, telling everyone they were fabulous. Surprisingly, Jess had avoided him, for which he was eternally grateful.

He glared at Lance and Kitty, holding each other lovingly as Rogue and Chaz waltzed off stage.

Stupid Kitty.

Making trouble for herself. Honestly. Just because she didn't have Lance for a boyfriend, she tried to convince herself she was in love with Kurt. Dammit. She was always doing that! And he was always letting her!

Whenever she broke up with Lance, she would try and tell herself that there was something else that she'd been waiting for. That she'd been missing something for a long time. Something that was always there, being her friend when things were down. Someone who would go along with the flirting despite everything else…

He blanched, staring at Kitty.

Oh God… he was doing the exact same thing with her.

Oh for the love of…

He turned his head and buried his face in his palm.

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

Rogue frowned at him.

Kurt was silently driving, concentrating on the road alone, and neither Kitty nor herself could jerk him out his thoughts. They'd stayed behind, cleaning up the theatre, but Kurt had been lost even then, thinking hard. He'd barely spoken to them aside to say they could go home now.

Ororo had leant them her car for the night, an apology for the others not being able to come on opening night. Kurt, being the only safe and legal driver among them, had been entrusted with the keys. Kitty was forced into the back, as Rogue didn't even trust her near the radio, let alone close enough to play with the stick.

Kurt slowed as they rolled toward the gate, waiting for it to open but never stopping. He glanced up at the stars. What was he supposed to do now? Just waltz up to Tabitha and forgive, not to mention ask for forgiveness? And what about Kitty? Just wave her off too?

He stopped the car beside the steps, smiling at Rogue. "I'll put it back in the garage, you can go inside."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I'll go start looking for leftovers."

He smiled and nodded, then glanced back at Kitty, who just smiled. "I'll keep you company." She said.

Rogue climbed out of the car and went inside. She could hear Ororo telling the New Mutants to go to bed, with Bobby and Jubilation objecting loudly. She smirked and glanced into the dining room as she passed it. Scott and Jean were sitting on opposite ends of the table, working on what looked like revision. She shuddered inwardly and moved on.

Five minutes later, she was leaning on the kitchen counter, waiting for the microwave to finish. Her boredom was brought to a sudden halt by the door opening.

Kurt wandered in, smiled lazily at Rogue and glanced into the microwave.

"It's some sort of chicken casserole." She explained. "I put some in for you and Kitty too."

"Kitty's not coming back downstairs tonight, I think." He said, straightening. "But let me check. A girl turning and running up the stairs generally means she doesn't want to talk to you anymore, right?"

Rogue nodded.

"Oh. Okay." He opened the fridge. "Um… Rogue, am I an idiot?"

She blinked at him. "You know what I want to say to that." She grinned.

"Just… pretend I'm not the fuzzy dude for a second, okay? Be serious." he turned to her seriously. "Am I an idiot? This whole thing with Tabitha, Lance, Kitty… am I an idiot?"

She frowned and looked away as the microwave beeped. "That depends on the situation. I don't know."

"I think I am." He said. "I think I am most definitely an idiot." He sighed and looked at the bottle of water he'd taken out. "And becoming more so by the minute."

"Why?"

"Because I realised something tonight. Several somethings. And I think I should apologise to Tabitha."

"Is that what's made you so quiet tonight?"

He nodded.

She handed him one of the bowls of casserole and picked up a fork, toying with her own. "Well. I don't like her, you know that."

"I know."

"So of course I think you should tell Kitty you love her and accept that instead…"

"Yep."

She picked up a piece of chicken and pointed it at him. "But you won't, because you know that's not the right thing to do."

"Mmhm."

"So I think…"

He looked up, chewing slowly.

"…I think… you should… stop thinking." She shrugged and popped the chicken in her mouth. "And concentrate on that history test we have tomorrow."

He gazed at her for several minutes, as they ate in silence. Eventually he smiled and nodded. "So you know when the Saxons crossed to England? I can never remember that."

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

Tabitha opened her locker, then frowned. Something felt off.

She pulled back and looked around. Kurt was leaning on the locker beside hers, gazing at the people opposite. "I hate you." He informed her, still not looking at her.

She turned back to her locker silently.

"I mean, of all the things and ways to embarrass me, you had to get up and do it in front of an entire audience?"

"Well, technically, I didn't." she said, blushing slightly. She couldn't believe she'd done that.

"Technically." He agreed, then glanced at her. "But technically I still hate you."

She took out a book and closed her locker. "Technically?"

He nodded, then frowned. "You want to get married?"

Tabitha burst out laughing. "WHAT?"

"Just a question." He glanced at her, serious. "Do you ever plan to get married?"

She shook her head, grinning. "I hadn't thought about it."

"Hm." He nodded to himself, then pushed off the locker and walked into the crowd of people.

Tabitha stared after him. He hadn't smiled once, had told her he hated her, and asked her if she wanted to get married. She laughed, zipping up her bag. He'd lost his mind. He must have.

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

"Lance?"

He looked up, scowling as he saw Kitty.

She put her books down beside the gas taps. "This seat taken?"

He shook his head. "Knock yourself out."

"Thanks." She sat down and started sorting everything out. Then she looked up at the blackboard silently, waiting. Lance cleared his throat and focussed on his gloves. If she wanted to play this game all lesson, then so could he.

It wasn't until the lesson was winding down that either of them even acknowledged the other. Lance started slightly as a small piece of paper hit his knuckles. He unfolded it, glancing over at Kitty, focussed on the board.

Hey.

He chuckled and picked up his pen.

Hey yourself.

He tossed it back across the table and started copying down a list of equipment. The paper landed in the front of him again.

Have you got the time?

2.35.

Will you have it tomorrow at the mall at ten?

He stared at her. She smiled hopefully and raised her eyebrows. He shook his head and picked up his pen again. Well, you know I'm pretty busy looking down the cheerleader's tops, so I don't think so.

I guess I deserve that.

He sighed, scowling to himself. Don't you have someone of your own?

She rolled her shoulders, glancing at the teacher before looking back down at her notes. No. I don't think I've even got a friend right now. She drew an unhappy face and tossed it to him.

That isn't good enough, Pretty Kitty.

What do you from me? I'm sorry!

I know that.

So what do you want?

I don't know.

Kitty looked at the paper, then met his eyes slowly. She bit her lip and looked away as the bell rang.

Lance stayed in his seat, watching her as the other students rushed from the room.

Kitty sighed and started to pack her things away. "I was wrong."

"Yeah." He snapped. "You were."

"I've been wrong before, you know."

He nodded and picked up his textbook, pushing it beneath his notebook. "Yeah. You have. More than I count."

She looked at him carefully, pulling the books against her. "Okay then." She nodded and left the classroom.

Lance sighed and sank into his chair again. "Okay then."

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

Jess glared at Scott. "You need a back bone."

He leaned his elbow on the window and smiled blandly. "Do you want a ride or to be told to jump off a cliff?"

"No, I'm perfectly serious." She said, leaning over Rogue in the passenger seat. "You're all great when it comes to life and death situations, but this whole thing with you and Jean is getting pathetic."

Kitty walked up with Evan. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of a slasher movie, you know?"

He bounced his head in indecision. "It's kind of a slasher movie."

"Panic Room is not slasher. There's no random guy in a mask and you know who the bad guy is from the outset. There's only one teenager." She argued, putting her bag and books in the back seat. "How about you pick up Panic and… I know what you did Last Summer?"

"I know what you did Last Summer?" Evan made a face. "Jennifer Love?"

"It's a cool movie."

"Fine. See you guys back at the mansion!" said Evan, dumping his bag beside Kitty's. He put down his skateboard and took off. Rogue tilted her head past Jess's armband, looking for Kurt.

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

"I think it's pi squared." Said Kurt, scratching his head.

"Pi R squared." Corrected Jarred. "Has to be."

"Isn't that the volume?" asked Amanda.

The boys shook their heads thoughtfully. "Don't think so…"

Kurt caught sight of Scott's car and smiled at the couple. "You guys coming to the play tonight?"

Jarred nodded. "I haven't seen my counterparts actually perform yet."

He grinned. "Checking out the competition?"

"Something like that."

"Cool. Well, I'll see you guys tonight." He grinned, waving. Someone grabbed his arm and he froze, turning. He blinked at Tabitha.

She glared at him for a moment silently. He still didn't smile. He didn't even speak. But there was something…

She smiled and put her head to the side thoughtfully. "Hm." She let go and walked away, toward Lance's van.

Kurt smirked and turned back to Scott's car. "Cool." He murmured.

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