ArchivedLogs:Most People Guess Red

Most People Guess Red
Dramatis Personae Billy Jack
In Absentia	2015-05-11 "...being this blonde comes with a lot of responsibility."
Location <XS> Classroom One
Desks arranged into neat rows make up this, a fairly typical classroom. Chalkboard in front, teacher's desk in front of that. Windows along one wall look out on the grounds, providing plenty of opportunity for distraction for daydreaming students. Being bottom rung often involves being stuck with the jobs no one likes to do. In this, Professor Sharpe's eagerness to please is his saving grace. With half of the teachers moonlighting as X-Men, it isn't rare to be called in as a last minute substitute. In fact, he's usually the best sub to get as far as most of the student body is concerned. Easy to sway with hastily patched together excuses and least likely to be able to control a class, his presence often presages the watching of a movie or worksheets followed by a game of 'Heads Up, Seven Up.' Today, evident by the directions scrawled across the dry erase board and the freshly printed stack of crossword puzzles set out for everyone to grab as they enter: it's worksheets. Half sitting on the edge of the teacher's desk, Billy laughs. He stretches out his legs and crosses his ankles as a trio of pretty, popular girls try to convince him to help them go platinum, like him. Giving up, the girls retreat to the back of the class to claim seats as it quickly fills up. The room never ceases to remain a free-for-all. Jack's humming a tune as he arrives for class. A pair of floating basketball shorts, sneakers, and an Xavier school t-shirt pause as Jack sees the class has a sub and he adjusts the backpack he's got hanging off one shoulder. His smile's invisible as he approaches Billy's desk to get a worksheet but it's there. "Hello, Professor," he greets. "They wanted you to sub for their hair dresser too?" he tries to joke, having caught the tail end of the conversation. Pinching the corner of one of the leaves of paper with a gloved hand, Billy flaps it up towards Jack. "Hey, Jack," He smiles, laughing and speaking in a quiet monotone as not to be heard over the rumble of other chit-chatting, "Yuh-huh. I told them being this blonde comes with a lot of responsibility. Got a lot of eye-rolls." Jack takes the paper another corner pinched when his unseen hand takes it. He hums a bit as he examines the worksheet, glad it doesn't look like it'll be too difficult. He chuckles a little, keeping his voice down as well. "Blondes are supposed to have more fun. Takes hard work to make sure you live up to it." Billy flicks his eyebrows up over his glasses, looking dryly out towards the window and back, "I wouldn't know. I was born with brown hair." He nods his chin towards the sheet, "It's not due until tomorrow but most of the things on it are in the next chapter, so keep an eye out." Oh, sweet, naive Billy. No one cares about next chapter. "Oh...uh..." Jack trails off, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Lo siento," he murmurs an apology, hoping he didn't touch a nerve or offend. "Looks like it's an easy one at least," he says, looking the worksheet over again. “Oh, and feel free to work on it with your friends,” Billy gestures vaguely around the room. The boy didn’t hit a nerve at all, at least not judging by Billy’s smile. “What color is your hair, anyway?” He asks, narrowing his eyes playfully, “Wait. I’m gonna guess-WAIT, I don’t know, just tell me.” He gestures again, this time with a few papers - which he then hands out to kids still filtering in. Jack glances at the class and smiles. He was pretty sure people would try to work together even if they weren't told they could. Just tended to happen with subs and worksheets. He's glad the older mutant is still smiling and the question has him amused. "My hair's blonde. But like a dark one, kinda brownish," he replies, giving a quick wave with his worksheet to some of the others filtering in. Billy purses his lips, nodding as if he'd have guessed that in the first place. Most of the class separates into little subdivisions of their cliques. In the farthest corner of the room, the three girls have pulled together two desks. They each lean in, crowding around one of their phones. They looks over and giggle at Jack talking to the Professor. One of them flits a pair of reptilian eyes down and up the invisible boy judgmentally. A very few tightly-wound students take themselves too seriously, and work diligently on the sheet on their own before delving into the next chapter. They cluster together by the window, straining to lean closer to each other but too timid to rearrange the furniture in the room. Towards the front of the room, a dark skinned girl continuously taps her nails across her front teeth sits alone. Soon enough, the lone gazelle is too tempting a target and the girls in the back are scrutinizing her, giggling amongst themselves without much restraint. "Most people guess red for some reason," Jack remarks with a single-shoulder shrug. He looks over the classroom again, idly trying to decide where to sit. He's not really part of any of the cliques in this class, sort of drifting between a few of them. An unseen brow arches when he sees the girl looking him over, shoulders tensing slightly. His eyes narrow slightly when he notices those girls giggling and he shakes his head when he realizes it’s at someone. "I should get to work," he chimes to Billy, deciding where he'll sit. Adjusting his backpack again, he makes his way over to the girl to take the seat next to her. "Hey. Lucked out getting a sub today, huh? Great way to start a week," he speaks up as he sits. "Okay," Billy replies cheerfully, oblivious at his desk. "Yeah," the girl widens her almond shaped eyes, glancing around over her shoulder as if to make sure she's the one being addressed and not somebody else. Hunched under a baggy hoodie, she draws the sleeves up over her hands. Though uncomfortably shy, she visibly grows less tense at the prospect of not being on her own, "I-" A spit-ball catches in the shy girl's hair. Her body gives a jolt at the contact, and she quickly looks away to hide her expression as she plucks it out of her hair. The girls in the back of the room stifle laughter as they peer sternly down at their work. A prehensile, serpentine tail flicks back and forth like a cat's from under a burberry skirt. Jack frowns when he notices the spit-ball. "Hey, you alright?" he asks, the girl. The invisible teen glances over his shoulder and gets an idea. Focusing, he attempts to send the spit-ball flying back where it came from with his TK. Of course he's looking as casual as possible about it...as much as empty clothes can anyway. The reptilian girl squeals as she's hit. Having been so concentrated on looking away from the scene, her surprised and disgusted reaction is quite sincere. Of course, it's at this exact moment that Billy decides to tune in. Adjusting his glasses, his celery green eyes follow the spit-ball along it's entire migration across the room. A look of total utter disappointment crosses his face. "Jack," he speaks sternly across the room, drawing some attention from the outlying students in their own little worlds. Billy gives a surprised shrug as he raises both hands into the air, but he speaks in definite terms, "Go to the Disciplinarian." The girl who Jack had been defending just stares up at the boy helplessly, too meek to speak up. Jack glances up, surprised that Billy noticed and called him. "Alright, can I ask why though? Did I do something?" he asks. Of course he's frowning even if it can't be seen. He glances at the girl he's next to and shrugs as he starts picking up his bag. "I mean I've just been sitting here..." Billy gives an amused scoff, at least hinting at it not being one of the most serious offenses he's scene. "Nice try," he responds wryly. In a cowardice move, Billy trains his eyes to the paperwork in front of him instead of monitoring Jack's exit. He motions with his pen in the direction of the door. Nails drumming against the pushed together desks or arms crossed, the girls in the back of the room all stare him down smugly as he gathers his bag. "Nice try of what, sir?" Jack asks, slinging his backpack onto his shoulder. He shrugs a bit and starts for the door. "I don't know what you're talking about but you should probably check the back of the room. I could have sworn I saw someone back there trying to shoot spit-balls but by the sound of it, they have really bad aim," he says, shaking his invisible head as he goes. Billy does shift his eyes to the back of the room, but by that time everyone seems to be innocently, and diligently working on their vocab crosswords. The teacher pouts.