Ciara fell, cutting her arm up a little on the concrete. "That's not funny!" She yelled at him, quickly removing her arm protectors from her arm to look at the damage. She hissed. Not too bad. Couple layers of skin and some rocks stuck here and there.

Good thing she always brought her mini first aid kit with her. You never know what could happen. Her father would say. So it was pretty much brainwashed into her head to prepare for anything.

Taking her water bottle, she raised most of the rocks out. A anti bacterial wipe and a few wraps of bandage and she was back on her feet.

Pietro gave her a weird look, "It's just a scratch, please." he rolled his eyes, "Although if you're going to go full on doctor mode, I'm willing to play along"

Ciara face burst into colour. "I umm. I... Gotta go." She turned and sped off.

Over the next few weeks, every single science class became very... interesting. Pietro would endlessly tease her and since they were sitting together, they ended up getting paired as lab partners which of course was even worse because Pietro refused to do any work.

Interesting indeed. She'd been able to avoid the question of WHAT are super power was with him.

She was having problems making friends in the higher grade classes. Whenever it seemed she was about to make a friend, poof. They changed her mind. She finally figured out why when she was about to make plans with one girl.

They seemed to have a lot in common. "The pizza parlor? I'd love to." Ciara said, putting her books in her locker.
"Great. I'll-" The girl's expression changed, "I-I just remembered something I have to do tonight. Bye."

"Wait-" Ciara turned around and there down the hallway were the two cheerleaders from her second period class. The ones who made it clear they didn't like her. What was their problem? She hadn't done anything to them.

She sighed, "Just let it go, Ciara... Just let it go..."

Suddenly one of the girls must have tripped or something because she fell straight into the other chearleader just as someone was walking passed with a diarama. Both Cheerleaders went splat into the thing and ended up with popcicle sticks clinging to their hair.

Meanwhile, Pietro just so happened to be strolling down the other end of the hallway, snickering at their misfortune. Apparently, that was his thing-not just when it 'happened' to Ciara.

The moment she saw their misfortune happen she ruled out him picking her on because he had a crush theory. She couldn't help but laugh a little at the display of the two. But hurried along. Swim team try-outs were today after school. So it would be much later before she headed on home.

She paused and pulled a piece of paper out, "Pietro." She pushed the paper into his hands. "This is your half of the assignment for class."

"Eh? Oh cool" Pietro barely looked at it, "thanks." he glanced back at the cheerleaders with another brief grin, "pompous bitches. They think they own this school..."

"Doesn't every generation of cheerleaders think that? Popular girl has a boyfriend on the football team. Stereotypical. Anyways, Make sure you get that done. I gotta go. Swimming tryout start in 10."

"oooo, hawt chicks in bathing suits? That sounds worth watching" Pietro grinned

She blushed. "No. You need to go home and do the assignment. It's due in two days."

"Pfft, it's just science, who cares?" Pietro shrugged, "atoms or whatever. The only thing I'm interested is the biology of a woman's body" he winked. The comment however, was not a good sign considering their project was on the solar system and had nothing to do with atoms.

Ciara didn't blush that time. "You don't even pay attention in class do you?!" She stated angrily. She didn't care how much she liked him. How long she'd thought of the speedy little boy from the playground. She was NOT going to be a push over. "Say all the compliments you want, I'm not doing your homework." And with that she stormed off to try outs.

Pietro blinked, "... huh... ooookay then nerd" he shrugged and headed off.

The next couple of weeks things started to turn around. She made it onto the swim team with flying colours. She'd made a couple friends in her classes and she'd be able to avoid Pietro and the Brotherhood for the most part.

But she still had to deal with him in Science class. She covered his ass for the assignment but that was the last of it she was going to do.

Swim practice ran late that night. It was already getting dark outside. Most of the other clubs and teams had finished long before now.

"Night." She waved to the other girls.

Some jocks had hung around after practise, apparently deciding it was a good idea to get drunk behind the bleachers. When they caught sight of Ciara they walked over and began teasing her.
"Hey girly, you want a piece of this?"
"come on honey, how about a kiss?"

Ciara tensed up, "Umm. No thanks. I need to go home."

One of them grabbed her arm, "Oh come on, why don't you stay and have some fun with us?"
One of the cheerleaders who didn't like her walked into the light, reapplying her lipstick "Yeah, McCoy. Come have some fun with us."

Ciara twisted her arm out of the guys hand. "No really. I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Honey." The girl grabbed her by the hair, "The moment you walked onto campus, you intruded."

Suddenly one of the Jocks jerked forward and then rounded on his friend, "The hell man? Why'd you push me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You wanna go? huh?!" the two of them started brawling and the third guy got caught between them.

As that went on, a hand wrapped around the cheerleader's mouth and a sinister voice whispered in her ear, "I suggest you let go" Pietro hissed, "and if you ever touch her again, you may just wake up without any hair." he was careful not to let her see who he was.

She let go of Ciara who without looking back to see who came to her rescue, made a break for it. She kept running till she couldn't run anymore. Her hands were trembling and it taking all she had in her not to break down and cry right there.

Pietro let the girl go and disappeared, letting them wonder what ghost had just visited them.

He kept his distance from Ciara, watching to see if she was alright but it was probably best to not confront her right then.

Ciara pulled out her phone and push speed dial. "D-Daddy? Can you come pick me up?...No everything is not alright. I'm on Park Ave." Her voice was shaking a little bit. She stood under a lamp post and waited for him.

Beast came along and picked her up shortly, he paused, taking a little sniff out the window and glancing around before directing his attention to her and getting her home.

Pietro stared after the vehicle until it disappeared out of sight, "... wholly crap her dad is Beast? .... damnit >_<"

A cup of tea was placed in her hands and Hank sat down across from her. This was the part where he asked what had happened. After a moment, she slowly explained what happened and the next day she found herself in the principal's office with her father.

She sat in the chair in front of the desk, a shiny name plate had the name: Raven Darkhölme carved into it.

"Well, I understand you concerns" Raven replied to the conversation, "but those students in question didn't show up for school today. I'll be happy to look into it when I get the chance of course"

Hank didn't seem happy with the way it was going but Ciara nodded, "Thank you Miss Darkhölme." Ciara was looking down at the floor, her hands in her lap. She was trying to make herself as small as she could. It hadn't been easy to admit to being bullied.

This was the first time in YEARS she'd been in the public school system. She'd started Kindergarten but had gotten a few months in before Hank left the X-men and joined up with the Avengers for awhile, taking her along with him.