I sang, my voice projecting and echoing around the bathroom as the water fell in my eyes and I rinsed out my hair.

It was times like this that I liked my power. It was useless any other time, but for singing in the shower? PERFECT! My mutation was an ability to create... a sound bubble, basically. It blocked sound from coming in and sound from going out. I could make it as big or small as I wanted. Usually I used it to contain Banshee's screams. I'd lock the scream in a bubble and throw it at someone and it would explode against them, sending them flying. The times I wasn't with Banshee, I was creating bubbles around the fighting, hiding the sounds from the close passer bys.

But...

It blocked sound. Not people. Not explosions in the sky. Anything could move through the bubble with ease. I couldn't use it as a shield. I couldn't block an innocent from seeing something weird and wondering why there's no sound and coming to investigate. I couldn't do anything but block sound.

Let me tell you, though, it came in handy in two situations. Singing in the shower, as previously mentioned, and keeping my secret crush a secret. Alex Summers was pretty. Like seriously. But not just that - he was nice too, and sweet. He was nice, even if he was stuck on thinking he didn't deserve happiness. In fact, that very belief made me feel even more drawn to him. I wanted so badly to prove him wrong... Unfortunately, because my power was so stupid and useless, I couldn't connect to him in a way that I understood having a dangerous power. There was no reason for us to be around each other. None of our friends were the same. Our situations weren't the same. My life was actually really normal before the Institute and no one had known about my powers. My parents hadn't shunned me. I wasn't dangerous. I couldn't protect myself, but I couldn't hurt other people either.

One of my closer friends, Shaun (aka Banshee) knew about my crush on Alex and was constantly pushing us together. Shaun and Alex weren't really friends but they were one of the first X-Men so they knew each other. Shaun was loud and couldn't keep a secret for crap, so when he went to spill the beans, I encased him in a sound bubble and pushed him as far away from Alex as fast as I could. He'd glare at me and Alex would look after us like we were insane - thank you Shaun - but he didn't know. As far as I knew. Shawn wasn't always with me when he was with Alex.

That didn't matter now though. All of it was far away as I took a well deserved break for a moment and just enjoyed the wonderful freedom complete sound isolation allowed me. In this moment I had the bathroom in a sound bubble so that no one outside could hear me signing at the top of my lungs without entering the room. And who would?

I'd thought they'd see the light on and knock. I'd hear the knock. It was inside my sound bubble. It was actually the edge of my sound bubble. I'd thought they'd have at least felt the hot air when they opened the door and left when they heard me singing or something. Apparently I was stupid for thinking that. As I finished my shower, I heard an unmistakable, low, amused chuckle. Then the door clicked shut.

Let me just tell you I was rinsed off and out of that shower faster than even Peter could have been, and he was faster than light, okay? I dried and got dressed and wrapped my hair in a towel, flying out of the bathroom. I'd been expecting Shaun.

I should really stop expecting things.

There, before me, stood none other than Alex Summers, leaning against the wall with an amused smirk and sparkling eyes. And me, with my hair wrapped in a towel and my face make up free. I suddenly felt very self conscious, as I always did around Alex, and I pulled the towel from my hair, using it to rub dry the wet pieces between my hands, my head tilting to the side. My attitude dropped immediately and I turned, making my way to my room as I rubbed the moisture out of my hair.

"He totally noticed you," Shaun told me, smirking, popping out of nowhere. I glared at him.

"He's noticed me before," I reminded my best friend.

"Yeah but never in a good way. He always thought you were kind of weird." He was teasing and I knew he meant I harm, but the words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"And who's fault is that?" I snapped. Shaun winked jokingly. "Anyway, this wasn't exactly a positive way either. He never sees me in my good moments." I reached my room, going inside and sitting on my bed. Shaun followed behind me, closing the door, and we sat on my bed. I forgot to put the usual sound barrier up as I'd always done when Shaun and I talked. You never know who'd pass by and hear the wrong thing. I usually would put it up.... But I was distracted, my head reeling with Alex, and somewhere my mind decided that people would have the decency not to listen into an obviously private conversation. That was to be expected, right?

Let me repeat, I need to stop expecting things.

"He totally saw a good side of you! You sing really well and you look better without make up," Shaun argued, nodding vigorously.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, thanks to you, my make up is all gone," I shot him a look. He'd thrown it in the pool a few days ago, tired of me spending 'so long' - as he said - putting it on. I hadn't wasted time to go to the store and buy more. It was whatever anyway. I didn't care how people saw me. I wanted to let Alex see a prettier side to me but he never noticed either way so it was pointless.

"You better believe thanks to me," Shaun mumbled, rolling his eyes. "You're welcome."

I sighed, shaking my head, and let my hair fall down my back, finally content with the wringing out I'd done. "You have a weird opinion of me. A bias one. You're my best friend. Of course you think I'm pretty. Of course you think I can sing. I'm not pretty and I can't sing but it doesn't matter. I'm useless and stupid and weird so no matter what I do or how I act or look, Alex will always see me as a weirdo."

Shaun pursed his lips. He went to open his mouth but we were interrupted as the door opened. Our heads whipped to the side and my eyes locked on a pair belonging to that of Alex Summers. He stood in the doorway. "First of all, I think you're quite pretty. Second of all, you have a killer voice. Third of all, we're all at least a little weird." My lips parted first in shock, and then as I tried to scramble something together and only managed to completely fail. So I sat there, silent and completely stunned. Shaun looked between me and Alex, covering his mouth to hide the fits of immobilizing giggles erupting from his body. No one spoke for a while. "Oh yeah. And fourth of all... Last, but definitely not least of all, will you let me take you on a date? You? Me? Not Shaun? Dinner or something?" He shrugged.

To my mortification, I still just sat there, still stunned and still quiet and still gawking, my eyes wide enough to touch walls on the opposite side of the room. Because I was unable to speak, Shaun spoke for me. "She would love to."

And that was how I went on my first date with Alex Summers.

Many more were to come afterwards. Many, many more.