Hi, lovely readers!
Just a quick forewarning: this chapter contains sexual content.
Amelia took her seat in the back of the mad science lab. Her best friend Caroline Ackerman was already sitting on the stool beside her, drawing stick figures and hearts all over her notebook. Caroline had long since stopped paying attention in most of her classes. "I'm a senior, God damn it!" She would occasionally yell. "Graduation is three weeks away! Clearly I've already learned everything I need to get out of this place!"
Of course Caroline would say that, she was a straight A student. Her diploma was probably signed and sealed months ago. A lot of the other seniors were still struggling to secure their spot at graduation. Sometimes, Amelia felt like one of those struggling students.
"What's wrong, Mia?" Caroline asked as soon as Amelia's butt hit her chair. Amelia had not yet said a word to her, but Caroline always knew when something was troubling the people around her. It was part of her power. No matter how angry or upset a person was, all Caroline had to do was touch their hand or simply say "calm down", and that person would become the most relaxed, content person in the universe. Caroline could make them so calm, in fact, that she could pretty much convince them of anything. Let her borrow your car? Sure. Give up your last piece of gum? Of course!
The teachers at Sky High caught on very quickly and Caroline has been on most of their bad lists throughout highschool. Amelia supposed they became bitter towards Caroline after she nuked them with calmness and then manipulated them. "Mr. Starkfast, how about you cancel class today? Doesn't that sound nice?"
Yeah, she couldn't pull that shit anymore or she would wind up in afterschool detention for two weeks. But Amelia thought it was certainly fun while it lasted.
"Nothing." Amelia answered, attempting to sound casual.
Caroline frowned at her and raised an eyebrow as if to say "yeah, right." Luckily, before Caroline could give her the third degree, Libby decided to grace the class with her presence at that very moment. Elizabeth Maherty is Amelia's other best friend, and she has quite a talent of walking through walls. And pretty much every other solid object. She slipped through the back wall and joined Amelia and Caroline at their table, with a big grin plastered to her face.
"Hey, guys." She greeted them in a breezy voice.
"And just where have you been, young lady?" Caroline joked.
Libby started to giggle and Amelia poked her in the ribcage, "Perhaps with a certain weather-controlling boy we all know?" Libby had been dating Brad Tempest, a junior at Sky High, for the past three months.
Caroline demanded, "Were you kissing him, Elizabeth? Were you" She paused to gasp for dramatic effect, "putting your hands down his-"
"Ms. Maherty," Mr. Medulla loudly interrupted their banter, giving Libby one of his "evil" glares. "I had hoped you would realize by now that I am fully aware of your constant late arrivals. Just because you enter through the back wall does not mean I cannot see you."
"Mr. Medulla, you're right. I was just making sure your super senses are still up to par. And whaddya know, sharp as ever!" Libby cracked in response.
The other students in the class giggled. Mr. Medulla simply rolled his eyes and turned back to his lesson on the board. Probably, Amelia thought, because the year was almost over and he knew he'd never have to see any of them again. At this point in the semester, it was a miracle that any of the seniors were even showing up.
Libby finally took her seat next to Caroline and Amelia and the three of them started laughing again. Amelia had met Caroline and Libby during her first week at Sky High. They had Hero Preparedness for Beginner's together. It was like an insta-friendship. Libby had cartwheeled through the door and desks and sat right beside Amelia, her blonde hair pulled up in a high pony-tail with a pink ribbon. And then Caroline had breezed into the room. She was wearing the kind of body-hugging maxi dress that Amelia always felt she herself could never pull off. Caroline's hair was the same dark brunette color as Amelia's, but the thick curls it held made Amelia feel that it was so much more beautiful than her own. Caroline announced to the class, "Everyone calm down, I have arrived."
Amelia had been so confused when she realized that she actually had felt calm. Caroline had taken the seat in front of Libby and the rest was history.
The girls stopped giggling when Mr. Medulla announced, "As a reminder, do not forget that your test on the Effects of the Shrink Ray at the Molecular Level is next class."
"Um, yeah." Mark Gibson started to say, "Are you gonna give us any chances at extra credit?"
Mr. Medulla raised his eyebrow in annoyance. He pursed his lips before sighing. "Alright. Since none of you seem to be able to shut up about the Cronus Cup that will be airing a few weeks from now, I will agree to award five points of extra credit, right now, to whomever can tell me who created the Cup and why."
The class broke into chatter and murmurs. "Cronus created it!" Someone called out.
"How insightful of you, Mr. Danfield, but you have failed to tell me who Cronus is and why he created it."
Amelia glanced around the room, feeling her cheeks burn. She knew the answer. She knew it very well, actually. She didn't like to advertise her interest in the Cronus Cup, worried that someone may get suspicious as to why she knew so much, but God knew she could use all the extra credit she could get. Slowly, she raised her hand into the air.
"Yes, Ms. Castor?"
Amelia took a deep breath. "Supposedly, the Greek Gods were the first ever superheroes. Ambrose Kent was a superhero who called himself Cronus, named after the Titan God. He created the Cup ninety-three years ago to honor the Greek Gods by having the strongest heroes compete in the week-long tournament every three years."
Mr. Medulla looked pleased. "That's correct, Amelia! And for your knowledge, you will receive five extra credit points on the upcoming test."
Amelia nodded and glanced down at her binder, biting back a smile. Libby gave her a curious look. "When did you learn all that? They don't talk about that in the commercials and stuff, do they?"
Amelia shrugged. "I just remember hearing it."
And that wasn't really a lie. She had heard all that and more from her father when she was twelve. One night while the pair of them had been watching television, a news blip broke out to discuss a big event that had occurred in that year's Cronus Cup. Amelia was still ignorant to the goings on in the superhero world at that point. Her father had been reluctant to explain. "It's a tournament." He had told her. "Only the strongest heroes get to compete. They get assigned a teammate and put into an arena for a week where they have to face any number of unknown dangers."
"You don't like it?" Amelia asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.
Anthony sighed. "No, Amelia. Before you were born, your mother competed in the Cup."
Amelia could still clearly remember the shock she had felt. "What happened?"
"Each day in the Cup is considered a new round. Your mother made it to the third before she was severely injured and eliminated. She…well, she broke three ribs and punctured a lung. I didn't know if she was going to make it."
"Why did she do it? Didn't she know it was dangerous?"
"Back then, competitors were nominated. She didn't get to choose. Thank God they have applications and entry fees now. It's much harder to get into the Cup than it was before. But it isn't any less dangerous."
To Amelia, the money and fame the Cup offered didn't seem worth the risk. She understood why her father didn't approve of the Cup. He almost lost Angela to that tournament. But Amelia had to admit, the Cronus Cup fascinated her. She couldn't believe how many heroes and powers existed in the world. A small part of her was amazed at her mother's bravery for competing. But she never mentioned that to her father. She remembered watching the Cronus Cup for the first time at Libby's house their freshman year. Her father would probably be very angry if he knew that. And he would probably be very angry if he knew she was planning to watch it this year as well.
For a while, Mr. Medulla let the class discuss what they thought the arena would look like this year, and what type of abilities they thought the winning team would have. He spent the remainder of the class reviewing shrink ray terms.
That night, Amelia sat in her room with her purple comforter pulled up over her head. She kept sparking forcefields from her fingertips and watching as the white light they created lit up her little, self-made tent. She had the oddest feeling in her chest. Everytime the white light flashed, she imagined the colors red and blue appearing beside them. Lots of things had that patriotic pattern on them; shoes, cups, flags, tank-tops. But she was thinking about a certain set of red, white, and blue bed sheets. And the one time she had lain on those sheets. And the strange series of events that had led up to it.
It began when an explosion was set off in the mad science lab during Amelia's sophomore year. It had been powerful enough to short-circuit every electrically-powered-anything within the school. And that had included the machines Coach Boomer was using to demonstrate a defensive training exercise during gym class.
One of them had some sort of rotating fan that powered it and when it got zapped, the blades went zipping through the air. Some had rocketed into the bleachers and wedged themselves in the wood, others lodged into the dry wall, and two of them crashed straight into Coach Boomer's cart of volleyballs. But one of them went straight for an unsuspecting Will Stronghold. Amelia wasn't sure if he could survive a blow from a two-foot, razor-sharp fan blade. After all, it wasn't like he was made of metal. But Amelia didn't have the time to process any of this. She'd seen the blade shooting toward him and she ran. She shoved him behind her, and apparently he had been extremely startled because he actually fell over, and then a burst of white forcefield appeared in front of her. The blade bounced harmlessly off of it and landed on the gym floor. People started to cheer as Will climbed to his feet.
"Thankyou." He said to Amelia and she'd been unable to decipher the tone of his voice. But in his eyes she'd seen that glimpse of the little kid she once knew; the one who was amazed by her.
And then she was crowded by her classmates shouting things like "that was so cool!" and "what the fuck just happened?" and "I didn't know you could do that!"
Oddly enough, a few days later Will was having a pre-Spring Formal party at his house before the dance that Saturday. Libby and Caroline had convinced her to go and it was in full swing when the three of them got there. They found the keg in the kitchen and got themselves beers.
Amelia had already filled Libby and Caroline in on the whole gym debacle the day it happened. They had made stupid comments like "haven't you guys been in love since you were like five?" and "I think saving his life means you guys are basically engaged now." So when Will had walked into the room, they immediately busied themselves and disappeared.
He'd seen Amelia sitting on the counter and walked over to her. "I never really got to thank you for the other day." He had to speak loudly to be heard over the music and the sound of people noisily refilling their solo cups.
Amelia shrugged.
"I mean, really, I had no idea- I didn't see that thing coming. If you hadn't been there, I mean…" His voice trailed off.
"You're welcome." She finally said. And then, realizing he wasn't going anywhere she asked, "So, where are your parents?" The Strongholds Amelia once knew did not seem like the kind of people to allow a party in their house.
"They flew to some island for the night. It's their anniversary." He explained. Will looked at her cup and asked, "Do you want another drink?"
"You know, you don't have to be nice to me just because I saved your life."
Will had looked confused and slightly panicked for a second until he realized that Amelia was only joking. He grinned at her. "Well you might find this hard to believe, but actually it's because I want to be nice to you."
They'd talked about inconsequential things, like whether either of them was going to the Formal the next night. Will said he had to work. Amelia said last year's sucked and she didn't want a repeat. They talked about school and Mr. Medulla and Will's new dog, Glory. Amelia realized quickly that she actually liked talking to Will.
And somehow, the two of them had ending up dancing that night. For a very long time, too. Long enough that when Libby and Caroline finally reappeared, it was to say they were leaving. But Amelia dismissed them and said she'd get home on her own. Both girls waggled their eyebrows at Amelia and gave her teasing grins as they said goodbye.
Granted, Amelia had had a few drinks at that point and was feeling especially good. She hardly noticed as other people came over to say goodnight to Will. When she finally gave it any thought, she realized that she and Will were the only two left at the party.
Will gave the main floor a once over, assessing the levels of mess and damage. He didn't look too worried. And he said he'd just clean it up in the morning.
"I could use some air." Amelia admitted.
Will nodded and lead her to the front door and out onto the porch. She was about to take a seat on the steps when Will scooped her up instead. She yelped with surprise and clung to him as they rose toward the roof. Will held her with such ease that it had made Amelia feel weightless. She was almost disappointed when he set her down.
"Sorry." Will said as they sat on the scratchy tiles. "I didn't mean to manhandle you. But this is my favorite spot."
Amelia stared out at the trees and the tops of other houses in the neighborhood. It may have been a bit cold, but the alcohol was keeping her nice and warm. The pair of them sat in comfortable silence for a moment until Will said, "My parents ask me about you, you know."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I told them you were on the Varsity volleyball team and how you won an award for one of your paintings. And that you're the only person Coach Boomer has never yelled at."
Amelia's jaw dropped. "How do you even know all that?"
"I dunno…I notice things about you, I guess…" His voice got quieter with every word. And then he had sat up a little straighter. "Is that okay?"
Amelia studied him for a moment. His brown hair looked like it had recently been cut. One collar of his blue polo shirt was flipped up. He had a devil-may-care attitude about him that Amelia found intriguing. So she asked, "What else have you noticed?"
Will paused before saying, "That you always have a pack of orange Tic Tacs with you. And you have a habit of repeatedly tying pieces of your hair in tiny knots and then undoing them. And you can usually be found eating a poptart on the quad in the morning. And your-"
Apparently, Amelia had heard enough because suddenly she was kissing Will. And Will was kissing her. Amelia was a bit confused as to how that had happened, but she didn't exactly mind. Will's fingers had gotten tangled in her hair and he was pulling her tightly against his chest as his tongue slipped past her lips. Amelia found herself in a frenzy. It was like she couldn't get enough of Will and his hands and his lips. They rolled around on the roof and not long after, they were rolling around on Will's bed. They started losing their clothing until nothing was between them except Amelia's underwear. Will lay beneath her, slowly running his hands up and down her back. Amelia was surprised by how gentle he could be. He wasn't all hard muscle and punches; he was soft skin and caresses, too. Amelia couldn't decide which part of him she liked better.
"Will…" She said, embarrassed by the breathiness of her voice.
He met her gaze and sat up almost immediately. He wound his arms around her waist so that he could shift their positions. He had laid Amelia beneath him on the bed in a gentle way that made her heart feel soft. She tried to push that softness away by pushing her underwear past her hips. And then Will was touching her where she craved him the most and her throat filled with heat and her heart slammed against her chest as she gripped the red, white, and blue sheets around her.
It was too much, but it was not enough, so Amelia pulled Will closer to her. Then there was a shuffling sound as he took out a condom. Amelia felt compelled to say, "I've never done this before."
"Neither have I." Will admitted. They both laughed in an awkward, nervous way.
The laughter stopped as soon as Will pressed himself against Amelia. She winced and clutched onto his shoulders even tighter. At first, with Will inside her, Amelia felt nothing except pain. But she could imagine how it might feel good, how it would feel good. For a while, Will moved slowly and kissed her a lot- on her lips and neck and breasts- until finally she relaxed. Amelia moved her hips up to meet his and gasped at how much better it felt. And the way Will groaned Amelia's name against her skin made every part of her heat up, adding to her newfound pleasure.
Afterwards, Amelia lay there feeling warm and content, tangled up with Will, with his arm draped over her. It must have only taken minutes for her to fall asleep that way.
But those feelings were gone by the time she woke up. She wasn't sure what exactly had replaced them, but she didn't like whatever it was. She sat up and looked at Will, lying on those red, white, and blue sheets of his. She thought about his parents, and his powers, and the heroic life he was bound to lead and she just knew that she had to get out of there.
Will woke while she was putting her clothes on. Somehow, the Beatles t-shirt and ripped jeans Amelia had worn over there looked different than they had the day before.
"Hey." Will greeted her. He watched silently as she hurriedly hiked her jeans up. "Is everything okay…?"
"Um, yeah. I just remembered I told my dad I'd help him in the garden this morning." She hoped her lie sounded smooth. "Didn't want to wake you." Atleast that part had been true.
"Oh." Will climbed out of his bed, wearing only a pair of boxers, and Amelia had to look away, lest she do something stupid like pounce on him.
"I'll uh, I'll take some trash out with me. I just need to-"
"No, no, it's fine." Will had assured her. She was already halfway out the door when he asked, "Hey Amelia, can I call you later?"
Amelia felt her body burn. "Sure. Bye, Will." And then she was gone.
He did call her later. But she hadn't answered. Instead, she'd looked herself over in the mirror. "Mom," She whispered, "I lost my virginity to Will Stronghold. Remember him? Josie and Steve's goofy son? He's not so goofy anymore."
Twenty minutes later, Amelia finally broke down and listened to the message Will had left her. It was something along the lines of, "did she want to go out with him that week?"
She had never called him back.
A month later he had a girlfriend, so Amelia figured it couldn't have mattered too much.
But Amelia thought about those red, white, and blue sheets more often than she cared to admit. And that night, as that strange feeling squeezed her chest, she just couldn't get those sheets out of her head.
