The funny thing about dreaming is that it is either not real, or hazes out the memory. The thing about nightmares, is just how real they feel, despite having little to nothing to do with reality. On this evening, I dreamt of Warren, I was nine and sitting on the swings, swaying back and forth. He was temperamental again, refusing to tell me what was running through his head, I continued to poke his side and sway away when he tried to shoo my hand from him. I laughed and his frustration grew, in the end he shouted at me for being a 'dumb girl' and then took off, heading home I assumed. Waking up left me drawing a blank, it was still dark out and my brain rattled about, and when the handle of my door rattled, I knew I had not woken yet. The nightmare was just being.
A few weeks passed before I tried to bother Warren again, deciding to take the lunch approach once more. He sat, alone, sulking as much as I could tell. I'd heard the rumors about Stronghold, Commander and Jetstream were Will's parents and Commander had been the one to send Warren's father away. Virtually forever. I had remembered Baron from when I was young, Warren had developed a temper from him.
"Hey hot head," I smiled sitting in front of him once more.
"Why?"
"Why what," I questioned in my confusion.
"Why are you sitting here again?" He puffed up like a dog fish, ready to spike anything that was a little too close for his liking.
"I was hoping we could talk, honestly talk." I could see his temper melt down, Warren had been that way for a long time, he'd place up this brick wall real fast but as soon as he saw that you meant no harm or ill form towards him, he'd slowly remove enough of those bricks to look you in the eye. "I'm really struggling with some of my classes and I'm more than confused about the school in general. I know you've been here since freshman year and I was hoping that meant maybe, you could help."
I saw him mull it over, decide if he'd brush me off, or question how I could assume anything about him but instead, he let out a hard sigh and looked up to me from his slouched over position. "If I help you, would you leave my table alone?"
A piece of me hurt inside, I had hoped maybe he could listen to me and understand I had never meant to just leave as I did, but if he was at least willing to tutor I'd take that. "If you can help keep me from failing, I will do whatever you ask."
So, each day at lunch we'd hide out in the quarry, beneath a tree by my preference and he'd fight everything in him to not kill me while trying to teach me.
"I'm going to fail," I huffed, flopping back with my arms crossed over my face.
"If you keep ignoring the practice you will," he grumbled, tossing my notebook on top of me.
"Peace, do you really hate me that much," I sat up to be sure he wouldn't dodge the question.
"I don't hate you."
"You don't like me very much anymore."
"I don't like anybody," he didn't blink, or smirk, he focused on a page in our math book.
"We used to be friends-"
"We were kids."
"Hah! You DO remember," I laughed.
"You're ridiculous," he rolled his eyes.
"I think you mean fabulous," I tossed my hair back.
"You haven't changed," he stated. I looked to him, surprised. Next class was due to start, so I packed up my things, he hardly flinched as everyone else headed in.
"No intention of returning?"
"Do you really wanna attend your last classes of the day?"
"Isn't it sort of mandatory, you can't exactly hop the fence and go spend the day at the theme park."
"You can when you bribe a teleporter," he smirked.
Before I realized it we were on the ground, we lingered about town, grabbing food at some pizza parlor and then, as if appearing from nowhere, we were in Flint Park. The park we'd met at. I sat on my favorite swing and swayed back and forth, a sense of déjà vu overcoming me from my dream not too long ago.
"You look content," he commented.
"I love swinging," I smiled at him as he sat in the swing next to me.
"So where did you go, all this time?"
In the month or so that he'd been helping me he had yet to speak about my basic disappearance, I assumed he didn't even care at this point.
"I was transferred about four hours away, and then I bounced around about every two or three weeks."
"When did you discover your power?"
"When did you discover yours?" I retorted.
"When we were nine."
"Wait a minute," I smiled, "So that day-"
"Yes, that day."
"I totally called something being wrong, you never listened." I shoved him a bit, which pushed me more than it did him. He looked at me and my eyes drew to the red streak in his hair, I couldn't help myself as I reached out and smoothed it between my fingers, to my surprise he didn't brush me off. "Is that a result of your power?"
"Something like that."
"I saw that fight we Stronghold, ya know."
"Everybody saw, what's your point?"
"How's mom?"
He half smiled, I'd referred to her as mom for a long time, and it was still so natural to me.
"I told her you were back; she wants you to come over."
"Woah, is Warren Peace attempting to invite me over," I faked shock. "Why misère Peace, I do believe we are moving at an alarmingly fast pace."
"Shut up," he snorted as I began to giggle. "Will you come see her or not?"
"Of course I will, gotta check with the fos-pars first though."
