There's a place that I'd rather be
There's a voice deep inside of me
Saying the progress we are making
Is not progress at all
-Rise Against
I pushed open the door to the science labs, surprised to find that I was the first person here. 'This has gotta be a first.' I thought to myself chuckling as I took my usual seat next to the window. I got my books out of my heavy backpack before dropping it onto the floor and taking a seat.
The classroom felt unusually quiet without the chatter of students. A few other people had entered the room but they were strangely silent, possibly too nervous about working as lab partners with their assigned hero to make idle chatter. I knew I was nervous. What if we did truly dangerous experiments this year? I wasn't so sure that it'd be completely safe with Lash-or myself for that matter.
I let out a sigh dropping my head onto the bench. This year was going to be hard enough without the burden of having an ex-villain as my 'hero'. Lady luck really did have it in for me.
"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming" A familiar voice chuckled beside me. I looked up glaring, already knowing who it was.
"I'm not talking to you." I snapped childishly. It was something I'd decided during lunch. I figured if I ignored his existence then maybe he really would cease to exist.
It was wishful thinking, but for now it was all I had.
"Real mature, sidekick." I bristled, resisting the urge to snap that my name wasn't sidekick. Lash looked like he was going to say something else but was interrupted by Professor Medulla beginning the lesson.
After a lengthy speech from Medulla about how this year everything changed and how he would evaluate us not only on our individual work but also on how well we worked with our partners. It was the same speech we'd probably be receiving in every class and although I wasn't happy about the idea of our teamwork skills being evaluated I wasn't surprised.
It did however throw my plans of ignoring Lash's existence out the window, something he picked up on as well.
"Looks like you're going to have start talking to me after all." Lash observed smugly, his dark eyes twinkling.
I was saved from answering by Professor Medulla approaching our bench. "Miss Rodriguez." He snapped, his mouth forming a hard line. "Unlike the past two years I cannot allow you to pass this subject unless you participate and meet all of the required criteria." I had known this was coming as well and had prepared myself for it but it still didn't stop the sinking feeling in my gut. What if I couldn't pass? What if I failed and couldn't graduate?
"What do you mean allow her to pass?" Lash asked, looking between Medulla and myself curiously. I felt my face burning although I couldn't fathom why. My deal with Medulla, while we hadn't openly admitted it was pretty well known by the majority of the student body, so why was I suddenly so embarrassed by it?
"Miss Rodriguez knows what I'm talking about." Medulla said, giving me a pointed look. I knew exactly what that meant. 'It's up to you to tell him. He's your hero.' He then said something that I could have never prepared for. "Lucky for you your lab partner happens to be quite the adept at mad science, enough so that he might just be able to prevent you from destroying the school." Medulla then left to go speak to another group, who seemed to be struggling to build the simple heat ray that Medulla had set us today.
"You're good at Mad Science?" I asked Lash incredulously. I don't know why it surprised me, it wasn't like I knew him all that well-or at all really.
"Don't look so surprised, Sidekick." He said smirking. "Us heroes have to be good for something right?"
I was once again shocked. 'He's joking. With me'. I gave him a curious look but he just shrugged it off and began work on the heat ray. Ignoring me completely except to ask for me to hand him some tool.
'He's more than just adept at Mad Science' I thought watching Lash work on the ray. He seemed to know exactly where everything needed to go, barely even glancing at the instructions. I was so focused on watching him work I didn't even realize I was staring until Lash spoke.
"Wanna see if it works" Lash asked, shaking me from my stupor. He was pointing the bloody thing at me, his customary smirk plastered on his face.
"You wouldn't" I glanced around the room to see where Professor Medulla was but he was absorbed in conversation with Layla. Judging by the way Layla's hands were flying around as she spoke I assumed they were probably discussing how the school used animals for testing rays.
"Sure I would, not like you're much use to me anyway, Sidekick." And just like that, our momentary truce was over.
"How was your time with the big bad?" Layla asked me before taking a sip of her strawberry milkshake. The two of us had decided to go to the mall after school and have some much needed girl time. Magenta had been invited but couldn't make it because she had violin lessons. Magenta was an incredible violin player, last year she'd even been invited to play in some official orchestra thing. I didn't exactly remember what it was for but I remember that it was a big deal.
"I'm about ready to tear my hair right and it's only day one." I admitted. The day had only gone down-hill from Mad Science and by the end of the day I had felt close to tears from the simple stress of dealing with Lash and he'd looked like he was about ready to throw me out the window.
"Don't tear your hair out." Layla said calmly. "You're hair's so nice."
I rolled my eyes at her. I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but at the moment I really needed her advice, and possibly needed to vent.
"How do I deal with him?" I asked Layla, looking down at my hands in my lap. They were rough, with scars covering most of their surface. "I just want to make it through this year and graduate, after that it won't really matter who I'm partnered with- it's not like I have to work with them anyway."
"You'll figure it out." Layla assured me. I looked up from my hands, surprised at the lack of advice. Layla usually always had some piece of advice to offer, usually very helpful.
It was then that I noticed the look in Layla's eyes. Her usually warm chocolate eyes looked distant, almost closed off. "Are you alright?"
I could see the thoughts flitting across her face. Tell the truth? Or lie? Layla had always had an expressive face, I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before. I had been so focused on my problem with Lash that I hadn't noticed my best friend's pain.
She stayed silent for several minutes, obviously trying to compose her thoughts. I bit back my impatience, forcing myself to let her have this time. I looked around the emptying food court, unusually quiet for an afternoon. The usual mad rush of crowds had turned more into a steady stream of people. It struck me for the first time how busy people all seemed to be. Everyone always had somewhere to be, some 'urgent' task to complete. No one was ever just there.
"It's Will." Layla finally admitted after what seemed like an eternity of silence.
"Will?" I exclaimed, probably too loudly judging from the looks I received from the people-mostly teenagers-sitting around us.
"Hush." Layla reprimanded me before explaining herself. "I just feel like we're growing apart, like we don't want the same things anymore, y'know?"
I stayed silent, nodding my head to show Layla that I was still listening.
"I still love him, I really do. She insisted earnestly, absentmindedly fixing one of her trademark pigtails. "But I feel like it's more platonic. Like I see him as more of a friend who's a boy than as a boyfriend." She continued glancing around the food court nervously, as if she expected Will to appear from thin air, even though we both knew very well that Will was helping his parents out at work. "I think I'm going to break up with him." She finished, looking crestfallen.
"Layla." I whispered, reaching my hand across the table to take hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. I didn't know what to say, there was nothing really to say. All good things must come to an end, her relationship with Will was no exception.
A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to update this. I'll try and update this much more frequently from now on. Please review with some feedback, I could really use some constructive criticism!