Lash Livingston does not appreciate the authorities.
"I nailed that display," Speed told him as they combed the auditorium hallway for freshmen.
"Of course, it really sucks that I manage to whip up a tornado during a display, but not when I try to in Save the Citizen."
"Whatever," Penny said, appearing on either side of the boys, "It's not like you lost or something."
"I would've pounded them, though," Speed whined.
Finding no freshmen or sidekicks to torment, the trio pushed through the front doors and walked outside. Lash groaned when he saw what was outside. The sky above the school had turned a stormy gray, even though Lash could have sworn it had been blue thirty seconds earlier. Penny looked at the storm with disapproval, shaking her heads.
"Looks like Duncan and Tiana broke up again."
"Doesn't matter," Lash said before stepping out onto the grass. "They'll probably make up before it even starts raining."
"You are so right," Penny said with a smirk.
"They SO do this sort of thing all the time," Penny replied.
"Who cares?" Speed shouted.
Lash had to grin when he saw his friend eating someone's lunch at a table across the field.
"No one," he answered, making his way to the table in two long strides. He sat down across from Speed and held out his left hand, careful to keep his immobilized appendage in his pocket while the sidekick's power wore off. Speed tossed him a bagged sandwich, and he gave his partner in crime a nod of thanks. Lash took the sandwich out of the bag, and then stopped, and looked at it with narrowed eyes. Then, he threw it back at Speed.
"What part of the word 'Vege-Fucking-Tarian' do you not understand?"
"The 'Fucking' part, I think," Speed quipped back, taking a huge bite out of the sandwich.
Lash rolled his eyes, sticking his hand out again. His friend passed him a single grape.
"Very funny, Speed," he deadpanned.
Speed finally tossed him his share of the spoils. He ended up with a cheese stick and the whole container of grapes, which he immediately began to toss into the air and catch in his mouth. Penny joined them a few minutes later, snatching a grape from the air and taking the remaining seats. Lash kept up with about half of the gossip she chattered about. It was an impressive feat, he considered, as there were three of her talking at once. Speed, on the other hand, looked completely lost. The sky cleared as she carried on, and Lash started to regain feeling in his hand. He flexed his fingers and pulled his hand from his pocket. His hand looked completely normal, save for a few flakes of gold, but from the wrist up, his arm was still mostly metal. He pulled his sleeve down to cover it and returned his attention to Penny. Luckily, he was spared any further dirty secrets by the ringing of the bell.
Lash caught the last of the grapes in his mouth before lazily getting to his feet. He stretched, bending backwards until his head stuck out from between his legs, and then snapped back to standing normally. The three juniors began walking back to the auditorium. Lash raised an eyebrow at Speed, trying to convey his message without words. Unfortunately, his friend just was not that intuitive.
"Guess it's time for Pairing," he said slowly, trying to hide his nervousness behind a mask of apathy.
"Yeah," Speed said, "I guess it is."
"I hope I get that girl who can light her finger on fire," Lash said with false bravado, "Because she is smokin'!"
"Mmmhmmm," Speed added with a raised eyebrow, "Tell me more."
"Whatever," he stated quickly, "I don't care that much."
"Of course you don't," Penny said sarcastically.
"Guys," Speed said suddenly, "we should probably hurry. The Pairing starts in two minutes. Later."
He dashed off in a blur of blue, leaving Lash and Penny in the dust. Lash got to stepping, carrying Penny as he ran off on lengthened legs. They got to the auditorium with a minute to spare. He put her down before opening the door.
The auditorium looked completely different. The numerous stages had been removed, and a single pedestal stood in the middle of the room with about two hundred empty chairs in front of it. In the bleachers to his right, Lash could see the entirety of the Sidekick Junior Class. On his left were the heroes. Teachers ringed the floor. Looking through the Hero bleachers, Lash spotted Speed waving at him, indicating an empty seat next to him. It was a stretch, but Lash managed to make it to the spot before anyone else could take it. A few more stragglers made their way into the auditorium before the bell rang.
As soon as the ringing stopped, the ball of light that was Principal Powers floated onto the podium. She looked around at the students, and the room fell silent. Then, she began her speech.
"Congratulations to you, Junior Class of Sky High. You have all come so far in your education to make it to this point. As of today, you are starting your lives as new heroes. And of course, you will meet your new partners from the wonderful students of Hero Support. As we pair you together, remember, there is a hero in all of us, no matter the power. Now let us begin."
She got a smattering of applause before she continued.
"When I call your names, please come down, meet your partner, and take a seat." She pointed out at the chairs in front of her.
"Ian Aaron," she called out. Speed stood up and began picking a path down to the auditorium floor, disgruntled by his full name.
"You will be paired with Zachary Hellenstern."
Lash saw the sidekick stand up, and remembered him as the one who could glow. The kid strode confidently down the steps before tripping, and falling down the last two rows to the floor. Despite the laughter of the crowd, Glow Boy picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself off. Then he sauntered up to the podium to, greet Speed, if you can call a look of barely concealed loathing a greeting. They moved to the seats below the platform as Principal Powers called out the next duo. Lash watched the heroes in the bleachers thin out as they were called to meet their sidekicks. Penny Chase was paired with Lance Adams, a guy who could float three inches off the ground. Lash felt a little bit bad for her. Then Jason Gardner, a boy with the power to spit acid, was paired with the flame fingered sidekick girl, and Lash felt his heart sink.
"Alexander Livingston."
Lash took a moment to recognize his own name. Then, with the stiff motions of someone who has been sitting in the same position for far too long, he stood up and stepped over the rows of heroes to the floor. He felt his stomach turn as he waited for Principal Powers to say her next words.
"You will be paired with Midas Millerson."
Lash had to keep his jaw from hitting the ground when the sidekick who had turned his arm to gold stood up, and started stepping down the stairs. The little slime climbed onto the stage and gave Lash a gloved handshake. The boy's eyes were glittered with cold amusement.
"I didn't know your name was Alex," he said, just loud enough for Lash to hear. This was going to suck, completely and utterly.
Another day, another chapter. Four chapters of setup is a lot, but things will get better from here. Please, review, and if you find me worthy, follow or favorite. There might be some delays as I will be on vacation for the weekend, but I'll update if I can.
FishShips
