Freezing Flame
Chapter 4
Anna smiled as she chewed her sandwich. Her blue eyes were searching her best friend who hadn't showed his face since this morning. Where was he anyway? He couldn't be sick, right? Freezer weren't sick type superhero. Her wandering eyes stopped on a certain pyro who was walking to her table. Her eyes narrowed.
"What do you want?" Anna asked bored when the pyro sat in front of her. Did he realize they weren't on good term to each other? The only bridge between them was Lee and he was missing right now.
"Lee said I have to accompany you if I still want to work at his restaurant." Warren said as he opened his back and took out his book.
"Where's Lee?" Anna asked; her eyes were on the thick book Warren had in his hands.
"He's out of town for two day with his mother."
"You know, I don't need your company." Anna said, trying her hardest to see the cover of the book. It seemed familiar that made her really curious. Beside, this was the first time she saw Warren read something this thick. Usually it was just a thin book. Warren seemed to find this amusing since he kept pressing the book on the table.
"Lee's order." He said simply. His brown eyes locked onto the book in front of him. Anna raised her eyebrows.
"Since when do you follow his order?"
"Since he is my boss... kinda. Look! I'm trying to be nice here." Warren's eyes snapped to the blond haired girl in front of him. To his annoyance, she was smirking at him. Damn, he was teasing him. Warren sent her a glare before looking back to his book.
"I don't need you to be nice to me. You can go if you want. Beside your temperature makes me uncomfortable."
"I'm fire and you're ice. We should be comfortable with each other." He smirked when he heard a snort from Anna. Anna's hand wandered to his book, but before she could touch it, Warren slapped her hand away.
"Says who?"
"Say me. Can you shut your mouth up? I'm trying to read here." Warren said, holding her hand in a grip when it was nearing his book once more.
"Why should I? You're supposed to accompany me and I'm not really fond of silence." Anna pouted. She freed her hand from his grip and glared at him. Warren rolled his eyes.
"Then you can talk by your self."
"I'm not a crazy person, you know?"
"Oh yeah? You look like one." Anna growled. She resisted the urge to hit him when that sentence came out from his mouth with a smirk on his face. Anna immediately grabbed Warren's book.
"Hey, that's my book!"
"What are you reading anyway? Ooohhh Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows! I'm a big fan of JK Rowling!" Anna's eyes shone once she read the title. She squealed a little that almost made Warren fell down from his chair in shock. Who knew the wild girl could squeal like that.
"Give me my book!" Warren hissed, but Anna ignored him as she began to flip the pages. Warren growled and tried to snatch it back but Anna hugged in front of her chest.
"I borrow it."
"What?"
"Well, you have to listen to whatever I say anyway! Lee's order." Anna smirked when Warren looked at her in disbelief.
"Lee ordered me to accompany you. It means I have to be your friend of two day not your servant!"
"You're already one in Lee's restaurant." Anna said, gathering her things but kept the book away from his reach.
"I'm a waiter in Paper Lantern not a servant."
"Waiter and servant is the same thing. They serve people." Warren sighed. How he was tempting to pinch her cheeks. Wait, he didn't do such thing. He was too macho for something like that.
"Fine, but we're not in Paper Lantern now, we're at school. Beside I serve food, not book!"
"Whatever, I still borrow it."
"Freeze Girl!"
"HotHead!"
"Give me my book or..."
"Or what? Burn me alive. Do it! You will get detention and this book is still with me." Anna smiled sweetly. Warren narrowed his eyes when Anna stood up and walked out the cafeteria as fast as she could. Warren quickly ran after her and he was surprise when she ran out the school and headed toward a tree at a seclude area.
"Hey!" Anna shouted when Warren took the book from her hands. She gripped his arms and brought him down to the ground. Warren fell beside her and held the book out of her reach.
"This is mine."
"Let's read it together, then..." Anna said and for the first time she gave him puppy dog eyes. Warren's eyes widen in the mix of disbelief and surprise.
"Please..."
"...Fine." Warren sighed. He opened the book between them but before they could read a single word from the book, the bell rang. Warren quickly close the book and put it into his bag before Anna could grab it from his hands.
"Arg! Stupid bell!" Anna kicked the innocent stone when she stood up and followed Warren to the school.
-Paper Lantern, 07.00 pm-
"What are you doing here?" Warren stared at Anna who was walking into the kitchen. Her bright blue eyes were scanning the area, looking for someone. She obviously didn't look for Lee.
"I'm here to borrow your book." Anna said, standing in font him. Warren raised his eyebrows.
"Do you realize that I'm working, right? I don't bring the book."
"I don't know your house so I come here to wait for you to finish and together we will go to your house." Anna said as if it was the common thing in the world.
"Can you wait until tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow is weekend, stupid!" Warren glared at her.
"Come on! Please..."
"Pretty pretty please!" Anna asked; her eyes were wide as she pouted her lips. Warren shook his head. 'What happens to this girl? Shouldn't she hate me or something like usual? Why does she suddenly become like this? A spoiled girl act thing? Maybe something is wrong?'
"Fine, but you have to help me make these stupid fortune cookies." Warren said, pointing at the flour and such on the pantry. Anna face brightened.
"Okay! I'm good at making cookies. But before that..." She took out her phone and turned on the music. Soon, a loud rock song was heard through the kitchen. Warren winced, not because he didn't like it (he was a rock music fan), but because the whole staff in the kitchen were glaring at them. Anna seemed to be obvious to the glares they were receiving. She gathered everything as she sang along the song.
The road I walk is paved in gold
To glorify my platinum soul
I'll buy my way to talk to God
So he can live with what I'm not
Warren held back a laugh when Anna began to move her head like a crazy. She was holding a spoon as microphone. Warren smile and leaned onto the pantry, letting Anna did the work. As long as she didn't do anything wrong, everything should be fine.
The selfish blood runs through my veins
I gave up everything for fame
I am the lie that you adore
I feed the rich and fuck the poor
Warren winced when the unusual lyrics boomed inside the kitchen. If Mrs. Chen understood it, they would be scolded until they died. She would lecture them about many things in her religion that made Warren got dizzy. He had endured it many times when he accidently cursed.
I got, what you want
It's just, don't stop
I got, what you want
It's just, don't stop
This is entertainment
Lies are entertainment
You are down on your knees
Begging me for more
"Warren, turn it off! You aren't supposed to turn on music while you're working." Mr. Chen's voice beat the loud music from Anna's phone.
"Yes, Mrs. Chen." Warren quickly grabbed the phone and shut it down. Anna looked at it with a very disappointment look.
"Aw..." She whined. Warren glared at her. Anna huffed and put the phone into her pocket. She grunted when Warren took the bowl from her hands and began to help her. Her good mood was decreasing every second.
"Shut up and keep working."
"...Uh... Warren?" Anna called. Her hands were full of many folded paper.
"Yeah?"
"What should I do with this?"
"You said you're good at making cookies?"
"Well, making cookies but it seems I'm not good at making fortune cookies."
"Here, you have to put this into it."
"I know it, but how?" Anna asked, putting the papers in front of him.
Warren gave her a 'Look-how-pros-do-it' look before began to put the papers into the cookies. Anna huffed when she saw it. Her eyes watched as Warren expertly hit the cookies to the side of the bowl, making it changed its shape into the familiar fortune cookies. Anna was getting bored with the show. Her blue eyes eyed the flour on the bowl. She took a handful of it and threw it to Warren.
"Hey!" Warren glared at her. He was sure looked ridiculous because his brown hair was turned into white. That was just his hair. What bout his face, shoulder and chest?
"Hahahah... Hey! You're on!" Anna challenged when Warren threw her a handful of flour as well. Warren smirked and soon the war began.
"What's happening here?" Both Warren and Anna froze when Mrs. Chen walked into the kitchen. Her brown eyes were observing the mess. Her pale cheeks were pink with anger. Warren inwardly groaned.
"Uh, Mrs. Chen... we're-"
"Clean this up, Warren and I have to report you to Mrs. Raze!"
"But-"
"No buts!"
"This is your fault." Warren glared at the smaller girl beside him. Anna crossed her arms in front of her chest as she glared at her.
"Hey, you agreed to this."
"Come on, stop sulking. Here let me help you." Anna cooed as if she was talking to a toddler which earned a glared from Warren. Anna giggled slightly.
"I will tell Lee and Mrs. Raze that it is my fault so you're not fired or something." Anna said, trying to shoot him. Warren raised an eyebrow at her.
"I promise!" Anna said, annoyed. Warren sighed but he didn't say anything. Once they had done, Warren looked at the clock and he sighed happily when he noticed his shift was over. This was the first time hid shift ended with him only did one work. Anna seemed to notice his happy expression. She grabbed her bag and shoved Warren to the bathroom. Warren let out a surprise yelp which made Anna laugh.
"Yay, yay let's go to Warren's house! Yay, ya let's go to Warren's house! Yay-"
"Can you stop singing that stupid song? What happens to you? Aren't you supposed to hate me or something?" Warren barked. Anna was singing the stupid song since they were out of the Paper Lantern and now it was in his head. Great!
"Well, I will hate you tomorrow. Right now, I need Harry Potter book so much that I cannot hate you at all. After all Dumbledore says that "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." Anna said with all seriousness.
"That quote doesn't fit our situation."
"Oh it does. Meeting and talking with you are the darkest of times, my times. Yet I remember to turn on the light by not hating you today because I find happiness in you which are Death Hallows book."
"You're so weird, Freeze Girl." Warren shook his head. 'This girl is getting weirder and weirder.'
"Let me be. I don't care." Anna skipped as she followed Warren. They both stopped in front a rather big house. Anna looked at the house with an amused smile in front of him. The side of the house was painted pink while the rest of the wall painted nice blue. Warren glared at her.
"My mother did an experience." He said, nodding at the pink wall. Anna raised an eyebrow. She ushered him into the house as she sat at the bench in front of the house. It was nice to have such thing in front of our house. After few minutes, he walked out the house, holding the Harry Potter book in his hand.
"Here."
"Thank you." She said, kissing the book.
"Okay." Warren was about to walk back to the house when Anna called him. He turned around.
"What?"
"Are you going to walk me home or not?" She asked. Warren smirked.
"No."
"You-you argh!" Anna shouted angrily. She turned around and walked away, well stomped away for exact. Warren looked at the girl. If she told Lee, which Warren was sure she would, he would be in trouble. He sighed and jogged to the angry girl.
"You said you would not walk me home." Anna mumbled when Warren walked beside her.
"I changed my mind." He said simply.
-Anna's house-
Anna was enjoying the silent walk she had with Warren that she didn't notice her house was already on sight. Her smiled flattered when loud screams was heard once they were in front of the house. Anna felt her eyes slowly became wet when the screams were getting louder and louder.
"SHUT UP!" Her mother's loud voice made her wince.
"YOU SHUT UP! I REGRET WE EVER MET, I REGRET I MARRIED YOU."
"DO YOU THINK I DON'T? YOU ARE NOT A MAN I THOUGHT YOU ARE!"
"YOU BITCH, JUST WAIT UNTIL WE'RE COMPLETELY DIVORCE! I WILL NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!"
"DO YOU THINK I WANT TO? HELL NO!"
"Freeze Girl?"Warren called the frozen girl. Anna didn't seem to hear him as her blue eyes fixed on the house in front of them. He could see tears began to fill her eyes.
"Freeze Girl!" Anna ran and ran until she stopped under a large tree. Tears were running down her cheek. Warren slowly sat beside her.
"Are you okay?"
"What do you think?" She snapped. Warren winced. What a wrong question...
"Sorry."
"I'm pathetic, aren't I? Crying in front of someone like you." Anna whipped some tears from her cheeks.
"What's so bad about it? I'm a nice guy."
"Of course you are." She snorted. Anna suddenly found herself in a warm embrace. Warren's embrace. Anna gasped. Was this for real?
"Cry all you want, freeze girl. If that's what you want. Do not hold back!" Warren said in a very soft tone. Anna couldn't hold back anymore. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face onto his chest. Warren held her tighter as she cried harder and harder.
"Warren?" She called softly once she stopped crying.
"Yes?"
"Who know you're such a softie for a crying girl." Warren chuckled.
"I told you I'm a nice guy." Anna chuckled. Never in her wildest imagination she would be in this position with the boys she didn't like much. Not to mention this was the always hot tempered Warren Peace. If someone looked at them right now, she was sure they would pass out in disbelief.
"Warren?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you." Anna smiled. Maybe Warren Peace wasn't so bad.
To Be Continued
