The one where prom is terrible

There was no reason for it to be this hot. It was April, for crying out loud. Tyler flopped into the locker room instead of walking. Slumping on the nearest bench, he switched his tennis racquet for his water bottle. Then he grabbed the collar of his shirt and wiped it across his forehead. Sweat soaked his underarms and made his hair stick across his eyelids in stripes, which just wasn't fair. His arm ached at a very specific point behind his elbow. He hadn't even pushed himself that hard today, but the back of his mouth tasted like blood.

Okay, new plan. Rush to Amy's apartment, tell her he'd be late tonight and she could pick their evening movie to make up for it, shower… No, grab a snack, then shower… Pajamas? Not the footies, even though he still fit in the ones he'd cut the toes off. He'd broil to death before the opening credits rolled. Other options? Not great ones; most of his pajamas were thermals. Maybe borrow something from Keaton, since they were the same size anyway… Forget the pajamas for now. He was too hot and gross to think straight. Shower here, then stop for a milkshake, then go home? That way he wouldn't feel self-conscious about stinking up the bus. Wait, no… Amy would wonder what was taking so long and if all was going according to plan. So find Amy first, then come back to shower, then forgo the bus to walk and get the milkshake… Were they even still open? And was it a cookie dough kind of day, or a mint chocolate chip one? Gah!

Tyler gulped another swish of water. Wednesdays were always twice as long as any other day of his week, overloading his schedule with early morning group projects and after-school extracurriculars. Not even counting the time dedicated to homework, studying with Keaton, movie night with Amy, working on his poetry, eating dinner… maybe sleeping? He still slept sometimes, right? Oh, geez. Thank goodness this was his final year at high school, because he'd hit his breaking point in August.

The locker room door swung open then, sending bubbles of laughter flying over his head. Lowering the water bottle, Tyler licked his lips and glanced up as Kace and Logan staggered in, leaning on one another's shoulders. They took up their usual places on either side of him, flipping open their lockers almost in sync. Down went the racquets. Out came the plastic grocery bags of semi-clean clothes. Logan braced one foot against the bench and grabbed his tennis team shirt by its front. As he pulled it over his head, he called, "Hey, Ty. Heard you asked Ruby to prom?"

"Yeah, just on Monday." Tyler reached down to open his bottom locker from where he sat, knocking his racquet to the floor in the process. He winced. "I haven't heard back yet. Should I be worried?"

"Nah, I'm sure she'll follow through."

Kace poked his head from behind his locker door. "Hey, do I know Ruby?"

"Probably not. She's from my physics class. We did a group project with a tinfoil pizza box oven, but none of our other classes overlap. We had English and French together last year."

Logan nodded and let his shirt drop to the bench. He pulled out the new one, which was black and probably the exact opposite of what you'd want to wear on a scorching day like this one. "Gotta say, I'm surprised you didn't ask Amy."

Tyler shrugged, skimming his eyes towards the showers in the back. It felt disgusting to walk out of the locker room without rinsing off, but this was no ordinary sweat stink. This was full-on you're going to want to break out all the shampoo and that brand new bar of soap stink. It was going to take awhile, and Amy deserved a heads up that he'd be late. "Yeah, no. I like Amy, but not like that. Besides, we hang out and have fun together almost every day. I wanted prom to be something special with a girl I might actually want to start a relationship with."

Kace made another reappearance, this time with a fat comb in his hand and eyes the size of peaches. "Did you ever tell Amy you kissed Ruby after her dance recital that one time?"

Tyler blinked. The kiss had been a quick one, goopy and nervous, and made more embarrassing in retrospect when he'd found his friends smirking at him from across the street. He'd sort of mentioned the doorstep moment when he'd told Amy how the date had gone, but she'd started asking questions about the recital's music, and then he forgot. It seemed weird to bring it up weeks later out of nowhere. "Was I supposed to? She never really asked."

"You know she likes you, right?"

Of course he'd say that. Tyler resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, she did spend three days telling me she hopes Joshua Martinez asks to take her, so I don't think she cares if I ask someone else."

Logan shook his head. "I just hope you get the nerve to ask her out one of these days, Ty. She's not going to wait around forever, you know."

"Wait for what?"

"No girl hangs with a guy for this long unless she wants something." Logan raised his eyebrows, emphasizing the last word in that sentence to make its meaning undeniable. Kace bobbed his head in confirmation. Oh. Tyler wrinkled his nose and adjusted his grip on his racquet and water bottle.

"Amy's my best friend, but that doesn't mean I have to marry her. I can still hang out with girls I don't want to kiss. I don't get why you always make a big deal about it."

Logan groaned, and Kace flung out his arms. "I don't get you, Tyler! Life dropped this amazonian goddess who adores you more than anyone right into your lap, and year after year, you turn up your nose at her."

"Whatever, guys." Tyler shut the door to his locker and twisted the combination dial. He scooped up his backpack. "If you're so into her, then why don't you ask her out? Nothing's stopping you. It's not too late to take her to prom."

Kace made it to the door before Tyler did. Tyler stopped, hooking his thumbs beneath the straps of his backpack. Pushing his fingers through his hair, Kace looked him up and down and said, "Maybe I will. If you're not interested in making a move on her, then maybe you should step down and let someone else in on that action."

'That action.' The words brimmed with fire. Were they supposed to mean something? Tyler drummed his fingers, scowling for a long, wordless moment. The jab was a challenge, and one he wasn't ready to tackle. Shrugging, he said, "That's something you should talk about with Amy instead of me. I'm her best friend, not her life decision maker."

"Just don't be a third wheel, okay, Ty?"

"I'm fine staying out of your way. I just won't stop hanging out with her." Halfway through the door, he added, "It would take more than her dating someone else to break up best friends."

As April dragged on, the heat wave faded into blissful overcast skies, tinged with the smell of approaching rain. Good, Tyler thought, tugging at a fold in one of his sleeves. It was about time a normal spring temperature decided to show up. Still, he didn't regret his choice to pass on the thick black suit and opt for his gray vest instead. He squinted at his warbled reflection in the elevator door. Specifically, at the jade green bow wrapped around his neck. Against all odds, Ruby had insisted on wearing a green dress instead of a red one. They'd probably bump into that same joke over and over all night.

Ruby had asked him to pick her up at a quarter to 6:00. That gave Tyler more than enough time to check on Amy. Ruby had her mom and three older sisters to fawn over her and make her look pretty for the evening. She didn't need him. But without Tyler to wait patiently by the door and praise every attempt she made to pin up her hair, Amy would be dressing alone. Hey, spending an hour watching the confused faces she pulled when she couldn't twist her braids quite right would always be more enjoyable than hanging around the apartment with Keaton practicing his flute off-key or Pearl dissolving into gooey mush over her latest boyfriend. Yeah, hard pass.

Ding! went the elevator. The doors slid apart. Tyler stepped out onto the 7th floor, his eyes wandering to the right hand side. Amy's door was shut. Frozen shut, with a pale blue sheen. The carpet had turned to powdered sugar. Nearby wallpaper peeled back in chunks. Icicles stabbed up from the doorknob. It took Tyler several seconds to process what he was looking at, but when he did, he literally felt the blood drain from his face to the floor.

"Oh no. No, no. He wasn't supposed to come back until tomorrow…"

Amy losing control of her ice powers wasn't anything really new. Tyler had seen frozen pipes burst once when she'd leaned over the sink to spit out an angry blob of toothpaste. He'd seen bent forks and gushing sprinklers, but never anything this severe. Fluffy snowflakes coated the hallway. Crunchy ice crystals grew like mold along the walls.

Only one person in the world could shatter her that much. It wasn't a long hall, but Tyler broke into a run.

"Amy? Amy!"

Her apartment door opened before he even reached it. Tyler skidded to a halt, kicking up gooey gray slush. When he looked up, biting hard, hard, hard on his lower lip, he found himself facing Zephyr. Tyler had given up calling him Mr. Wenling years ago, for good reason. Zephyr was his villain name.

"Where's Amy?" he blurted, trying to duck under Zephyr's arm. He hadn't opened the door any wider than his face, but it was enough for Tyler to tell the apartment behind him had been doused in ice. His breath billowed like a mushroom. Breathing melted into literal pain. Frost crystals clawed his lungs.

Zephyr slid his hand down the door frame. He didn't move out of the way. "Amelia won't be attending prom this evening. Thank you for your concern."

"Why not?" Tyler craned his neck. He could just glimpse a nest of dust-blue hair lying in a tangle on the frosty kitchen table. Amy's pointy elbows were just visible on either side of the heap; she'd dumped her head into her crossed arms. Her purple dress had been tossed on the counter behind her, along with her mother's gold chain necklace.

Zephyr pushed his foot forward. His fingers curled around the door. "Tyler, you know our rules. It's within my rights to forbid Amy from dating anyone who doesn't measure up to my standards. That young man, Jeremy… He didn't fit the bill."

"You were in jail until this afternoon!" Tyler clenched his teeth and threw his glare in the other direction. "We've been planning this for weeks. You can't just show up out of nowhere the day of and tell her she can't go!"

"Tyler," he snapped. "I am her father. It is within my rights."

"She's 18 now, she can make her own choices. It's not even serious dating- it's just one dance. And Joshua is the nicest guy in school. You're just doing this because you don't want her to grow up and marry someone who doesn't have any superpowers!"

Why was he screaming? How long had he been screaming? The chilly air scraped his throat raw. Tyler clenched his hair in one hand, blinking frosty flakes from his eyelashes. His shoulders heaved. He was shaking undeniably.

"You're not better than us," he managed to say. His voice cracked like an ice cube underfoot. "Just because you have superpowers, it doesn't make you better than 'normals' are."

Without batting an eye, Zephyr snapped his fingers. Tyler's shoes lifted from the floor as though caught in a twirl of wind. He yelped and fumbled for something to grab onto, but Zephyr used his telekinetic ability to float him out into the hall and dump him on the damp carpet. While Tyler scrambled to his feet, he gingerly shut the door and locked it tight.

Tyler leaned against the opposite wall for a long, long time, wrapping his shoulders in his arms.

Prom felt colder without Amy by his side. Metaphorically speaking. Their group hadn't been large to begin with: Only him, Ruby, Amy, and Joshua. Tyler had waited outside Amy's apartment up until the last possible minute before he had to high-tail to Ruby's place, but she hadn't come. Now Joshua stood alone by the floor-to-ceiling windows, smiling whenever anyone looked his way, but never when they didn't.

Ruby looked stunning in dark forest green, of course. Her dress swept to the floor and the bodice was all lace or something; Tyler hadn't expected anything less. She'd braided her blonde hair and let it dangle over one shoulder. Just like, well, almost every girl in school, Ruby stood taller than him even without the wedged heels of her shoes, but at least she wasn't that much taller. She smiled a lot, so Tyler did too.

He held her hand every time she wanted to cross the dark, stuffy room, but staying focused on her conversation sapped all his energy and left him lightheaded. This wasn't right. Not when Amy was in tears. The fluttery, romantic dream of senior prom night had floated somewhere in the back of Tyler's mind ever since he was a kid, because Amy had always made him swear he'd go. Purple had been her color of choice since 7th grade. She'd dragged him to the park to practice the steps of the foxtrot a million times. Well, maybe seventeen. At least nine.

Amy was supposed to be here, poking fun at the cheesy sparkly decorations while she swished around the dance floor in Joshua's arms. She shouldn't have to be curled in a puddle in her room. She was meant to laugh as Tyler fumbled with a step or accidentally bumped her shoulder. Not pass her night in well-worn pajamas, staring at the yellow bars the headlights of passing cars painted on her ceiling as they drove by one by one.

Oh, well. Zephyr was a jerk, and that was that. Yes, Amy hadn't made it, but he was here at prom with a beautiful girl who loved sewing so much that she'd probably hemmed and stitched the accents on her dress all on her own. He'd just have to enjoy the night enough for both of them. It was nice enough, with its gently pulsing lights and pink and green sugar cookies in the corner.

"Come on," Tyler said, tugging Ruby towards the dance floor. Of all the prom expectations he and Amy had gushed over, somehow, music had slipped their minds. The beat of the current song was too fast to be romantic, exactly, but he couldn't have picked a better one to swing her around to. He didn't really know what he was doing all the time, but maybe it didn't matter. He didn't step on her feet or drop her when he tried a clumsy dip, and they were having fun.

Three songs in, Ruby slid her hands down his arms until she grasped his wrists. "You know, I'm not sure I ever really said thanks."

Tyler snapped his gaze away from the windows. "What? For what?"

Ruby tilted her head. "For inviting me to prom instead of Amy. I just always assumed the two of you had a thing going, and I hope I didn't make things weird between you."

"Nah. Amy's my best friend." He cleared his throat and dropped his attention to her hands. They nestled against her lap, bunching the nearby fabric. Tyler slipped his palms against hers. Lifting them both, he raised his eyes to meet hers again. "But she and I have never been 'together.' I wanted to bring a date to prom."

Ruby smiled at him. He smiled too. Several seconds passed in silence. Nothing happened. She didn't let go of his hands, or try to start dancing again, or say anything else.

Oh, right! He was probably supposed to kiss her now. Tyler leaned forward, parting his lips just enough to do it without making it weird. Ruby met him partway, just above their clasped hands. Their faces touched. The kiss sparked like a tiny candle, and left his spine tingling up and down. It took more strength than Tyler cared to admit not to kick one foot up behind him. With shy slowness, they drew apart.

"I'm glad you came," Tyler told her honestly. He lifted his shoulders. "Everyone kept telling me you wouldn't. Everyone always thinks I'm dating Amy, but I'm not. So I'm glad you didn't let rumors stand in your way."

Ruby's eyes rotated thoughtfully to her ankle. She pressed her thumbs against his palms. "I was… surprised to realize it was you who asked me, I'll admit. I know you two are close, but I thought, 'Hey, he did ask. It probably wasn't an accident; I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

Tyler laughed. "No, it definitely wasn't an accident." Glancing at their linked hands again, he tightened his fingers. "Yeah, no… It's great. Tonight's been great. I'm glad you came. It's nice to spend some time alone with you."

Ruby started to say something else, but then her eyebrows crinkled. Her nose bunched up. She leaned her head to one side, and suddenly her eyes bugged. "Hang on. Is that Amy right now? I guess she made it after all."

"What?" Tyler twisted to follow her gaze. When he did, his mouth popped open. "Oh no."

Was that Amy? Yes. Was she wearing her purple gown? No. Dressed to kill? Maybe literally. Her eyebrows had pressed her eyes to slits behind her glasses. She slogged through the crowd, shoving random couples into other random couples and tracking frosty footprints behind her. Every time she touched someone's skin, she left a bright red handprint and left them shivering. She wasn't trying to run, and the brisk way she brushed her hands together left a sinking feeling in Tyler's stomach. The look in her eye was the flare she got when she'd either punched someone with an entire 50% of her massive super strength, or was about to.

"Oh no," Tyler said again. Dropping Ruby's hands, he took off across the dance floor. He didn't make it in time to stop Amy from driving her fist into the wall. When she pulled back, chunks of plaster came with her. Heads began to turn, voices bursting out. Tyler prayed that the chaperone taking tickets at the door hadn't been the person she'd punched.

"Amy!"

She recognized his voice. That much was clear in the way she spun around. Her braid came across as more of a tangled rope than a woven crown. She wore her favorite white pajamas with the blue and purple snowflakes stamped all over them, even though she was tall enough now that the shirt didn't cover her belly button all the way. Her feet were bare. Tyler stumbled to a stop just in front of her, clenching the front of his vest with one hand. His eyes darted left and right.

"Um… Hi! Glad you made it. You look great. Hey, what's going on? What are you doing?"

Amy breathed for several seconds, saying nothing. Then, cracking around like a whip, she slammed her fist into the wall again. "If I can't enjoy my senior prom the way it was meant to be enjoyed, then no one can!"

Onlookers cried out again, some pressing forward and others pressing back. Oh, great. Knowing some of the idiot supers in this school, some novice hero would try to step forward and take charge any second. Tyler's hands flew near his chest, palms forward. "Whoa, hey, let's talk about this-"

Amy grabbed his shoulder and shoved him off. He stumbled into one of the jocks he only vaguely recognized, bashing his elbow on literal iron ribs. By the time he'd apologized and regained his footing, Amy had flashed across the room. With her super speed behind her, she raced straight up one of the walls and backflipped off again. As she came down, she brought two armloads of streamers with her. These went over her head, then down in a heap. Smash! Her foot went up and down too, only it made a much louder noise when it hit the floor. The room rumbled.

"Amy," Tyler called, racing after her.

Her eyes slid towards the water coolers and three trays of pink and green sugar cookies set out on a tiny nearby table. A distinct blue tinge began bubbling up her neck. It started from her chest and rose like magma, mottling her skin in icy fractals as she prepared to unleash her freeze breath everywhere. Tyler threw himself at her arm and shook it back and forth.

"Amy, stop!"

Amy whirled on him with a snarl. Tyler let go of her immediately and scrambled back. Her jitter kicked in. As she slipped into super speed, her edges began to blur. Tyler squeezed his hands against his head.

"Amy, you're scaring people! Stop it! Just stop it!"

She didn't stop it. Instead, she rocketed forward and engulfed him at full speed with an arm around his stomach. The wind gushed from his lungs. Tyler spluttered nonsense. He didn't even have time to cry out before they were zipping down the hallway, down the stairs, out the door, across the parking lot, and through the city streets. His legs flapped, banners in the breeze. His vision blurred. Oh boy. He tried to protest, but his words slurred together like melting ice cream cake.

"Amy?"

No response. The parking lot was lost. Random fast food joints and gas stations appeared up ahead, and disappeared behind them.

"A-Amy? Where are we going?"

Several seconds passed before his question reached her brain, but hers flew back at him hard and fast. "I don't know! Somewhere he won't find us! We're just getting out of here, okay?"

The streets collapsed into tiny dashes. Farther. Faster. Tyler had seen Amy sprint with her powers kicked up to their highest gear, her body practically slipping into light. He squeezed his eyes shut, clutching her arm for all that he was worth. If he let go, that would be an awful lot of roadburn down his face. His lips parted, but no words came out. Not the first time. Not the second. Wind ripped across his eyelids. Finally, clenching her shoulder, he shouted, "Amy, stop! Please, stop!"

He had to scream it twice before his words registered. Amy teetered on the edge. Hint by hint, she began to slow. Her body vibrated a little less, and she didn't scare him anymore. Still, Tyler blinked up at her without bothering to scrub away his tears.

Amy finally halted outside the donut shop near the pier. She was panting, but not a lot. Not enough for someone who had just sprinted three miles in under three minutes. She wiped her arm across her nose, then finally set Tyler down on his feet. His legs wobbled beneath him. He backed away, holding up his hands.

"Hey. Hey. Amy, we can't just… I mean, what are you doing? This is crazy."

"I'm not going back!" She grabbed the arms of her glasses, leaning forward like she might be sick and throw up right there. "I-it's time I made tracks. He's talking literally- he's going to kill me."

Tyler searched her face, clenching and unclenching his fingers at his sides. "W-what? Amy, you can't be serious. We're just a month from graduation. You can't just cut ties and take off for the hills like nothing matters. Can we just reason through this one step at a time? Please? Think about your future."

"I'm running away. I don't care if you stay!" By this point, she'd leaned over so far, her glasses had slid from her nose and only dangled from her ears. Amy shook her head, still refusing to open her eyes.

"You can't run away like this," Tyler protested. The breeze blew his hair in bursts. "You don't have any money. You're wearing pajamas and you don't have shoes. You don't have food, or clothes, or anything. If you don't have a way to drink clean, fresh water, you'll die in just three days."

Amy smashed one foot on the road. Steaming in silence, she twisted her heel back and forth. Her shoulders trembled. With a sharp shake of her head, she marched past him, leaving a small but visible crack in the ground where she'd stomped. "Well, I can take care of myself just fine. I don't need your delays."

Arrrgh! Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn, just like her dad. Tyler clamped his fist in his bangs, and glared at the twinkling stars overhead. A thin cloud crossed the moon. He could hear his furious best friend storming away, her footfalls digging into the road.

Okay.

His jaw sagged. Then clenched. His fingers slid down until they pinched the bridge of his nose. Tyler massaged the spot for a few seconds more before he swung around. "Well… I can't go back and face Ruby after all that. And without me, you'll be dead before you reach Missouri."

"What?" Amy stopping walking. Her fingers splayed. She turned, with eyes halfway between distrust and hope. "Does that mean you want to come along with me?"

"Well. Yeah. We're basically best friends. I can't just let you throw your crazy life away all by yourself." Tyler forced himself to smile instead of freak out, and jogged down the sidewalk to catch up with her. He bumped her shoulder with his own. "I mean, where's the fun in that?"