"Hey, Layla." Will said quietly.
"Yes Will?" Layla asked, scribbling something on her paper.
"I kind of wanted to talk to you about something." He continued, looking around. He didn't really want to tell the others yet, until he knew that they wouldn't laugh at him. They were having one of their study sessions. Ethan, Magenta, and Zach were crowded around the coffee table, working on another part of their homework, while Abby and Warren were across from them, doing some junior thing. He had Layla to himself. He turned sideways to face her on the couch.
"Alright, sure. What is it?" Layla asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Well," Will started, a little nervous. 'This is Layla!' he reminded himself. She won't think I'm weird. So he told her all about the mayor's office, and Samuel, the weird boy with the eyes that changed colors. Layla watched him steadily until he was done.
"Are you sure you didn't just imagine it?" She asked.
"Yes!" Will protested. "I'm sure. They definitely changed color big time."
"Alright." Layla said calmly. "What about your parents? Or the mayor? What did they say?"
"Uh . . ." Will thought back. "They didn't say anything. I don't think they noticed."
"Well, then maybe it wasn't that big of a deal." Layla rationalized. "I mean, nothing happened when they changed color. Maybe it was just the light or something."
"No." Will shook his head emphatically. "His eyes, like, rolled up into his head, and" he attempted to demonstrate with his own eyes.
"Okay, okay Will, I get the picture." Layla said, wincing and turning away from him.
"I dunno." Will said, stopping his performance. "He just really creeped me out."
"It was probably nothing. I mean, it's doubtful you'll ever really see him again. Yeah, it was weird, but it wasn't anything more than that. And I mean, Will, look at the school you go to, you're going to see some weird things."
"Yeah." Will said, laughing. "It was probably nothing. But, it was like he was glaring at me the whole time. Like Warren all over again." He shuddered.
"Speaking of Warren," Layla said, glancing over at him.
"Yeah?" Will asked.
"Does he ever talk about Abby to you?" Layla asked.
"No." Will answered. Layla's face fell as he said this. "Why?" Will asked hesitantly. "Was he supposed to?"
"Well, I mean, no, but, yeah, sort of." Layla said, staring over at Warren. "I mean, look at them Will!" Will obeyed, following Layla's gaze. Warren and Abby were sitting on the couch across from them, both peering over a textbook balanced between them. "He's got his arm around her." Layla whispered softly. Will noticed that he did. "They're so sweet . . ." Layla said, even quieter than before.
Will nodded, not too sure what she was getting at with this. "Do you want me to put my arm around you?" He asked. Layla's head snapped around.
"What? No, that's, well, I mean, if you want to, but that wasn't what I was talking about." She said, smiling and shaking her head.
"Oh. Okay." Will said, a bit relieved.
"I was talking about them." Layla said. "Look at them. They're perfect for each other."
Will glanced over at them too. He glanced back at Layla. He didn't really see much. But, they weren't fighting. They just looked pretty chill. "They are?" He asked.
"Yes." Layla said. "They balance each other out. Fire and Ice. They know it too, they just won't admit it. That's why they argue so much."
Will glance at Layla quizzically. Her eyes were starry, and it didn't look like her mind was completely here, down on earth. "Are you sure?" Will asked. He didn't want to contradict her, but he had always thought they argued because they didn't like each other. "Don't fire and ice, like, not mix?" He was a little worried about what would happen if Warren ever found out about this conversation.
"Trust me." Layla said. "They just need a little help getting started."
"What do you mean?" Will asked.
"We need to set them up. Warren helped me to be with you. Now I want to help him."