Chapter 10: "Reminiscing"
Seven years ago…
"Where to next?"
"One of the frat houses on the east side of the campus is throwing a party," a girl replied from her seat in the back of a car. "Want to check it out?" The girl leaned around her friend and looked at the pale-green skinned girl she shared the backseat with. "What do you think, Shannon?"
The girl named Shannon shrugged her shoulders and boringly looked out of the window. "We just came from two parties," she said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone of voice. "What makes you think that this frat party that you want to go to won't be the same as the ones we just attended earlier this evening?"
"Well obviously this frat has the good looking boys!" the girl replied ecstatically.
Shannon rolled her emerald green eyes and slumped deeper into her seat. Her junior year at Go University had just started and she still couldn't believe how she got dragged into this particular situation. Things were going well for her anyway especially since the university population was more or less used to seeing a green-skinned superhero roaming around in the campus. She and her brothers had been ordinary citizens of Go City until that rainbow-colored comet crashed into their tree house almost five years earlier. "Please," she let out with sarcasm. "You almost always think about boys and you've been flirting with every single guy you've met this evening!"
"But it's fun!" she said dreamily, obviously not affected by her companion's remark.
"Fine! Have it your way," Shannon muttered. "I could always raid their bar anyway." The hero had no idea why she allowed herself to be dragged out of her dormitory room by this group of girls. They were her friends, but she couldn't exactly say that they were her good friends. Some of them shared the same dormitory while the others she had similar classes with, but their relationship went no deeper than what it was. Shannon even somewhat believed that these girls were using her reputation as a superhero to boost their own reputations.
"At least Keana is preoccupied with something as ordinary as boys," the other girl who sat in the passenger seat commented. "I really don't know how you're able to do superhero stuff and get straight A's in all your classes when you're such a slacker!"
The only female from Go City's Team Go shrugged her shoulders once more and chose not to bring up an argument. What the girl said was true anyway. Shego did get straight A's, but never really studied or paid much attention in any of her classes. She did not have the time to study anyway with the work she does with her brothers. Not only was she considered as a no-effort intellectual, but she was also part of the so-called popular crowd of the university. Of course, she didn't really give a damn if she was popular or not.
"We're here!" the driver announced, parking right in front of a large house bursting with people.
"Oiii…" Shego murmured as she got out of the car and stared disdainfully at the crowded house. "Too many people," she told her friends. "I think I'll stay out here."
"Oh come on Shannon!" Keana hooked their arms together and dragged the raven-haired woman towards the front door. "Don't be such a kill-joy! Let's just go inside and have some fun!" she said cheerfully, winking at a couple of boys who lounged by the front door.
"Whatever," Shannon muttered and let herself be led into the house. Loud music deafened her ears as dancing bodies hit her on all sides as they cut across the main room. Halfway across the floor, she felt Keana's hand release her arm and she knew that she was on her own from that moment onwards. Fixing a bored look on her face, the green-hued hero pushed her way out of the crowd until she reached the makeshift bar manned by three college boys. "What drinks do you have on you?" she had to yell over the blare of the sound system that was positioned right beside the bar.
"Name it and we have it!" one of the boys slurred, raising a half-empty glass of beer into the air.
Shannon faked a smile at the bartender and stuffed her hands into her jeans' pockets. "Got any Vodka?" she asked, stepping out of the way in time as a boy stumbled and fell face first onto the floor.
"What kind do you want?" the bartender asked.
"Do you have Smirnoff by any chance?" Shannon let out a cough as a wave of cigarette smoke entered her nostrils. It wasn't just cigarette smoke that she was smelling and she was sure that she could make out small traces of weed in the air.
"Sure do!" The drunken boy brought out a bottle of the requested Vodka and placed it on top of the bar. "A glass?" he asked, elbowing his companion to serve the other people who had come to the bar for drinks.
Shannon shook her head. "The bottle will do," she replied, taking the vodka and nodding her thanks. Turning back around, the hero furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to figure out a way to get back outside without cutting through the dance floor. She was in luck; a nearby window large enough for her to fit through looked like it would lead her out to the backyard. Holding the bottle in one hand, the raven-haired woman made her way to the window, pulled it open and vaulted out onto the grass outside. Shannon took in a deep breath and released it. The air was definitely easier to breathe compared to the one inside. Walking to the road, the young woman settled herself on the sidewalk and twisted the cap off her bottle of vodka. "Once I finish this, I'll walk back to the dormitory. I've had enough of parties," Shannon told herself as she took a gulp of the alcoholic beverage.
There were a lot of things going on in her mind and most of them were rather complicated matters. With the superhero business flourishing, she wondered if she should just drop out of school. She and her brothers had a stable income from their crime-fighting activities and both her parents were wealthy. There was also the other fact that she still had no idea why she decided to major in education. She wasn't exactly the type of person to go into teaching and her own family also wondered why she had taken the course. "Being a superhero fulltime?" she wondered aloud, swirling the remaining liquid in the bottle. "I'd rather not," she muttered. "Having Hector as leader is already bad enough already, but having him boss you around every single day? No way…"
"Shit man! You ruined my shirt!" A male voice shouted from across the street.
"I apologize, but you were the one who ran into me," another male's baritone voice said.
"What'd you say?" the man demanded. "You're the one who bumped me and made me spill my drink!" There was a loud thud that sounded like a body hitting the pavement. "What do you say now mister fancy pants?" The boy laughed along with his group of friends.
"Nothing," the victim replied. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."
"Hold on! You think you're going to get away that easily? You have to pay for my ruined shirt!"
Shannon listened in on the conversation and was thinking about leaving already. At the back of her head, she thought that the victim of this group should be sensible enough to just give in to the demands of these bullies and escape without a bruise.
"Pay? One go at the washing machine would make it brand new," the man with the baritone voice replied absently.
"Oh boy," Shego murmured, squinting through the darkness to get a better look at the group of bullies and their victim. "He just asked for it. Not to mention, that tone of voice he's using is sure to sound insulting." Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could make out four men standing across the street. She felt her lips tighten as one man viciously punched the face of the man she assumed to be the victim.
"If I say you have to pay, then you pay!" the boy yelled, kicking at the other man's stomach. As the victimized fellow fell to the ground, all three men surrounded him and began their beating.
Shannon had enough. Getting to her feet, she gulped down the remains of her vodka and threw the bottle at the three men, which shattered noisily a few feet away from them. "Don't you have anything better to do?" she asked, disinterest in her voice. "He hardly said or did anything to insult you." She walked towards the group with her hands snuggly in her pocket. She knew what to do if they decided to get violent with her.
The instigator of the fight glared at her with bloodshot eyes. From the smell, Shannon could tell that not only was he inebriated, but also high on drugs. "I'll do what I want, bitch!" he shouted, waving a fist at her before delivering another kick at the fallen man's stomach. "You better run off if you don't want to end up like this guy!" He took an empty beer bottle from his friend and raised it in the air to hit his quarry when there was suddenly a flash of green and the bottle in his hand shattered. He turned his head and stared in both fear and shock as the face of the woman he just threatened became clearer by the green energy collecting around her raised hand, which illuminated her face.
"I wouldn't mind a tussle," Shannon said with a wicked grin. "I'd certainly enjoy the thrill of it, but I'm not so sure if you'd like how it would turn out." She urged more energy into her fist and threw a deadly ball of green at the group of men who scrambled away and avoided the attack. "Still interested?" She raised her eyebrows at the stunned men and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll take your silence as a yes then." Raising her other hand, she brought it aflame and made a move to throw more balls of green plasma at the bullies, but ended up staying still as the cowards made a run for it. "No fun at all," she muttered, walking over to the keeled over young man. "Anything broken?" she asked, extinguishing the collected energy in her hands as the young man pushed himself up and wearily sat down on the curb.
"I don't believe so," he replied sullenly as he dabbed his fingers at his bleeding nose. Under the lamplight, Shannon could now see that the young man before her had sable-black hair, deep sleepy blue-gray eyes and a well-chiseled face. Blood seeped out from the side of his lips, dripping onto his pristine white button-down shirt. His jeans were slightly dirty from the tussle, but otherwise he seemed alright. "I just feel a bit woozy from that punch to my face and the kicks to my gut," he admitted, looking up at his savior. "My thanks." He bowed his head to the young woman before him, got to his feet and stumbled down the street.
"Where do you think are you going?" Shannon asked, amused with this listless character.
The injured man didn't even bother to look behind him as he dizzily made his way down the street. "Where I should have been going if those drunken guys didn't bump into me," he replied tiredly. "I'm going back to my dormitory," he told the hero.
Shannon let out a breath and strode forward to catch up with the blue-eyed man. "Mind if I tagged along?" she asked as she looked over the young man's injuries. "I'd rather not go back to that party and it would probably be a good idea if I accompanied you back to your dormitory." Her companion could only groan in reply as she took his arm and laid it around her shoulders. "I'll take that as a yes then," she told him, helping him along. It took them fifteen minutes of walking when the injured man pointed out a small two-floor dormitory. "Will I be allowed in there?"
The sable-haired man nodded his head. "Everyone's asleep anyway and the dormitory master doesn't really give a damn about outsiders," he explained, pointing at the back door. "Head through that door," he told the green-skinned woman. "It's closer to my room."
The hero nodded her head, twisted the doorknob and nudged the door open with her foot. From the looks of it, the room they had just entered looked to be a cafeteria. With the directions of her companion, Shannon helped the boy down a hallway and into a room with the number eleven on the door. Fumbling at the wall, her hands found the light switch and flipped it up. She helped the young man sit on his bed while she subtly observed the room. It was sparse containing only a simple study desk, a queen-sized bed and a small bathroom. At one corner of the room stood a large black cello case, it's shiny black surface catching Shannon's eyes. "Got a first aid kit?" She walked over to the pointed at desk and took the white box back to the young man.
As she tended to his injuries, the gloomy-looking man observed the woman who had saved him. "You look familiar," he finally said, wincing as the green-eyed woman dabbed at a cut on his face.
"What makes you say that?" Shannon asked absently, taking a adhesive bandage from the kit and putting it on the afflicted area of the man's face. Did he always look so gloomy, she wondered as she looked into those somber blue-gray eyes. "Ah don't tell me. You saw me on TV along with my freaks of nature brothers of mine," she said sarcastically. "No?" She looked at him quizzically when he shook his head.
"Sorry, I'm not very updated with the news," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "I saw you a few days ago at that auto shop just outside the campus."
"Are you sure you don't recognize me because of the things I do that are caught on the tube?" she asked, intrigued that she was actually talking to someone who had no idea who she actually was.
The man shrugged. "Someone special?" he guessed and pointed at her hands. "You do manage to call green fire to your hands and are able to use it as a weapon."
Shannon shook her head and smirked. "You're quite a dense guy huh?" she chuckled, putting the first aid kit away, pulling a chair over and sitting on it. "I'm Shego of Team Go," she introduced herself, sticking her hand out in the process. "We're something like the official superheroes and crime fighters of Go City," she explained, noting the blank expression on the man's face. "Of course when I'm off duty, I'm just known as Shannon Go," she added.
"Nice to meet you then Shannon," he told her with a smile. "I'm Lorenzo Sinclair, but people usually call me Lorenzo." He ran his fingers through his tussled hair and looked down at his bloodied shirt with a frown.
"You're way too formal," Shannon told her newfound friend. "How about I shorten your name and call you Enzo instead?" She misinterpreted the shocked look on his face. "Hey if you don't like it then-"
"No," he interrupted with a shake of his head. "Enzo is fine," he assured her. "It will take some getting used to though," he admitted ruefully. "Thank you for coming to my aid a while ago," he expressed his gratitude once more.
"I take it that you get bullied often," Shannon guessed, leaning back against the chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "How long have you been here anyway?" she asked.
"A few months?" Enzo calculated. "I moved here from London so that I could get a fresh start," he explained. "About the bullying, well…" he scratched his head. "It wasn't as bad yet when I arrived, but it has been escalating especially with the start of the school year," he admitted. "Tonight was the first time I've been beaten though."
"Not meaning it as an insult though, but you make yourself look like an easy target," Shannon pointed out with a frown. "You're too gloomy looking!"
Enzo laughed at the comment. "So being gloomy makes a person into a likely victim for bullies," he clarified with an amused smile. "You need not worry about me. I'm rather used to the treatment and it's an essential part of my character," he assured the superhero. He glanced at his watch and carefully got to his feet. "It's getting late," he began. "Do you need a ride home?"
Shannon shook her head and got to her feet. "Nah, I'll just walk back." She shook her head when Enzo looked like he was about to refuse. "Relax wallflower, no one's going to try to assault a superhero even at this time of the night."
"Wallflower?"
Shannon smiled and headed to the only window in the room. "You look and act like one," she explained, opening the window and pulling a leg over the ledge. "Well at least, I think you act like one," she amended with a wry grin. "See you around, wallflower." She waved once to Enzo before pulling herself through the opened window and disappearing into the night.
"Now, some philosophers state that feminists are actually marginalizing themselves…"
Shannon yawned and looked out of the second floor window of her classroom. She was having a difficult time paying attention to her philosophy professor and she was already contemplating making her escape. Midterm exams were coming and while most students were getting ready for them, Shannon was doing the opposite… nothing. Nearly two months have gone by since the start of the school year and she had hardly ever opened her textbooks.
"Excuse me class," the professor quickly stepped out of the room to attend to the concerns of a fellow professor.
"Now's my chance," Shannon muttered, sliding the large window open and leaping outside. Very much like a large feline, the raven-haired woman landed on the ground with her knees slightly bent. Not bothering to look up at the mixed looks her classmates were giving her, Shannon ambled down the path not exactly sure where she was heading off to. Despite not wanting to handle her overly bossy older brother, she was actually hoping to be called out on a mission. "It's been too quiet these days," she told herself, nodding greetings to other university students.
She had been walking for quite some time lost in her thoughts when a sad melody played on a stringed instrument reached her ears. Looking around, the superhero realized that she was at Go University's music hall and that the music was coming from an opened window on the second floor. Curious and enamored by the music, the raven-haired woman strode over to a nearby oak tree, whose branches stretched close to the opened window. Jumping up, Shannon grabbed hold of a branch and easily pulled herself up, climbing higher and higher until she was at the same level as the second floor of the building. She made her across a sturdy branch and pulled herself into the practice room only to see that a lone musician played his cello with his back facing her.
"I shouldn't be surprised after seeing a cello case in your room," Shannon began, the sad melody produced by the musician ceasing. "But I'm still surprised that you actually play quite well," she added, walking over to the young man who now looked at her. "Hello Enzo," she greeted, returning his smile. "It's been a while."
"It certainly has been a while," Enzo agreed, settling his arms on the flat surface of his cello's body. "How have you been?" he asked, motioning for her to take a seat on one of the empty chairs in the room. "You're on break?" He put away his bow while Shannon pulled a chair over and plopped down on it.
"Actually, I cut class," she admitted. "I escaped in the middle of my philosophy professor's lecture." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It was getting rather boring and I was about to fall asleep." She leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees. "How long have you been playing?" she asked.
"Since I was eight years old," Enzo replied. "Started out with the smaller cello version since I was still a kid then my parents got me the standard-sized one when I turned thirteen," he explained.
"Do you like playing the cello?"
"Why do you ask?"
Shannon shrugged. "Some people who play instruments were only forced to learn because of their parents," she told him. "Are you the same?"
Enzo shook his head. "My parents did want me to play an instrument, but I was the one who chose which instrument I wanted to learn and play." He ran his fingers through his sable-black hair and returned the gaze of his one-time savior.
"Well that's a good thing I guess," Shannon conceded. "How long have you been in here?"
Enzo thought about it for a few seconds. "Around two hours?" he guessed. "My last class ended early so I headed over here to practice." He shook his head and absently plucked the strings of his cello.
"The people at my dormitory don't really appreciate the music I make with this so if I want to play, I have to do it here."
"Still being bullied huh?" Shego presumed with a smirk. "And don't you have any friends? You always seem to be alone," she pointed out. "Midterms are coming up and you still haven't made any friends?" she demanded when the blue-eyed man shook his head. "Not only are you a sullen lad, but you're also a loner?" The superhero shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Quite a bad mix."
"I don't make friends easily," Enzo told her.
"You don't look like you've been trying," Shannon accused him. "So the nickname I gave you suits you after all." She locked her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling. "Do you have any plans at all to socialize, wallflower?" she asked.
Enzo sighed as he got to his feet and carried his cello to its case. "It may seem easy for you," he started. "You seem to be quite popular on campus not to mention your being a superhero contributes to your fame. Besides, who'd be interested in becoming friends with a gloomy and stiff guy who spends his free time bonding with his beloved cello and is often the a victim of the bullies in this university?" He carefully stored away his cello and leaned it against the wall.
"The popular superhero and student with green skin and unnatural powers who likes to slack off may be interested," Shannon replied, a serious look on her face. "Look," she began when Enzo gave her a strange look. "You're the first person I've met ever who has treated me so sincerely ever since I enrolled in this university." She poked him on his shoulder. "You're a nice guy or I'd like to believe that you are one and I think you deserve to be treated better," she informed him.
"So what are you suggesting?" Enzo rubbed the shoulder that was poked at.
Shannon let out a disgruntled sigh. "Have you always been this dense?" she demanded irritably despite the amused grin on her face.
"My mother used to mention it a lot," Enzo admitted with a sheepish grin.
"I'm saying that I want to be your friend," Shannon told the young man impatiently. "Aside from that, I want to help you out and change that attitude of yours," she added. "You'll be my project," she joked.
"Sounds like…" Enzo thought about it. "...fun." He exchanged smiles with the green-eyed woman.
"It will be," Shannon assured her friend. "Come on. I've got some ideas already to help you out." She waited for the taller man to grab his encased cello and led him out of the music hall. "Now the first thing I'd like to do is to get rid of that seemingly permanent gloomy look on your face!"
"Do I really look that gloomy to make people shy away from me?" Enzo asked skeptically.
"Yes!"
The months had gone by fast and it was now autumn season in Go City. Students started to don much warmer clothing with the coming of the cold season. Despite the chilly weather, the students bustled through their activities and excitedly planned for the upcoming sports intramurals. Shannon and Enzo who she now considered as a close friend were aware of the events, but were not as interested as the other students around them.
The months that the superhero and the blue-eyed man spent together did wonders for the latter. He was slowly coming out of his shell and making an effort to be sociable while Shannon continued to coach him from the sidelines. They hung out with each other regularly, often going on walks outside of the campus or hanging out at music hall where Shannon would relax and listen to Enzo's music. The bullying ceased since Enzo was often seen in Shannon's company and eventually the young man was never bothered again even if he was alone.
Some students speculated that something was going on between the famous superhero and the formerly quiet transfer student, but the rumors died down when nothing juicy seemed to be occurring between the two. Enzo felt so comfortable around the super powered woman that he eventually told her the secret he had been keeping since arriving in America.
"You what?" Shannon stared at him from across their table at a nearby restaurant.
Enzo sighed and prepared himself for the long explanation. "I said that I'm not really you think I am," he repeated himself. "I'm actually the heir of a multi-billion corporation in the pharmacology manufacturing business and I've been living a different life since arriving in this country."
Shannon threw her head back in a laugh. "Is this a joke?"
Getting up from his seat and walking to a nearby magazine rack, Enzo selected a magazine and brought it over to his friend. He flipped through a few pages before pushing it towards the raven-haired woman. "Read that," he ordered.
"The Sinclair family is certainly one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in the world. Jasper Sinclair is not only a brilliant businessman but also part of the British nobility. Thea Sinclair on the other hand hails from a family of renowned doctors and also equally as brilliant as her husband," Shannon read the first few lines of the article. "The two have a son by the name of Lorenzo Sinclair who recently transferred from the London University to a university in the United States of America for unstated reasons." She stared at the picture on the next page and goggled at her companion. "So you're a rich kid?" Shannon demanded.
"You make it sound bad," Enzo pointed out. "Yes I'm a rich kid, but I didn't like the way I was living so I moved here so that I could try my hand at living a simpler kind of life where I'm able to make my own choices," he explained. "Not that my parents could do anything about it anyway." He drank from his glass of water and absently tinkered with the silver rectangular earring that hugged most of his earlobe. At the suggestion of the green-skinned woman before him, he had gotten the piercing.
"But you're a rich-ass kid!" Shannon exclaimed, drawing the attention of the other customers around them.
"As I said, is that such a bad thing? Will it change the way you look at me?" he asked her, azure eyes locking with her own emerald green orbs.
Shannon let out a long sigh and shook her head. "No, it won't change the way I see you," she assured her friend. "It's just surprising to hear the truth and it's hard to believe that such a simple guy like you is the heir of a multi-billion corporation."
"I'm simple?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.
"As simple as dirt," Shannon replied, mischief twinkling in her eyes.
Enzo frowned. "Not quite a delectable way to describe my simplicity," he muttered.
Shannon laughed and called for their check. "By the way, I signed you up for fencing."
The cellist's eyebrows furrowed. "And what gave you the idea to do that?" he demanded.
"Well, I figured that since you're pretty good using that bow of yours to play a cello, you'd also be pretty good at waving a sword around," Shannon enlightened him.
"I don't see the relationship," Enzo replied in a disinterested voice.
"Just trust me and give it a try," the superhero ordered. "Other extracurricular activities should do you some good and fencing should be fun." She took the bill from the waiter and brought out her wallet.
Enzo shook his head and also took out his wallet. "I don't see how poking people with a saber is fun," he complained, paying for half of the bill.
"It's either that or I sign you up for the boxing team," Shannon threatened as they stood and headed back to the university campus. "I'm sure beating each other senseless with you fists would be more appealing to you." She could only grin in amusement as her friend paled and vigorously shook his head at her suggestion.
Junior year faded into senior year and things were going in opposite directions for the two good friends. Shannon was a shoo in for the magna cum laude award for graduation, but her non-academic life was otherwise. Her relationship with her brothers or teammates was going into a decline particularly the relationship she had with her eldest brother. More often than not, they would end up arguing throughout any mission they were sent out on. The only good thing that came out of the constant bickering with each other was the enjoyment Shannon derived from it. Sure, she was starting to loathe the bossy and idiotic Hego, but she was quite a sadist when it came to their quarrelling. Aside from that, Shannon now preferred to be called by her alias even when she was among her brothers or friends in the university. The only exception of course was Enzo who continued to call her by her real name despite the threats she threw at him.
The so-called rich kid Shego called him by was doing better ever since becoming fast friends with the superhero. Her guess that the cellist would actually have some talent in fencing was right. By the start of their senior year, Enzo had been recruited by the fencing team and was scheduled to participate in an upcoming tournament. The once gloomy wallflower was no more. It was rare to see the young man roaming the campus without an entourage of girls and boys.
Despite his popularity boom, Enzo still tried to make an effort to hang out with his closest friend. He and Shego managed to spend some time with each other be it at the music hall or during short walks to and from classes, but it was clear for the both of them that their time was running short. Crimes in the city were steadily increasing as more and more criminals became bolder and less fearful of Team Go. With the fast arrival of graduation, Enzo knew that sooner or later he was going to be called back to London to handle several important matters with his parents and their business. Aside from that, his extracurricular activities as a fencer and cellist were keeping him busy.
On one of the few occasions he and Shego were spending time with each other, he noticed how weary his friend looked. "Is the crime fighting getting that tiresome?" he asked the green-hued woman as they both relaxed on a lone bench somewhere around the campus.
Shego nodded and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's been the same thing over and over again," she told him. "The same criminals pop out, try to do a crime and my brothers and I get out and save the day," she let out in a huff. "I'm tired of doing the same thing almost every single day and I'm tired of handling three younger lapdog brothers and a particularly overbearing and idiotic older brother."
"That kind of life becoming too rich for your tastes?" Enzo asked.
"You could say that," Shego replied with a dry smile. "I heard that Antonio is in town." She had met the kind servant-slash-guardian of several months ago when he had come to Go City bearing news from Enzo's parents. "What's the occasion?"
Enzo shook his head. "I'm not at all sure, but I'll be finding out tomorrow I suppose." He glanced at his watch and looked up at the darkening skies. "Anyway, there's a party at one of my teammates frat house." He got up to his feet and stood in front of the still-seated superhero. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"
Shego frowned and uncrossed her legs. "I've had enough of parties," she muttered.
"Come on. For old time's sake, let's go together before we graduate and never get to do this kind of thing again," he tried to convince his dearest friend. "I heard that it's going to be a free-flowing drinks party."
"Oh all right, Enzo!" Shego exclaimed as she got to her feet. "You make it look like that I'd agree to do anything for some alcohol," she muttered darkly.
"But you would do anything for a bottle of Smirnoff," Enzo pointed out with a laugh before letting out a cry of pain. "Hey! You don't need to punch me that hard!" He ducked to avoid another blow. "And you don't need to light up those hands of yours!" he yelled, breaking out into a run.
"I'll do whatever I want!" Shego growled, a wicked grin forming on her face as she chased after the escaping cellist.
It was past four in the morning and the lamplights strewn across the various campus paths were slowly blinking off with the arrival of morning while a figure hunched over and seemingly carrying a burden on his back ambled his way down the road. "You drink too much, you know," Enzo spoke to the woman on his back with a slight slur.
"Yeaaahhh… whatever," Shego hiccupped pressed her face against her friend's back. "You wanted me to drink and party so I did!" Her voice sounded muffled with her face hidden. They remained quiet for the next few minutes of their walk until Shego spoke in a somewhat sobered tone. "You're leaving aren't you?" she asked.
"Leaving where?" Enzo threw the question back, not entirely sure if his charge was sober.
"Antonio's here to bring you back to London," Shego told him. "I'm not stupid. I spotted him lugging some luggage from you dormitory into a car." She rested her chin on Enzo's shoulder and spoke softly into his ear. "I sort of figured that you weren't going to stay for graduation. When are you leaving?"
Enzo sighed, but continued his way down the street. "My flight is early tomorrow morning," he answered. "I was going to tell you," he assured his closest friend. "But then you kept getting away from me during the party and by the time I got my hands on you, you were already wasted." He turned his head slightly to regard the raven-haired woman. "Are you angry?"
Shego shook her head. "Why should I be?"
"I don't know," Enzo replied. "I would have thought that all the preaching I did about wanting to live my own life and breaking away from my parents' control twisted your ear enough to get you be angry with me," he guessed. He shifted Shego's body higher up his back and resettled his grip under Shego's thighs.
"You'll get your freedom eventually," Shego said softly, tightening her arms around her friend. "I think you've spent enough time with me for some of my rebelliousness and free spiritedness to rub off on you." She let out a groan and pressed a hand against her forehead. "God… my head is killing me."
"What about you?" Enzo ignored Shego's complaint. "Are you going to push through with that plan of yours?"
"Yeah. I'd like to try the other side and I need a break from this superhero business."
A smirk formed on Enzo's lips as amusement twinkled in his blue-gray eyes. "You mean you're going to become a villainess so that you could irk Hego mostly." He choked when Shego's arm wrapped around his neck and squeezed. "I was kidding, but seriously Shannon," he called her by her real name. "You do know what will happen to Team Go if you leave?"
"Too bad for them," Shego muttered. "Are you disappointed in me particularly with the decision I've made?" she asked him.
Enzo shook his head as he spotted Shego's dormitory come into view. "As long as you're happy then I have nothing against it," he said with honesty. "We probably won't be able to get to see each other for a while," he informed her in a grave voice. "If you need to find me, I'll most likely be at Knightsbridge in London. Antonio hinted that I was going to reside in that area." He walked up to the front door and glanced over his shoulder to look at Shego. "Are you even listening?" He felt his friend nod her head. "Come on now. I'll bring you up to your room."
Present…
"Ow! Why'd you have to ram your elbow into my ribs, Shannon?" The blue-eyed man demanded, rubbing his side with one slender hand. His recounting of his and Shego's past as college students became quite lengthy that they had to leave the dining area and transfer to the living room to finish. It was already nearing two in the afternoon when Enzo was abruptly stopped during his storytelling.
Kim frowned at her scowling protector. "What was that for anyway, Shego?" she also demanded. She could not figure it out, but there was something fishy going on between the ex-hero and the heir. If she knew any better, she would have guessed that Shego was intentionally trying to hide something from her.
"I did that so that you could end with this reminiscing nonsense!" Shego retorted. "I'm not into the whole recounting the past kind of thing," she started, aiming a glare at her old friend. "There are some memories that I prefer to be kept a secret," she reminded the sable-haired cellist. "And besides, do you even know what time is it?" The ex-hero got off the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. "Or is just my stomach that's been growling?"
Enzo blinked and checked his watch. "I apologize," he told Shego with a bow of his head. "I lost track of time and I also apologize for sharing your memories without your permission."
For a few seconds, Kim caught the Shego and Enzo locking eyes before the former turned away. There was definitely something going on, but she still couldn't guess what it was. "Are you sure that's the end of the story?" She walked beside Enzo as they followed Shego back to the dining room.
"What? Do you want to know about the beginning of my criminal life?" Shego asked in annoyance, rolling her eyes at the redhead.
Kim ignored the irritable older woman and focused her attention on the sable black-haired cellist's face. "Was there anything else?" she asked again, hoping that she would get a clue to what was going on between the two close friends.
Blue-gray eyes momentarily flicked ahead to look at the retreating green-hued woman's back before locking with those jade green orbs. "Well after bringing Shannon home and spending the remainder of the day packing, I headed for London the following morning," he narrated, rubbing his chin in thought. "From what I know, Shego abandoned Team Go and the superhero business as soon as she graduated. After that, she and I never saw or even communicated with each other until the both of you showed up at the gates of my home."
"Oh," Kim let out feeling a little bit disappointed.
Enzo chuckled at the teen hero and patted her on the shoulder. "If you want to know more about Shego, then you should just ask her."
"Don't even bother!" Shego yelled from the dining room. "I'm tired of all this reminiscing crap!"
While Kim rolled her eyes, Enzo shook his head ruefully. "Ah! The sound of her voice warms my blood," he said dreamily although Kim could see that there was mischief in his fathomless blue-gray eyes.
"If you lived with her in the same apartment then that voice of hers would definitely warm your blood enough to make it boil and evaporate," Kim remarked sarcastically. "She makes me so angry sometimes!" she told the ever so patient heir. "I know it's her job to protect me, but it's not part of her job to constantly annoy me!"
"You have to be patient with her," Enzo advised. "And don't take it the wrong way whenever she teases you," he added with a gentle smile. Crooking his finger at Kim, he waited for the shorter redhead to come closer so that he could bend down and whisper into her ear. "You should have realized from my story that whenever Shannon takes to teasing a particular person for extended periods of time, then it mean that she actually enjoys that person's company," he whispered, winking at the astonished Kim when he pulled away. "Don't worry about it." He entered the dining room table and settled in the seat next to the still scowling raven-haired woman.
"Shego? Enjoying my company?" Kim wondered softly in the hallway. "No way," she muttered, marching into the dining room and finding herself a place on the dining table. She's just a sadistic woman! She watched Enzo laugh at how Shego was wolfing down her food. Then suddenly, she found herself staring too long once again at her protector and managed to turn away in time to not get caught. What she didn't know was that a pair of blue-gray eyes regarded her with interest as she picked up her utensils and began to ferry food into her mouth.
Enzo had caught the heated gaze of the teen hero and he pretty much had an idea of what was going on. Smiling to himself, he too picked up his utensils and began to eat their rather late lunch.
Author's Notes:
I'm trying to make up for my three week absence by updating the next few chapter faster. Thankfully, the ideas keep coming whenever I start typing. I tried to summarize the history of Enzo and Shego back when they were still college students. I didn't want to dwell much on Enzo since he's only playing a minor part in this story. He does have a significant role, which he will be putting to use in the near future. Just to assure you guys once more, he isn't a threat to the relationship of Kim and Shego.
Hope that all of you have enjoyed this story so far!
Next chapter: Heart-to-Heart Talk