(12)
Wearing the bandages around school would be difficult. Since my arms didn't hurt anymore, it would be difficult yelping out everytime someone bumped into me. Swinging my arms normally would attract some unwanted attention too…
The moment I stepped off the bus the world seemed to shift slightly. I kept my gaze low knowing a few people were staring at me. Not everyone knew about me quite yet so it was easy sneaking into school unnoticed. Well, not totally unnoticed.
"How are your arms, Izzy?" Speed asked suddenly at my side in a blur.
"Still burned but healing nicely," I said looking down at my covered arms.
"How was your weekend?" Speed asked as I heard Lash approaching us.
Let's see, I thought, Slept through one day and woke up early for the next.
"Fine, yours?" I asked.
"Speed! What the heck?" Lash shouted in the hallways.
"I'm just saying hi to Izzy," Speed said continuing to walk with me. "Go say hi to Gwen or something."
I perked up then. Lash and Speed just glared at each other. So Gwen is already making her rounds to everyone else to try and befriend. I wonder if anything else sees through her little innocent act?
"Izzy, why are you in this room?" Speed asked standing just outside the doorway. "Aren't you in hero support?"
"The first day of the week means you are in your partners class," I said taking a seat. "Which means I have to be with Warren today."
"You're in my way," Warren spoke behind Speed.
Speed jumped a little but let Warren pass. I felt so smug inside when Warren took a seat next to me. I waved at Speed as he turned to go; defeated.
"Why do you put up with him?" Warren asked.
"Because I have no idea how to turn him down on a daily basis to really get my point across that I'm not interested," I answered looking up at Warren. "It's not like I can light myself up and scare him away."
"Yeah," Warren agreed. "You're pretty innocent."
"Bingo," I said pushing my glasses higher on my nose. "Who in the right mind would be afraid of a girl that blow bubbles?"
"Carbon bubbles," Warren corrected.
"Yeah," I laughed. "I totally proved that yesterday when we tried to light Gwen on fire."
"Well, maybe you just can't do it on queue," Warren suggested.
I shrugged, "Maybe, but we won't know until Homecoming now."
"Actually, we've had a few challenges," Warren said.
"What have you gotten me into now?" I asked almost in a whine.
"It's nothing serious," Warren said. "Just our first match in Save the Citizen just so people know we can actually perform as a balanced team instead of just a fighting one."
"And when is this?" I asked.
"Whenever your fully healed before Homecoming," Warren said. "And it was Boomer's idea, not mine."
Boomer is so out to get me, I thought.
"Silence!" the man said entering the room.
Great, now he's my teacher, I thought, Ugh!
"The school finds it necessary to have a class on performing as a team," Boomer said looking around the room. "It is my job to make sure you are prepared for the long season of matches ahead."
His eyes landed on me. He wasn't used to teaching sidekicks since most of the kids in Save the Citizen and Battle to the Finish were heroes.
"There are no theory hours in this class so from now on you will meet me in the gym," Boomer said. "For all the practical hours."
I rolled my eyes and got up with the rest of the class. Fifty bucks says he'll call on me first against another hero in the class. Just to really shove it in my face that I only won those matches because of Warren.
I walked beside Warren to the gym mainly because I didn't really know anyone else; and because I felt safer by him since I knew what he could do while everyone else was a mystery to me.
We walked into the gym seeing it prepared for a game of Battle to the Finish.
"Alright, we are gunna start off with warm-ups," Boomer said appearing in his referee chair. "Team up with your partner and stretch out a bit… feel free to use your powers if you want."
I glanced up at Warren.
"I'm not gunna burn you," Warren groaned. "Plus, I didn't burn you last time, that was your own fault."
"I always have to check," I said watching other teams start warming up. "I never know what's going on in that head of yours."
"Alright here is what we're going to do," Boomer said after a few minutes. "We are having an All Out War."
A few kids cheered.
"You'll still be with your partner but there will be two large teams," Boomer explained. "Then it's basically Battle to the Finish but you get ten minutes instead of five."
I wanted to raise my hand and have a doctors note to sit on the sidelines. But something told me Boomer would only use his sound waves to make me participate.
Okay, I thought. Fifty bucks lost.
Boomer called out captains. Surprisingly, Warren and I were the first picked.
Hello? Can anyone see the bandages on my arms? Guess not.
"Don't worry," Warren said into my ear. "With teams this big no one will aim for you."
"That's comforting," I said sighing.
"Just let the hot head take it from here," Warren said using his annoying nickname.
Flirt?
The whistle blew.
At least I don't have to worry about Speed knocking everyone over like blowing pins, I thought seeing a few kicks charge the front lines on either team. Warren and I stood in the back for the first few minutes just watching everyone else get pummeled.
"Bubbles! Hot head!" Boomer called us.
We both just glanced over a him.
"Move!" Boomer sounded knocking everyone on the entire back side of the field over.
I clapped my hands in front of me and blew out as I pulled them away from each other creating a cloud of bubbles. Pretending to me injured would be a little hard at the moment.
I let the bubbles float a little higher before I moved them over the playing field. I got some in the eyes and other just soaked on their faces. I made some make-up run which I got screamed at for.
"Hey," Warren perked up. "You think you could make your bubbles shapes instead of just circles?"
"Like what?" I asked.
I never thought of shaping them into anything.
"Try like a snake or something," Warren said.
"Um…" I trailed off.
I took in a deep inhale before I just blew out making a few thousand bubbles. I pushed them together making one large bubble. I squinted behind my glasses morphine it into something long and thin.
Someone on the other team froze my bubble over.
"What?" I asked surprised.
"It's freeze girl," Warren said.
I watched him hurl a fireball in the air barely missing the girl that froze my bubble. I glanced at my bubble thinking of how I could use it in the state it was currently in.
"Think we could push it?" I asked cocking my head to the side.
"Try to make the snake again," Warren urged.
I groaned but did as my hero commanded.
I held my held up to my mouth with my fingers connected blowing one long straight bubble. I released it letting it slowly first to the floor. Then I worked on making it snake-like for Warren's approval.
I thought about the scales. Then how it moved. And then the mouth and fangs. Soon enough my bubble somewhat resembled a snake. Except for the fact that it looked like a balloon animal with a mouth and eyes and it kinda moved.
"Okay, that's creepy," I said watching the snake slither around to look at me.
"You think it's carbon?" Warren asked.
It finally hit me then.
"Warren Peace," I said. "You are one sneaky master mind."
He smiled then. Jesus he had a good smile.
"Light it up," I said making the snake open it's mouth.
Warren threw down a small fire ball and completely torched my snake.
"It was carbon!" Warren exclaimed.
"Boys and explosives," I said watching my snake continue to move but burn while moving.
"Now, make it slither to freeze girl over there," Warren said pointing.
"If he doesn't pop on the way over," I said moving around my team players for a good view and road.
I focused hard on the snake at my feet. I moved it around the large frozen bubble and then made it bolt forward through my team to the other. A few people noticed it before it reached it's target. I made the snake coil up at freeze girl's feet making it hiss which was actually the sound of something burning.
She seemed startled by it, then Warren completely blew my snake up.
"Warren!" I whined. "I worked har…"
He was smiling… again.