Legends We Make
By: Sheiado

Chapter Twelve: Zack's Extreme Dread

Layla, Will, and Zack watched openly, their eyes drawn out into intense stares of curiosity as they observed the two talking quietly to each other within the secluded booth outside of their ear range.

At first, it seemed like a heated conversation and quite frankly, the intense, seething gaze that emanated from Warren unnerved them a bit. It seemed to dissipate moments later, however, after words were shot back from his companion, no doubt deterring any hostility the two had against each other.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Layla asked, her nose scrunching up, as her expression seemed to reveal both a hint of awe and intrigue. Warren had actually got the other girl speaking for far longer than she ever did…

"When did they suddenly become such good friends is what I'm wondering," Will stated offhandedly, his eyes training themselves intently upon the face of his friend. Warren's expression, suddenly and rather unexpectedly, softened as he talked back to the girl and that, quite frankly, had surprised the hell out of him…

"Dude," Zack spoke up, shaking his head enviously, "what I wouldn't give just to be a fly on that wall…!"

"Shhhh!" Layla scolded, waging her finger, "Do you want them to hear you? Let them talk, Zack."

Zack winced sheepishly, refraining from covering his mouth. Looking over to see if they'd noticed or not, he bent his head closer towards the table, speaking in a low whisper, "Dude, do you think that guy she was with was her pops or sumthin'? 'Cause man, I wouldn't want to mess with that guy. He was pretty built, not to mention tall…"

Will shook his head. "He didn't really look anything like her. But, I guess you can never really tell. He seemed to like Warren when he met him."

"Well, the guy did actually kiss her on the cheek before he left," Layla perked up, "He was kind of handsome for an older man, in a sort of rugged, Richard Gere kind of way… And, I mean, he actually made her smile a couple of times. She ought to do that more often, she has such a pretty smile too."

Zack nodded his agreement, grinning slyly. "Yea, kind of a sexy one on that note, son…"

"Zack," Will chided him, "If Maj ever heard you say that she would slap you a thousand times over."

Zack shrugged innocently. "Well, she doesn't kiss me in public so hell, at least that's my way of getting public affection…"

Layla chuckled, plucking her lips out teasingly at the pathetic scowl that had split itself across his face. "Aw, Poor Zacky…"

"Hey!" Zack warned. "We can't all be you two, macking it out in the middle of Coach Boomer's gym class. Besides, maybe she'll start smacking me somewhere else, now that would be a good change…hell yea…"

Layla's moment of victory was briefly short-lived and her expression crumbled into a pure look of utter terror. "…ew."

Zack wiggled his eyebrows, a triumphant grin plastered across his face.

"Well, I have to say that I'm shocked to say the least," Will interrupted, "I mean, I haven't really seen him talk or at least even bother to look at another female since Nora."

"Yea," Zack agreed, "Then again, who can blame him after living through that frigid hell. Personally, I thought Maj was going to morph and spring on her just to gouge her beady little eyes out."

Layla smiled knowingly at Zack, her fingers wrapping themselves absently around her fortune cookie.

"Now that would've been something worth seeing…" Will replied, "But, I mean, guys look. He's talking to her and he's not even hostile anymore, not to mention he approached her. I'm detecting that something's there."

"Yeah," Zack snorted, "like hormones raging…"

Layla whacked him, hard, right upside the head with her fortune cookie, a chiding frown evading her lips. It was a customary ritual for Layla's definition of "Zack stupidity" that everyone else had well grown accustomed to. Will grinned despite himself.

"Well," Layla began, "I think they would look cute together. I mean, she's gorgeous, she wears dark clothes, has powers almost similar to his, and they practically speak the same language… I mean who says, 'leave me alone', 'go away', and 'what', all the time, anyway…"

At the bemused stares she received, Layla continued sheepishly, "Well, except them, I mean…"

Will nodded and glanced back over. "They seem to get along pretty well," he observed.

"Well," Layla added, a dreamy smile flittering itself across her pink, rosy lips. "He did carry her to the nurses office after she fainted in the gym. I thought that was kind of romantic."

Zack cringed and blatantly scowled in her direction. "Romantic? Gawd, you chicks fuckin' amaze the hell outta of me! Is the part where she turned into a fireball romantic too?!"

Layla snorted and narrowed her eyes threateningly. Unfortunately, she was out of fortune cookie ammunition, the glare was the next best and only thing to shoot at him…

"Geez, Layla, if you think that's romantic then maybe I ought to carry you around more often," Will replied, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

Zack rolled his eyes heavenward, mumbling incoherent curses as the couple in front of him made "kissy" faces at each other.

A sudden smile lit up Layla's lips, her eyes shifting from Will's direction and back over toward the pair beyond them.

The two shared a look.

An expression of abrupt horrification suddenly lit itself transversely across Zack's face and, almost knowing what was going to be said, he replied tonelessly, "Let me guess, you guys wanna play matchmaker?"

"Of course!" Layla squeaked.

"Ugh!" Zack's lips scrunched up in disgust, especially when it came to Layla's tactics, of all people… "That's a bad idea."

"Why?"

"First off, Lay, both are unapproachable. Both, as you two have so well pointed out tonight, do not like to be pushed. I mean, if you ask me? I think you're more liable to face Royal Pain again before hooking those two up."

Will shrugged. "I have to go with Zack on this one, Layla. Plus, I met her today and personally, I think she's even less approachable than even Warren was in his sophomore year."

"Well," Layla grinned slyly. "We'll just have to change that then, won't we?"

Zack groaned and look skyward. "Oh, god in heaven, PLEASE save us now!"

"Oh please," Layla snorted, rolling her eyes, "You've never attended church a day in your life, Zack."

"Yea," Zack agreed, "But after seein' the results of this tho, I might just start goin'."

Will gulped; the scheming glint in Layla's eyes unnerved him… and that meant only one thing… "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…?"

Zack gave him a withering look. "No shit, dude, you think? God knows just exactly what the hell your girl's gonna drag us into…"

Layla frowned at their childish antics. "Relax, Zack."

At Will's worried look, she replied simply, "I promise to be subtle about it."