"Kendra and Mia were partnered together, so of course they're both ecstatic." Abby was saying, sitting next to Warren on the ledge outside of school.
"Of course." Warren repeated.
"And so were Michael and Ellie, which should be okay, he's not too snobby about her having been a side-kick. Oh! And so were Gordon and Frank – they're really happy, obviously, and I mean, they get along great, but I don't see how they're going to save anyone."
"Uh huh."
"And then Tony and Olivia were also paired up. I don't know what they were thinking with that one. Olivia actually started crying when she found out."
"Abby, I'm sorry, but I don't care!" Warren burst at last. "I don't even know any of these people."
"Warren! Yes you do!"
"No I don't!"
"You've gone to school with them for the past four years, how could you not know them?"
"Uh, maybe because none of them would even talk to me until halfway through sophomore year?"
Abby gave him a look. Warren looked right back. "What's that for? You know it's the truth."
"And does that mean you don't have any interest in what any of them are doing?" She asked, her tone making it clear what she believed the answer to be. "These are the people we're going to be working with Warren – the supers of tomorrow."
"The only people I care about being paired together are you and me."
Abby turned to look at him, her mouth slightly open, then shook her head and looked away. "Fine." She said with a sigh, but smiling. "You win."
"No surprise there." Warren grinned.
Abby whipped back around, ready to argue, but before she had the chance, Warren caught sight of a figure headed towards them. "Layla!"
"Warren! Abby!" She cried out, hurrying over. "I just saw the news!" She said, smiling widely and engulfing them both in a hug. "You're going to be partners! I'm so happy for you!"
"Thanks Layla." Abby said, her voice muffled by the crushing embrace, as Warren carefully pried her off.
"I was so surprised!" She said, bouncing down on the seat beside them. "But I'm so glad too! I wasn't sure they were going to let you, Warren after, you know, everything."
"Honestly, I was pretty surprised too. I thought they might have even made me repeat senior year. But I'm not complaining."
"Well, I think it shows very good judgment on Principal Powers' part," Layla said. "Not discriminating against those with unconventional family backgrounds."
"Or maybe they just wanted to get rid of him." Abby said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, whatever the case may be," Warren said. "My plan is to just graduate before they realize they've made a mistake."
"It's no mistake Warren!" Layla said seriously. "You deserve to graduate. You've worked your way all the way through high school, and now you're going to be a real hero." She smiled at them, sunk in content nostalgia.
"Just think, soon you'll be spread across newspaper headlines – Hothead and Freeze Girl!" She spread her hands out in front of her, watching their reaction carefully.
Warren and Abby both shook their heads.
"Don't even try, Layla." Warren said. "You'll find out our new secret identities on graduation, just like everyone else."
Layla wilted a little. "Oh come on, please? Just your super names?"
He shook his head.
"But I'm your best friend!"
"A best friend who's just going to have to scrounge up some patience."
"Fine." Layla said, gathering up her bags. "But I think you're enjoying keeping it from me. Which is not very nice."
She bounced off again, leaving only the light scent of daffodils behind.
"You are enjoying it, aren't you?" Abby said after a beat.
"Yeah, just a bit." Warren answered.
"I don't see why she doesn't get a better best friend." Abby said, standing up. "Come on, we should get going too."
Warren obligingly stood up and followed as they started to walk back towards the school.
"Well, I guess you'd better ask me to prom now Warren."
"Are you sure?" He asked. "Wow, you must really be desperate. What, no one else asked you while I was out being a villain?"
"Turns out, having a villain for a boyfriend does quite a bit of damage to your reputation." Abby said breezily. "So the least you can do in return is take me to prom."
"I don't have a tux."
"Yes you do."
"It's my dad's. He might be wanting it back, now that he's out of prison and all."
"Lots of formal occasions coming up?"
"Never hurts to be prepared."
"I'm sure if you ask nicely he'll lend it to you for one night." She said sweetly.
"Well, I don't know. I kind of just ruined his evil plan."
Abby sighed. "Well, alright then. I suppose you aren't required to wear a tux."
"So you mean I don't have an excuse now?"
"You're my boyfriend now." She chided. "You have to do boyfriend things with me."
Warren pulled a tortured look. "Alright." He turned to look smolderingly down at her. "Abby." He said, slowly drawing the words out. "Will you go to prom with me?"
She looked back up at him, a soft smile on her face. Then she dropped the sappy expression and started walking again, pushing her hair back. "I'll consider it."
"What?" Warren exclaimed, walking after her. "All that and you don't even say yes!"
"You're getting cocky Warren. At least I didn't say no."
"Abby, if you're my girlfriend, then you're going to have to do girlfriend stuff with me . . ."
There she was, finally. Will must have been lying in wait at her locker for ages. He wasn't sure if he'd smell anything other than honeysuckle ever again.
"Layla!"
"Will!" She greeted him, looking surprised, but also smiling. "What's up?
"Nothing much." He answered automatically, then instantly wished he could have taken it back. "Well, actually, Layla, I was wondering," He looked at her tentatively, wishing she was looking back at him. "If you wanted to go to prom with me?"
Now she was looking at him. In fact, that was all she did for a minute. "Actually," she said "I'm already going with someone else. Larry asked me, while we weren't speaking, and I said yes."
"Oh." Will said, looking down and scuffing his shoe against the ground. "No, that's totally cool, I understand. I know we're just sort of trying to get back to normal now, and stuff."
"Yeah." Layla said nodding. "So, are you still going to go to prom?"
"Yeah," Will said shrugging. "It's not like I'll be the only one without a date. I'll go with Ethan and Zach, and Magenta."
Layla looked at him strangely. "Will . . ." she said, "Ethan has a date. His girlfriend, Sophia."
"What?" Will said, slightly bewildered.
"Yeah." Layla said, nodding, still giving Will that weird look. "And Zach and Magenta are going together."
"What?" Will asked again. "Zach and Magenta? Seriously?"
"Will, come on, everyone knew they liked each other."
"Oh." Will said, nodding. He hadn't. And Ethan had a girlfriend? Since when? Why hadn't he known any of this?
"Why don't you ask Rena?" Layla asked in a dangerous tone.
"Rena?" Will asked, forcing a laugh and trying to act baffled. "Why would I do that? She's practically a villain!"
Layla sighed. "You don't have to pretend Will, I know you went to see her. Your mom told me."
Will swore internally. Why did his parents have to talk to Layla?
"I don't see why you did it, Will." She said frankly, turning to face him.
"I just . . . need – want - wanted to see her. Again. One last time."
"Why? She sold you out to Barren Battle. She pretended to be your friend for money. She played you, and then betrayed you." Will winced. Layla had never been one to mince words, and she certainly wasn't going easy on him now. "Why would you possibly feel the need to see her again?"
"She wasn't actually a villain," Will protested, trying to explain, though somewhere deep in his subconscious he knew he was fighting a losing battle. "She didn't hate me. Maybe she didn't hang out with me because she actually liked me, but we still kind of became friends."
"Will, I'm sorry, I know it must hurt, but she told you herself, it was all just an act."
"It wasn't though! At least, not completely. And I just wanted to talk to her one last time, that's all."
Layla turned to her locker and started opening it. Will could always tell which one was hers; it was the one that smelled of fresh flowers. "Fine." She said tiredly, not looking at him. "What does it matter?" They lapsed into silence as she rifled through for her books, hastily shoving them into her bag.
"Layla, is it because of Rena that you don't want to go out with me again?" Will asked bluntly, feeling that he just had to know. It wasn't worth loosing Layla over some stupid misunderstanding, over some stupid girl. He had to make her understand - "Because nothing happened between us. At all. Ever."
Layla just sort of looked at him and pushed her locker door closed. "No Will." She said. "It's not because of Rena."
"Then why?" Will asked, genuinely puzzled. "Warren and Abby got back together just fine, and he even went over to the dark side, I on –"
Evidently that hadn't been the right tactic to pick. 'First of all," Layla said forcefully, "Warren and Abby have nothing to do with me and you." She sighed, running a hand hastily through her hair and then turning back to Will.
"Yes, at first it was because of Rena, and because you were obsessed with her, and because you weren't at all sympathetic about Warren, and because you were being a jerk!" Ouch. "But now . . . yes, I was upset, but I've gotten over all that. But now, I've realized . . . I just can't do this anymore. I don't want to do it anymore." She bit her lip and shook her head slightly.
She didn't look as though she were gearing up for an angry rant. She looked inexplicably sad, as though she were about to have to tell him his dog had died, when all she wanted to do was tell him he had gone to live at the butterfly farm. "Honestly Will, you do this all the time. With Gwen, with Rena . . . and it's not just them. You're willing to dump me for the first shiny new thing you see, a new girl, a new power, a new toy. Remember when you first learned to fly Will? We had just started dating, but I hardly ever saw you after school, because you were always flying off somewhere, somewhere I couldn't go. And remember over the summer, when you got some new video game? You were glued to the TV for weeks. I don't think you spared two words for me. Magenta thought I should dump you right then. But I didn't. I held out, because I was in love with you, Will Stronghold. But you only come back once you're done. I don't want to be your last stop Will. I was there for you, but you didn't really want me. Sure, you liked me well enough, but you're too flighty. Maybe the world can depend on you to save it, but your friends can't depend on you to be there. It's time to move on Will. We tried, and it didn't work out. It's time for me to give up on you."
"I –" Will started, but the words wouldn't come. Layla had always been constant. Dependable. And now he'd lost her, because of being the opposite. Maybe he hadn't been sure of her answer, but he hadn't been expecting this.
"I'm sorry Will." Layla said, taking over the conversation again. "I know you're a good person, and you'll always be my friend. But we just obviously aren't going to work."
Will couldn't have disagreed more. Throughout it all, Layla had been there, since the first grade. Weren't they supposed to end up together? It had all seemed so perfect.
But all she had said was true. He hadn't been the greatest boyfriend around. What was he saying, he'd hardly even been a decent one. Why hadn't Layla dumped him ages ago? Why would she take him back now?
Layla could do better. And she should. That was something Will could understand. It may even be something he wanted. He wanted the best for Layla. He wasn't sure if he loved her, but he was sure that she was an amazing person, one who deserved the best of whatever was out there. Even if that wasn't him.
"You're right." Will said quietly. "You do deserve better." Layla nodded, biting her lip shut, and watched as he walked away down the hallway.
"S-sir?" A pale, rat-faced man asked hesitantly. "Why – why did you, if you don't mind me asking, why did you need those papers?"
"Don't worry Connell, it's nothing too illegal, and it won't be traced back to you." Battle said, lounging back in his chair.
"Oh." He said, appearing slightly relieved. He glanced down at the folder in his hands apprehensively. "It just seemed a little strange – not very villain-y."
Battle gave an indulging smile. "Yes, I don't usually exert my influence in the realm of reputable supers." Although he maintained the smile, his eyes grew cold. "But mistake me not, I do still have connections, the least of which are you."
"Y-yes sir." Connell stuttered.
Battle sighed, swiveling around in his chair. "I needed to get my son back into Sky High." He informed him, giving in to the other man's curiosity. "He has decided not to join me. It was not a decision that I supported. But I want him to have any opportunity he desires. I don't want him to have lost everything he wants because of me." Battle stared down at his hands. "It's not what I want for him, but it's what he wants, and I made sure that my choices didn't stand in the way of him getting it. Besides," He said, swiveling around again. "I want him to be able to graduate high school, at least. I don't want him to be held back because of me."
"You're a good father, sir."
"You're a terrible liar, Connell. You may leave now."