(36)

"Let's have some fun and scare a few classmates, shall we?" Warren asked leaning up against the door.

A devilish smile crossed his face. It was a little… intriguing seeing the playful side of Warren Peace.

"Okay," I breathed still trying to catch my breath from the heated situation.

Warren took his hand away from the door as I turned to face it. Once the door swung all the way open I immediately flushed out the student peering in with a room full of bubbles. The student was pushed back gently as the excess bubbles lingered in the hallway.

Warren quickly bolted ahead of me and leaded back the way we came. I followed keeping up with a light jog. Surprisingly, the halls weren't as full as I expected. Only a few students loitered waiting for us to make a scene.

I lifted my hand palm up below my mouth flowing out a few bubbles as Warren ignited. He only caused a few bubbled to burst just to make the students flinch as we made our way to the exit.

Something fast zoomed by Warren knocking him down.

"Time to settle the score," Speed said growling down at Warren.

I stopped behind Warren confused at his choice of words.

"Weren't you expelled?" Warren asked getting to his feet. "And she's mine; you had your chance."

"You cheated," Speed accused.

Warren shrugged, "Maybe she doesn't like fast hands."

"Shut up!" Speed shouted running up and smacking Warren across the face then returning to his original position.

"What's going on here?" I asked seeing Warren shake it off.

"Just a little game," Warren answered smiling back at me.

"Warren and I had a bet," Speed said crossing his arms. "You being the main attraction of it."

"Speedy here placed a bet with his partner saying that he could get you to join with him instead of Lash," Warren explained. "I over heard the bet and decided to play along with it."

"What?" I asked shocked.

"Warren cheated," Speed repeated.

"Once I got you and I were paired together creating a team I decided to add insult to injury," Warren said trying not to laugh. "So I teamed up with you and beat Speed and Lash at their own game; Save the Citizen."

I was the ultimate prize in a game played by high school boys?

"I hate you, Warren Peace," Speed said angrily.

"So sorry," Warren said. "Talking time is over; Izzy and I have to go now."

It seemed to be instinct now as I flushed out another batch of bubbles. Warren quickly blew a few up before we started running again.

Reaching the exit was easier now that most of the school was looking in the less obvious places. Warren and I ran for the edge of Sky High with one hand clamped on to the others. We dived off with confidence pointed face first down to the ground.

"I hope you're not upset, Isabel," Warren said as we landed softly breaking the bubble.

"Not really," I answered thinking over what I heard. "I probably would have been if the goal was to make me your girlfriend."

"No," Warren said as he swung my hand back and forth with his. "That's just an added bonus."

I smiled as Warren leaned in to kiss me. I glanced over at my house holding up a hand against Warren's chest.

"What?" Warren asked.

"My father," I sighed feeling my face get hot. "He probably heard what we did in the school before we even left."

"Well… I've already met your father," Warren said trying to make things better.

"It's different now," I said. "From now on he'll hear everything we're going to do together."

"He didn't say anything when I talked to him earlier," Warren said.

"He never will," I replied. "My father never tells me or anyone else what the future holds. He calls it a "natural future"."

"You mean he never told you anything when you were growing up?" Warren asked. "He never warned you about the bullies you'd meet at school, the things the teacher thought of you, or even what was on the lunch menu?"

I shook my head, "He refuses to tell me anything because then it would alter the future; altering what my life is supposed to be."

I glanced up at Warren seeing him still slightly confused.

"Warren, if he warned me about the boy that could ignite fire in his hands and that I would eventually be teaming up with him against all evil," I began. "I really don't think I would have had the courage or even the patients of interacting with you."

"I guess," Warren said after a moment. "But still! He's your own father, he should tell you something every once in a while."

"It's at moments like these I wish he would," I said looked back at the house. "I just wish I knew what I was walking into so I could be prepared."

"What do you mean?" Warren asked joining me in looking at my house.

"Is he gunna be angry?" I asked. "Is he gunna laugh? Will he be okay with it- or I mean, us?"

"Well we could always just stand out here and keep talking about it," Warren suggested.

A smile tugged on my lips. I glanced up at Warren seeing him already smiling down at me. My concentration broke as I smiled with him.

Warren placed his arm over my shoulder and started walking forward, "What's he gunna do? Whip out a shotgun?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I crashed into Warren approaching my home. The only thing he seemed to take seriously now was our battle techniques.

I opened the door and stepped in. Warren followed. I glanced over seeing my father in his usual chair in the living room. Warren and I walked forward in silence.

"Welcome back," my father spoke waving his hand knowing we saw him. "How'd it go?"

Warren and I exchanged glances.

"Fine," I answered hesitantly.

"The school tried to attack us," Warren said making my jaw drop. "We're like A-list celebrities now."

My father chuckled, "I heard that a few days ago. It made me laugh then too."

I walked into the living room and stood before my father seeing his expression. He was happy. Happier than I'd seen him n a long time.

"Anything else you heard about our day?" I asked.

Now it was Warren's turn to have the shocked face.

I figured it was best to get it out of the way now rather than let it build up and eventually bite me in the butt when I wasn't expecting it.

"If we're talking about the subject that made you two rather nervous before you came home," my father began intertwining his fingers. "I have nothing to say."

"Nothing?" I asked. "Nothing at all?"

My father shrugged, "I've heard your future, and if I tell you anything about it, it will change."

I glanced over at Warren proving my point I tried to make before.

"But you can't even scold us or even warn a certain person who your daughter is teaming with?" Warren asked staying out of the living room.

"Do you want me to get out my shot gun?" he asked. "Is that what you're asking?"

Warren's face went from confused to shocked.

"You have one?" I asked.

What would a blind man do with a gun, seriously?

"I have more important things to listen to than you two necking in the janitor's closet," my father shuddered.

I covered my mouth with both my hands to stop myself from crying out. My face was now a deeper red than I could imagine as I glanced over at Warren.

His back was turned to me as I saw him run through his hair a few times trying to calm himself down.

I left the room swiftly grabbing onto Warren's leather jacket and hauling him upstairs. I pushed him onto my bed and quickly sat next to him. I pulled out a small white board from under my bed with a dry erase marker. I often used these to talk to Mrs. Finch about possible gifts for my father without him hearing.

'Told you' I wrote and handed it to Warren.

Warren erased what I wrote and followed suit.

'I think that was the most mortifying moment of my life'

'He'll hear everything that goes on between us from now on' I wrote.

Warren sighed, 'That complicates things'

"Hey Izzy?" Warren said using his voice now.

I glanced up at him.

"Am I ever gunna meet your mom?" Warren asked.

I paused breaking the eye contact to think, "No."

"I'm sorry, is she alive?" Warren asked.

"She's at the nearest hospital in a coma," I explained. "She's a water elemental. That's how I got my bubble ability."

"Will she ever snap out of it?" Warren asked placing hand on my knee.

"No," I answered.

"I really didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject," Warren said with the deepest sincerity.

I shook my head, "She's been in a coma for my entire life. The way I see it… she's still alive, I just never really took the time to communicate with her."

"They say talking helps," Warren said.

"Father visits her regularly," I replied. "I just don't know what it will do to me if I meet my mother for the first time, and then a day later she leaves me for good."

Warren released my knee and wrapped his arms around me. I was a little surprised at his sudden emotion but I hugged him back. His warmth was always so inviting.

"It's okay," I said smiling. "Don't think you brought up a bad subject."

I pulled away from his and looked directly in his eyes, "Like I said, she's still alive to me. We just don't have the best way to communicate."