"I'll pick you up later," Kevin said. They were parked in front of Gwen's school. The rain fell and pounded on the glass, creating a serene melody and giving Gwen a sense of calmness. It was part of their routine now; he would drop her at school in the morning, then he would pick her up at the end of the day and they would go for their usual alien adventures. It could never get boring in her mind.

"My mom said she'll pick me up today—shopping apparently. Let's meet after?" Gwen said. "I'm sure there'll be a mission then."

"When isn't there?"

Gwen smiled at him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "See you later."

He smiled back. She shut the door and turned back to wave at him as he drove off. Adjusting the straps of her backpack, she climbed up the stairs quickly to avoid the rain. As she opened the gate, she smiled. Her friend, Jenny, her brown hair placed in a high ponytail, ran up to her in a hurry, almost as if she had been waiting for hours.

"Gwen, finally you're here," Jenny said. "I need your help. It's important."

"Anything," said Gwen. "What is it? Is it serious?" It certainly sounded serious by the tone of her voice.

"Look–" Jenny pointed toward the main hallway full of lockers. A group of students stood in a circle, whispering and gasping. Gwen and Jerry rushed their way, pushing past them, in order to see what was happening. And what Gwen witnessed made her blood boil. A girl, her face pale from fear and her eyes red, took a step back as her back touched against the locker. She was shivering like a leaf, and she was begging the boy in front of her to stop. The boy was at least two feet taller than her. He stood above her in a threatening stance, intimidating her. It was sadistic.

"I told you to watch where you're going," he said, clenching his fists. "I don't like clumsy people."

Gwen had seen enough. Pushing herself through the crowd, she rushed towards the center o the scene. Pulling the boy away, she glared at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked. "She's terrified, why are you trying to intimidate someone half your size?"

The boy, whoever he was, didn't look happy. His face tightened and his jaw clenched. She didn't recognize him. Yep, she definitely hadn't seen him around before. But from the looks of it, she was more than glad.

"Stay out of it. It's none of your business."

"It is when you're bullying a girl for no reason. Step. away. From. her." Gwen's tone was authoritative and harsh. The students around them whispered between them, some of them chuckling and others rooting for Gwen. This only worked to irritate him. The tiny girl looked between Gwen and the crowd, then ran away, disappearing into the hallway. This left Gwen and the bully alone, alongside the crowd. Not like she was scared or threatened. She had fought enemies more intimidating than people double his size.

"You don't tell me what to do."

He tried to appear threatening, by stepping closer to her and pushing out his chest. Of course, it didn't phase her at all. He might be taller than her, but even without her powers, she knew how to fight and defend herself. The rest of the students knew that too. The boy raised his fist in the air, aiming to hit her, but Gwen hold onto his hand tightly.

"Nice try."

She was about to throw him to the ground to teach him a lesson, but the hall supervisor walked towards the mess. The students scattered away and Gwen found herself slightly frozen in place, afraid she'd get in trouble. She has never been in trouble before. But surely, once they heard her side of the story, they would understand.

"Alright, that's enough! Walk away!" the supervisor called out to the few students that were still around. "Gwen and Bryan, to the principal's office. Now."

Gwen didn't object, and neither did Bryan. She glared at him one last time, then walked ahead, following behind the supervisor and praying she wouldn't get in trouble for this.

"It doesn't matter who was at fault here, Gwen. We have a no tolerance policy and we don't stand for fighting of any kind."

Gwen clenched the handle of the chair tighter, finding this whole ordeal totally unfair. Not only was she missing out from her first lesson (she was terrible at chemistry), but she was stuck inside a suffocating office, being lectured for doing the right thing. Bryan on the other hand, seemed completely uninterested in everything, staring at his nails every few seconds, almost as if he was bored. She attempted to justify herself multiple times, but they refused to listen.

"I didn't argue…or fight. I tried helping Analyse, who was being bullied by Bryan!"

"I understand," the principal breathed out. "But this isn't about Analyse right now, it's about the fight that occurred…Since this is the first time I've ever seen you in the office, and since you have an impressive record, I will let this slip by."

Gwen tried to speak up, but she decided against it. The last thing she needed was detention or punishment.

"As for you, Bryan," the principal continued, "I'm afraid that things aren't looking so bright. We discussed it with the rest of the teachers and we believe that staying after school for a week of detention will help in teaching you a lesson." She then stopped, turning to look at both of them. "But if anything like this happens again, I will have to think about the possibility of expelling you. Do you both understand?"

Gwen and Bryan both nodded.

"You're free to go to class."

Gwen stepped outside the office, biting her tongue. Oh, she was furious. She knew the principal could be useless at times, but this was definitely a new low. It was her who received the warning! And the bullying issue wasn't even addressed. Sighing, she decided that dwelling on it wasn't going to fix anything. Instead, she would focus on checking up on Analyse, making sure that Bryan won't go near her again-even at the risk of being expelled.

Surprisingly, Bryan didn't react or say anything. He sent her a death glare and stepped away, walking to the opposite side of the school. At least she wouldn't have to worry about him for the rest of the day.

The bell rang and Gwen groaned. Great, she missed her first class. Now, she was going to have to struggle to catch up. The students walked into the hallway, and Jenny walked out too, heading towards Gwen. Her face was contorted into a frown, and she had let her hair down.

"What happened? What did they say?" Jenny asked, standing in front of her.

"They sent me off with a warning. And they gave Bryan detention for a week."

"Detention? Did you tell them about Analyse?"

Gwen nodded. "They said it isn't what's important and ignored it."

"They're idiots!" Jenny yelled out in anger. Her face quickly turned red. "I swear, they're more useless than I thought."

Gwen placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll just stay around Analyse. If he does anything to her again, I'll deal with it."

Jenny offered a small smile. "I know…" She paused for a second. "So, it's not like I don't believe you can take care of yourself, but maybe you should be careful too? Bryan is unpredictable. I spoke to a few students, and they said he's a ticking bomb."

"Don't worry, I will."

The rest of the day passed like a blur. Eventually, Gwen was able to somewhat forget about the ordeal and finally focus on the rest of her classes. During lunch, Jenny and Gwen sat by Analyse, who was very thankful. Though luckily, Bryan wasn't seen at all.

Exiting the school, Gwen waited patiently for her mom. Until finally, her phone rang.

"Hey, mom."

"Hey Gwen, I think I'll have to cancel our plans for today. Stuck in traffic and I'm an hour away. You can wait if you want."

"I'll just walk back home. It isn't that far anyways," said Gwen.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep, it's fine," Gwen said. "Should we go tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow would work."

"Okay, see you at home then."

And with that, Gwen hang up.

Putting on her earphones, she opened a music app, setting the volume far louder than she usually would. But she needed to calm down and get rid of the stress; music could be meditating and she certainly needed—if she wanted to prepare for studying, and yet another exhausting alien mission. It would take her twenty minutes to walk home, fifteen if she took the shorter path. Placing her phone in her pocket, she hurried her pace, walking through the paved road, all the way through a darker alley she had passed by before.

Kevin wouldn't be happy when he found out she had to walk home, but he'd understand that she needed it. She slowed her pace slightly, finding herself focusing on the sudden shift of aura around her.

A sharp pain reached her back and before she could relax, she fell to the ground, hitting her stomach against a pile of large boxes, abandoned to the side of the wall. Taking her earphones out, she turned around, facing her attacker. Focusing on the mana, she prepared to attack but quickly stopped when she realized who it was. Bryan. She couldn't use her powers against an unarmed civilian.

Standing up, she struggled to control her running thoughts. Not only did he bully a defenseless girl today, but he tried to attack her from behind. There was a constant pain pulsing through her stomach, but she was too distracted to check. Their eyes met and Gwen was convinced he wasn't mentally there. His eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes red, and he smirked, almost as if he was enjoying this. Either way, she was prepared to defend herself against him if she had to.

"I told you to stay out of it. Instead, you tried getting me expelled!" Bryan yelled out. "And you embarrassed me in front of the whole school."

"Maybe I wouldn't have if you didn't bully Analyse? What even is your plan here, Bryan? Are you trying to attack me? Because you really don't want to do this."

He gritted his teeth together and charged at her, but Gwen moved out of the way right on time. There was no one around to see them, so it almost seemed like he planned this. He tried charging at her once more, but Gwen simply kicked his shin, stopping him from reaching closer. He fell to the ground for a moment but quickly stood up.

Swinging his left arm toward her, Gwen didn't have enough time to react, neither did she manage to block it. It hit the side of her face, causing a very sharp pain to travel from her cheekbone all the way to her jaw. In her instinct, she held the injury with her hand, causing the pain to worsen.

"All right, that's it!"

Not wanting to hurt him, she raised both of her fists in the air, creating a mana ball and pushing him as far away as she could. And without looking back, she started running back to the house. The last thing she needed was fist-fighting some crazy guy. She could easily overpower him, but this would never end well.

After a few minutes, she reached the familiar path and she ran quicker, pulling out her keys. Entering inside, she threw her backpack to the floor and ran to the nearest mirror. She gasped in sight. A bruise was forming on her face and the pain was only worsening by the minute. Luckily, the swelling wasn't so bad yet and some ice could hide it. But by tomorrow, she was certain it would look much worse.

Her biggest problem right now was her mom. And Kevin. If she told the truth, they would both blow it out of proportion. Her mom would insist on reporting this, and Kevin would insist on killing Bryan himself. She wasn't sure which was worse.

Her phone suddenly rang and she checked who it was. The name 'Kevin' flashed on the screen. She muttered under her breath and inhaled, mentally preparing herself. If she ignored it for the rest of the day, he would most likely drive up here himself.

"Hey…" she said quietly, trying to hide the tremor in her voice. "I was just about to call you."

"Beat you to it," Kevin said. "You should come to Mr. Smoothy, we're waiting on a tip Ben got about the Forever Knights apparently. I know it's lies but—"

"It isn't! I trust the guy!" Ben defended. She could hear him slurping on a smoothie through the phone.

"Yeah, whatever," Kevin said and Gwen could picture him rolling his eyes. "I'll come to pick you up in a few, okay?"

Gwen nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her over the phone. "Uh…yeah, sure. See you."

Rushing to the kitchen, she picked up a bag of iced peas and carefully touched her half-swollen face. It hurt like hell, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully, by the time he arrived, it would barely be noticeable.

Turning her face left and right, she tried to examine herself and see if it would be obvious if Kevin saw her. Ben tended to be oblivious, but Kevin would catch on even to the slightest changes in her demeanor. The swelling—and the growing bruising—wasn't obvious from afar, but once you moved closer, you could see it clear as day.

She frowned in defeat. The only thing left to do was think of an excuse when he noticed. 'Oh, I fell down the stairs' wouldn't do it. It needed to be more elaborate, and like her.

The sound of an engine running, followed by a loud honking broke her train of thought. It was Kevin. Checking her face one last time, she walked toward the door, trying to calm down her nerves.

"Took you long enough," she said, trying to act cool.

"Ben's fault. There's a new smoothie flavor and he wanted me to try it," he paused, shuddering. "Tuna and apple. Bleh. No way."

Gwen stepped into the car, smiling at him. He hadn't noticed yet.

"Gwen?" he asked quietly when she didn't turn around to offer him a kiss.

"Why don't you drive off?" She spoke quicker than normal. "I promise my mom I'd call her once I met with you guys, so the sooner we get to it the sooner I can tell her that-"

His jaw clenched and his hand reached out to her, grabbing her chin. He turned her toward him, inspecting her face carefully.

"What the hell happened to your face?" He traced his finger on the wound on her face, and she winced, pulling back. "How did this happen?"

"Kevin, it's nothing," she defended. "We should go."

"This–" He pointed at her swollen face, "isn't nothing. It looks like–"

"Like nothing," she insisted once more. "I'm fine."

"Okay, something's up. Who did this?" asked Kevin.

"No one! I just… I fell down the stairs when I came home." So much for the elaborate lie. Kevin knew she was lying.

"Gwen, who did this?"

"I'll tell you later," she said, holding his hand to reassure him. "I promise I've dealt with it."

Kevin stared ahead, inhaling through his nostrils. His knuckles turned white from the pressure on the steering wheel, but he nodded. "Okay. I trust you. But we'll talk about this later."

Gwen nodded and supported her head on her hand, staring out of the window. The drive there was met with complete silence and unspoken tension between them. Kevin trusted her and he knew she could take care of herself, but he could be protective even when it wasn't needed. She appreciated it, and even liked him for it, but the last thing she wanted was for him to worry. There was no need.

They finally arrived, exiting the car and walking up to Ben who was drinking yet another smoothie.

"You guys took a while. And you're not going to believe this," Ben said with a nervous chuckle. "The guy was totally wrong. No missions for us today. More smoothies and chili fries for me."

"Great. So you brought us out here for nothing?" Kevin asked, unamused.

"Well, we could always get chili fries, right? Cheer up, that's something."

"Whatever." Kevin walked inside the store, and Gwen and Ben followed.

"What's the deal with him?" Ben asked, then raised an eyebrow. "And what's the deal with your face?"

"Fell. Long story."

"Uh ah."

As they entered inside Mr. Smoothy, they sat at the far corner by the window, at their usual quiet spot. The tension was yet to subside and Kevin and Gwen continued to eat in silence. Not even Ben's stupid remarks could snap them out of it. Kevin would look at her every few minutes, and she was growing stiff and nervous under his gaze—she would definitely have to reassure him once they were alone.

"So Ben," Gwen said, trying to break her silence. She shot a small look at Kevin, then turned away. "Have you spoken with Julie? She said you haven't called her since last week."

Ben sank into his seat, taking a bite out of his chili fries. "We had a fight," he whispered.

"What was that?" asked Gwen.

"We had a fight," he repeated louder.

Gwen sighed. "And you didn't think to call her?" Stretching her arms forward, she tried grabbing a fry, but Ben quickly pulled back. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Ben held the fries protectively to his chest, shaking his head. "No sharing fries."

"Come on, Ben, it's just one, don't be a child." Standing on her tiptoes, Ben climbed onto the seat, holding the fries over his head. Gwen glared at him, stretching further, while Ben tried to pull away, giggling.

Finally, Gwen was able to grab one. "Ha, there you go! See, I told you I only wanted one."

She took a bite off it, satisfying her growling stomach and desperately wanting her own now. But then, she stared at her two friends. Both Ben and Kevin stared at her as if she had just grown out a second head, and she almost wondered if she did something wrong.

"What?" she asked.

"Your stomach." Ben pointed at her slightly raised shirt, which revealed her bruised stomach. She had completely forgotten about it. It was a nasty blue and black bruise, which she only just realized how bad it hurt. It must have happened when she fell against the boxes.

She quickly covered it, laughing nervously. If looks could kill, Kevin's eyes would have murdered her by now. His gaze pierced through her stomach, and it was clear he had lost his patience.

"Oh, that?" She silently chuckled, "I hit my stomach against the table this morning and I forgot…Silly me, right?"

Kevin reached out to her, raising her shirt, and revealing the magnitude of the bruise. It looked worse than she thought.

"You're coming with me," Kevin said, grabbing Gwen's arm and pulling her out of the store. Ben didn't object or comment, though he seemed taken aback, confusion plastered on his face.

Kevin turned her toward him, his body tense and his face painted with worry.

"What the hell is going on, Gwen? You better tell me before I find out. First the swelling, now this! I know you can take care of yourself, but don't I deserve to know at least?"

Gwen sighed. "You're right. Sorry, Kevin."

He quickly softened up, looking guilty for snapping at her. She held his hand on her own. It was no wonder he was angry—she tried imagining herself in his situation and she would definitely react worse than this, especially if he was injured.

"It was a stupid disagreement at school with some guy. He was bullying this girl and I tried helping, which made him angry."

"You let him hit you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No…I mean, he attacked me from behind and I didn't want to use my powers. He's a civilian," she defended.

"He attacked you from behind?" he asked, slightly raising his voice. "What's his name?"

"No, no, you are not doing this," she continued. "You can't get involved, he's just some stupid kid."

"It doesn't matter–he hurt you, so I'll hurt him." He cracked his knuckles.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you would try to do something like this. Let's forget about it, okay? I promise I can take care of myself. And if anything happens again, you'll be the first to know."

Kevin bit his tongue, sighing in anger. "Okay," he finally said, clearly unhappy with the situation.

There was a moment of silence until Gwen decided to speak. "Do you want to watch a movie or something? No missions, so we have all day to ourselves."

Kevin shook his head. "Later. We're going to my house first."

"What for?"

"Your injuries. They look bad. And I need to make sure it isn't anything serious."

Gwen was about to object and insist she was fine, but the last thing she wanted was another disagreement with Kevin or intensifying his worry. If this was enough to reassure him and calm his anxiety, then she was completely okay with it. They entered the car, and she stared out of the window as they drove off, trying to stop her running thoughts.

She wasn't worried about getting hurt, but she was worried for Bryan. Knowing him, he would attempt to bother her at school again and if Kevin witnessed it, things would get ugly.

The car engine stopped and Gwen realized they had arrived already. She opened the door and followed behind Kevin, who was already on his way to the inside of the house.

"My mom isn't home. I'll grab some ice, you go to my room."

"Okay." Gwen walked up the stairs. Opening the door to his room, she sat on his messy bed and waited patiently.

The door finally opened, revealing Kevin, one hand holding a pack of ice and the other a tight compressor. He sat on the opposite side of her, placing everything on the bed.

"Raise your shirt," he said with a smirk.

Gwen playfully hit him on the shoulder, then did as she was told. It was easier to see the bruising under the bright light—the bruising ran all the way from her upper rib, down to her abdomen.

She noticed Kevin trying to control his anger as he gently placed the ice pack on top of the injury, holding it in place.

"Tell me if it starts hurting."

Gwen nodded. "I will. But I mean it when I say you shouldn't worry. I promise I can care for myself—"

"I know," he interrupted. "That doesn't mean I can't worry or want to care for you. You should let me sometimes."

"I just don't want you to worry for no reason."

Kevin removed the ice pack and reached behind him, pulling out an ointment for bruising and swelling. He placed a handful in his arms and gently rubbed it on her sore stomach, careful not to hurt her.

"Sorry," he said as she winced in pain. "Let me see your face too."

He helped her up and pat the space next to her. As she sat, Kevin inspected her face and Gwen found herself smiling. It was difficult to think that a guy like him, someone who could literally snap a person in half, could be so fragile with his movements. He placed an ice pack on her swollen face, holding it in place.

"It'll hurt for just a moment, okay?" he gently said.

Gwen nodded, wincing in pain once more.

Finally, he removed the ice pack and placed a pinch of the ointment in his fingers. His fingers traced her skin, sending shivers up and down her spine.

"There. That will help. The swelling will still be there, though…"

"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek.

She laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm sorry for worrying you," she continued. "I just—"

"Can't help yourself, right?" He smirked. "I'm just glad you're okay."

He laid down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "And thank you for letting me care for you," he said. "Just promise me one thing—if anything happens again, call me right away. Okay? It isn't that I don't trust you, I just don't trust everyone else."

"I will."

Laying down on his chest, she focused on the steady beat of his heart. They remained in silence for a while, and Gwen found herself yawning and feeling more tired. And finally, she shut her eyes, falling asleep with Kevin's warm arms around her.

"I'll come to pick you up this time. And remember, call me if anything happens."

Gwen kissed Kevin on the lips as she got off the car, promising that she'll call no matter what. She waved him goodbye, entering the building, nervous about her injury. It was way more obvious than yesterday, and although she had been to school with injuries before, this one would cause rumors to spread because of Bryan. The last thing she needed right now was gossip about herself. She only hoped Bryan wouldn't show up today.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Jenny asked, her hand covering her mouth in shock. "What happened?"

"I hit my head against the door," she said, searching in her backpack in order to avoid meeting jenny's eyes. "Stupid, right? I'm fine though, just a bit sore… Have you seen Analyse?"

Jenny shook her head. "She didn't come in today. Apparently, she's down with a cold."

"Well, we both know that's a lie," Gwen commented. "If she was scared, she should have told us."

"Yep. But I get why she wouldn't. At least Bryan isn't here either–people are saying he chickened out after you told him off." Jenny giggled. "Or that he got expelled."

The bell rang, interrupting their conversation. As Gwen passed the hallway, she felt like all eyes were on her. She knew it would happen—it isn't everyday you see a girl with a messed up face as if she got punched. But she could hear the whispering; some speculated Bryan did it, and others were coming up with their own stories and theories that made no sense.

Regardless, she chose to ignore them and instead focus on her lessons and getting through the rest of the day.

Luckily, the day passed quicker than she thought. The last bell rang without her realizing and she breathed in relief. And just as she hoped, Bryan wasn't seen for the whole day.

"Bye Jenny, see you tomorrow," Gwen said to her friend as she stepped outside the building.

She sat by a bench in front of the school, waiting patiently for Kevin. A lot of the students had already left, leaving a vacant entrance with only a small group of students by the side, who weren't paying attention to anything.

With nothing else to do, she opened her book, trying to catch up on her last missed lesson of chemistry, until someone tugged it of her, sending it to the ground. She looked up, noticing Bryan. Rolling her eyes, she stood up and glared at him, ready to defend herself.

"Payback," he said, pointing at her bruised and swollen face. "Maybe this'll teach you to mind your business."

"We are so not doing this today. Get lost, Bryan," said Gwen, grabbing her book and trying to ignore him.

"And what will you do, huh?" He poked her shoulder hard, knocking her book to the ground once more.

She raised her arm, ready to hit him and immobilize him, but he held it and pushed her to the side. He really was asking for it. She kicked his thigh, then she walked further away before he could recover. But he was stubborn and refused to give up. Rushing toward her, he raised his arm in order to hit her. Gwen waited for the blow, but it never came. Someone was holding Bryan's arm back.

Gwen widened her eyes, realizing that it was Kevin.

"Hey asshole," he said. "Maybe you should pick a fight with someone your size."

Bryan looked furious. Pulling his arm away, he prepared to charge at Kevin, but Kevin managed to dodge it easily. Bryan wasn't powerful like Kevin, and one hit could seriously injure him. Kevin absorbed the stone wall near them, his arms transforming gray.

"Kevin wait!" Gwen called out, as Kevin raised his fist in the air. "Remember, he is… normal"

Kevin seized his attack. He threw Bryan to the ground, causing his body to hit the ground with a loud 'thud'. He stood over him, crackling his knuckles and the bones on his neck.

"If you bother her again, you will get hurt," he said. Bryan looked cowardly as he crawled backward, nodding in agreement. "Do you understand?"

Bryan nodded once more.

"I want to hear you say it."

"...I-I won't bother her again. Promise!" Bryan raised both hands in the air, and Kevin looked away. Bryan didn't miss the opportunity, and quickly grabbed his things, running away.

Gwen walked closer to him, hitting him in the shoulder. "That was so not necessary," she said. "I was handling it fine myself."

"Ignoring the fact that he almost hit you?"

"So what?" She sighed. "You almost used your powers too… Are you okay?"

"Peachy. Just thinking of ways I can hurt him if I see him again."

Gwen tugged at his shirt pulling him to the car. "Come on, let's go."

They both entered inside and she held both of his hands on her own. "Thank you."

"You're not…angry?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"No… I mean, I am. But what you did was sweet."

She inched closer to him, her lips meeting with his own as they kissed. Her heart beat faster at the feeling and her stomach twisted as she felt him smile and pull her body closer.

Finally, he pulled back. "Maybe I should do this more often then."

"Yeah…maybe not." She smirked at him, then adjusted herself in her seat and her seatbelt. "Let's go grab a movie—Ben can wait."

"Oh, he definitely can," Kevin said, holding her hand in his own as they drove off.