Title: Mother Nature's Call
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Sky High characters, and include some of my own in this work. All but the characters in the movie are mine.
Feedback: Guys, I really appreciate your feedback and reviews. I'm not sure about Warren being in the same grade as the others. He's a year older, so it makes sense to me that he'd be in grade higher. I took out the reference to him being a junior though, just in case.
Synopsis: Sophomore year comes quickly for Will and friends. When trouble arises from student transfers, members of the small group of friends are faced with difficult choices.
Mother Nature's Call
Chapter Four: New Friends
Sitting quietly in class, Layla listened to Red Radar talk about decision making during hostage crises. Ethan volunteered ideas as the teacher asked questions. Zach and Majenta simply listened. The morning was passing quickly for everyone but Layla, who dreaded the upcoming lunchtime. The red head jumped slightly at the bell. Caught off guard, she looked at the time and realized it was time to eat. She grabbed her stuff and prepared to follow the others out.
"Come on guys, I'm starving," Zach said, encouraging the others to follow him. One by one the small group entered the cafeteria for lunch. Warren was already at his usual table, and to everyone's surprise Will was sitting next to him discussing something from science class. They were joined by Zach and Majenta, who brought their respective lunches that day.
"Hey guys," Will greeted. As they talked, Layla groaned inwardly. The student transfers were sitting at the same table as yesterday, and John was looking at her again. She hadn't yet figured out how she was going to pull this off without hurting her friends' feelings. Somehow, she had to get to know these guys, and it seemed that lunch was the time they made their move. Will glanced over and saw Layla walk passed their table to go for food. Ready with a smile, his face changed at the look on hers. Something about her was different, it looked as if she was asking for forgiveness and understanding, though why he had no idea.
This time when Layla had her food and walked by the recent transfers, she wasn't caught off guard as John talked to her.
"Hey, join us for lunch?" John asked, prepared to stand up. Looking over at the others, Layla hesitated.
"I really should be joining my friends, but..." The soft words gave John a sense of hope. He wanted her to join them voluntarily, he wanted to make it easier on her. Everything about the red head said she was a gentle soul, and that spoke to him.
"Wow, this isn't a very friendly school." Greg said, making eye contact with Layla for a few seconds. Figuring that gave her the excuse she needed, she said "Sure, I'll join you." before sitting next to John at the table. John smiled as he made room for her. Linda quietly moved further down so the new girl could fit. Glancing over the red head, Linda saw the soft grey eyes and the bright smile. The girl seemed genuinely friendly as she began asking what the others thought of Sky High so far. Breaking into the conversation easily, Linda contributed her thoughts after deciding to reserve her opinion of the girl.
"I didn't realize Layla had made new friends." Majenta said, watching as the other girl joined the group from yesterday. Will turned his head and looked, a little disconcerted. Convinced there was more going on than met the eye, Will decided to play it cool and ask his girlfriend about it later.
"There's nothing wrong with making new friends Maj. They're new, she's probably just trying to help them feel more comfortable." Will said, picking up his fruit drink. Tilting his head slightly, Warren saw the ease with which Layla started a conversation with the blonde to her right and brunette next to him. The guy sitting across from her seemed to interject comments occasionally while the strawberry blonde next to him hardly spoke at all. Will was right, Layla could meet new people and be friendly, it wasn't in her nature to be otherwise, but seeing her there reminded him of a mouse in a snake pit.
"Yeah, well, she looks fine to me." Warren stated gruffly, shrugging off any concern. Nodding, Majenta picked up the conversation about Will's science class as they finished their lunch. As the bell rang, everyone gathered their back packs and trays and got ready to leave. Will stood with his and walked in Layla's direction.
"Hey Layla," Will smiled, seeing his girlfriend jump slightly.
"Hey Will," As she stood up, she kissed him on the cheek and then grabbed her tray. "It was nice talking to you guys. Have fun in class." Reaching out, Layla placed her hand in Will's and moved off to take care of the trays. John stared after her and noticed the casual way she held Will's hand and the easy way she spoke to him.
"She didn't introduce us to her boyfriend," Linda said, curious if the girl hadn't done so intentionally.
"Who cares? We're not here for him." John shrugged. Greg grunted in agreement as Linda continued to watch the couple until they walked out of the cafeteria.