Well, I got the ending off a movie, Point of No Return, if you can believe that... Anyway, this is it, so hope you have enjoyed it, even though I took too long in updating, sorry. Actually, I'm not that sorry... Just kinda sorry. About as sorry as if I ate your soup. But tomato, not Alphabet. I like Alphabet...

Blowin' Smoke

"Where the hell did she go!" I heard through the blood pumping in my ears. My God, he was still conscious. This, and I knew Jackie Chan would agree, went way beyond 'bad day'.

I turned to stand but my head felt dizzy and I leaned to the side to puke, this time succeeding. "Robbie?" Jenna asked, slowly backing away from me. I didn't blame her, but I wished a little that I had a friend with a bit more compassion. "Robbie, he's coming back..."

"Yes, Jenna, I know." I got through gritted teeth as I stood and attempted not to sway. I squinted my eyes shut and leaned against the locker for balance. Equilibrium, I decided at that moment, was NOT overrated.

"Where the hell...!" I heard again, closer, as he moved around the corner, followed by about twenty kids ready for the completion to a decent fight that they were enjoying. At my expense. Well, I certainly couldn't quit now, and I had some hope, though my eyes kept phasing in and out of darkness as I swayed a bit trying to stand. I clenched my jaw tight shut and buckled my knees as the bad guy came to get me. Alright, I thought as he rounded the corner with flames up his arms, now smoke.

And nothing happened.

"What the hell?" I whispered, looking at my normal arms and feeling my un-scary personality. "Smoke!" I mouthed, but nothing came.

Warren Peace, my favorite arch-nemisis, was practically on me, a mere two feet away, and he bellowed over the yelling and growing crowd of kids, "What? Can't get your smoke on? Well then try some fire!" And he threw a fireball at me as I ducked out of its way.

"My God, Work!" I screamed, as tears had re-formed in my eyes. I was desperately fumbling with my hands, throwing them palm up in front of me. My vision phased again, and I stumbled, narrowly avoiding another fireball. The sound of the kids yelling was no longer distinct, but a dull roar in my head. I realized this must have been what it felt like to be on American Idol. At least Warren made me less queasy than Simon did. Well, maybe not...

"Bitch!" Warren yelled and threw another that hit me in the arm, but I didn't feel it.

"Work! Work!" I screamed, tears running down my face as my sight blurred even more, "Fuck! Work! Oh my God, Fuck! Fuck, fuck!" I screamed into the air as another faint burning sensation hit my chest and my knees gave out, but all I could see were colors, anyway, then nothing at all.

-

You know that feeling, that warm feeling, somewhere in your stomach, that just makes you happy? I have it in the mornings, when I'm half-awake. It's just this really good feeling, like nothing in the entire world could make you upset. It's kinda like a mini high, but a high on some kind of drug that's already in you. And then you wake up fully, realize that you have no reason to be happy, and go on with your boring, mediocre day.

Well, I did not wake up to that feeling. In fact, my wake up hurt like what I imagine being shoved into a shallow grave than hit in the head with the shovel used to dig it would feel like. And that's not a good feeling.

I opened my eyes.

A hospital room. The hospital room, the one that I had oh-so-fond-of in my several visits already this year. It was practically my New Best Friend. But that was the least of my concerns. Actually, the least of my concerns was why dumdums have a mystery flavor when nobody cares about mystery flavors in lollipops, but I wasn't sure why that was my concern at all. The most of my concerns, which, by the way, IS a phrase, was that I could not get kicked out of this school. My dad had worked so hard to get me in, to get thrown out would be a direct blow to him, and I couldn't do that. But, hell, let's not pretend I'm that selfless. The other big concern on my part was how the hell I was suppose to face the school again. I mean, after nearly getting killed... AGAIN... How much more would they put up with from me? My Lord, I wasn't Bush, I couldn't get away with that much. But, then again, I didn't send us to war on no cause or ignore people in a flood. Okay, focus. Now, I needed to call my dad. I sat up and suddenly felt my chest compressing and my breath incredibly short. I let out a series of quick gasps, falling backwards, and tried to breathe. A nurse hurried in.

"Oh, dearie, you're awake. Yes, you have some nasty burns. All around your torso and on your left arm... My, I think you need much more rest." She looked at me in a pitying/concerned way that I actually liked. Yeah, feel bad for me, bitch. Ooo- that was mean...

"I need..." I let out a gasp and tried to continue. "I need... To call... My dad." I managed.

"Oh, okay dearie, just let me tell Mrs. Powers that you're up and moving, she wanted to see you..." And the nurse left, leaving me to contemplate what horrors I had created for myself, and what punishment I could possibly receive/deserved.

But I didn't have long. Principal Powers musta flew, cause she was back with the little old nurse within moments (which wasn't a very clever line, seeing as she probably did fly. I missed when I was funny...).

"Miss Ionic... We need to talk." She knelt beside my bed in her black blouse and serious expression. I nodded, but didn't bother to attempt to respond. "The healer is on her way, she should be here momentarily. For the meantime, try to understand me. Your powers... I know you mean no harm... But they seem to be putting people... students, in danger. We, I along with the school board, have decided to put in a request for your transfer. You would be in a new school, more accustomed to your... unique circumstances. Does that sound alright?"

Sure, I fucked up one too many times, and now I get reform school. But I suppose that I deserved it. I mean, we can't have the kiddies put in danger by the big, bad new girl. I hated the school, anyway.

"Kay... Are you crying?" The principal wanted to know as I mushed the tears into my face with my hand and shook my head no. "Oh, here's the healer, on time... Tell you what, I'll be back after she's done and we can discuss this more." And she and the nurse left as a black woman entered the room, dressed in a business suit and carrying a black medical bag.

"Good." She began, "Now, hold still." And the 'healing process' began.

-

Though not nearly as painful as growing bones in Harry Potter, the healing of burns was rather numbing, and my muscles about them felt sore as the healer left the room briskly, obviously on a schedule. She was one of those people, the ones who were always on some schedule... The ones who missed their son's high school graduation cause they had a plane to catch to Denver and needed to be there more.

I sat on the hospital bed, my feet dangling over the edge. I was able to think clearly, now that I could breath. Breathing, I decided, was another thing not overrated.

Change schools? Already? How long had I been in, a week? God, I wasn't gonna be one of those kids that got, like, five different schools a year, was I? Would my wardrobe all change to suto-goth and I suddenly find inhuman fascination in vampire bats? Not likely, I decided, but would keep my wits about and look out for any unnatural feelings towards the color black.

Just then the door opened and Principal Powers reentered with the nurse at her side. "Well, Miss Ionic, have you thought about my offer? With my recommendation to the school, you'd be sure to get in." She assured me.

"Thanks, but my dad..." I began, but she quickly overcame my reasoning.

"The tuition would be no more, and the payments into this school would transfer with you. We are sister schools, and all we want is for you, and all of our students, to have the best education possible." She informed me, smiling a bit.

I nodded, slowly, and slid off the bunk. "Alright. Can I talk with my dad first?" I asked and Principal Powers nodded, understanding. She thought I was being 'very mature', I could tell. Hell, I thought I was being 'very mature'. "Aren't I going to get into trouble?" I asked, turning back towards the principal and nurse. "I mean, for the fight and all?"

"Mr. Peace explained it all rather well." She informed me, as we headed to the door. "He said that you seemed to have a... control issue with your powers, one that he took advantage of... So you, my dear, are in the clear." She smiled down at me and I gave a surprised little smile back up at her. "Now, one of the faculty members has offered to give you a ride home, so if you'll just proceed to the parking lot and find the green car... The school will call you tonight to discuss your switch in further detail." She said, and I turned to walk down the empty hall as she turned the other way.

Everyone was in there boring classes, while I had just had the adventure of my life and hated every bloody second of it. Except the part where I got to kick Warren's butt, that was pretty darn cool. I smiled to myself as I headed down the hall. Maybe a new school wouldn't be such a bad idea, new classes, new people, a fresh slate...

I glanced up to open the doors to the font of the school and saw the person I owed my disguised expulsion to. He leaned against the school next to the door and was lighting up a cigarette. I was going to ignore him and hope he ignored me, but what good would that do? I'd never see him again, and he couldn't do worse than he'd already done... And he hadn't blamed me for the fight. I walked over as he glanced up, holding his cigarette in two fingers.

"Smoking can kill you." I informed him, fully aware of the irony of the statement.

"Piss off." He told me, looking past me and off into the distance as I stood in front of him. "I got two months detention 'cause of you." He growled.

"I got expelled." I said, and he looked at me, though not particularly surprised. "'Course, they disguised it as a transfer... But I suppose I'd rather have heard that than, 'oh, by the way, you're a scary freak that we don't want around our children. Have fun in Sing-Sing."

"They're a lotta freaks scarier than you." He took another draw. There was a pause and he gestured the the lot. "Mom's coming." He told me. I nodded. I held out my hand and he looked at it.

"Leave on a high note. Like Beethoven. Hate Bach, too simple, too predicable." I supplied at his look, but my explanation seemed to make him squint at me more. He finally shrugged, putting his cigarette in his mouth and shaking my hand.

"So I'm never gonna see you again." He more stated than asked. The total lack of remorse in his voice annoyed me a bit.

"That's right." I said, letting our hands drop as he took out his cigarette and held it again. "My favorite arch-nemisis, gone before my graduation. I'm gonna call it, say I bet you, huh?" I said, planning on doing exactly that. I could tell anyone at my new school that I once bet up a pyro and they'd never know the whole story. A white lie, I decided.

"Huh." He said, looking past me again.

"Well, I better go..." I turned to leave but just as I did his hand made a reach and landed on my shoulder and I spun to reach up and kiss him on the lips. I felt his tongue and his palm brushed my face for a moment, as I pressed up against his body, before breaking quickly away, as we both regained composure. It was not my first kiss, nor my most passionate, but it was certainly my most movie-worthy make out ever.

I glanced around and utter, "Well, bye." Before beginning quickly down the steps and towards the green power car that waited for me just out of view, partially behind a bus.

-

A week later, after due recovery time had been allowed for my Oh-so-painful burns, I was talking to my dad in the living room as he caught the end of a football game he'd recorded.

"Aww, look at that baby!" He cried, throwing up his hands, "What a pass, what a pass! Rob, you should really be watchin' this."

"The Giants won, I read it in the paper." I didn't look up from my book that he insisted on interrupting my from.

"Now you just had to spoil it for me, didn't you?" He shook his head and smiled, as I smiled into my book.

"Well, if you'd shut up..." I hinted, subtly.

"Well, if you'd show interest in some quality television for once..."

"I hardly rate pre- football as 'quality television'. They're not even in the playoffs." I informed him, but gave up on my book and closed it in my lap.

"Oh, Lisa called today-"

"Lisa?"

"Principal Powers. She had some good news. You haven't been transferred after all, you get to go back to school. Apparently they just got some new psychiatrist who is very interested in working with you." My mouth fell open, slightly.

"Wait, I am going back to Sky High?" I hoped I had misheard him.

"Yup, just like you wanted." He answered, absently, still watching the game. "Aren't you excited?"

"Sure, dad." I sighed and leaned back, not sure whether to scream, sob or just sit in silence and pretend that I didn't have to face it all again. "Then maybe I can have mt toenails ripped out with pliers while I'm raped by a monkey."

My dad turned to me, surprised. "I thought you didn't want to change schools."

I looked at him. "Oh, dad," I reached for my soda and sighed, "You really need to learn to tell when I'm for real and when... Well, when I'm blowin' smoke."

.e n d.

So I bet you're like, "WTF, yo? How is that anything like Point of No Return?" Well, The random kiss scene is, in my book, but that's about it. I bet you're also like, "But how the heck do you bounce a ball twice before catching it when the ball's roughly the size of a pinky toenail?" Well, I cannot divulge that information, but I know that you'll figure it out, I have faith in you. Thanks for reading, Over and Out.

R&R.