A/N: Thanks to all for my reviews, they keep me going despite these dreaded AP exams. : P!

Vali felt someone shaking her. "Hey!" the girl beside her whispered. "You'd better get up!"

"Why?" she demanded, pulling out her earbuds crossly. She received her answer as she was thrown backwards by Coach Boomer's sonic bellow.

"BLACKLEY, UP HERE NOW," Boomer screamed. "YOU'LL BE GOING UP AGAINST PEACE AND STRONGHOLD."

Vali muttered something under her breath. The redheaded girl next to her smiled ruefully. "I'm Layla, I'll be on your team-we're the good guys. But don't worry, Will won't hurt you," she added, pointing out the scrawny-looking fellow out of the pair waiting for them.

Vali didn't answer. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Boomer as she and Layla made their way down to the gym floor. She knew this was Boomer's attempt to embarass her. She knew nothing about Save the Citizen and didn't expect to win. She never won at anything- she was hardly the most athletic person, never mind her perpetually pissy attitude.

Layla explained the rules to her quickly at Boomer's command and they strapped on their protective equipment. Will and the dark-haired boy beside him, Peak or whatever his name was, looked at her. Will smiled and Peak- the Goth kid from the bus, Vali realized- just nodded in her general direction.

"Sounds like a load of crap to me," Vali whispered to herself. She refused to admit that she was terrified, even to herself. The game began before Vali was even ready, and Will and Layla just stood facing each other, each apparently unwilling to hurt the other. Pake, however, had no such qualms, and lunged towards his and Will's Citizen. Vali swore loudly and caught him by the back of his leather jacket.Pick shook it off and kept going, so Vali began to run and jumped in front of him.

Before she knew what was happening, a large garbage can rose up and slammed into Park's stomach. He fell without a word onto his back. Vali knelt androlled it away from him, swearing angrily. "Are you okay!" she demanded fiercely.

Pack didn't answer her, instead jumping to his feet and leap-frogging over Vali's head. She leapt onto his back and they both fell to the floor. "Get off me!" the boy yelled.

"Fine!" Vali shouted and scrambled off. She wasted a few seconds assessing the situation before she got moving again: Will was getting wrapped around with a few vine tendrils which led out through the gym window; he seemed not to want to rip them apart and Layla didn't appear to want to use more force with her green magic. Meanwhile, both Citizens were nearing death.

Grunting, she yelled to Layla, "Gimme a boost!" A large, thick, green and leafy thing wrapped around Vali's waist and hurtled her through the air towards her and Layla's Citizen, which she grabbed and threw to the floor. The vine's grasp loosened andVali fell about fifteen feet, but miraculously she was unhurt, because she'd landed on something soft. Actually, she'd landed half on her citizen and half on Will's partner, Pink. Or whatever his name was.

She hurried to get off of him, because she didn't think it would be very comfortable for the boy to have a 110-pound girl on his chest. "Why do you keep falling on me?" he demanded.

"I was about to ask if you were okay, but I guess that's answer enough," she retorted, whipping her hair out of her eyes with one impatient gesture. "It's not my fault you're a bad loser!"

"I'm not a bad loser, I just don't appreciate being used as a sofa!" he yelled, getting on Vali's already frayed nerves.

"Watch it, cow-killer!" Vali screamed. He made a gesture with both fists and they lit on fire. "Those portable campfires don't scare me, hon," she said coolly. He waved on dangerously close to her and the lid to the trash can that had previously struck Poot now clapped him on the head.

"THAT'S ENOUGH," Boomer intoned, a note of glee in his voice. "DETENTION, BOTH OF YOU."

Vali smirked. "Happy now, Putt?"

"The name's Peace," he growled.

"Whatever, Poop." Vali led the way as she sashayed out through the gym.

Layla and Will looked at each other. After the game was over (it was to be seen whether it counted as a win if the Citizen was squashed by a member of the team supposed to be saving it), Layla had withdrawn her vines, sending them back through the window (she'd become a bit freer about using her powers since homecoming), and Will had moved to stand beside her to watch Warren and Vali fight.

"She's got...um, attitude?" Will half stated, half asked.

"What she's got isa mental problem," Maj muttered as she and the rest of the Sidekicks made their way to the gym floor.

"But she's hot," said Zak. Maj poked him with an elbow. "For a, you know, a freak."

Detention was a pain in the a- butt. Unable to do so much as levitate a flea (which she was unable to do unless she didn't want to, as her powers seemed to be in a contrary mood), Vali sulked. Her CD player and iPod had been taken away, and she was left in a colorless box of a room with Warren Paks. Peace, she reminded herself. Warren Peace, the one whose fault all this is.

She glanced over at him. He was very...striking. Handsome, really, but that wasn't a word Vali was willing to use about Warren right then. She looked away again before their eyes met, and began tapping out a beatto a song she was working on, using the top of the desk before her as a drum. She closed her eyes, unconsciously humming to herself as she thought.

Warren examined his fellow prisoner carefully. He was an observer, and he liked to figure out as much as possible about people when they weren't paying attention. He noted Vali's long eyelashes, her peaceful expression, the firm set of her jaw. He gathered from his inspection (and from the bruises beginning on his chest and stomach, along with the goose egg on his head) that Valianta was a fierce and proud creature, though graceful and, perhaps even nice if she could possibly be tamed.

After about ten minutes, Vali opened her eyes. Warren moved his attention to the graffiti'd desk as soon as her ebony eyelashes fluttered, so she had no idea that he'd been gazing at her speculatively.

"Um. Are you...okay?" she asked. "I can't really control my powers"- this merited a snort from Warren -"so the trash can hit you hard, and I know it hurt."

"I guess this is your attempt at an apology?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said gruffly, her cheeks flaming a sudden red. "If you wanna drag this out I might hurt you again. I may not be able to keep a handle on my powers but that doesn't mean they don't work for me sometimes."

Warren looked her straight in the eyes and said quickly, "I accept your apology- but you have to promise to be nicer."

Valianta's cheeks became redder. "What do you mean! I've been trying to--"

"You know what I mean," he insisted. "None of us can help it that you're angry to be here. Besides, we're all freaks at Sky High, so you'll fit right in."

Vali glared at Warren's insult but her blush faded, and she answered softly, "Promise." She gave a tiny smile, which was returned and made Vali feel -forgive the cliche- slightly fuzzy inside. She and Warren spoke little afterwards until their detention was over.

A/N: Whatcha think? Please do review. I need the encouragement.

-Lady A