Pyro was swimming in the lake that connected to the brook a bit further back. Sure, his thing was fire, but sometimes he liked to go for a swim. He dived under and then came back up, smoothing his hair back with one hand. He looked back at his shirt and lighter that were hidden under a rock nearby. They were still there. John could hear voices up ahead. One sounded like a guy's and the other was definitely Wild Thing's. He swam into the mouth of the brook, where it was still deep enough for him to do so. He listened carefully…
"Lara?" Darren asked and pulled back one of the willow tree's branches.
"Hmm?" she replied, not really paying attention.
"Hi. I just…I saw you coming back here and…"
"You decided to follow me," Lara completed the sentence for him. Darren ran his fingers through his hair and sat down next to her, but not too close. A friendly distance.
"Are you and Firebug…?" he started off and then wished he hadn't.
"Firebug? Never heard of him," Lara quipped smartly.
"I mean, uh…Pyro." Darren was having a hard time with this. She wasn't talking or doing anything that most of the girls at the school did. It was as if she was waiting for him to start the conversation.
"John? Oh, no." There she went again. A couple of words. Darren wasn't used to silences like this. He wasn't alone very often and someone was always saying something. Maybe…maybe he could try impressing her. He drew the water of the brook up and into a large wave…
Pyro felt the current speed up suddenly and then his feet left the bottom of the riverbed. He was swept up into a wave and then dropped suddenly on shore. He propped himself up on his elbow, coughing out water. He shook the water out of his hair and looked up to spot Lara and Darren. Darren seemed surprised to see him and Lara was eyeing his bare chest.
"Uh, hi," he said and Wild Thing burst out laughing.
"Py…Pyro! I didn't know you could swim!" she giggled.
John stood up and smoothed his hair back again. He glanced back in the direction of his lighter. "I'll be back, just a second." He turned and jogged back to his clothes. He jerked his shirt on and grabbed his lighter before returning.
Darren wasn't too happy at this new development. Here he was, about to ask her to the upcoming Spring Dance and Pyro shows up. What was worse is that it was entirely his fault. He groaned quietly. Darren noticed the way Lara's eyes followed the Firebug's every move. Maybe this would be harder than he had thought…
Lara, however, was having the time of her life. First, there was Darren. He couldn't seem to be able to carry a conversation, so she knew that he hung out with most of the talkative girls. And he was somewhat shy. The American boy, that's him. Then, there was John. He was used to long silences and could sit there for hours not saying a word. He wasn't shy; he was ready to kill anyone who got on his bad side, and accepted any challenge with a smirk on his face. One could cool you off and one could burn you up.
"Darren! Ryan's sister got her head stuck in the stairwell!" Lara jerked her head around to spot some person running up to Darren. He smiled apologetically at her.
"I've got to go, Lara." He ran after the person. "Hey, wait up, Joe!" And then he was gone.
"I wonder how that guy keeps it up. This is the fourth time she's done that." A smooth voice came from the direction of the lake. Lara looked around and a grin spread on her face as she saw Pyro. His hair was still wet and so were his pants, which was probably why he had his lighter in his hand.
Click. Flick. Swish.
He strode over and sat next to her, closer than Darren had.
"The fourth time? Does she have an obsession with sticking her head into stairwells?" Pyro smirked.
"I guess so."
Lara looked behind her to make sure Darren was nowhere in sight. She didn't want him to know about her abilities just yet. Then, she took the power from the nearest two light posts and brought it to her in a ball that made a crackling noise as it settled into her hand.
"I wonder…" She spread the bolts through a small section of the brook and then opened her palms, attempting to heat up the section until it boiled. She waited for a moment, and then steam rose from the water and a few bubbles came up and popped. Pyro raised his eyebrow and looked at Wild Thing, who had her eyes shut and was concentrating as best as she could. John flipped open his lighter and thought about helping her out, but decided not to. He wanted to see what she could do alone.
Lara kept it up until the brook was bubbling like crazy. Then, she cut off the power abruptly and returned it back to the light posts. She opened her eyes and looked over at John.
"Well, that was cool." Lara gave him an almost grin and he stood up.
"Want one of my famous Ice Cream Explosions?" he asked her and she smirked.
"Now I find out that you're a cook. You're just full of surprises, Pyro." John held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her up and led the way to the kitchen.
Later, Darren came back outside and glanced at the willow tree. She wasn't there. He had expected that in the back of his mind, but now it was real. Firebug…
Pyro: Why can't I heat up the water?
RTD: Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer, John.