For the next few school days, Mary was an awful friend. Well, not totally awful in the way she betrayed a close confidence or anything. She just couldn't help but find never ending entertainment in Layla's attempts at making Will jealous. Whenever she saw him with Gwen, she'd start talking about going to the dance with Warren loud enough for him to hear or, if Warren was around, she'd pretend to be flirting with him. Warren would roll his eyes and glare or try some other technique to make her go away. Mary was an awful friend because, when Layla had seen Gwen and Will together and had grabbed Warren's hand, calling him 'cutie' and receiving a burned hand in exchange, she had laughed.

"Hippie is really starting to get on my nerves," Warren growled during French. They were supposed to be practicing comparisons, but, like normal, Mary and Warren were having their own conversations at the back of the classroom. It wasn't like anyone was paying attention to what they were doing.

Mary rested her chin on her hand. "You're the one who wanted to get back at Will. You're just going to have to deal with Layla's attention."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're enjoying this too much."

"Hey," she said with a grin. "What are friends for?"

"I'm starting to question this friendship."

Mary shifted so she faced him more. "You only have to do it until the end of the dance. You can hold out for one more day, right?" Warren's only answer was to roll his head back and sigh. "It could be worse."

"How?"

"She could insist you two match." Mary tilted her head as if contemplating something. "I wonder what you would look like in green."

Warren growled at her, but she only smiled.

The bell rang and Mary slid her books into her bag. "So what are we working on in power training?"

"It's Save the Citizen. Boomer's feeling lazy, I guess." Warren raised a hand as he headed out. "See you there."

Mary adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder and headed toward her locker. She'd finished the Mad Science homework so she'd need Hero History tonight. The next chapter was on Hero Uniforms and she was actually looking forward to their assignment of designing their own outfits. Maybe she could email some of the pictures to her fashion friends for ideas.

"Mary Lamb."

She bit back a groan and turned her head. "What do you want, Lash?"

"Can't a guy talk to a pretty girl?"

"And a girl can ignore you." She pushed her locker closed and moved to walk around him. He stepped in front of her, smirking down at her.

"I see you and Peace have been getting chummy. I guess you go for the brooding and emotionally constipated types."

"If I wanted constipated, I would have chosen you." Mary pushed his arm away and stepped passed him.

Lash flexed back into her walkway, resting his hand on his heart. "I'm hurt, Lamb. I really am." His smile widened. "I bet you'll be a great Villain."

She glared at him. "I'm not going to be a Villain. Just stop asking me to be."

"Oh, but I don't need to ask. It's in you DNA. Your mom, your Grandfather, and you Great Grandfather were all Villains. It's only a matter of time until you become one, too." Lash shrugged. "Hey, maybe you could make it a family thing. The twins could be a powerful duo. I wonder what it would take to turn them?"

Mary grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. "You come anywhere near my siblings and I will put in a force field so compressed that you'll turn into a stress ball."

Instead of being scared or even a little cowed, Lash grinned. "Now that sounds like a Villain." She looked down at her hand and jerked her fingers away. Lash's shirt was still wrinkled from her grip. He straightened, grinning proudly. "You're lying to yourself if you think that you'll be anything other than a Villain. It's only a matter of time. Better own it now." He turned and sauntered down the hall, leaving Mary to stare at her hand even as the late bell rang.

She pressed the hand to her middle. She wouldn't be a Villain. Never. The life of a Villain ended badly. Her mother had been a Villain and she was forever separated from her family. Her entire family had suffered because of Villains. No, she could never be a Villain. There wasn't a single part of her that wanted that. Her gaze fell to her hand, which had begun to shake. And yet she had lashed out at Lash for provoking her. He'd done it before, but he'd made a point she couldn't refute: Villains ran in her family. Heck, they'd talked about family legacies in Hero History. Not one of those families had the Hero rise from the Villain family. They became Villains like the generation before them. Was…was Lash right? Was it only a matter of time before she…or the twins? She couldn't bare it if they…What if she had to take them down if they did? The sudden image of her brother and sister's broken bodies appeared in her mind's eye.

Mary's vision began to blur and she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't cry here. Someone would see. But she couldn't stop the tears from coming. She needed a place to let everything out. Maybe the girl's room? Or an empty classroom? Someplace private where she could cry and wallow for a bit. She turned to find a dark corner when the boy's locker door opened.

Warren stepped out, dressed in his orange school uniform top and blue track pants. His hair fell into his eyes and obscured some of his vision, but he found her just the same. One look at her and he was reaching out. Mary couldn't stop herself from leaning into his embrace and crying into his chest. Thank god there was no one around them or neither of them would ever live this down.

Warren held her close, rubbing a hand down her back and whispering something in her hair. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but the soft tone was breaking through everything swirling inside her. They were moving but she didn't know where her feet were carrying her. It was a while until she felt herself sinking onto a chair. Warren held her and waited for the last of the tears to stop.

She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I…"

"It's ok," Warren said. "Just breathe." She did as instructed and looked around her. Warren had led her to the nurse's office. Nurse Spex wasn't around, for which Mary was thankful. "I asked the nurse to leave for a bit."

"Thank you." Even to herself, Mary sounded weak. She rubbed her eyes and sniffled.

Warren looked slightly uncomfortable but hesitantly asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

For a moment, Mary wanted to say no. That it was just some emotional moment and there was nothing to worry about. But when she saw the effort in Warren's eyes, his trying to be a good friend, she found herself recounting the incident with Lash. He listened patiently to her story.

"All I could think about was what if Lash was right?" Mary wrung her bag strap in her hands. "What if I turned into a Villain? Or Suzy did? Or Randy? What if I had to stop them? I don't think I could do it, Warren." She stopped twisting the fabric and blinked way the tears threatening to form again. She looked up, meeting Warren's eyes. "What if it's my destiny to be a Villain?" The tears fell down her cheeks. "It would destroy me."

He took her hands, gently prying them away from the bag strap. "You will never be a Villain."

"How can you be so sure?"

He held her hands as he gave her a small smile. "I've watched you. A true Villain doesn't love the twins as you do or make sure Stronghold has finished his homework so he won't get into trouble. A true Villain doesn't care the way you do."

"But a Villain can care," Mary said. "My mom isn't a bad person, not really. She made mistakes but she loves our family. Your father loves you, too, right? Villains can care about their families and still be Villains." Her voice lowered and her eyes lowered slightly. "What stops me from becoming like them?"

Warren reached up and cupped her chin, turning her face so she could meet his gaze. "It doesn't seem like it, but I have the same doubts. It's hard to separate yourself from your family's legacy. You'll feel like you're slipping and no one understands or you'll start doubting yourself. But I'll be here for you, Mary. I know what you're going through and I'll be here to help if I can." His hand traveled up to cup her cheek. "You're not alone."

A small smile slid across her lips and a few tears fell. But they were happy tears. She slowly hugged him, which he returned. "Thank you, Warren."

He smiled into her hair. "Any time, Lamb."

Mary was thankful that nothing stopped them from skipping Save the Citizen and she could recover in the nurse's office without any awkward questions. They stayed there, comforting each other, until the bell rang to dismiss school. Warren squeezed Mary's shoulder. "You good to make it home?"
"Yeah." She rubbed her hands over her face and gave a watery smile. "I should be fine."

Warren raised an eyebrow, not believing her too much, but nodded and stood. "I'll walk you to your bus."

She laughed softly. "What would people think about that?"

"Screw what they think," he said, shocking her with his serious tone. "I'm your friend and I'm making sure you get to the bus without Lash or anyone else bugging you."

Mary stood and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "You'll lose that reputation of bad brooding pyro."

He rolled his eyes. "I can always get it back. Regardless of what you or the Hippie do."

Mary laughed, remembering Layla's antics. "If you get it back, I'll believe in miracles."

The two left the nurse's office and headed to the busses. They received a few odd and curious looks as they strolled down the hallway, but Mary didn't seem to mind too much. With Warren by her side, she felt much more sturdy than earlier. They were walking down the outside stairs when Warren paused.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked, turning toward him.

He looked at her for a moment, his gaze intense and focused on her. She stared back, wondering what was going on through his head. "I'd like to invite myself over after my shift."

Mary blinked. "That's a bit blunt," she said. "But I see no reason why not. Suzy and Randy would like to see you. Anything you want for dinner?"

"I'll bring some take out," he said. "A serving of white rice, a serving of fried rice, dumplings, sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls, and General Tso's chicken, right?"

"Should I be concerned that you remember the order I made weeks ago?"

Warren shrugged. "I remember the phone call you got when you picked it up." He raised an eyebrow. "Will your dad be home? Maybe he should-"

Mary scoffed. "Dad hasn't been home in a week. He's been absent for some time, even before we moved to back to Maxville." She shook her head. "I'll expect you over after your shift, then. What should I ask Suzy to make? Chocolate? Caramel?"

"Whatever works with Chinese, I guess."

Mary noticed her bus was almost full. "I'll see you later, Warren." He waved and headed off to his own bus.

Mary slipped into her seat on the bus. Layla turned to her. "Are you ok? You weren't in Save the Citizen."

"I got a headache and went to the nurse's office to lay down. Everything's fine, now," Mary said as the bus took off. "You excited for the homecoming dance?"

Layla perked up a bit. "Yeah, actually. I found this great dress. Do you have something?"

"I have one or two things from my French friends. I'll probably choose one of them."

"Do you want to come over tomorrow and we can get ready together? Mom could take some pictures of us before we leave."

"That'd be great." Mary smiled but then paused. "Oh, no."

"What?" Layla asked.

"I just remembered that I don't have anyone set up to watch Suzy and Randy." Mary leaned back in her seat. "I would ask Josie, but she and Steve are going to the dance to be awarded something. You wouldn't happen to know someone I could ask on such short notice, do you?"

Layla shook her head. "Sorry. I would ask my parents, but they're taking the opportunity to have their own date night. Won't your dad be home?"

Mary waved her hand dismissively. "He's working late nights. Even if he was home, he'd be too tired to watch them."

Layla frowned, her mind turning over the problem. "What if one of the parents at the bus stop could take them? Maybe agree to a sleepover?"

Mary blinked. "That's a great idea. I think there's a pair of siblings both of the twins like. I could ask the parents at the bus stop." She smiled. "You're such a good friend."

Layla grinned back. The bus stopped and Layla, Mary, and Will got off. "I'll see you tomorrow around noon?" Layla asked.

"Sure thing," Mary said as she waved to her retreating friends.

It didn't take long for some of the parents to start showing up to the bus stop. Mary smiled at them, trying to remember who had which kids and if they got along with the twins. A brunette met Mary's smile and stood next to her.

"You're Mary Lamb, right? Suzy and Randy's older sister?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, good. I'm Linda Kowalski, Taylor's mom. I know this is short notice, but would the twins be interested in coming to a sleepover tomorrow? Taylor's older brother, Mark, is going to homecoming and Taylor said she wanted her own party. A few of the other kids will be there, too."

Mary grinned. Her luck couldn't have gotten better. "Of course. If Suzy and Randy say they want to go, I see no reason why not."

"Would you parents mind?"

"Oh, not at all. They'll be thrilled that the twins are making friends." Okay, so the last part was a bit of a half-truth. Mom would be thrilled; Mary doubted Dad would care. "Should they bring anything with them? Food or drinks?"

"We'll order some pizza and soda. Are they allergic to anything?"

"Nope."

The twins' bus pulled up and the doors opened. The twins ran off, Suzy holding the hand of a small brunette girl with a purple backpack.

"Mary!" Suzy said, running up to her with the girl in tow. "Taylor's having a sleepover tomorrow and she says we can come if it's okay with you. Can we go, please? Please?"

"Hold on, whirl wind," Mary laughed. "Mrs. Kowalski was just telling me about it. If you two want to go, you can."

Suzy cheered and danced in a circle with the little girl. Randy was smiling, but just watched the girls.

"Here's my address," Mrs. Kowalski said, handing Mary a slip of paper. "You can bring them by at 6, ok?" She took Taylor's hand and they waved as they left.

Mary waved back and then led the twins home. Suzy was animatedly wondering which of her pajamas she should take with her and if she should bring along a stuffed animal. Randy watched the sidewalk.

"Suzy," Mary said, cutting her sister off. "Why don't you go ahead and see what we have in the mailbox?" Suzy nodded and ran off. "So," Mary turned to her brother, "what's with the long face? Don't you want to go to Taylor's party?"

"I do," he said.

"But?"

"But Mandy Barker's going to be there."

"Ah," Mary said. "Your crush."

Randy looked up at her. "What if I make a fool of myself? What if she doesn't like my pajamas or sleeping bag?"

Mary squeezed his hand and smiled. "Just have a fun time and don't think about it too much. It's just a party with friends. If she doesn't like your pajamas, it's her problem. You like them and that's all that matters."

"But what if she doesn't think I'm cool?"

"If she can't like you for who you are, should you really spend your time on her?"

Randy paused. "I guess not." He smiled. "I feel better."

"Good," Mary said. "Now, let's get inside so you can do your homework."

Randy groaned but walked up the steps and into the house. Suzy was already in the living room with her homework laid out on the coffee table.

"Finish you homework before dinner," Mary said, setting her bag by the couch. "Warren's coming over with Chinese food."

"Warren's coming?" Suzy perked up, her smile wide. "Are you two finally-"

"We are not dating," Mary said as Randy pulled his things from his backpack. "He invited himself over and said he would bring food. He wanted to know if you would make something for dessert, though." Suzy nodded and went back to her work.

Mary made sure that they were occupied before heading to her closet to see what she could wear for the dance.

A few hours later, when Mary opened the door to answer the knocking, she didn't expect to see a distraught Layla on her doorstep.

"Will hates me," she cried.

Mary gently guided her into the living room and onto the couch. "What are you talking about?"

"I was walking by Will's house and saw that he was holding a party," Layla said, wiping her tears away. "I went in and Gwen told me that Will knew I liked him and he thought I was pathetic but he was too nice a guy to tell me so." She sniffed and hugged herself.

Randy came in with a cup of hot chocolate and held it out for Layla, who took it with a small smile. He then hopped up next to her on the couch and hugged her side.

Mary squeezed Layla's free hand. "That doesn't sound like Will," she said. "Maybe Gwen was trying to get between you two? I mean, there's no better pair of best friends than you and Will."

Layla shrugged. "Maybe. But he's been spending so much time with her. It could be true."

"From Gwen Greyson?" Suzy said, coming in and leaning on the coffee table. "I don't think so. She's so…off."

"Not a nice person," Randy said.

"See," Mary gestured to the twins. "If they say she's no good, she's no good. You know how good their twin senses are." She stared purposefully into Layla's eyes. "Will will come around and see just how much of a mistake he's made. You'll see."

Layla smiled softly. She took a sip of her hot chocolate but paused when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She set the cup down and pulled out the phone. "It's Will," she said, looking up at Mary. "What do I do?"

Mary shrugged. "It's your call," she said. "But I don't think you're emotionally stable enough to handle him. No offense."

Layla nodded and hit the button to deny the call. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Thanks, guys." She smiled at them and stood. "I think I'm going to go for a bit of a walk. Clear my head and see how much that helps."

Mary walked her to the door. "Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"Yeah." Layla rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks for being a logical voice."

"It helps that I don't like Gwen."

Layla smiled. "Thanks anyway."

"If you need me, just call."

Layla nodded and left. Mary closed the door and looked at the twins who were standing by the living room doorway. "Gwen feels off to you?" They nodded. Mary sighed. Once in a while, they had a feeling about people that was completely accurate. It wasn't to be ignored. "I hope Will knows what he's doing."

"He's stupid," Randy said, "but I don't think he's a idiot."

Mary smiled slightly at that and shrugged. "I'll talk to him tomorrow." She looked to Suzy. "How's your dessert coming?"

"My cookies!" Suzy turned and raced into the kitchen. Randy laughed after her.

The next time someone knocked on the door, it was Warren with a plastic bag of take out. Mary took the bag. She'd already set the table and simply let the others fill their plates.

"Stronghold was at the Paper Lantern," Warren said before anyone could start the conversation.

"But he hates Chinese food," Mary said.

"He was looking for Hippie. He thought I would know where she was because we were going together. Apparently, he was a real jerk or something."

"He threw a party and Gwen said some pretty hard stuff to Layla." Warren raised an eyebrow. "She was here earlier, crying about it."

"Well," Warren said, using his chopsticks to move the food on his plate, "he's not going to homecoming, so I guess I don't have to take Hippie after all."

"Weren't you taking Mary?" Suzy asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"There was a mix up but it's fixed, now," Mary said quickly. She looked back at Warren, catching his relieved expression before he put up his neutral mask. "So Will's not going to homecoming and he was looking for Layla. Anything else?"

"He now knows Layla likes him."

"You told him?" Warren nodded. "How'd he take it?"

"He thinks she's not into him anymore. Whatever happened at that party has him thinking she hates him."

"Not hate, but definitely upset."

"Stronghold's pretty stupid if he can't figure out Layla."

"That's what I said," Randy said around a mouthful of white rice.

Mary handed him an extra napkin. "Don't talk with your mouth full." She looked at Warren. "You still going to homecoming, then?"

"I did give my word," he said. "And my Mom's already looking forward to it. I'm tempted to hide the camera."

Mary laughed. "Let her have her fun. Her only son's going to homecoming." She smiled at his slight scowl. "It could be worse, you know. It could be prom."

Warren groaned. "I'm so glad we're sophomores. Mom would make me go if I was old enough."

Mary hid her smile behind a mouthful of fried rice. Warren might be groaning about the dance, but she could feel that he was a little happy about going. It was probably the slight twitch of the corner of his lip.

Dinner passed with conversation about anything that seemed interesting at the moment. By the time the dishes were cleared away and Suzy had brought out individually served ice cream with cookie crumbles on top, Mary was thoroughly relaxed as if nothing of significance had happened at all that day. She watched Warren with Suzy and Randy, how he seemed to lighten up from what he was like at school. He smiled more easily, something she never failed to notice. If she'd had her camera, she could have captured it five times over. Warren turned and caught her eye, a bright smile still spread across his face. Her chest tightened and a soft gasp escaped her lips. Utter brilliance. She looked away as her cheeks turned red. Why was she reacting like this? Warren was a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. She rubbed her palm over her heart, hoping it would stop beating in her ears. She noticed the time on her watch.

"Bedtime, guys," she said. The twins groaned. "I know, I know. But you better get your sleep now. You have Taylor's sleepover tomorrow. You want to try and stay up past midnight, right?"

They nodded and started toward the stairs.

"Good night, Warren," they called down from the top of the stairs.

He waved up at them. "Night, guys." They wandered to their rooms and Warren turned to Mary. "I didn't get a chance to ask. You doing ok?"

She nodded. "Today's been crazy, but I'm good." A slight smile pulled at the corner of her lips. "Thanks for coming over. I've gotten used to you joining us for dinner."

Warren smiled, making her heart flip. "Any time you need me to come over, just let me know. I'll be there before you know it."

Mary couldn't help the full smile she gave him. There was just no other way to answer him.

He picked up his backpack and slung it onto his shoulder. "I'll see you at the dance."

"You can't miss me," she said, momentarily imagining the dress she had hanging up in her room.

Warren opened the front door and paused in the doorway. His smile grew until his teeth flashed at her, transforming his face into a work of art. "I never do," he said and he was gone, closing the door behind him.

Mary sank onto the stairs, pressing a hand against her pounding heart. Why was she feeling like this? She shouldn't be feeling like this with a friend. Especially not Warren. He was too good a friend to have these kinds of feelings for. She dropped her head into her hands. Oh, she was so confused. Why did he have to smile like an angel?