Layla took off with the idea of running for student council. The rest of the bus ride, she was jotting down things she what she would change once in office, how to run for office, and was even sketching out a plan for the next 3 years. Mary was truly impressed at her friend's focus. She would be a force to be reckoned with if she was elected.
The bus touched down and the riders disembarked. Mary scanned the area and smiled when she spotted Warren leaning against a wall by the main steps. She turned to her friends. "I'll see you at lunch." They nodded and she hurried across the lawn. Warren gave her a small smile as she came closer. "Good morning," she said, answering his smile with one of her own.
He nodded and they started up the steps. "Everything good at home?"
Mary nodded. "The twins thought the whole homecoming thing was cool and Mom was concerned, but glad that I'm ok. How did your mom react?"
"She was pretty protective of me for a while." Warren lowered his voice and shifted his bag on his shoulder. "She kept putting food in front of me, asking if I was all right, and constantly touching my arm."
"She was making sure you were ok. That's sweet."
Warren held the door open and followed after her as she walked through. They strolled down the hallway, both aware of the stares following them. Mary had been expecting the wary looks and was pleasantly surprised at a few polite nods in her direction, but she wasn't too pleased with the looks some of the girls were sending Warren. Before he'd saved the school, they'd looked at him with disinterest and disdain. Now, they looked at him with attraction and far too much interest. Their shallowness irked her.
The two of them stopped in front of Warren's locker. He spun in the combination and pulled the door open, slipping some of his books into his bag. "She wants me to invite you and the twins over for dinner on Friday."
"Who?"
"My mom."
Mary blinked. "Your mom wants me and the twins to come over for dinner?"
"She has a day off and wants to meet you. Says that you sound interesting."
She smiled, leaning against the lockers. "Warren Peace, have you been talking about me?" He tried to glare at her, but the slight flush of his cheeks didn't help the fierce look he was going for. "But I'd love to come over. And the twins will be thrilled, too." His expression softened and his lips curled slightly. The bell rang and Mary straightened. "See you at lunch?" He nodded and she left with a squeeze to his arm.
Mary slid into her seat as the late bell rang and Mr. Medulla turned to the class. "I'm glad to see that the events of Homecoming hasn't hurt attendance. I assume it also hasn't hurt your studying. We'll see how you all do with this surprise test."
With a frown, Mary turned to the paper on her desk. There had to be seven sheets here, double sided. Sure, she'd read the chapters and done the homework, but what had Medulla been thinking with this test? Her fingers flexed around her pen and started in on the questions.
A groan slipped from Mary's lips as she sank onto the lunch table's bench. Slumping forward, she rested her forehead on the table.
"Lamb?"
She rolled her head up to watch Warren take a seat across from her. His brow was furrowed as he placed his bag on the table. Mary pulled herself up and sighed. "A seven page test in Mad Science, assigned groups for group presentations in three other classes, and a long winded lecture on things we've already covered in Hero History. I'm exhausted."
"The teachers usually heap on more work right before midterms and finals. They want to make sure you understand what's going on."
Mary rubbed her face and pulled out her lunch. She spread it out in front of her, setting the plastic bag of mini pastries between her and Warren. He raised an eyebrow at the sweets. "Suzy's been working on a new recipe. She wanted to know what you think. They're mini caramel apple pastries."
He picked one of the pastries up and bit off half. He nodded, finishing the rest of the treat and reaching for another one. Mary chuckled. "I assume you like it?"
Warren swallowed his mouthful and grinned. Her heart fluttered in her chest. "She's got a real talent. Must get it from her sister." Mary's cheeks warmed at the praise.
"Are those sweets?" Zach asked, sitting at the table. The others in their group sat down with their lunch trays.
"Suzy's new recipe." Mary watched as Zach grabbed one of the pastries. Warren glared, but Mary pushed the rest of the sweets to his side of the table. He gave her a slight smile and took another one as Zach moaned.
"Oh, man. Your sister's gotten good, Mary."
She nodded at Zach's praise and reached for her water. Her hand paused on the bottle as her vision began to blur for a moment. She shook her head to clear it and took a long swig of liquid. Something pressed against her foot, bringing her attention to Warren.
"Are you feeling ok?" he asked, slipping into French.
"Just a little dizzy," she said in the same language. "I think everything's catching up to me."
"Do you need to go to the nurse?"
"I'll be fine once I get home and sleep."
"You haven't been sleeping well?"
Mary chuckled slightly and pressed her foot against his under the table. "I'm glad you're concerned about me, but you don't have to be. I'm fine."
Warren didn't look completely convinced, but Mary's smile put him slightly at ease. She hadn't been feeling at the top of her game this morning, but she had written that off as staying up too late with the twins. A good night's rest would do her some good.
"It's cute that you two talk in your own language," Layla said with a smile as she watched them.
Warren glared at her. "Don't call me cute."
Mary sipped her water, hiding her smile. It would take a little while for him to get used to the others, but she was sure he'd come around sooner or later. The others would grow on him sooner or later. "We're practicing our French. There's probably going to be a test soon. All my other classes have been passing them out like candy, so I though a bit of practice couldn't hurt."
"Yeah, man," Zach said. "We've been getting hit with those, too."
The others started to talk about their own tests and complaining about the homework they were most likely going to get in the upcoming days. Mary turned to Warren and nudged his foot. "You good?" she asked, falling back into French.
"Is them sitting here going to be a regular thing?"
"Why? Don't like the crowd?"
Warren shrugged. "We didn't exactly get along so well before homecoming."
"But you worked well together during the dance." Warren's eyes narrowed slightly, showing how nervous he was. "I know that interacting with people might be strange for a while, especially since you're moving from the brooding pyro to a kid making friends. It's a big shift and it'll take time. You shouldn't push yourself too much; just go at your own pace." Mary nudged his foot in comfort. "These guys didn't leave me when they found out about my mom and they'll be loyal once they get to know you. They're good friends if you give them half the chance. And I will always be here for you."
Warren stared at her in wonder, hope, and gratefulness. Mary had suspected that his fears were about the others and what they would think. Having no one else to lean on because of your reputation had put up walls and he would have to learn that those walls could come down with the right motivation. That was something she'd had to learn in France and was glad she'd had a group of friends who cared enough to try.
The bell rang for the end of lunch. Mary collected her things and waved goodbye to her friends as she headed to her next class.
As predicted, there were tests in those, too. By the time she dragged herself into French class, she was ready for the day to be over. When the teacher announced that they would just be talking in French for the rest of the class in preparation of their midterms, Mary dubbed him her favorite teacher. She crossed her arms on her desk, ready to set her head down and maybe rest her eyes for a bit.
"Sleeping in class? I'm rubbing off on you, Lamb."
Mary leaned back in her seat, rolling her head to the side so she could see his satisfied smirk. "It was bound to happen sooner or later." Her gaze swept the room, taking in the partners and groups chatting in faulty French. She looked back to Warren and paused when she saw the concern in on his face. "What?"
"You don't look so hot."
Mary wanted to quip something back, but squeezed her eyes shut from a sudden light-headedness. She rubbed her forehead and smiled slightly. "I'm fine. I just need some sleep."
"Do you want to practice or go to the nurse?"
Mary rested her cheek on her palm. "Maybe-"
"Um…Warren?"
The two looked up at a preppy blonde haired girl standing by Warren's desk. There was a faint blush to her cheeks and her fingers curled into the hem of her sweater top.
The concern on Warren's face was quickly replaced with a fierce scowl. Mary smiled slightly as she watched the girl shrink a little in on herself. "What?" Warren growled.
"I-I was w-wondering if we c-could practice t-together."
Mary would have to admit she was a brave little thing to approach the pyro, but that didn't stop the sense of possessiveness to rise up in Mary's chest. The intensity surprised her, but she focused on the interaction in front of her. Despite the blurring at the edge of her vision.
Warren frowned. "Why?"
"W-well, I've heard you two b-back here and w-wanted to know-"
"We're not tutoring anyone," Warren cut in. "Find someone else to help."
The girl opened her mouth to say something else, but Warren's scowl intensified, sending the girl running back to her seat. A few of her friends looked their way with frowns, but turned away when they saw Warren's expression.
Mary smiled slightly. "I thought you were getting better at socializing."
"You and Stronghold's group are my limit."
"That's good." Mary's eyes started to droop. Why was she so tired? Her cheek slipped from her hand and she jolted up straight.
Warren was watching her but didn't say anything. She would deny feeling anything less than fine. After everything that had happened, she didn't want him to worry about her like he had when she'd been turned into a baby. No one should have to worry about her like that; it was too much of a burden.
The bell rang and Mary slowly collected her things. Power Training was a bit of a blur, as was getting home. She remembered taking the twins home and getting them dinner, but any time after that was a bit foggy. She didn't even remember going to bed, but the bright ray of sunshine found her huddled under her covers with her face pressed into her pillow.
Mary groaned and rolled away from the light, pulling her comforter more firmly around her. She peeled her eyes open, wincing at the sandpaper feel, and looked at the clock on her bedside table. She paled and jumped out of bed. It couldn't be that time! She was so late!
"Suzy! Randy!" She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and struggled to get her shoes on. "Get up! You're going to be late!"
Mary leaned against the bed for a moment, her vision blurring and her chest burning with lack of proper airflow. She shook her head and pulled on a sweater. She'd just have to go to school in her pajamas. Grabbing her bag and shoes, Mary hurried to her siblings' rooms.
"We have to go. Come on, guys."
But they weren't there. Their beds were made and their bags were gone. They must have gotten up on their own. Thank goodness. Mary turned and hurried down the steps. "Guys, are you ready for school? I'm sorry I couldn't get your lunches made. I can give you some money for-" She stopped in the kitchen, staring at the note perched on top of a covered bowl. A glass of orange juice was sitting next to it. Mary unfolded the note, scanning Randy's jagged handwriting.
Mary,
You didn't look so good so we let you sleep. Suzy made oatmeal. Please get some sleep. Don't go to school.
Love you lots,
Randy and Suzy
Mary sighed and folded the note. She could have faked being ok long enough to see them off to the bus. They didn't need to take care of her, that was her job. She looked at the bowl and sat, removing the cover. Two raspberries were placed on top, a line Cheerios curved to make a smiling face. Mary smiled back before eating a bit. She instantly had to take a long drink of orange juice. How could they have messed up instant oatmeal? Mary coughed and looked at the food again before quickly finishing it all. No way was she going to let their efforts go to waste. Even if she did have to down three cups of coffee to rid her mouth of the disturbing aftertaste.
A look at the oven clock confirmed her suspicion that she'd already missed the bus to school. It was probably for the best, though. Her entire body seemed to have declared war on her. She'd barely be able to pay attention to anything going on. A quick call to the school to explain what was going on, a hot shower, and she'd crawl back into bed for a nap. She'd just punched half of the school's number into the phone when the doorbell rang. Who could possible be here?
The walk to the door was a bit shaky, her body starting to come down from that morning's slight panic. She stopped to catch her breath, hoping she didn't look how she felt. That wasn't the best way to answer the door. The doorbell rang again and Mary pulled the door open.
"Warren? What are you doing here?"
He looked her over, his gaze coming back to hers. "You look like crap."
Mary frowned. "Then it matches how I feel. Why aren't you at school?"
"Can I come in?"
Mary stepped back and watched him enter, closing the door behind him. He set his backpack down on the side table and turned to her. "Well?" she asked.
"Suzy called me this morning and said you weren't feeling well. She asked me to come and look after you."
"What?" Mary leaned against the wall as she felt her energy starting to leave her. "How does Suzy know your number? Did you skip school for me? You can't just do that, Warren."
"I can and I have." He reached out and rested his hand against her forehead. Oh, that felt good. Mary closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. "You're burning up. You should be in bed."
"I know that." She forced her eyes to open. "I can take care of myself, Warren. You didn't need to-"
"I do," he said, his fierce tone stopping her protests. "Aren't you supposed to help a friend when they need it?"
"Does that include sickness?" Warren nodded and she sighed. She had a feeling that he wasn't going to go away any time soon. "And what exactly do you intend to do?"
A small smile curled his lips. He knew he'd one this first round. "Go take a hot shower and change into something comfortable. Then make yourself comfortable on the couch. I'll make you some tea."
Mary shrugged slightly and started toward the stairs. She paused at the first step, though, and turned. Warren was grabbing his bag. "How does Suzy know your number?"
He blushed slightly and looked away, adjusting his hold on his bag. "She made me give it to her."
Mary raised an eyebrow. "Forced you? How?"
"She." He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. "She blackmailed me."
Blackmail? That didn't sound like Suzy. She usually… Mary smiled. "Did she threaten your cookie supply?" Warren's jaw tightened. Mary laughed. "Suzy. The Cookie Mafia Boss. Oh, Warren, that's great." She sank onto the steps, her continuous laughter making her light headed. But she couldn't stop. With a simple threat of not giving Warren any more cookies, her little sister had wrapped the pyro around her little finger. The image was too good not to laugh. Mary just wished it didn't make her head spin.
Warmth spread across her left side and she opened her eyes. Warren had come to sit next to her at some point and was staring at her in concern. She didn't like seeing that look on his face. He was too handsome for that furrowed brow. He should smile. She liked his smile. Mary leaned against him. She loved how he was always warm. It might be because he was a pyro, but there was a safety in his warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since she'd had a normal life with her mom and dad.
Warren wrapped an arm around her back and under her knees, lifting her as if she weighted nothing. He was strong, too. How could he be so great? Mary snuggled closer to his chest, letting her eyes close. She'd close them for a moment.
AN: Hey, everyone. I'd like to apologize for not getting this chapter up sooner, but I've been working on a very big project. I plan to have my first book finished and published (or at least publishable) by the end of this year. I'll try to continue updating my stories for you all, but I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I hope you all had a wonderful ringing of the new year and you receive nothing but the best in the year to come.