Hey Readers! Happy New Year!

Sorry for the early post; I, who am still on my Winter Break, was woken up by my family at 6:30 AM because they had to go to school, so I figured I might as well post this now. I hope you all had a nice break with your families and friends. It's been a while since my last chapter, mainly because I rewrote this about two or three times; I don't know why, but this chapter was a struggle to pen, though the chapters after this should be easier to write since I already have an idea about what comes after this. But thank you all for being patient to see the next chapter of the story!

Anyway, I know school and work is starting again, so good luck to whatever you have, and enjoy this next chapter in the story!

Rising Tensions:

"Heard you've made quite a name for yourself," Ch'p said, flying next to Sam as they made their way towards the giant lantern to power their rings and portable lanterns. "I'm gone for a few weeks, and you're already one of the top Rookies in the group!"

"I'm not the best," the teen replied modestly, landing on one of the platforms, the rodent-like Lantern hovering next to him. "Technically, that's Elantra." It'd been a while since he'd seen his first friend on Oa, so he was happy to fill him in on everything that's happened. It was also a rare free day for the Rookies (which was a relief to Sam; he felt like he was going to snap if he didn't get a break soon), so the two friends were able to spend time catching up with one another.

"But it seems you've made quite the impression on the rest of the group. At least that's what Kilowog's said."

"You've talked to him?"

"Yes."

"About me?"

"Yes…"

"Why, Judas?"

"I don't know who that is, but I assure you I wasn't betraying our friendship. He was just mentioning how much you've improved since you've gotten here, and also mentioned you breaking your leg at one point?"

"That was a few days ago, but are you sure you talked to Kilowog?" They were now standing in line as one by one, other Lanterns stepped up to the giant lantern to charge their rings and lanterns. "I mean, that sounds like something positive about me."

"He's still giving you a tough time?"

"Yeah; I'm surprised he didn't leave me on that moon to freeze to death!"

"C'mon Sam; he's not heartless."

"With so many different species on this planet, I wasn't exactly sure."

"You know what I mean. There's a reason he's been a trainer for so many years: it's because he cares about helping Rookies become Lanterns."
The teen gave a small snort of laughter. "Sure has a funny way of showing it. Though I will admit, it has gotten easier now that I've gotten better at ringslinging."

"And who taught you the basics on how to ringsling and hone your abilities," Ch'p asked innocently.

" … Fine! Technically, Kilowog did, but I've also been organizing practices between the Rookies outside of training. That could also be a reason as to how well I've gotten."

"Probably, but why did you start those extra practices?"

"Because we were fed up with Kilowog's-" Sam cut off, looking over at the smirking alien. "Damnit!"

"Chin up, Sam," the alien said brightly, still floating next to him, covered in that green glow. "Just submit yourself to the fact that Kilowog's the reason you're becoming a great Lantern."

"I don't know where you've been assigned, but if you could please leave as soon as possible-"

"Don't worry," the squirrel-like alien assured him. "I'll be leaving real soon; in a few seconds, in fact."

The teen turned towards his friend, confused. "What are you talking abou-" He then gaped as the alien glowed a brighter green, then disappeared in a flash, leaving empty space where he had been.

Did… did he just… die, Sam wondered, fear settling in his chest as he wondered what the heck just happened. Can Lanterns teleport? Then, just as he was thinking he should probably leave before getting accused for murder, he heard someone speak up from behind him which made him freeze where he stood.

"What's the matter, Poozer? Confused?"

It sounded like Ch'p's voice, but the word choice and tone reminded him more of- "Kilowog."

He turned around to find said alien floating down towards him. The Bolovaxian's fist was raised, ring glowing, and the glowing figure of Ch'p floated next to him, still cast in that green light that the teen had thought was just an afterglow.

"You certainly look confused," the large alien asked in Ch'p's voice, the fake Ch'p's mouth moving along with it like some sort of puppet.

"You gotta be kidding me," Sam muttered, turning away from the alien to focus on the line, which was nearing its end as the Green Lanterns in front of him charged their rings, as well as to hide his embarrassed expression.

"You obviously weren't payin' attention when I was tellin' you all about illusion constructs," the training officer spoke up, his voice back to normal. "I expected better of you."

"Leave me alone," the boy said angrily, refusing to look at the large pink alien. "That wasn't funny! I've been talking to that fake Ch'p for over half an hour!"

"Which makes it even funnier," the alien laughed, standing right behind him. "But I'm here to charge my ring, too. Apparently, keepin' up a fake Lantern construct is pretty energy-consumin'."

"As if you already weren't making training hell for me, now you have to interfere with what little free time I have?"

"It's my job."

"Why don't you ever bother any of the other Rookies? Do you just hate humans for some reason?"

"While most of the ones I work with are a pain in the ass, I don't hate your species. Green Lanterns don't discriminate."

"Yet here you are." The teen finally reached the giant lantern, holding up his smaller lantern to charge it before moving onto his ring. "Look, Sir, if you've got anything to say, then say it and leave me alone."

"Calm down, Poozer. I just wanted to chat."

"Isn't that what we're already doing, Sir?"

"Don't be a smart ass, Poozer; you know what I meant."

"Why bother though? What was wrong with pretending to be Ch'p and asking me about whatever it was you were trying to figure out? I would've told you anything you wanted to know if I thought it was him." He pulled his ring away from the glowing green monstrosity, making his way towards the exit.

He felt something wrap around his wrist, jerking him to a stop. Whirling around, he turned around to find Kilowog charging his own ring, a simple chain construct preventing him from going too far from the pink alien's side. The training officer gave him a smug look, as if daring him to try and escape, though knowing that the teen wouldn't be able to.

For some reason, Sam suddenly grew angry at the alien; he was already upset at being tricked by the training officer, and now the Bolovaxian was preventing him from enjoying his free day. Without thinking, he swung the small lantern in his hand, encasing it in a green block, and slammed it into the chain, putting everything he had into it. To his surprise, he broke the chain, and the training officer gave him a shocked look; this was the first time that the human had ever broken a construct of his.

Knowing he had only seconds to move, Sam quickly took off into the air, flying down the corridor and out into the open air above Oa. He knew that he couldn't get in trouble, since he didn't do anything wrong, but he still flew as fast as he could, not stopping until he was on the other side of the planet, landing in a small park area that was mostly deserted (he doubted most Green Lanterns had time to relax in a park).

Sitting on a bench, he told himself that he didn't do anything wrong; if anything, Kilowog was in the wrong by trying to stop him from leaving. Even if the alien found some sort of BS excuse to get him in trouble (which he probably would), the teen didn't care; he was too pumped up on adrenaline and anger to worry about getting sent to the Guardians or given extra laps around the planet. And as for wanting to talk to him, it was obviously some sort of excuse for the Bolovaxian to keep him from enjoying his day off.

Who pretends to be another alien just so they could mess with me, the boy thought bitterly, looking up at the starry sky above him. What kind of a trainer is he? He's sadistic. He's crazy. He's-

"Flying right for me," the teen muttered, noticing the green and pink blur flying towards him from the sky. "Does he have a tracker on me or something?" He started to climb to his feet, not wanting to find out, but the officer shot out a construct, trapping his arm to the bench as the alien landed a few feet away of him.

"Let me go," Sam demanded, trying to pull his arm free of the construct.

"Break out of it yourself," the Bolovaxian ordered him.

"LET ME GO," the boy shouted, trying to yank his arm out with no success. "I don't want to talk to you! Just leave me alone!"

"You just broke through my chain construct a few minutes ago," the combat officer told him, unfazed by the teen's pleas. "You can break out of this if you want it bad enough."

"This isn't one of your training exercises! You may be my superior, but you can't do this to me on my day off!"

"Watch me."

Giving a growl of frustration, the boy slammed his free fist on the green construct, determined to be strong enough to break it. It cracked underneath his fist, his hand stinging with pain, but he hit it again three or four more times until it broke in half, the two pieces falling and then disappearing. His right hand was on fire, some of his fingers looking broken, but he ignored the pain, glaring at Kilowog.

"Happy now," he snapped. "Did I do well enough, or did you want me to break my leg as well?"

"I was just tryin' to-" the pink alien started to say.

"Get it through your thick skull that I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU! I don't care if I get in trouble with the Guardians or you, I don't wanna hear what you have to say! Just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He shoved his hands out, wanting to push the alien back with a wall construct, but his right hand flared with pain, breaking his concentration as he dropped his small lantern battery. Crying out in pain, he held his injured hand, finally taking in the broken fingers, along with the blood coming from the cuts in his knuckles. He knew how to heal it, but his ring was currently on the broken hand, and trying to remove it would be painful.

A shadow crossed over him, and without hesitation, he tried to push the alien away, but it stopped his punch, looking at his injured hand with some concern. With his other hand, he gently grabbed his injured hand, examining it as if he were a doctor.

"You need to fix that," the officer told him.

"Thanks, Sherlock," Sam said, trying to pull his arm free without hurting himself. "I'll go heal then."

"I'll do it."

"I'd rather you didn't-"

"Not a negotiation, Poozer." The alien held up his ring, shooting a focused beam of light onto the teen's hand, waiting for the energy to start fixing his hand.

Sam wanted to fight back. He wanted to create some sort of construct to free himself, but between the pain in his hand and his anger, he was unable to focus his will enough to make something. But the only way of retaliation was not showing any pain as his fingers jumped back into place, the bones healing themselves. Moments later, his hand was healed, and he quickly pulled it from the officer's grasp, flexing the healed fingers.

"I already know what's going to happen now," the human spoke up as the combat officer turned towards him.

"Really? Didn't I always tell you to never underestimate anyone," Kilowog continued.

"You said to assume that your enemy would never play fair," the teen corrected him.

"Who said I'm your enemy?"

"Are you serious?" The boy didn't have any idea what the alien was playing at, but he wasn't going to take it anymore. "Even before I made that comment about your planet, you seemed to have it out for me. Since Day One, you've taken every opportunity to beat me down, call me out on my failings, and used me as your personal punching bag! And I get that you're an officer and this is like the army, so you're supposed to do stuff like that, but now you're coming after me during MY free time, and you stand there pretending that everything's alright?!"

"Well, isn't everythin' alright," the trainer spoke up.

"GAH!" Screaming, the teen thrust his hand forward, ready to knock the officer through the wall with a boulder, but the pink alien was ready, blocking the construct with a wall of his own.

"You're upset," Kilowog told him. "Your emotions are preventin' you from thinkin' straight, and you might hurt yourself-"

"SCREW YOU," the boy yelled, chucking another rock construct at the alien. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!"

"I know you're going through a rough time in your life; you're thousands of miles from the only home you've ever known, leaving your single mother alone after the death of your father years ago."

Sam was silent for a few moments, stunned by what Kilowog had said, but then he grew angry again. "Shut up," the boy snapped, enraged that the combat officer knew about his private family life, throwing another construct to no avail.

"You're an only child, and still young, and you never wanted to be here in the first place-"

"I said shut-"

"-And your dad died years ago when he was hit by a-"

"SHUT UP!" Sam yelled so loud, his voice gave out, and at the same time, a wave of green energy burst from him, knocking Kilowog off his feet. The human didn't mean to do what he did, but whatever it was, it was the most powerful construct he'd ever created. The boy, meanwhile, was feeling pumped on adrenaline, a rush of emotion and power coursing through his body. He was angry, sad, confused, and in pain; his throat felt like it was on fire. Nearby, the alien looked up at him, a shocked expression on his face as he tried to process what had just happened.

"Stay… away," Sam gasped, backing away towards the door. "Just… Please..."

He turned away after that, running out of the examination room, refusing to look behind him as he eventually reached the outside, taking off into the air. A few minutes later, he was quickly walking down the hallway towards his room, and he entered it, locking the door behind him and sitting on his bed as he finally broke down crying.

Everything he had kept bundled up inside him for the past two months was let out now as he sobbed, hugging his pillow as he sought some sort of comfort he couldn't receive. Combined with his sore throat, the boy was in severe physical and mental pain, wishing that he was anywhere but here. He didn't want to be here; he wanted to go home, he wanted to quit, he didn't want to be burdened with protecting the universe. He wanted to go back to Texas, see his mom, go to school, and just be a normal teenager. He never asked to come here; why him?

Several minutes later, the teen was cried out, sniffling and wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. For a minute, he reconsidered using the communicator to send a message to his mom or Hal Jordan, but he didn't want to seem like a complainer; besides, his mom couldn't do anything, and Hal was friends with-

Looking over a the door, he quickly got up and checked the hallway, searching for some sign of the combat officer, but it looked like Kilowog had finally gotten the message and was staying away. He had no idea why the trainer was intent on making his life a living hell, but he knew that the sooner he finished training, the happier he would be. Closing the door and re-locking it, he grabbed his dad's tape from its hiding place under his thin mattress and turning it on, lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

After his dad had died, he would spend hours and hours in his room, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling as he let the music take him away. It felt good to just let the world disappear for a while, even though he knew that eventually, he would have to re-enter reality. He didn't do it as often as he used to when he was younger, but whenever he felt sad, he'd listen to his dad's music until he felt better, and that was what he did now. It made him feel safe… almost secure, in a way, as if his dad was with him again, telling him that everything would be alright…

"Even when things aren't," Sam whispered out loud as a-ha's Take On Me echoed through the small room, comforting the sad teen.

Elantra couldn't believe the stroke of luck she had as she was waiting in line to charge her ring and lantern. It was that human, arguing with Kilowog, and then they both nearly got into a fight before flying off. She had quickly followed them, watching from a distance as she watched Sam break his hand, watched the officer heal his hand, then watched them argue back and forth before the teen attacked the officer, running and flying away. Even on her low ring power, she was able to follow him to his room, waiting outside the door as she sensed him crying and, eventually, heard music coming form his room.

This was what she had been waiting for; now, Sam and Kilowog were upset with one another, the teen was feeling upset and angry at the world around him, and she now knew what she needed to push him over the edge. A small plastic human device that played trivial songs for the boy's amusement. It was a piece of crap, but she could sense that the boy loved it, so all she needed to do to beat him was to destroy the device.

Or, have someone else do it for her.

Yeah, stuff's gonna go down in the next chapter, so be ready for it.

For those of you that're thinking that I'm writing Kilowog as a complete jerk who's mean to everyone, remember that this is from Sam's perspective, so he doesn't really see the kinder side of the alien. Also, Elantra's pretty tricky, but she may or may not get her comeuppance in the future. This chapter's kind of like a filler before the big climax, but I figured it would be important to see how the Green Lantern Corp has taken its toll on Sam's psyche.

As always, follow and favorite the story or me to keep updated on new chapters, and feel free to drop a review on the chapter or story if you want.

Again, Happy New Year, and good luck with work and/or school!

-aggiefrogger

Also, I do NOT own a-ha's Take On Me in ANY way, shape or form!