Chapter 9: The 'Kicks Are Alright

"Stop right there! What do you think you're doing?"

The trio of Hero Support freshmen visibly trembled as Lash's tall figure strode down the corridor towards them, a look of extreme disapproval on his face. The smallest one, a pale, sickly-looking boy, held his arms protectively over his face as Lash stretched his arm and…

…removed the soda can the pale boy had put in the regular trashcan and dropped it into the green recycling can beside it.

"Did you know that over 50 billion aluminium cans in the US were incinerated or landfilled last year?" Layla asked the pale boy sternly.

"N-no…"

Lash's face was lit up with an almost religious fervour as Layla launched into one of her favourite subjects.

"I didn't think so. Well, tossing away an aluminium can wastes as much energy as pouring out half that can's volume of gasoline. In fact, 3 per cent of the world's total electricity goes into making new cans. And don't even get me started on how many millions of tons of greenhouse gases the global aluminium industry produces each year!"

Magenta couldn't quite hear what Lash was saying, but she was close enough to see that the jerk was engaging in his usual pastime of terrorising sidekicks. The pale one looked like he was about to cry. Magenta marched over to them.

"Hey! Is he hassling you?"

"No," said Layla weakly. "I was just trying to educate them about the environment."

Magenta stood between Layla and the sidekicks and gave Layla her best withering glare.

"Yeah, sure you are, Lash," she said, her hands on her hips. "Can you even spell 'environment'?"

More than anything, Layla wanted to tell Maj what was going on. She'd had enough of pretending to be Lash. The weekend was terrible, so lonely. She hadn't felt this bad since she first broke up with Will.

"Umm…"

"Not such a badass without your buddy Speed, are you?" Zach asked, walking up behind his girlfriend. It had been a while since Lash had bullied him, he didn't dare after Will got his powers, but Layla could see that although Zach was puffing out his skinny chest bravely, he wasn't quite meeting her eye.

"Yeah, Lash," Magenta added. "Notice how no-one round here likes you? And no-one's scared of you anymore. You have to get your kicks tormenting freshmen. You are truly pathetic."

"A-actually," interjected the pale sidekick timidly, his watery eyes darting nervously from Magenta to Layla. "He was telling us to recycle."

Magenta was unexpectedly lost for words, but was saved from having to think up a suitably sarcastic quip by the arrival of Warren.

"Everything OK?"

Warren gave Layla a quick, furtive smile before turning to Zach and Magenta. Layla gawked at him. Her hair… Warren plainly hadn't been using that expensive super-hydrating conditioner she'd bought. Or straightening irons. Or possibly even a hairbrush. And what was he wearing? Layla didn't think she owned any black t-shirts, then she remembered the old one she wore when she helped her parents redecorate the dining room a couple of months ago. When she looked more closely, she could see that there were still speckles of white paint on the sleeves.

"Hey, Layla!" said Zach, as the freshmen took the opportunity to scuttle away unnoticed. "Just making sure ol' Lashy boy's behaving himself."

Layla looked miserable. Warren suddenly felt very sorry for her. In some ways she'd wound up with the raw deal of the whole mindswap mess. At least he still had his friends. He still had Will. But Layla had no-one. And she was getting grief from everyone for someone else's bad behaviour. Warren certainly knew what that felt like.

"If he's not upsetting anyone, just give him a break."

"Give him a break?" Magenta repeated, looking at Warren disbelievingly. "Since when did he give us a break? When he was shoving Zach into lockers? When he was giving Ethan swirlies?"

Magenta gave Layla a dangerous look. "When his friend was throwing Ethan off the gym roof?"

"Good morning, Sky High," Principal Powers' voice drifted along the corridor from the speakers along the walls. "Would all students who have brought their parents for Career Day please report to your homerooms?"

Layla decided this was a good a time as any to make an exit as she skulked off to Ms Hunter's classroom. She had other things to think about today.

Warren opened up Layla's locker and took out her brick-like copy of Aqualad to Zook: A History of Hero Support Through the Ages as Maj continued to mutter darkly about Lash. He wondered where Will was. He hadn't seen him all of Sunday and he wasn't on the bus earlier. He thought about his outburst on Saturday morning. Will was probably avoiding him. Not that it mattered. He didn't own Will or anything and he definitely was not missing him. Not after just one day, for God's sake. But he was used to having him around.

Then he saw him, walking down the corridor, talking enthusiastically and laughing. With Lash. Warren felt an oppressive heaviness swell inside him. Lash caught his eye and smiled. He was still looking a little peaky, but otherwise bore no obvious signs of his recent brush with hypothermia. The heaviness increased when they both came over and Will informed them that he and 'Warren' were practising for the Save the Citizen World Championship tryouts after school.

"It's Warren's idea that we make a start now, but I agree with him," Will said, touching Warren's arm. Warren felt himself blush as Will's fingertips brushed against his bare skin. His body was too close. Far too close.

"Just imagine if we made the finals in Tokyo," he continued excitedly, his eyes shining. "It would be so awesome!"

At the sound of the bell, the group started making their way to their respective classes. Lash barged past Warren, knocking his Hero Support textbook out of his hands. Warren gasped as it stubbed his foot and he stooped to pick it up from the floor.

"Sorry," Lash said, but the spiteful smile he flashed wasn't apologetic in the slightest.

Ms Hunter made Layla feel edgy. Layla disliked the air of scarcely restrained violence she radiated; it was completely at odds with her own pacifist philosophy. From the Hero lesson she attended on Friday, Layla gathered that Ms Hunter, whose combined powers of super-strength and super-reflexes meant she was unmatched in hand-to-hand combat when she was still on the hero scene, was very much of the 'attack first ask questions later' school of thought.

Some people said that Ms Hunter's preferred method of dispatching enemies was to crush their skulls between her forefinger and thumb. Looking into her fierce, jet black eyes, Layla could well believe it. But she seemed to be chatting quite nicely to Mr Langford as the classroom slowly filled with students. Lash stopped in the doorway for a few seconds before entering, staring at Mr Langford. Bianca Frost carefully stepped around him, her gaze fixed firmly on the floor, but she needn't have bothered as Lash didn't notice her.

"You're here?"

"I'm sorry," said Mr Langford, smiling benignly at him. "Have we met?"

Ooops, thought Layla. Lash looked far from happy to see his father.

"Uhhh… Dad, this is… my classmate, Warren Peace."

On hearing Warren's name, Mr Langford's smile rapidly slipped from his face, his expression becoming one of barely disguised suspicion. It was a look all too familiar to Warren, but was completely lost on Lash.

"I see…" Mr Langford's voice trailed off, the arm he had extended as if to shake Lash's hand snapping back to his side. Lash merely grunted in reply and went to his desk.

"Graduation may seem like a long way off to you all right now," began Ms Hunter when the class had settled into their seats. "But I can assure you the day you put on your spandex and cape will come all too soon enough. To help you decide on your futures, we have invited your parents to talk to you about their own unique hero experiences."

She motioned towards Lash's father. "The first parent at our Career Day is Mr Langford, formerly of the superhero team the Delta Division. The Delta Division were the foremost superteam of their time, so we are very privileged to have Mr Langford with us today."

There was a lukewarm ripple of applause from the class as Mr Langford stepped forward. Layla smiled at him encouragingly.

"Many thanks for such a glowing introduction, Ms Hunter," Mr Langford said, nodding at the teacher. She smiled at him graciously.

Mr Langford continued, "There were seven of us in the Delta Division – Obscura, Gadgeteer, Scintilla, Hydro Dude, Madame Mesmero, Graviton, and Behemoth. Between us we had the power of invisibility, capabilities of an inventor, ability to size-shift, hydrokinesis, telepathy, control over gravity and super-strength…"

Mr Langford became progressively more animated as he relived his glory days to the class, speaking of his team-mates and their joint accomplishments with deep affection and pride. The students listened raptly to his stories, of the Division's first mission, foiling a plan by the supervillain Astro to enslave humanity using alien brain slugs, how the Division defeated Master Blaster, a power-hungry supremacist supervillain who could create massive energy blasts and was holding a whole city hostage... Layla could see that they were quietly impressed. Lash's reaction, however, she couldn't gauge as Warren's desk was a couple of rows in front of her. Her eyes flickered from Mr Langford to the red streaks on the back of Warren's hair.

Ms Hunter thanked Mr Langford and asked the class if they had any questions. Kris Fraser, a good-looking but, in Layla's opinion, grotesquely arrogant boy asked Mr Langford what his power was. Without hesitation, Mr Langford informed him that he didn't have a power as such, but as Gadgeteer he designed the team's vehicles and weapons.

"So, you were a sidekick, then?" asked Kris a little rudely. Some of the students started whispering. Layla saw Lash shift in his seat.

"Yes, I was," affirmed Mr Langford. "Although I understand the more politically-correct term these days is 'hero support.'"

Bianca raised her hand and asked why the Delta Division were no longer active. Mr Langford loosened his tie and collar apprehensively.

"We disbanded nine years ago after we battled Maximum Kaos."

"Oh yeah, didn't Kaos and his cyborg army take a few of you out?" Kris asked, somewhat insensitively Layla thought.

Mr Langford's mouth tightened. He looked at Layla, worry etched into his face. Ms Hunter glanced uneasily from Mr Langford to Layla.

"Yes," Mr Langford said quietly after a long moment of silence. "It was one of the worst times of my life. We… lost some good people. It was hard, in fact it still is. But that's the risk you take when you become a hero."

Mr Langford looked around at the class, his face grave and serious. "You are among the few who have the power to truly change the world, but you would do well to remember that such job satisfaction comes with a heavy price."

Suddenly, Lash rose from his seat.

"And where do you think you're going, Mr Peace?" Ms Hunter asked, but Lash didn't respond and slammed the door on his way out.

Layla's eyes narrowed. Lash was such an idiot. Did it really matter if his dad was a sidekick? He really needed to grow up.

"I don't want you associating with that Peace boy," Mr Langford warned Layla outside of Ms Hunter's classroom at the end of the talk. "He's obviously been a bad influence on you."

"But you don't even know him!" Layla protested.

"Perhaps," Mr Langford admitted. "But I do know Barron Battle, and if Warren Peace is anything like his father…"

Layla could feel her temper rising. This was all a bit rich coming from the dad of the wannabe villain Lash.

"Who his dad is isn't who he is. You of all people should know not to prejudge someone on a label they've been given!"

There was a loud clang and Layla turned around. Will was looking at her nonplussed. He had wrenched his locker door off its hinges and it had fallen to the ground.

"You're right, son," smiled Mr Langford as he gripped Lash's shoulder. "You know, you're more mature than I give you credit for. You don't know how much this means to me, you asking me to come here today, but I really hope it didn't upset you when your classmates started talking about Kaos. I should have anticipated that. Are you OK? I know we never talk about…"

Mr Langford breathed out slowly, "…what happened to your mom."

Oh no, Layla thought. Suddenly it all made sense. The snide remarks made by Lash's grandfather. Why Lash's mom wasn't around but her pictures were. Why Lash's brother and his father didn't mention her. Lash's mom was in the Delta Division. She was killed by Maximum Kaos! No wonder Lash stormed out of the classroom. It didn't matter that another parent was about to start addressing the class, she had to find him…

She knew he had to be somewhere on the school grounds, it wasn't as if he could fly off. Unless he stole one of the buses. Which did seem like something Lash would do.

Having exhausted all possible hiding places indoors, Layla ventured out onto the drizzly sports field. She shivered slightly at the cold and was about to turn back when she glimpsed a faint amber spark from beneath the bleachers. She squelched through the mud to the spot where Lash was sheltering from the faint rain. His face looked strange and blotchy as he lit up a cigarette with a flame on the tip of Warren's forefinger. Layla very nearly informed Lash that there were over forty known carcinogens in cigarette smoke, but realised that such a statement probably would not produce a favourable response.

"I can't believe you did that to me, you evil bitch," he spat. "Bringing my dad here. Trying to embarrass me, were you? Make everyone laugh at me 'cause I've got a stupid sidekick father?"

"No! Your dad's a great guy, I was only trying to help…"

"Well, don't!" said Lash as he turned his back to her.

Layla hesitated. Warren was probably right before when he said she should keep out of other people's business, but she couldn't help it. Not when someone was clearly hurting. Even if that someone was a nasty piece of work like Lash Langford.

"I'm sorry if having your dad here today brought back… bad memories."

Lash spun around, his eyes glinting like hard obsidian. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Just stay out of my life!"

"Little tricky, don't you think, when I'm actually living your life?" Layla said exasperatedly. "Maybe if you could just fill me in on a few details I won't mess it up anymore."

"So you can laugh at me some more?" Lash asked as he started walking away from her. "I don't fucking think so."

That bitch, Lash thought. Oh yeah, Layla Williams made out she was all sweetness and light, but he knew what she was trying to do to him. At least Speed wasn't around to witness this, to see everyone laughing at him and his father. But she had been right about the memories his dad's talk brought back. There were things that he dealt with by not dealing with them. You couldn't feel bad if you didn't think about the things that made you feel bad, Lash reasoned.

He felt his gut churn as he walked past the cafeteria at lunch. All the students milling about with their friends. He could imagine what they were saying about him. The jokes they were making at his expense.

Then he saw the ideal vent for his frustration walking towards the library, that stupid sidekick book in his hand. Warren Peace. Yeah, he saw how Warren had turned red when Will was talking to him earlier, and how pissed he looked when Will said they were going to be spending most evenings practising Save the Citizen together. It was so freaking obvious.

"Hello, Peace," Lash said just loud enough for Warren to hear as he intercepted him. "I've been meaning to have a little chat with you all day."

Warren tried to walk around him, but Lash blocked his way.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm going to be hogging little Stronghold after school, I mean I am doing it for his own good and all."

Warren decided to ignore him. Lash was obviously trying to get a rise out of him, but he wouldn't let him have the satisfaction.

Lash decided to change his tack. "Don't worry, I've figured out what your problem is, Peace. Now that I've met your mother I see that being a loser is a hereditary condition."

"Shut it…"

Lash smiled. He knew he'd get there eventually. The quick-tempered ones were always so much fun.

"What's her problem, anyway? Your place is a hole and she looks a mess. Doesn't she have any self-respect?"

"I said shut the fuck up! Don't you fucking dare…" Warren raised a fist to strike him and Lash knocked it away easily. He was much taller and stronger than him now. People turned to look at Warren. It wasn't everyday that they saw goody-goody Layla Williams completely flip out.

Lash laughed and Warren felt his anger boil over. How dare he talk about his mom like that? The prickly sensation he felt in his hands when he caught Lash kissing Bianca returned tenfold. It travelled from his fingers to every nerve ending in his body, it was almost like being on fire, but instead of releasing a torrent of destructive flame, Warren felt a life-giving energy burst out.

There was a weird sensation in the air, it cackled like static. A couple of the more sensitive students, including the pale sidekick that Layla had earlier been teaching about the joys of recycling, fainted. The floor shook violently as dark tree roots ripped up the corridor to hysterical screams. Roots began winding around Lash's legs. He cried out and burned them off, flinging a fireball at Warren's feet.

"Enough!"

The flame on Lash's fist extinguished swiftly and the roots slunk back into the ground at the sound of Principal Powers' voice. She coldly surveyed the havoc that was once a corridor and was now a mess of charred rubble.

"Warren, detention room. I don't think I need to give you directions. Layla, please come to my office."

Warren felt light-headed, almost delirious, as he followed Principal Powers, the sea of shocked faces surrounding him a blur. But one caught his eye. Layla. She looked horrified.

Layla watched herself being led away by the principal, with that knotted hair snaking down her shoulders she looked like a wild Medusa. How the hell did that happen? She didn't think she was physically capable of summoning that much power, but then she never raged like Warren did. Then a second, more disturbing, thought hit her.

Oh God. She was getting detention!

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A/N:

Regular readers will notice that I've lowered the rating (I was being a little over-cautious when I first posted this as it was my first fic), changed the secondary genre from Angst to Drama (this story was much more angsty in my head) and added a disclaimer in the first chap (I suddenly developed an irrational fear of infringing copyright and being hunted down by Disney!!)

Before I go, I'd like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Sadly, I'm too busy to update as often as I'd like, but your comments mean a lot and you all really motivate me to keep going with this!

Big hugs,

AzulTigress