Sorry for the long wait everyone, but the story's finally here, so I hope you like it!
shadow dragon04- Sorry for the long, long, LONG wait, but it's finally here! The new chapter's finally here! Hope you like it and thanks for reviewing!
Goddess of Twilight- Thanks, I'm glad that you enjoyed it, and I hope you like this one just as much, or hopefully, even more! Thanks for reviewing!
trecebo- Thanks, I'm glad you liked Flash; he's such an awesome character. And there is a convo here between Richie and Virgil, but this it's a light-hearted scene, as opposed to the one's they're going to be having later. Anyway, hope you like this chapter, and thank you for reviewing!
Gen- Hmmm, I guess I put things like "Blond boy" and "Young hero" in so I don't always have to say Richie and Virgil. That seems a little plain to me. And no worries, this is NOT a Virgil/Richie romance. There are already too many of those on this site. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this next chapter!
Richie'sgirl09- I'm SO SORRY to keep you waiting, but I was having writers block, and in between school, practice, and friends I haven't had much time to update. Anyway, if you've written something, I think you should post it. But before you do, it would be smart to get a beta reader; my biggest mistake was not having one. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story, and thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 15- School's a Nightmare
"School sucks." Mumbled Richie as he pulled on his sweatshirt, catching his glasses as they fell.
This brought on a laugh from Virgil who was now sitting up in bed, the pillows supporting him. "Glad I don't have to go."
"Yea, well, you still need to do all the makeup work." Virgil scrunched up his nose as Richie laughed at the disgusted look on his best friend's face.
"I'm sure you'll be happy to help me."
Richie huffed. "Don't count on it."
"Aw, come on man. Otherwise you might graduate without me, and I'll lose self-esteem, quite being a hero, give up on school, and live out the rest of my days as a bum in from on Safeway."
"Well," Richie smiled. "I'm not gonna help you, but I'm sure Daisy will be happy to." With that said, Richie exited the room, leaving a bewildered and dumbstruck Virgil alone.
"Richie!" Hearing his name, the teen turned around and within seconds found himself in the bear hug of death.
"Frieda…Let go." Richie gasped. "You're chocking me."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Letting go, she examined her friend. Eyeing him, she could see that he was messaging his arm where he had been shot. "Jeez, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make it worse. Are you okay?"
"Frieda, calm, deep breaths. I'm fine, just a little sore. You didn't make anything worse."
Biting her lip, she eyed him cautiously. "You sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." Richie grinned. It was good to be back. "So, what have I missed?"
"Not much. We had a test in history, but that was pretty easy, there was a lot of physics homework, um…" Thinking, Frieda looked around, making sure nobody would hear what she was going to say next. "Although, Gear should have no problem catching up with homework." She giggled slightly at the surprised look on Richie's face. Of course he remembered that he had told her, but he hadn't expected her to bring it up so quickly. He turned a few times to reassure himself that no one had heard before turning back to Frieda.
"What are you trying to do, tell the world?" The shocked and somewhat angry tone in Richie's voice made Frieda burst out laughing.
"You don't really think I'm that stupid, do you? Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone." Taking on a more serious appearance, she forced herself to ask what she really wanted to know. "By the way, how's Virgil doing? Last I heard, he was awake, but I didn't get any details."
"He's doing better. The doctor said he would be out in about two or three weeks, but he won't be back at school for another month or so."
Before Frieda could say anything, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of school.
"I'll see yah later." Called Richie as he started jogging to his next class.
"Bye!." Yelled out Frieda as Richie disappeared into the crowd.
"Richie!"
"Hey man!"
"Long time no see!"
Everyone's voice bombarded him at once as Richie walked into his first period class, grinning after two seconds of shock.
"Hey guys. What did I miss?" Richie asked as he sat down near the back.
"Dunno, I was sleeping." Replied Paul with a laugh. Richie smiled at that; Paul was always sleeping, no matter what class it was.
"Not much." Daisy said as she took her seat next to Richie. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better, thanks."
"Yeah man, you and Virg had us all freaked when we found out what happened." Said Brian, who had turned around in his seat to face Richie.
"By the way, how is Virgil?" Asked Daisy, concern clearly playing across her features.
"He's getting better. By the way, what did you guys hear about what happened anyway?"
"Not much; just that you and Virgil were two of the people who were injured. It's kinda weird though that you guys got shot in the same places Static and Gear were hit, don't yah think?"
Richie was about to answer when the bell rang and the teacher walked in, starting first period math, and half the students nap time.
"No! Stop, get that thing away from me!" Virgil fought desperately with his imaginary assailant, the hospital covers twisting and turning with each motion. His eyes tightened as his gripped the sheets as if they were his life line.
"Virgil. Virgil, wake up son." Mr. Hawkins shook his son, trying to wake him up from yet another nightmare.
"Please, no." Virgil sobbed, his struggle subsiding. A few stray tears made their way down his face.
"Virgil! It's just a dream, it's not real son. Wake up."
Forcing his eyes open, Virgil scanned the room, his eyes portraying the terror and pain he had just experienced. He didn't recognize where he was, but that didn't matter when he saw his father.
"Dad…." The word was whispered, said in the same tone of a five year old who had just awoken in a dark room. No more had to be said as Robert pulled his son into a hug, holding him as the teen's body shook, tears staining his father's shirt. There was no noise besides the quiet sobs. Father and son stayed together, Virgil holding on to his dad until he fell asleep in his arms.
Robert, as gently as he could, lay his son back down on the bed, sending up a silent prayer to allow his son to sleep in peace. Virgil had been having nightmares of the bank robbery every day since he woke up, and Robert was having a hard time watching, feeling helpless as every time Virgil slept, he fought inner demons that refused to die.
Sorry for yet another short chapter, but at this point I'm just trying to update. As you've noticed, all the comidy is pretty much over with this chapter; we're going back to angst, so buckle up everyone, it's going to be one emotionaly bumpy ride.