[Author's Note: Ok. I'm hoping this chapter doesn't end up sounding like how it sounds in my head, a little bit. Which is kind of... 13-year-old-fan-girl... Anyway! Enjoy. :) ]

Chapter Three

Work came and went that week. The Captain America Crew, as I was now referring to them; stopped by every couple days and we hang out and talked on my breaks. Seeing as I didn't have school in the way and the manager understood my financial situation, he let me work what he liked to call 'more then part time, but not quite full time,' since I wasn't a legal adult and there were Child Labor Laws in affect for me.

Mr. Peace also seemed to come by the store more often then he really needed to. I won't say we hung out, because that would be lying. We didn't hang out and we didn't really talk. A 'hello' in passing, or something. But we always ended up on the same aisle. I was basically just a stocker/improv janitor. Meaning, I stocked the aisles that needed it and I cleaned up a mess as I came along it.

Today was cell phone day. The store had just gotten a new shipment of cell phones, the new models, so I had to change out the old display models with the new ones. Today was also one of those days when you start thinking and it leads to something and that leads to something else. And where you started thinking about something like, the weather, ended up thinking about something like music.

Yes, it was that kind of day.

I sighed, looking at the cell phones. I had never had one. My parents thought it was a useless device that served no purpose. But if my parents had had cell phones, I'm sure they would've picked up each other cheating on the other.

I wanted a cell phone, but I needed to use my money towards something realistic; like food and rent. I had gotten my paycheck yesterday and basically broke it into half. Money I needed for food, rent, other bills, and money I needed in case of emergency. A cell phone, in my view, was not an emergency.

I pulled the phones out, with the zip cord trailing behind. I used the tool I was given to disconnect the phone and replace the new model with the same device. I continued this with all of the other seven mobiles.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was Zach and Magenta. "Good God, you don't just sneak up on somebody like that." I said, placing my hand over my heart, trying to remember to breathe.

"Really? I'm surprised you didn't hear monster foot, over here." Magenta said to me, glancing at Zach.

"Ha, ha." He mocked.

"So, what can I do for you guys?" I asked, detaching and re-attaching a cell phone.

"Actually-" Magenta started.

"We need help." Zach said.

I looked at them both. "What do you need help with?" I asked, turning my attention to them.

"See we've got this friend, Wa-" Zach paused, getting an elbow in the ribs and a dirty look from Magenta. "Let's call him Bob." Zach rephrased and Magenta nodded. "Bob likes this chick, let's call her Brittney. And Brittney's new to town."

"We wanna know how we can hook them up for a date. See, Bob isn't very good with people and Brittney doesn't really know anyone. So we wanna get them together without Bob going postal and Brittney thinking we were pushing her into something." Magenta explained.

I nodded, thinking about it for a minute. "Personally, I say forget it."

"Why?" Magenta asked.

"Because Warren would freak. I don't think I'm his type." I said.

"Of course, you are." Zach said and Magenta glared at him. "I, I mean, Brittney is Bob's type. Fer cereal." He tried to save.

"Why do you want to hook me up with Warren anyway?" I asked.

"Because you're a great couple." Magenta said.

"Uh-huh." I nodded, going back to finish off the cell phones. "Well, I gotta get back to work." I said, picking up the empty box and walking away before they could answer. I wasn't sure I liked the idea of them trying to set me up with anyone; let alone Warren Peace.

I mean, duh he was gorgeous. But I couldn't be in a relationship by looks alone. And I didn't think our personalities really clicked.

"Jade Young, call on line 3. Jade Young, call on line 3." Said the speaker closest to me.

I walked over to it and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Jade. It's Layla!" She said, seeming pretty happy.

"Oh, hey Layla. What's up?" I asked, leaning on clean up station six.

"I want pizza tonight. You wanna just have a girl's night? Me and you?" She asked.

I thought about it for a minute, looking at the nearest clock. "Sure, what time?" I asked.

"Like, 6." She said. "And wear something dressy!"

"Uh, why?" I asked.

"Because it's girl's night." She said this sentence as if it explained the cosmos.

"Which means…?" I asked, trailing off. I had never had a 'girl's night.'

She sighed like she was trying to explain math to someone who didn't understand it. "You dress up on girls nights so you can like, show off. Just dress up!" She exclaimed, hanging up on me.

"You have got to be kidding me." I rolled my eyes, hanging up the receiver. Then my mind started racing. I didn't have anything dressy to wear. I frowned. I guess I could get by with a pair of my nicer jeans and a cute shirt? I could scrounge that up, at the least.

I nodded to myself. This would work fairly well. I continued stacking and cleaning until my shift ended at 5:15. I went to my locker and took off my sales apron, putting it in my locker and taking out my backpack. I took out my skateboard and decided my board would most definitely be faster then waiting another ten minutes for the bus to come.

I threw down my board and scolded myself for again not bringing a jacket. It was late summer, early fall. How could I not think of this? When I got home, I rushed to clean myself up. I washed my face and got dressed carefully, remembering only when I tried to rip off my pants that I still had cut up legs. I took out ten dollars from my emergency fund and put it in my wallet.

I deserved a night out every month or so, I decided. And besides, ten bucks isn't going to put the poor in the poor house. Been there, done that. I decided on grabbing my light, dressier hoodie. It wouldn't get that cold.

Picking up my skateboard, I left the room with my little purse on my arm. It took me about 15 minutes to get to the pizza place this time. I became very worried, as I was running about five minutes late. I didn't think Layla minded, but still. I walked in and the entire restaurant is full, except for one or two tables.

I looked at the maître d' when I couldn't see Layla and smiled. "Hi, I was supposed to be meeting a friend here. Layla Williams?"

He nodded and said "Come this way." He led me through the crowd to a table in the back, which occupied none other then Mr. Warren Peace himself.

I looked at Warren for a minute. "Um, I was supposed to be meeting Layla here." I said, standing there awkwardly.

He looked at me and shook his head. "I do believe we've been had."

I sighed. "Don't tell me you were supposed to meet Will?" He nodded, and I thanked the maître d'. I took off my coat, hanging it on the back of the chair and sitting down. "I do indeed believe we've been had." I agreed with the boy.

"Will's been trying to set me up with you all week." He said, looking at me.

I sighed again. "Mine was actually Zach and Magenta, but Layla called me."

"So, would you like to have pizza with me?" He asked. I looked at him for a long moment. "What?" He asked, shrugging out of his leather jacket. This simple action made it very hard for me to concentrate.

"Um… Oh, nothing." I said, blushing. He just stared at me. "I would love to have pizza with you." I said, smiling at him. "So," I said, trying to think of a conversation starter. "Great friends of yours."

He laughed. "Yeah, they like to have a hand in everything."

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." I said, free of sarcasm. He put down his menu to look at me like I was crazy. I smiled. "Kidding, kidding."

He shook his head at me. "What kind of pizza do you want?" He asked, not returning his eyes to the menu.

"Anything but mushrooms." I said.

"Alright, so that only leaves half the menu." He said with a straight face, nodding.

I laughed lightly. "Pepperoni and sausage is my favorite."

"Then pepperoni and sausage it is." He said, waving the waiter over. He gave the waiter our order. "So," He started after the waiter left. "Layla says you're prone to dangerous situations."

I laughed. "Well, you could say that. The first time I met Will, he saved me from getting raped and mugged." He nodded. "And I met Layla because of the shooting at the store."

"Yeah, I would call that prone to dangerous situations." Warren gave a small laugh.

"Well, what can I say? I'm the most exciting thing to happen to this town since The Commander and Jetstream." I laughed.

He looked me over. "Interested in heroes?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Not really. I was walking by electronics today and saw a news bulletin about some killer robot?" It was more of a question. He nodded. "I mean, heroes are cool, but I wanna see the unique powers, ya know. We all hear about the Commander and Jetstream. Well yeah, flying and super strength: two of the most common powers out there. Along with mind reading." I said.

He smiled. "You sound like someone who strives to avoid a cliché."

I laughed. "The only thing I strive for is to strive for something."

He nodded, looking around the room. I decided that now would be as good of a time as any. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded, looking back at me. I leaned over the table to whisper. "Is Zach a super?"

Warren looked at me for a long time. "Why do you ask?" His hesitance gave it away.

"Whenever he talks about school, it's like a secret. Like the other day. He was all whispering about his classes and stuff. I mean, I'm not sure, I just presume there's a school for supers-in-training. I mean, Fly Boy can't just fly all over the city looking for trouble. There has to be a method to it."

"Interesting theory." He said, sipping on his coke. "But why do you think Zach's a super?"

"Well, I think him and Magenta are."

"Why?" He repeated, looking at me intently.

"Well, for starters, the school thing. Secondly, the color scheme." I told him. "Color scheme?" He asked. I nodded. "Layla is all green, and she controls plants. So, I'm guessing if Zach wears yellow, he's like a sort of light."

Warren didn't say anything. "And I have no idea what Magenta is. But there's most likely a thing with the color scheme." Warren still didn't say anything, so my cheeks burned red. "I know it sounds really stupid." I said, looking at the wood floor.

"No. It isn't, actually." He said. I looked up at him and he had a kind of smile playing at his lips.

I'm convinced waiters know the exact moment you want your pizza delivered. Because our waiter suddenly appeared, setting the pizza, on a hot pad, on the table with our plates.

I said a quiet 'thank you' to the man and looked at the pizza. I hadn't eaten all day, so I was starving. And now that I actually had money, I could pay for it. "One piece or two?" I asked, taking possession of the server.

"Two, please." He told me and I gave him two pieces, and then gave myself two pieces. Conversation ceased as I began to eat. It had been about ten minutes later that Warren was laughing.

"What?" I asked, after swallowing the bite in my mouth.

"You just ate four pieces of pizza like you'd never see it again." He said.

I smiled. "Sorry. I eat like a hog." To accent this comment, I dabbed my mouth on my napkin in very Lady-like manner.

"Don't apologize. It's much better then being out with a girl who has a side salad with fat-free dressing."

"Pshh." I said, waving off the comment. "Fat-free? Nah, man. You only live once. Eat the fattiest foods possible."

He held his hand up for a high five. I frowned as my hand touched his and I held his palm for a moment. "Warren, you're burning up." I said, concerned that he wasn't well.

He pulled one side of his mouth up, making a type of sideways smile. "It's ok. I'm been 99 degrees my whole life. My mom hated it. She said it was like giving birth to a hot potato."

His attempt to defuse my concern failed. But I just looked at him. "Are you really ok?" I was trying to keep my voice low.

Warren held my gaze, nodding. "Really." His smile made me forget why I was worried.

"If you say so." I said, going back to my pizza. A few minutes later, I wiped my hands. "Well, Mr. Peace. This has been a great evening, but I should probably go." I said, pulling my wallet out of my purse.

"Don't worry about it." Came his voice. "You sure?" I asked. He smiled. "If I wanted you to pay, I wouldn't have said anything." He said, pulling out his wallet and tossing a twenty on the table.

"Well, thank you." I said, putting my wallet back and picking up my skateboard.

He smiled, standing and pulling his leather jacket over his well-developed arms. No. Can't think like that. He's way out of my league. I nodded to myself, as this was a logical thought. "Can I give you a ride home?"

This question took me a minute to process. I mean, I was actually standing there thinking about it. "Um, no, thanks. I live like five blocks from here." I said, loosely throwing my thumb over my shoulder as I slid my arms through me hoodie.

"Me too. I'll give you a lift." He said, leading the way outside. He didn't exactly come across as the guy you argue with. So I agreed. He held the door open for me and I thanked him. I was expecting to walk towards the parking lot, but he led me into the side ally that parked a black crotch rocket.

"Whoa." I murmured, the impact of its beauty making me stop in my tracks.

"You ever been on a motorcycle before?" He asked, standing to the side of it.

"Um, once; when I was, like, eight?" I offered.

Warren's booming laughter made me ease up. It was odd. The look of him made me tense and the smile on his lips made me melt. No, gr. Stop thinking like that. You're friends. Only friends. No matter how many times Layla tries to set you up with him.

I again nodded to myself, coming to stand next to him. "Um, my board?" I asked. He took it from my hand, his warm one brushing mine. Our eyes caught for a moment, but I wasn't able to handle the intensity of his gaze. I blushed, looking away from him.

He easily slid my skateboard into the compartment under the passenger seat. "Big compartment." I commented.

Warren smiled, nodding. He held out a helmet for me and I took it, taking off my purse to put it over my shoulder. But his warm hand again brushed mine and he tossed the unholy thing in the compartment with my skateboard.

"I don't like how new I am at this." I commented.

"Then, I'll just have to show you the ropes." He said, pulling on his helmet. Even with his face hidden, he was still handsome.

Blah.

I slid my helmet on and climbed into the back section of the seat. He slid effortlessly into the seat in front of me. His hands gently took hold of my wrists, wrapping them around his waist.

Needless to say, in this position, it was very, very hard not to think he was cute or that he had rock hard abs; which I could feel through his leather jacket. "You doin' ok?" He asked and I was suddenly aware that there was a speaker in my helmet.

"Geez, you scared me. I'm fine." I told him, holding on tighter.

Now, I'd like to state that if you ask me about this situation, I would gladly tell you that I held on tighter because I hadn't been on a motorcycle in such a long time. But the truth is, it just got me closer to him. Literally.

"Whatever happens, just lean with the bike." He told me through the speaker in his helmet. "Got it." I said and he kicked the bike to start it.

As we were riding, I almost forgot to give him directions to my apartment. He followed my directions easily and we were sitting in front of my apartment about six minutes later.

He killed the engine and got off. I went to step off and my foot got stuck. He caught me almost before I even began to tip. "Um, thanks." I said, blushing once more.

"I'm trying to decide." He said, standing me back up and taking off his helmet.

"About what?" I asked, taking off mine as he opened the compartment for my skateboard and purse.

"Whether you blush more because you're embarrassed, or just because you're around me." He gave a small grin as he handed me back my things.

The red in my cheeks was impossible to get rid of. "Uh, well, I, uh…" I began to stutter. He smiled at me, walking me to the door. "Well, Mr. Peace, thank you for a lovely evening; even if it was a set up."

There was that sideways smile again. "To be completely honest," He started, opening the door for me. "It was the best set up I've ever had." I stepped inside and assumed to continue our conversation this way, but he stepped inside with me.

Well, it was nice that he wanted to walk me to my apartment. "I'm scared to ask, but how many set ups have you been on?"

His laugh broke through my thoughts and was the only thing I could concentrate on. "A couple. Will and Layla try about every other month."

"Well, since we're being honest and all. You're my first set up." I said, not like I had to clarify it. Warren smiled at me. "Do I make you smile or are you just doing it to be polite?" I asked, starting up the stairs.

He looked at me for a long moment. "You make me smile. Its one of the qualities I like about you."

I smiled. "And again, since we're being honest; I don't think anybody's ever said they liked more than one quality about me." I said, pointing out the plural of his statement. I wasn't quite sure if he meant to make it plural, but it made me feel nice.

"Then they haven't known you very long, have they?" He asked and I was surprised by the sincerity that reached his eyes. I wasn't sure how to respond. Before I knew it, we were on my floor and I walked to my door.

"Well, this is me." I said, digging for my key. He nodded. "Well, if you ever want to have a movie night or something, I'm in 514." He told me, and this comment hit me like a slap to the face.

"You live here? In this apartment building?" I asked.

He nodded. "I mean, I've walked a few girls to their doors, but some find it creepy." He said.

"I thought you were just being polite." I smiled.

Warren smiled. "Yeah, that too."

I laughed and he smiled. After we both settled, I gave him a warm smile. "Good night, Mr. Peace."

He smiled, stepping closer to me. I looked up at him, wondering what he was doing. But before my brain could think of anything logical, his lips touched my check.

All too soon, he broke away, leaving me wanting, craving more of his touch. "Call me Warren." His warm breath blew onto my skin.

And then he was gone. He walked away to the stairs and I stepped into my apartment.

[Andddd that's the end of this chapter. What do you think? I'd love to have anybody voice their opinions. Let me know. Next chapter soon. :) ]