Ryan's POV

I pulled back from Danny after that and glanced at my Advanced English class. "Ava, you're in this one, aren't you?" I asked her. She nodded. "Mrs. Kalkmen has read a lot of your stuff out, I love your poetry. But I want to know who 'Don't Need Eyes To See' is about." She winked. I blushed slightly and looked down. "I heard we were combining classes today," I coughed, changing the subject.

"Yeah, so you normal English classes can hear the poems we wrote about ourselves." Ava added.

The boys groaned, but followed us in. "Let's begin!" Mrs. Kalkmen exclaimed, the regular English class in the desks, the Advanced English against a wall. Me and Ava were standing beside Sam, Danny and Pete. Luke was in lower English, sadly, but he was also in Advanced History with me and Ava, so I guess that made up for it.

We were in a line up, and sadly, I was last. Let's get one thing straight. I hate being first or last because if you're first, and your poem is too good or bad, people always compare it the most to the first one. But if you're last then you have so many to get compared to, that it's just crazy worrying for me.

After what seemed like forever, Ava was up. It was only two stanzas though, which probably lost her marks. It had to be at least five.

Ava cleared her throat and began. "This is How You Think, by Ava."

"Good and Pure,

Tamed and Clean,

Disciplined and Forgiving.

These are the things you think me to be.

But everyone has that side.

Wild and Reckless,

Uncontrollable and Lost,

And able to hold a grudge as if their life depended on it.

… And maybe it does." She finished.

Everyone was smiling, probably thinking Ava was just joking around. I sighed and walked up to the front, looking down at my sheet.

"I Lie, by Ryanna K. Walker.

I lie to my friends,

Tell them I'm alright.

I lie to my family,

Day and night.

I lie to my teachers,

"No, I don't need help,".

I lie to my enemies,

"I'm not going to yelp!"

They all believe me,

How foolish can they be?

I lie to myself.

I never believe me."

The room was dead quiet. At least after everyone else, they gave a polite clap. I looked to Ava, desperate for help. But to my surprise, Sam was the first one to clap, followed close by Danny, then Pete, and Ava got out of whatever shock to join in.

Mrs. Kalkmen was next and eventually, the entire classroom was in a standing ovation. I blushed scarlet, and went back against the wall.

The class ended shortly after that, and I rushed out of there to Calculous. "Ryan, wait up!" Ava shouted after me. I paused for a moment and let her catch up. "That was amazing," She told me. I sighed and shook my head. "They only started clapping because Sam started, and he's actually pretty popular considering who he is and how he is, and then afterwards Danny started, and as much as he tried to deny it I'm pretty sure more than half of my grade has a crush on him and… You probably wouldn't care if I didn't have such a big secret on you guys." I realized, glaring slightly at her.

Ava seemed taken aback. "What are you talking about?" She asked. "Ava, you haven't breathed more than a 'hi' to me, ever, and you're in my classes, so you can forget about the guys even trying. If I didn't know anything we wouldn't be talking." I spat quietly.

"Ryan, it's not like that at all…" She tried telling me. "No? Then please, explain to me why you haven't spoken to me before." I told her, waiting for a response. "Why does it matter?" She snapped.

"It matters because I don't need you to pretend to like me because I know your secret. The worse thing in the world isn't being alone, but being surround by people who make you feel lonely, which is going to happen to me if you don't stop pretending." I told her, sitting at the back.

!?

Soon enough, it was lunch. I sat at a random table and started drawing. "That's amazing," Luke said suddenly, looking over my shoulder. I realized I was drawing Danny and blushed, shutting my book. "Don't worry, it's only me, I only saw." He told me defensively, his hands in the air in the same position as his tone of voice.

I nodded as everyone else came over. I began drawing –low and behold!- Danny taking the arrow for me. "Ugh!" I groaned, my head falling on the table.

A sharp pain jabbed at my forehead. "Ow," I moaned softly.

The guys laughed good heartedly when Ava hit the table. "Why do you do that?" She hissed at me from across the table. We jumped at the sound of her voice. "Do what?" I asked her.

"You got mad at me this morning, yet you aren't freaking out on them!" She angrily explained. I sighed and looked down at the drawing I had started again. I finished the other two of Danny, but a dragon came to my head. That's so much better and such a nice change from my Danny-themed art that's been happening lately.

"Well?" She asked snidely. "Tell them what you told me!"

"If you guys are going to just be my friend because I know who you are, then don't bother." I gritted. I got surprised looks. "Why would you even begin to believe that we would do such a thing?" Danny asked quietly.

"To protect your precious little secret, because before yesterday none of you have ever spoken to me, and until this morning, none of you have ever made an effort at school." I told him equally as quietly. "Why do you have such bad trust issues?!" Ava shouted. "Because everyone who ever said they'd always be there for me LEFT! Okay!? Are you happy now!?" I yelled back. The entire cafeteria went silent.

"Why can't you just get over yourself!?" Ava asked me loudly, getting up.

She ended up knocking over Sam's water bottle, and I didn't have time to react. "Oh no," I breathed, picking up my ruined book of sketches. Tears welded up in my eyes, and I threw my book on the seat I was just in. I looked around the room. All eyes were on me, and I started feeling like I couldn't breathe. "Ryan… I'm so…" I didn't hear the end of her apology because I ran out of there.

"Ryan!" The guys shouted, and I caught a glimpse of Ava sitting down, looking like she was about to cry.

Luke's POV

"Nothing to see here folks," I said.

Slowly but surely, the caf went back to normal. "That was uncalled for." Danny stated almost immediately.

Ava didn't look at any of us. I picked up her book and we looked at Danny. "Can you dry it?" Sam asked.

Danny carefully took it and nodded, and we all left the caf and went to a hidden part of the school. Danny handed it gingerly back to me and began the drying process. After what seemed like forever, it was done, and we had free period. Danny flipped through the slightly crinkled pages.

"Guys check this out," Danny told us, staring intently at the pages. The one he was on was me as Powerman. He went back to the first page aka the one before it. It was Spidy flying in-between webs. Then Nova and White Tiger. We were all in fighting positions. "Hey, that's the guy who almost shot Ryan!" Sam exclaimed, pointing at the page.

Then the rest of the drawn-on pages were Iron Fist. She had some really good ones too. Him in mid-air, in mid-punch, in mid-light up. The one after those three was Iron Fist standing on a roof top, ready to fight Klaw. But then we came to her most recent ones. One was a close up on Danny's face, which was the best one by far.

Or I maybe I had spoken too soon. Danny flipped the page, and there was him in front of Ryan, a look of pure determination and dignity on his face. No sign of fear was on his face at all. The arrow looked like at this point had just barely broken his skin. "Hey look, I'm in that one!" Sam exclaimed proudly.

We rolled our eyes and Danny turned the page on more time. It was the dragon she was working on. "That's Shaow Loaw!" Danny told us.

All of us but Pete gave him a weird look. "The dragon he had to defeat to earn the power of the iron fist." Pete explained. We all nodded.

"Perhaps she drew it from my costume?" Danny suggested, not sounding convinced. We nodded in agreement when the doors of the 'detention room' opened and slammed shut. All five of us looked up. "Ow ow ow! That hurts, lemme go!" Ryan whined as Coulson dragged her into the room.

"Not until you learn that a nook in the roof is no place to sit!" Coulson barked, pushing her in and leaving.

She tripped and Danny skillfully set down the book and caught her. "Skill!" She shouted, but not loud enough to break Danny's ear drums. "Skill indeed," Coulson agreed, coming in quietly. "Sorry about that Ryanna-" she glared at him. "... Ryan. I had to make sure no one was listening."