A/N: Hi, everyone. I'm so sorry for how long this chapter took to write. For some reason I just couldn't get it out of me until now. Unfortunately, it isn't as nice as I would have liked it to be, but at least it is finally complete, along with chapters Six and Seven which I completed a while ago. Also I would like to let you know that I am writing a oneshot with Warren and another OC of mine. It takes place after the movie and has to do with the yearbook awards. I'll let you know when I have it completed.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story, I hope you all received the messages in thanks that I sent you and thank you to everyone who has favourite or followed my story so far. I love you!
Nadia: Thank you for your review and I'm so glad you are finding this story interesting. It's taking longer than I would have liked, but finally this chapter is complete and things can finally get back on track. I hope you enjoy it.
Enjoy the chapter! :)
Chapter Five - Failed Attempts
That night, as I stay down in the 'Secret Sanctum', avoiding the first lot of homework we were given, Mom walks in and pulls me close to her like she normally does. I sigh as I stare down at the stupid pinball machine and she knows instantly that I want to talk about something that's bothering me, but I just can't find the right way to bring it up. So she does. "What's bothering you, honey?" She asks, gently rubbing my arm, trying to coax it out of me.
"I definitely had an interesting day today. I went there expecting one thing, only to have everything turn on it's head." I confess, turning around to face her. She just looks at me and lets me talk. "I had a fight with Warren... if you can even call it a fight, that is. He confronted me about Dad and said I lied to him when I kept my last name from him. He stormed off without even letting me explain. Then Luci came running to my rescue, which made me feel a little better knowing that she doesn't hate me. I went there expecting the lessons to be boring, but one of them scared me yet intrigued me more than I thought possible. All in all, it's been a crazy day, Mom, and I just want it over with."
Mom listens to me the entire time, not saying anything and keeping her face passive. It's good that I can get it all out, without having to worry about Mom overreacting to anything before I explain it all to her. She's great like that and I just hope that she can give me some advice or knowledge to sleep on instead of this worry and anxiety that's eating away at me.
"That definitely does sound like quite a day. I'm glad that you have your friend back and that you're enjoying your classes. You should get to know her some more. Maybe even invite her over some time if she's willing to get over her fear, all for you," I smile and lean against the pinball machine, feeling a bit of the weight leave my shoulders, "As for Warren," She starts and I tense up, knowing that this is the part that I'm waiting for advice on the most. Mom notices and gives me a reassuring smile before continuing, "Try talking to him. If he's as great a guy as you've made him out to be, I'm sure he'll listen."
That's it? Talk to him? I was so hoping for something a little more sage. Maybe along the lines of 'he'll come around if you give him time' or 'show him that you're not like all the other girls'. But 'talk to him'? That I wasn't expecting. Sighing, I concede that she is most likely right and push myself off of the pinball machine. "Now how about a friendly game of pool?" She asks and I laugh, following her to grab a cue stick and let her set up. Maybe talking to Warren is worth a shot.
The next morning finds me screaming, yet again, the entire way to school, with my eyes squeezed shut. It's not until Luci is shaking my shoulder and telling me we've landed that I slowly let go of the bar and open my eyes. As soon as I'm able to, I bolt right out of there again and collapse against the ground. Luci calmly walks up behind me and sets my bag down next to me. "Is this going to become a regular occurrence?" She asks as she helps me up.
"I think so." I admit while slowly nodding.
"Good thing you'll have me then. Don't want you leaving your bag on the bus." She says in a cocky way and I laugh a little at that.
"Yeah, that wouldn't be good." With that, we walk into the building and towards our lockers, where I spot Warren, along the way, at his locker and stop dead in my tracks. Luci looks back at me in confusion then follows the line of my sight, seeing Warren. Smirking, she takes my bag from me and shoves me towards him making me stumble into his back.
Taking a step backwards, I look up into his eyes as he turns around and looks down at me, glaring, sending a shiver down my spine for unknown reasons.
"What do you want, Stronghold?"
"I-I… that is… um… hi?" I stutter, trying my hardest to control the rising blush that's spreading over my face.
"Go away." He almost growls, making my heart falter, before he slams his locker closed and walks away himself. My legs go weak and I struggle to stay standing. I know I'm probably about to collapse as my knees give out, but thankfully Luci grabs me and helps me stand.
"Well that didn't go as planned." She frowns and I look at her with disbelieving eyes. She really just did that to me.
"I don't think this is exactly something that can be fixed just by shoving me into his path and making him confront me." I tell her, starting to regain strength in my legs to stand on my own.
"Yeah, I guess. Maybe I'll just have to give him a good talking to, then." She says dead serious and I stop at her words.
"What? No!" I practically scream, terrified of her making things worse. How exactly things could get worse, I have no idea. But I dread to find out.
"Relax, I'm told I'm excellent at interventions. Remember, you have until the end of the week to do something about it. The time can go by pretty quickly if you don't try your hardest, Jamie." She almost sings as she begins to walk away again to our lockers.
"You make it sound like he's a drug or something." I mumble making her laugh, following behind her.
Once we have successfully placed our bags in our lockers, Luci proceeds to squeal like a little girl, gaining the attention from others around us. I roll my eyes at her antics and just wait for her to finish.
"It's 'Save The Citizen' today!" Luci practically screams, jumping up and down in her excitement.
"You're really looking forward to today, aren't you?" I ask already knowing the answer. She frantically nods her head and as soon as I close my locker door she's dragging me to the gym before the first warning bell even sounds.
"Aren't you? It's the only class where we get to actually watch others use their powers and if we're lucky, use them ourselves in order to accomplish something. I heard Luke going on about how his brother managed to save the citizen in under one minute one time, yesterday in our last class, and since then I can't stop thinking about it." She gushes, leading us into the gym and towards the empty bleachers. So that's why, I realise as Luci promptly finds a seat directly in the middle and plops us down.
"Not really. I mean, it's not like my powers are anything to really find fun to watch." I notice Luci tense up a little as I admit this, but I try to ignore it. I can't really blame her for being afraid. At least she is treating me normally, which is more than I expected. We stay sitting there, just randomly talking about things as people slowly trickle in after the first warning bell, only for a huge crowd to suddenly appear a few seconds after the second and final warning bell. Luci spots 'Mr. Hotpants' as she has dubbed him and points Warren out to me as he walks in. She calls him a 'vision to die for' and I can't help agree as I watch him walk by in the gym clothes that show off his rippling arm muscles and chest. Warren spots us and glares directly at me while he goes to sit away from the rest of the crowd. I frown, but try to not let it get to me. I'm having fun with my friend. I shouldn't be letting a single guy ruin that.
Coach Boomer blows his whistle loudly, quieting down the room to an unnerving silence. "Alright, listen up! For today only Freshmen are exempt from participating. You are to watch and learn to prepare yourself for next week." He says, using a small amount of his power to make sure that everyone hears him. "Are we clear?" A resounding 'yes Coach Boomer' satisfies him enough for him to focus on calling out the first paring for 'Save the Citizen'. "Speed, Lash, you're up!"
I watch, along with Luci, as team after team is wiped out by Speed and Lash. According to Luke's brother, who is sitting a row in front of us with Luke and Charlie, no freshman has ever won 'Save the Citizen' since the school was founded.
"So we shouldn't be too let down when we lose, he's hinting at." Luke comments, winking at Luci who laughs in response. Somehow, during their long conversation following, Luci manages to convince him and Charlie to sit with us at lunch. Charlie is hesitant at first, glancing randomly at me, but she's not one to let a good opportunity pass her by, according to her, that is.
After grabbing my tray of food, I walk over to mine and Luci's table only to find the table almost filled to capacity. How on earth convincing two boys to sit with us at lunch made this happen, I have no idea. But it did. I spot Luci chatting away with Luke to her right, Charlie opposite him. Those two I expected. Who I didn't expect to see there are Alex and a random, blond girl I don't know. But they are. Chatting away quite happily together, might I ad. That is, until I arrive, placing my tray down and taking my seat on Luci's left. The conversations die off abruptly once they notice me and an awkward silence reigns over all, as the three sitting across from Luci, Luke and I stare at me in fear. I just roll my eyes at them and start eating my food, not wanting to deal with anyone else at the moment after bumping into Warren again, only to have him glare at me and walk off before I could even say 'sorry'. Thankfully Luke comes to my rescue and starts making a random comment about the last fight in 'Save the Citizen'. Everyone else, except for Luci awkwardly laugh, whereas she does so honestly, and conversations start up as normal again. Glad for that moment to be over, I don't bother focusing much on the conversations until Luke, quite loudly might I ad, starts boasting about his father being the one and only 'Toxic', which starts a table wide conversation about everyone's Super lineage. Apparently, both Charlie and him are second generation with their fathers being the only Super's in the line so far, where as Alex and Taylor, the girl he brought with him are first generations like Luci, leaving myself as the only third generation on the table. Once my parents are brought up, Charlie and Luke actually start talking to me, asking questions about life with two Super parents. My vague answers that I'm forced to give, after receiving a rather painful nudge from Luci in the side, surprisingly aren't deterring them as they start to include me into the rest of their conversations.
Once back in the gym, Charlie and Luke are sitting with Luci and I, actually talking. Charlie seems like a comedian and although he's a little wary of me, at least he's talking to me instead of looking anywhere else, like most of our class… or the school really. For that I thank him. Where as, Luke doesn't seem to be as bothered by it. In fact, he seems to be completely enamored by Luci's charm. Alex and Taylor, on the other hand, are still avidly avoiding me like the plague apart from at lunch time when they sit with us at our table for reason's unknown to me. It's not like Luci's forcing them to. In fact, she made it avidly clear that she would rather Alex stay as far away from her as possible after he inadvertently called her a whore when she commented on another guy being cute, like she tends to do most of the time. Apparently the world is full of cute guys that suit Luci's tastes, but she has yet to find the one she wants to persue. She admits to me once though that Lash would be a strong contender, if he wasn't so much of an ass. It quickly becomes a joke between us that he is her 'Prince-Not-So-Charming' and Speed is his 'Loyal Steed'.
The rest of the week is a little uneventful compared to the first three days. Throughout the week I see Warren randomly, but always only his back walking away from me, as though he's trying avoiding me and the thought hurts. No matter how many times I pluck up the courage to go talk to him, he spots me and turns to talk away before I can even get a word out. It's frustrating beyond belief.
We find out during our second lesson, in Mad Science, that Gwen Grayson is the teaching assistant. She helps us memorise the different types of Kryptonite, how they are formed and what they do, including how certain people with high levels of telepathic powers can use them. Some of the things I learn in that lesson really freak me out, but Gwen assures me that it's rare to actually come across Kryptonite in everyday life. Even most Heroes don't face it at all throughout their vast careers due to it's ridiculously high price and the Heroes League that is constantly seeking them out and destroying them. Our other classes turn out to be rather interesting as well, but so far Mad Science is the only class that really fascinates me.
Apart from classes, I still haven't managed to figure out how to speak to Warren without him avoiding me. But apparently I don't need to, for Luci decides that she's had enough of it and sticks to the threat she made earlier on in the week. I admit that this is probably the most mortifying moment of the week as she marches right up to Warren at his locker, apparently the only place we can corner him without too large of an audience and many escape routes. I watch on in horror as she tears into him about his avid avoidance of me for 'no valid reason'. She pipes on and on about how he's so stupid to realise what's right in front of him and I stare in shock as he just looks at her, not doing anything to retaliate. I think he's just as shocked as I am to really do anything. At the end of it, Luci storms off and he watches her retreating back until his eyes meet mine and don't look away for a few seconds. In that time Luci turns around and yells something once more at him that I don't catch, making him break eye contact with me and turn around, walking away.
I follow after Luci, trying to calm her down as she briskly walks to our 'bus' and hops on, taking a seat at the end of the stupid flying machine. Sitting down next to her, I stay quiet, not really knowing what to say to her right now. She doesn't say anything either as we drive off the edge of the school. Plummeting downwards, I feel the contents of my stomach raise up and do flips, reminding me why I hate going to and from school. At least today, when I stumble off the bus as I always do, one stop after my usual stop, too exhausted to run like in the morning, I'm not alone. Luci steps down, following me and I'm glad she agreed to spend the night at mine, since I don't want to leave her when she is like this. Together, we walk to Luci's place to pick up her things, before heading to mine. While there I'm surprised to find out that she gets her looks mostly from her mom, but her personality from her dad, who welcomes me with a hug. I'm startled at first, not used to being hugged by anyone other than Will and Mom, as not even Luci has touched me so. But I begin to feel relaxed, knowing that they won't constantly freak like others, believing that I'll take away their power, since they don't have any. It's a welcome change and makes me think that maybe I should start trying to get to know more civilians if this is what it feels like.
By the time Luci and I arrive at my home, Will has already taken up the living room with his friends for his study group, so we head upstairs after introductions are over. I tell Luci that she can place her things wherever she likes and to make herself feel at home. Not surprisingly, she instantly drops her bag on the floor by the door and jumps onto my white, blue and pink bed, with a smile. I'm glad to see that she is finally starting to relax a little after the confrontation with Warren earlier. Laughing at her antics, I pull the two bean bags from under my bed, one blue and the other pink, my customary pastel colors that I wear all the time with my white jacket and gloves, and drop myself onto the blue one.
An hour or so later and Luci and I have finally stopped mucking around to get stuck into our work. Together we manage to sort out a way to split the workload. As it turns out, Luci is secretly a Super geek, I discovered only today after seeing her room filled with posters and comic books, so she comes in handy for Super History and Hero Tactics, where as I'm dubbed the Mad Science wiz already apparently. I do the homework for that subject since it's the subject with the most, and together we manage to get the rest of our subjects figured out.
"I still can't believe you spoke to Warren like that." I randomly comment after staring at a particularly annoying question for over ten minutes. Looking up from my books, I find her answering one of her own questions.
"He deserved it." She says calmly, as though this kind of thing happens every day. I sure as hell hope not.
"It didn't change a thing." I tell her with a hint of defeat.
"Was worth a shot. Besides I think it may have. That look he gave you definitely screamed something interesting." Luci looks up from her work and smiles at me.
"Yeah. Hate." I say, rolling my eyes.
"Say what you will. I personally think it was lust." She winks and we giggle, going back to our work.
At some point I hear the front door open and close, the thin walls not doing much to keep privacy in this house, along with warmth, and I figure it's probably one of my parents, so I don't bother going downstairs to investigate, too busy doing my Hero English homework with Luci. I do stop and look up at Luci, worried as I hear my dad's voice scream, "Washed out?!" Then a loud smash resound throughout the house.
Concerned, I excuse myself from Luci and slowly leave my room and hesitantly walk downstairs. I reach the bottom in time to hear Will yell, "It's not Coach Boomer, Dad! It's me, okay? I don't have any powers." I stop dead in my tracks upon seeing Dad's shocked face, scared as to what he will do next. Slowly, but surely I watch as he seems to come to a conclusion. The same conclusion I came to years ago and dreaded the day he would.
"Jamie!" He yells making me flinch. I know he's seen me now as he snaps his head in my direction and goes to yell at me again and I know I deserve it for doing such a thing to my own brother. But Will speaks up, quickly distracting him.
"Wait, Dad! It's not Jamie's fault either! She helped me keep it a secret." Will defends me, making me feel even worse, because it is my fault. What other explanation could there possibly be?
"But you never said… I mean, you made it seem like…" Dad says, looking lost and I begin to feel sorry for him.
"Like I had super-strength like you and Jamie just kept on messing up? But I don't Dad, and Jamie's taken the blame for long enough." I look at him and he gives me a reassuring look, but it doesn't help me much.
"But you will, Will! You're just… You're just a late bloomer! That's what it is!" Our dad said, gripping a hold of Will, as if desperate to find a silver-lining in a bleak situation. There isn't as far as I can see and I've been looking for a long time.
"Maybe. Maybe not. But I don't care. Because, really, the fact of the matter is I'm proud to be a Sidekick… actually, I'm proud to be Hero Support." Will says, finally standing up to our dad who just stands there watching his retreating son's back, completely lost now. Who wouldn't be? He just found out one of the only things he shares in common with his only son is a lie.
Seeing my chance, I take a step back and go to leave, not wanting to deal with this at the moment, when he suddenly turns towards me, as though just now remembering my presence, which wouldn't really surprise me. "Jamie," He calls, making me stop in my tracks, "We need to talk."
There they are. The famous words that almost guarantee my doom… or grounding at least. My shoulders sink as I walk up to him. "Is it true? What Will said." He clarifies and all I can do under his scrutiny is nod my head, my eyes not meeting his once. I just can't do it. Not when I'm the reason for all of this pain in the first place. "Are you sure he's not just covering for you again?" At these words I finally look up at him, hurt and betrayal showing in my eyes that he would actually ask me that. I think he sees it too, but before he can do anything, I turn around and leave, running back to my room and Luci by extension.
I can't help it. I cry into Luci's shoulder as she comforts me and my stupid daddy issues. That night we put aside study and snack on ice-cream and crisps we sneak from the kitchen, staying up watching all kinds of movies and I pour out all my frustration and sadness at Dad's treatment of me.
A/N: This story hasn't been fully edited by my lovely beta reader av23 yet, so I'll repost it once she is done. Thank you for helping me so much. :)
ALSO! I will post the next chapter up as soon as I get a review! XD