unOrdinary: An Old Friend Returns

Bobba Tea Dispute

Meanwhile

 

(During the time Eloise meets up with Remi, Blyke, and Isen in the press room)

 

"I'm glad you decided to come with me to get some bobba tea, Sera."

"Yeah well, it had been a long time since I'd had any and I was going to come here anyway."

Seated across from each other in a café booth, their drinks undrunk as awkward silence ensues. Sera gazes out the window unable to look at John while he desperately looks upon her face.

He takes a deep breath like he's trying to work up the nerve to speak.

"Sera, ..."

He closes his mouth when he is unable to get out the words. She doesn't look away from the window at the sound of her name. He has said it too many times, and all she wants to do is turn back time to before when she was the old Sera and he was the old John.

"Why?"

One word escapes her lips, the question that has been ringing in her mind ever since she found out John was the Joker. No, that question goes even further back. Why did he lie to her? Why did he pretend? Why did he befriend her? Why was this happening to her? Why did she feel so weak? Why was she so blinded that she had not seen the truth? Why, why, why!!!

"I never meant to hurt you Sera. I only wanted to protect you."

John wrings his hands in front of him as he struggles with the self-hatred that this conversation is causing him. How did it all fall apart? How did he lose the one good thing in his life? How could she ever forgive him?

"But you didn't protect me. Arlo and Elaine found and helped me. You only used your abilities to send students to the infirmary. How is that protecting anyone?"

She scans his face as she says these words hoping to see some remorse for his actions. But there is no remorse, only anger, as John loses his composure.

"They don't deserve protection. They don't deserve mercy. How can you forget what they did to you? What they do to those weaker than them? To me? Why should I show them mercy when for two years they showed me none!"

Sera starts to tear up from the force of his accusations, from the truth of his words, from the pain that she too went through at the hands of Illena, Tanner, Wenqi, Krolik, and Gavin. She lowers her head toward her chest to hide the teardrop that falls. She wipes it away angrily from her cheek.

"That does not explain why you went after Remi. She never bullied you and from what Blyke and Isen have told me she even tried to befriend you before you slapped her."

"She's just like the rest of them. When she became Queen, she became complicit."

"Complicit in what? I was Queen too, am I not as guilty as she is?"

"No! You gave up your position as Queen and you were starting to see how messed up the hierarchy is. You stopped bullying and you did not think of me as lesser than."

"Don't you see the hypocrisy in what you are saying versus what you are doing. You don't want to be seen as lesser than or looked down upon, but you look down upon everyone. Your father and I may be the only exceptions."

"That's because everyone else is ..."

"Everyone else is what, John. Not good enough to be your friend? You pretended to be a cripple at Wellston where we have some of the most powerful students in the country when you are a high-tier yourself. You made yourself a target and now you blame everyone else for treating you like one. Once I lost my ability, I was alone. But I did not have to stay alone. I befriended Evie, Roland, and some other low-tiers and I was no longer without help, I had friends to back me up."

John is silently fuming. Sera doesn't know what he's been through. He has had friends but all they did was betray him. Adrion and Claire. Those traitors got what they deserved. He thought Sera would be different. He thought that she understood.

"Your friends are weak. You would choose them over me. I can protect you; they cannot even protect themselves."

John tried to reach for Sera's hand, but she pulls it away sharply, almost knocking away her still untouched bobba tea. Disgust written across her face, Sera grabs her drink and starts walking towards the exit. John quickly follows.

"Sera, where are you going?"

"Away from here. Away from you!"

"Sera, please!"