Leo nodded in agreement and slung and arm over her shoulder. Instantly both felt safer.
"Seriously," Jason said, "are we friends?"
"Last I checked." Alex shrugged.
"You sure? What was the first day we met? What did we talk about?"
Alex tried to remember, but everything she knew about Jason seemed foggy.
"It was ..." Leo frowned. "I don't recall exactly. I'm ADHD, man. You can't expect me to remember details."
Right... blame it on ADHD
"But I don't remember you at all. I don't remember anyone here. What if—"
"You're right and everyone else is wrong?" Alex asked. "You think you just appeared here this morning, and we've all got fake memories of you?"
Leo laughed at how ridiculous it sounded, but Jason was deep in thought.
"Take the worksheet." Jason handed Leo the paper. "I'll be right back."
Before Leo could protest, Jason headed across the skywalk.
"You think he's telling the truth? That he really doesn't remember anything?" Leo asked.
"I don't know... probably though" Alex answered. "Jason never was very good lying, too much of a goody- two shoes."
Their school group had the place to themselves. Maybe it was too early in the day for tourists, or maybe the weird weather had scared them off. The Wilderness School kids had spread out in pairs across the skywalk. Most were joking around or talking. Some of the guys were dropping pennies over the side. About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but Dylan was hitting on her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her that blinding white smile.
Alex stared up, the clouds were getting thicker and darker by the second. She didn't like it one bit, it felt like something creepy was going to happen.
Almost as if sensing her discomfort Leo slid his hand into hers for comfort and Alex smiled at him gratefully.
"Is it just me or does the storm feel a bit weird?" Alex asked.
"It's not just y-"
Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.
Alex stumbled into Leo and they looked at each other— horrified, "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the skywalk!" They heard Coach Hedge and weren't going to argue.
—The storm turned into a miniature hurricane. Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish.
Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. Jason skidded across the slick floor.
Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Alex grabbed his jacket and pulled him back with great difficulty.
"You're heavier than you look" Alex said.
"And you're stronger." Leo gave her his signature smile.
"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge.
Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. Alex thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident— telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.
Alex, Jason, Leo and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back.
Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk.
Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.
"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.
Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm.
"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."
He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.
"Piper!" Jason and Alex yelled at the same time, Jason tried to charge forward, but the wind was against him, and Coach Hedge pushed him back.
"Coach," Jason said, "let me go!"
"Jason, Leo, Alex stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."
"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away.
"What monster?" Alex questioned, she was sure she had heard it wrong.
YOU ARE READING
Home|| Leo Valdez
Fanfiction"After all those years on the streets, I finally feel like I'm home" "You're lying" Leo didn't even have to look up, he knew her better than anyone. "You're right, I was always at home with you" In which there's an unlikely friendship (... and ma...
