The following morning, I woke up with the widest smile on my face; it could put the Grand Canyon to shame. Jumping out of bed, I quickly got myself ready for the day. The arm sling made the process that much longer, especially because I was right-handed. Ever put makeup on with your nondominant hand? What about putting on jewelry? Or using one hand to put on jeans?
Dad said he wanted to help in any way he could, so he was on jewelry duty, and he even offered to do my hair. He hadn't done that since I was a little girl. And there was never a time when I disliked what he did. This time wasn't any different.
Upon arriving downstairs, I saw dad busy at the stove, whistling a merry tune. "Hi again, dad!"
He turned around at the sound of my voice and a wide smile adorned his face. "Hey! Long time no see, snowflake! How you feeling?"
"I feel good. My arm barely hurts even after the struggle to put on my jeans." He nodded his head with a smile before kissing my hair. Then he continued the breakfast preparations. While he plated our eggs, I took the toast out of the toaster and spread butter on the surfaces as best as I could with one working arm. I awkwardly held the toast with my right hand– gimpy arm– and not-so-expertly scraped the butter over the toast with my left– my nondominant hand. It suddenly dawned on me that writing notes today would be nearly impossible if I wanted them to be legible.
When I finally finished my poor attempt, I joined Dad at the table and took my seat. We started eating in silence, but I could tell my dad was seconds away from bursting because he had something to say the way he grinned and bounced in his seat. I just wasn't sure if I wanted him to say it the way he was eyeing me like he knew the juiciest secret.
As I took a bite of my toast, he asked, "Your face was pretty red when Ms. Andrews was leaving last night. Any particular reason?"
I swallowed my bite, wincing as it scratched my throat on the way down. Humming, I took a swig of orange juice, partially to ease my throat, but mostly to stall. After setting my cup down, the clink echoing throughout the silent kitchen, my round eyes met Dad's expectant gaze.
Releasing a short breath, I replied, "Ms. Andrews not-so-subtly commented on the chemistry between Warren and me– said we would make a cute couple. She also said that Warren looked at me the same way I looked at him– like the only person in the world." I sighed and messed with my braid. "It didn't help that Warren saw my red face and called me out on it."
"Are you gonna tell him?"
I shook my head. "We have such a great friendship. I don't want to ruin what we have."
"What if he reciprocates your feelings? What if, like you, he's just worried about ruining your friendship?" As I not-so-gracefully shoveled eggs into my both, he added, "Think about it. I've seen how you light up at the mere mention of his name. And when he's around, ooh, forget it, you're so bright, you could be seen from space."
"Da-ad," I whined. "We haven't established any type of labels yet. Just leave it be."
He shrugged innocently with a knowing smile. "Hey, you know I'm right. Besides, you guys were planning on going on a date, right? But as your dad I feel obligated to tell you that I don't like the idea of you dating."
"Again, we don't have a label. We're just super close." Though, being his little girl, his only little girl gave him the right to feel protective over me.
When we finished, Dad helped me scrape our plates into the garbage and organize them in the washer. "Now, baby, Warren's a great kid, and I like him, but mark my words if he hurts you, he'll have to answer to me."
That brought a grin to my face as I giggled and wrapped my arm around his waist, smushing my cheek against his toned stomach. "I love you."
He kissed the crown of my head. "I love you too, snowflake."
Begrudgingly, I removed myself from his warm embrace to slip on my backpack. Pulling down to my level, I kissed his cheek and said, "Have a good day at work, stay safe, and I'll see you later."
The door clicked behind me as I ventured into the world to meet up with Will and Layla. They weren't waiting in front of my house like they did some days, so I strided toward the bus stop. They were either already there or would join me shortly after I arrived.
It was the latter. I was rocking back and forth on my feet for about five minutes before my friends arrived. When he saw the sling, Will's eyes met mine, shining with guilt. I offered him a small, reassuring smile as his pace sped up. He stopped about a foot in front of me seconds before Layla appeared at my side.
"Cassie, I am so so sorry." He shook his head, licking his lips, his eyes never leaving mine. "And I know I should've come over last night or at least called to check up on you. I don't have a valid excuse, and I am really sorry."
It was easy to detect the sincerity in his voice, and I wrapped my good arm around his shoulders. I felt him wrapped his arms around my waist. "Thank you. I accept your apology." Breaking the hug and stepping back, I reassured, "My arm will be healed with a few more sessions with the healer. It doesn't even hurt anymore."
"That's a relief," Layla said. "My mom wanted to make her special healing tonic for you. It would have thoroughly ruined our friendship. The taste never leaves your memory."
She shuddered, and my eyes widened at her in concern. "That bad, huh?"
"Worse than sweaty feet after gym class."
"Well, for saving me from that experience, you've been upgraded to sister status. And I give thee a fair warning to stay away from my dad's breakfast smoothies."
An amused chuckle came from Will as he shook his head. "You guys are weird."
Layla and I glared at him, but the grin on his face slowly made us break out into our own smiles until we were all giggling with each other. It was nice to have our little group back. Everything felt normal again. Well, as normal as three teens with superpowers could be.
After switching out our books at our lockers, Will and Layla walked together to Hero Support, leaving me to walk in the opposite direction to Mad Science. Warren would be thrilled to know that Will apologized. And it would put his mind at ease to see me here today instead of on bedrest. Ms. Andrews healing sessions were a godsend; I was nearly good as new.
As I rounded a corner, I rammed into a wall, a very toned, strong wall. I grunted and looked up, not surprised in the slightest to see Warren smirking down at me. "All this time and you still haven't learned to watch where you're going."
"Oh, har-har." I rolled my eyes and hiked my bag higher on my uninjured shoulder. "What are you doing lurking around corners?"
His eyes sparkled with rare enjoyment. "I was just on my way to find you to make sure you got to class without hurting your other shoulder." I scoffed as he reached out and slipped my strap off my shoulder. "No arguments. Let's go, Cass."
My electric eyes sent daggers into his back as I followed after him. I could take care of myself just fine. In fact, I was! But I knew I was using annoyance as a defense mechanism against the obvious rosy hue on my cheeks from his gentlemanly gesture. He was caring and looking out for me, which was very sweet.
His pace slowed until we were walking next to each other. "Look, Cass, more than anyone, I know you can take care of yourself. You're very strong-willed and independent; it's one of the many things I like about you. But you don't have to always do everything on your own. It's okay to ask for help."
"I get what you're saying, I do." I sighed, calming my agitation. "But everyone has been so worried about me since this happened. I don't like feeling like some useless, fragile thing that needs to be constantly cared for. I don't want to be a burden."
Warren reached his hand down and interlaced our fingers. The warm feel of his hand on my cool palm eased my anxiety, and I took a deep breath. "You are never a burden. I'm not helping or caring for you because you need it. I'm doing this because I want to."
I smiled and leaned into his side. As we walked, we didn't care about the strange looks our peers passed onto us. We didn't care about the buzz of murmurs. Everything blurred and faded into the background until it was just Warren and me.
"How you feeling?" Warren asked as we entered the Mad Science lab. "Any pain?"
While I sat in my seat, he set my bag on the floor next to my stool, and I replied, "No. No pain. I'm officially on the mend. Hopefully after my session with Ms. Andrews after school today, I'll have my arm back. Taking notes is going to be rough without good ol' righty."
A scoff that turned into a chuckle escaped Warren's throat and he shook his head. "You are something else, Cassie."
"Why, thank you, kind sir." I giggled a few times, nudging his shoulder with mine to get him to crack a smile, which he did– a small one, but a smile nonetheless. Then I gasped, "Oh, Will apologized, by the way– thought you'd like to know."
He nodded, his hair falling into a curtain in front of his face. "Thank you for telling me. What'd he say about not doing it last night?"
"Not much." I shrugged my normal shoulder. "Said he should've and there's no excuse as to why he didn't."
"Yeah, he should have." He grunted and shook his head. In all honesty, Dad would probably have the same reaction when I told him later. Will wasn't exactly scoring brownie points with the men in my life.
But it was important to me to get Warren's mind on something other than his dislike for Will. Without hesitating, I placed a friendly hand over his and said, "I'm okay."
He turned his hand and squeezed mine, smiling at me. "I know you are."
Before anything else could be said, Mr. Medulla started the class, and Warren and I released each other's hands. "Rays! From the silliness of a shrink ray to the devastation of the death ray. These are the very foundations of Mad Science..."
A knock sounded on the doorframe, interrupting Mr. Medulla's lecture, and everyone's head turned at the noise. I was stunned to find Will at the source, but quickly realized that his recent power development would easily cause him to be promoted to Hero Class. He stood in the doorway awkwardly, waiting for further instruction.
"Yes." Mr. Medulla rolled his eyes at the interruption. "They told me you were coming. Unfortunately, all the lab partners are taken."
While Mr. Medulla glanced around the room for a place to put Will, our eyes met, and a small grin appeared on his lips, which I mirrored with a small wave. But his smile fell when he realized who was sitting next to me. And Warren wasn't being subtle about his dislike towards Will. If looks could kill, Will would be ten feet under. The awkward boy bowed his head, finding his shoes to be very interesting.
I nudged Warren's shoulder. When he glanced at me, he saw my furrowed brows, and I gently shook my head. I hated that they couldn't bring themselves to get along. They had more in common than they thought. What happened between their fathers didn't have to be inherited by them.
"Well, I suppose I could pair you with my teaching assistant." Mr. Medulla's voice freed me from my swirling thoughts. He pivoted his entire body and faced President Bubblegum. "Miss Grayson? My apologies."
Will stared at her with a dopey, lovesick smile on his face, and I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. Mr. Medulla, ever impatient for slackers, shared my annoyance at Will's dazed state. "Come on," Mr. Medulla ordered, "Come on! Quickly, quickly, quickly." Will hurried into the room, stepped on Mr. Medulla's foot, and scurried to his new seat. "Feet! You stepped on my foot!" I winced while Will sent him a small apology.
When he was settled, Mr. Medulla continued to describe the assignment in his usual monotone voice. We had to build a freeze ray from the provided materials.
Warren seemed to know what he was doing as he built the machine. As I mixed the necessary chemicals for the ray element, I vaguely heard Will struggling behind me, which was understandable since he was new to the class.
After a few tries on either of our parts, our Freeze Ray was complete. Just in time too because Mr. Medulla had started walking around, inspecting everyone's projects, and assigning failing grades to most of the class just like with the heat ray. I didn't know my leg was bouncing until Warren rested a firm hand on it. He rubbed soothing circles on my knee, and I forced myself to release a long, calming breath.
Mr. Medulla's commanding voice brought us back to reality. "Dreadful technique," he chastised before moving on to the next pair. He examined the device and shook his head. "You've confused rays with beams! D! Minus! I'd give you an F, but that would only mean having to see you in summer school."
He finally made his way over to our bench and picked up our ray for examination. After a brief inspection, he pointed it at the boy he gave the nearly failing grade to and pulled the trigger. My eyes widened at the aftermath of our successful ray; the poor boy was frozen solid, the ice clear and smooth.
I swallowed thickly and observed Mr. Medulla as he nodded in approval and placed our ray back on the table. It was unnerving that he had such little concern for his students' welfare. "Excellent technique. Great teamwork you two! A-! A little refining and this would be an excellent piece of machinery."
A proud smile spread across my lips as I internally celebrated. I shared my smile with Warren and found that he was already smiling at me. Our smiles turned serious when Mr. Medulla suddenly returned to our bench. "Miss Winters, I meant to tell you. After class, please thaw out any unfortunate victims."
He didn't give me a chance to accept before leaving for the next pair, automatically expecting obedience and respect. But I didn't mind. If anything, it was good practice.
I spun in my seat, curious as to how Will did with the assignment. And my eyes bulged. There on his table was an elegantly crafted flawless ray gun. There was absolutely no way he made that all by himself!
"Ah, what do we have here?" Mr. Medulla asked.
Will was practically shaking like a chihuahua. "Uh... Well, I don't know. I didn't do it."
It dawned on me. Gwen was a technopath– she loved to brag whenever the rest of the class was struggling with an assignment and she wasn't. She had everything to do with the ray in front of Will. This just became more entertaining; I couldn't wait to see Mr. Medulla's response.
"You're far too modest, Mr. Stronghold," Mr. Medulla replied before aiming the weapon at another unfortunate student. He pulled the trigger and the boy in front of Warren and I was frozen and covered in frost.
Wiping the shocked look off his face, Mr. Medulla turned back to Will and Gwen with disappointment. "Or perhaps, not modest enough. Miss Grayson, in the future, please allow the students to succeed, or fail, on their own." Will shrunk under Mr. Medulla's scrutinizing gaze, and Gwen nodded. Then Mr. Medulla went on to the next pair.
As I faced forward, it was easy to hear Will and Gwen's conversation, no matter how much I tried to ignore them. Gwen was boasting about being a technopath as usual, and Will hung onto her every word.
"Wow. All I can do is punch stuff," he said.
"Yet, he'll be the one on cereal boxes," Mr. Medulla said, having overheard them talking. "Show me the justice in that."
I snickered into my hand. Mr. Medulla may have had questionable teaching methods, but he had his moments.
"Miss Winters, kindly thaw out Mr. Hellman and Mr. Monroe," Mr. Medulla instructed from the front of the room. I got up and did just that. Even after they were thawed out and the snowflakes disappeared, they were shivering.
Class was nearly over. And Mr. Medulla was finished dishing out grades so there wasn't much else to do, so Warren and I took our leisure books out of our backpacks. While we read, it was hard not to hear Will and Gwen talk about the fight in the cafeteria the previous day. She was praising him despite all the bad things that happened as a result of his discovery: throwing Warren around like a ragdoll, injuring me, damaging the school.
Sharing a side-eyed glance with Warren, I could tell he was just as disturbed by their conversation as me. His jaw was clenched, his lips were pressed in a thin line, and his knuckles were white from the tight grip he had on his book. It was honestly surprising the book hadn't gone up in flames.
"Yeah." Will chuckled. "Once they start handing out grades for the destruction of school property, I'll be in good shape."
Or hurting your friends and peers. As the thought crossed my mind, I felt guilty. Will had already apologized to me. Sure, it would be nice if he did the same to Warren. But then again, Warren wasn't going out of his way to apologize to Will. How did my life get so complicated?
Blinking rapidly, I refocused on the black words on tea-stained parchment. As I started to be transported into a different world, I vaguely heard Gwen offering to assist Will with Mad Science. And he eagerly agreed. This was really going to hurt Layla.
Warren walked with me, carrying my bag to the next class. And the class after that. And the class after that. He didn't care if he was late to his own classes, as long as I didn't have to carry my own bag. I knew better than to argue when he picked up my bag on our way out of Mad Science.
During English, I was trying desperately and failing miserably to write an outline for my persuasive essay on whether superheroes should be legally bound to reveal their identities to society. While I disagreed wholeheartedly with this thesis, Mrs. Johnson assigned me as well as a few others to support it. She had tightly braided black hair that ended just above her hips, a curvy figure that she liked to accent with colorful pencil skirts and dress shirts, and dark, flawless skin. Having the power of empathy was a huge reason as to why she was my favorite teacher. When I tried to speak to her about the possibility of arguing against the thesis, she said that if anyone could persuade a room filled with future superheroes to reveal their identities to the masses, it would be me. So, I released a long breath and got to work.
As I tried to brainstorm another argument other than transparency and trust, the room phone rang. My concentration broke for a second but quickly repaired when Mrs. Johnson answered the call.
I lifted my pencil, trying to get a comfortable grip, but my left-handed prowess was anything but. The pencil clattered on the desk for the second time when Mrs. Johnson hung up the phone.
"Miss Winters, Principal Powers would like to see you in her office." A chorus of childish ooo's came from every single one of my classmates, and I rolled my eyes. But I couldn't help the embarrassed heat that rose to my cheeks and the tips of my ears. "Enough. Get back to work."
Mrs. Johnson was a lifesaver. Before walking out of the room, I sent her a grateful smile and she nodded in return. Then I was on my way to the Principal's Office.
The halls were empty and quiet except for the light taps my shoes made against the linoleum tiled floors. It was strange roaming the halls during class.
When I arrived at her door and knocked, it whooshed open, and I reeled back slightly. Expecting me, Principal Powers was sitting behind her desk with a warm smile on her face, a rare sight since she had to be perceived as strict while running a high school of highly powered teens.
"Miss Winters, welcome. Come on in." I nodded and stepped inside, jumping when the door slid closed. Her office, like her clothes and most of the rest of the school was cast in neutral shades. "How are you today?"
As I sat in the elegant gray, cushioned arm-chair, I said, "I'm doing well. I'm nearly healed thanks to Ms. Andrews, and we have another session later today. How are you?"
"I'm well, thank you." She folded her hands in front of her and rested them on her desk. "I called you in to gauge how you were feeling, not only physically, but mentally as well. What happened yesterday can't have been easy to process."
"I'm sorry about the damage done to the school. I was–"
"Oh, dear, you have nothing to apologize for. The guilty parties have already been dealt with. But I understand that you're very close with those boys."
Knowing I definitely used my powers to end the fight, my brows furrowed. "But, I– They didn't tell– The ice was– Huh?"
"Are you all right, Miss Winters?"
For whatever reason, her concerned expression was just the thing to break the spell that tied my tongue. "Ma'am, I used my powers to try and break up the fight. There was ice on the walls and floor." She stared at me with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, speechless. "Principal Powers?"
"In all my years, never has a student admitted to breaking the rules when they could have so easily gotten away with it." Growing up with a military father will do that to you, I thought proudly. She leaned forward on her elbows, blinking away her astonishment. "Nevertheless, there was no ice present anywhere when I arrived. The boys were standing over your unconscious form. Before I intervened, Mr. Peace was about ready to reduce Mr. Stronghold to ashes."
Admittedly, hearing that Warren was so distraught over my prone form he was ready to avenge me made my pale cheeks glow. But I also couldn't get over the fact that the ice vanished when I passed out. When I was little and was still learning the basics to control my powers, even in sleep, I couldn't escape them. If I had a nightmare, a blizzard raged and icicles jutted out from the seams. A sweet dream caused delicate snow to fall. Sometimes, I'd wake up in the morning to one or two snowmen, which was really cool!
Now, I didn't know what to think. Seeing my confusion clear as day, Principal Powers said, "It would seem that you have more control over your powers than you thought. Start giving yourself a bit more credit, my dear."
"So I'm not in trouble?"
"No, and for a few reasons." A kind smile adorned her face. "One: I feel lying unconscious in the Nurse's office with an injury equivalent to that of a car crash is punishment enough. Two: While you've admitted to breaking the rules, and I believe you because you don't strike me as the lying type, I didn't see any ice. And I doubt those two boys or any of your other friends would turn you in." I wanted to argue that if she asked anyone else in that cafeteria– like Morgan– I'd be thrown under the bus real quick, but she didn't give me an inch. She raised her hand, and I clammed up. "Three: I'm not rendered speechless easily, but you did that with your honesty and integrity."
While she stood from her chair, I was a statue in my seat, my eyes and mouth gaping. I was by no means expecting this. "This is weird," I muttered.
She chuckled and guided me out of the chair and to the door. "Would it make you feel better if I gave you a warning?" I could only shrug, at a loss for words myself. Her smile was playful, and even as she "scolded" me, she couldn't keep the hint of amusement out of her voice. "Next time it happens, Miss Winters, you'll be spending the afternoon in detention. Do we understand each other?"
Feeling a bit better at being held accountable for my actions, a small grin adorned my features, and I gave a curt nod. She took my hand and gave it a respectful shake as she said, "You truly are a wonderful young lady, very unique. I'm looking forward to following your career here and beyond."
"It was a pleasure, Principal Powers. Have a nice day."
"You as well, dear."
As I wandered back to English, the bell rang, and I cursed under my breath because now I had to fight against the crowd going the opposite way.
The sea of teenagers swallowed me. It was nearly impossible to swim through.
Somehow, I finally made it to the classroom, and it was no surprise that Warren was leaning against the wall just outside the door. Indifference painted his face as his eyes shifted around behind his curtain of dark hair.
But when I appeared in front of him, relief flashed in his eyes. "There you are."
"Worried I ditched you?" He scoffed lightly and rolled his eyes while I wore a smug grin. "Principal Powers called me to her office."
His mouth began to form a sentence when Mrs. Johnson came out with my bag in her grasp. "Glad you're back, Miss Winters. I was hoping to talk to you about your paper, but we can catch up tomorrow. I'm looking forward to reading it."
I thanked her as she handed me my bag. But Warren's hand intervened, and I rolled my eyes as he slung it over his shoulder. He sent Mrs. Johnson a kind, nervous smile, which she reciprocated with a nod and a smile of her own before reentering her room. But not before sending me a surreptitious wink in regards to how well Warren treated me. My pale cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree, and I immediately turned away from Warren to hide it.
As we started our stroll to the lunch room, he asked, "Why did the principal wanna see you?"
"She just wanted to congratulate me on a job well done in stopping my two boneheaded friends from killing each other." The deadpanned look he gave me sent me into a giggling mess. Warren rolled his eyes and shook his head as my giggles settled. "I'm only teasing, well, partially. You are definitely a bonehead. She wanted to check in and see how I was doing. She was glad to hear that I'm practically healed. But I definitely shocked her when I admitted to using my powers to stop you boneheads from maiming each other."
He gaped at me. "Who's the bonehead now? Why'd you tell her?"
"Why didn't you? I thought you and Will would have said something to explain why I was unconscious."
A groan passed his lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Cass, Stronghold admitted to hurting you, but neither of us were going to rat you out. Please tell me you don't have detention for keeping us in line."
I placed my hand on his elbow to placate him and smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm not in trouble. I didn't get detention or anything. She explained that since she didn't see any ice, she can't hold me accountable. While I was surprised by that, I was even more surprised that the ice disappeared after I fell unconscious." Using the hand that was still on his elbow, I lightly shoved him. "Yet another thing you neglected to tell me."
"What do you mean?" His brows cinched together as he came back in step with me. "That's not normal?"
"When I was little and still learning how to use my powers, I couldn't escape them. Not even in sleep. Sometimes I'd wake up to a foot of snow on my floor. If I had a nightmare, there'd be icicles jabbing out of every wall, crack, and crevice." I shrugged. "It always felt like my powers had control over me, not the other way around. I'm just not sure when that started to change."
"To me, it always seemed you had total control over your powers. You always look so confident. And it's cool to see your face light up whenever you make harmless flurries in your hands."
My cheeks glowed again, but I played it off with a wry grin. "My face lights up? You watch my face light up?"
I was expecting him to become a stuttering mess while trying to deny it and move on, but that wasn't what happened. As if it were the most nonchalant thing, Warren shrugged and responded, "Can't help it."
I could probably have been seen from space at this point; my cheeks felt so hot. And now they got the tips of my ears involved. Any hotter, and I'd probably spontaneously burst into flames. When he said things like that, it reinforced the notion that he reciprocated my feelings. But we'd never actually approached the subject of becoming a couple, only skating around it. I didn't know how he truly felt. Whether he was just playing with my emotions. He wouldn't though, right? Did he even know how I felt? Other than my own feelings, something I knew for certain was: we can only skate around each other for so long before our feelings collide or one of us– probably me– crashes into a wall.