Sitting in her room, playing absently with flames on her fingertips, Andie tried to make sense of the jumble that was now her life. She was caught between working on recovering from her time in the Demon Realm, trying to reassure Bane that they were fine as well and figuring out if Eric's friendship hadn't grown into more, mastering her fire powers to avoid being killed by Zorak, and trying to live her normal life... normally, with everything else. Did the others have as much mess to sort through? There was a knock on her door, and she quickly made the flames disappear. Hank peered inside.
"Honey? Can I come in?"
"Sure." Andie said, sitting up. "How was your meeting?"
"It was... tense. But never mind that."
Andie wasn't sure what that meant, but didn't comment. Hank sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her.
"Is everything all right?" he asked. "You seem... troubled, lately."
Andie hesitated. She used to tell her father everything... and now she was forced to keep secrets from him... although... maybe not all of them...
"... Well... it's complicated..."
Hank gave a small smile.
"When is it ever not complicated?" he asked. "What is it?"
"... If I tell you it's girl stuff, are you still sure you want to know?"
"As long as it's nothing physical, yes," he chuckled.
Andie flushed furiously but couldn't help smiling slightly too.
"No, no... it's nothing like that. No... you remember when Eric and I were small? We spent all our time together?"
"How could I forget? He would get into no ends of trouble."
Andie laughed.
"Oh, yes, he did, didn't he? Anyway... the thing is, it was easy, between us then. We knew each other like the back of our hands... we always knew where we stood... But since he's come back, it's like... I don't know... it doesn't feel the same."
"What makes you say that?"
"... I... he's so different from when we were little..."
"You are different. Both of you." Hank pointed out. "You've grown up, and people change when they grow up."
"I guess so... But I feel like I have to choose between Bane and Eric, and... I hate it. I love Bane, and Eric's a friend... it shouldn't be this... complicated..."
Hank ran a hand through his daughter's hair. Andie shifted so as to lean into her father, who wrapped a strong arm around her. It reminded Andie of when she was a little girl, when he calmed her down after having a nightmare. Eventually, Hank said:
"The problem is, honey, that in matters of the heart, things are never as straightforward as you'd like them to be."
The next day didn't help Andie. She had seen Bane, and waved him over. She was pulling things out of her locker, but as she pulled out her Calculus book, she dislodged three others and they toppled out onto her foot.
"OW! Shoot," she grumbled.
She bent down to rub her foot.
"Are you okay?" came Bane's voice beside her, hurrying over.
"Here, let me help you..."
She glanced around at Eric, also reaching down to pick up her books. The boys eyed each other.
"I've got it, Eric," Bane said coolly. "Thanks."
"I could tell you the same," Eric shot back evenly.
"Don't start, you two," Andie sighed, picking her books off the ground before they could. "I'm not a toy you can argue over."
She straightened up and winced as her foot stung.
"Here," Bane said, taking the books and sliding them back into her locker for her.
Andie readjusted her bag while trying to balance her weight so it hurt her foot less.
"Thanks." she said.
"I can carry your bag to your class, if you want," Eric offered. "So you don't pressure your foot as much."
"You don't have the same class as her," Bane interjected tersely. "I do. I'll do it. We wouldn't want you to be late."
"Guys, enough!" Andie snapped. "I'm fine."
She snapped her locker shut and walked off. Bane and Eric quickly followed her.
"Andie, come on..." Eric began.
"No! Don't you "come on" me, Eric Donovan! You guys are seniors! And you're acting like three year olds! You're both important to me. Don't make me feel like I have to chose between you. Because I can't. More to the point, I won't."
There was a silence. People walked by them ignoring them.
"I want you both in my life. But if you want to be a part of it, you'll have to accept each other."
She looked at them one by one. Then, she turned and walked off, her right foot making her limp slightly. Bane hurried after her without looking at Eric and took her hand. She didn't reject it.
That day, Andie's last class was gym class, which happened to be Bane's and Eric's as well. Andie groaned when she noticed.
"Great... as if things weren't tense enough..."
"Still not getting along too well, are they?" Emily commented as she and the others warmed up.
"Not really... they were arguing over who would pick my books up for me this morning when I dropped them from my locker..." Andie sighed.
"Whoa... sounds like they're really going at it..." Jessica said, eying the boys at the other end of the room.
"... You're telling me..." Andie groaned. "I don't know what to do..."
"I don't think there's much you can do," Isabelle said, leaning over the beam and peering at the boys. "They're both going to keep competing for your attention... Bane because he's insecure and Eric because he's jealous Bane got you first."
"... You think so?"
"Andes, Bane is a great guy, but he is still a guy," Isabelle said reasonably. "He's not used to you having a friend that's a boy, so he feels threatened."
"I know, but I can't get it into his head that he has no reason to be..." Andie said heavily.
"I don't see what the problem is," Jessica commented with a shrug. "Most girls would love to have two guys fight over them."
"Yeah, people like Vicki Chase," Andie retorted. "I actually hate it... but I don't know how to solve this... I can't force them to be friends..."
They finished their warm-ups and began making teams.
"All right, then, listen up," their teacher, Coach Trent, called. "Today we'll be picking up from last lesson. Volleyball."
There were a few groans. Andie sighed. She didn't hate volleyball, but she was no huge fan either.
"Okay, teams of four, let's go."
Andie and the girls took the same court, like they usually did. Gym class was one the rare classes they all had together. Andie glanced at Bane and Eric, who had found themselves on the same team.
"I can see this going wrong very fast..." Isabelle said, glancing too.
"That makes two of us..." Andie sighed. "Well, let's hope they behave..."
Andie looked at the large white ball in her hand, threw it upwards, and slammed her hand into it hard.
After a good hour of throwing balls over nets and running around to toss it back, Coach Trent blew her whistle to call them to a stop.
"Okay. A few stretching exercises and you're free to go." she announced.
So Andie and the girls got started. They were always very careful to stretch and warm up before exercising. Balon had hammered it into them for so long it was like a reflex, now. After a few minutes, Andie caught sight of something that made her groan again.
"Oh, no... I don't like the sound of that at all..."
The girls followed her gaze. Bane and Eric were watching each other coldly, speaking but too far for Andie to hear. They were both tense, standing barely a foot from each other at the other end of the gym. They seemed to be speaking through their teeth.
"Uh oh... Bane's fists are clenched..." Andie went on, heading forwards.
But before she was halfway across the gym, Eric's fist shot up towards Bane's face. But of course, Bane was ready for it and blocked it before shoving him back. But Eric wasn't about to give up so easily. He straightened up and aimed another swipe at Bane, which was blocked again. And before Andie could reach them, Eric had lunged for Bane and knocked him to the ground. Andie hurled herself at them.
"Stop it!" she shouted. "What is wrong with you? Eric! Stop it!"
"Hey!" called Coach Trent's voice. "Break it up this instant!"
Andie saw her coming towards them, but didn't want to wait for her. She tried to pull him off, but in the struggle, a fist swung up and hit Andie hard in the face, knocking her backwards with a cry of pain. That, at least, made them stop squabbling.
"Andie!" Bane called, shoving Eric away and hurrying to her side. "Are you okay?"
She was clasping her nose which had begun to bleed. Isabelle hurried over with a paper tissue.
"Andie, are you all right?" she asked.
"Yeah..."
"Get up!" Coach Trent said, yanking Eric to his feet. "What the heck is wrong with you two, fighting like animals?"
Bane looked away, a glint of fury and pain in his eyes. Eric was biting his lip angrily.
"Sorry, Coach," Bane said. "It won't happen again."
Coach Trent looked from one to the other.
"Okay. Bane, you have no precedent, and Eric, you're new. So I'll let it slide this once. But I mean only this once, are we clear? If this happens again, I'm sending you both straight to the Principal's office, understood?"
"Yes, Coach," the boys said.
"Good." Coach Trent said as the bell rang. "Class dismissed."
Andie looked at them both, disbelief and anger in her eyes, and marched out, followed by the girls.
******
Oh, the tension between Andie, Bane and Eric is building up! Let's hope they can control it before it gets too high and blows up in their faces!
Will the boys manage to put aside their differences for Andie's sake? Let's find out!