Chapter Text
Layla Williams was raised to know that she had a single place in the world. Her best friend, Will Stronghold, and she were part of some larger plan and would be together forever. From their adventures in elementary school to facing villains side-by-side, they would stand together against it all. It all seemed so clear. After all, his parents were the Commander and Jetstream, a notorious power duo that protected the world while basking in the intimacy of a loving relationship. Will was the product of their love, of their wonderful lives together. Ever since she was a child and the first flicker of warmth crept up inside her chest when she was looking at her friend, she thought it was a foregone conclusion. Eventually, they would be together. Their friendship was already one of the most important relationships in her life, so it wasn’t a leap to think that it would become something more.
It was an idea that came with time. It took root over the years, hastened by both of their parents' teasing and her mother's encouragement. Well before Layla had ever thought of Will as anything more than a friend that she would happily walk beside forever, the comments reached her ears. As if fate had a hand in things, their lives became intertwined via playdates and studying and good company. More often than not, Layla found herself in the young Stronghold's arms under her mother's watchful eye.
Their relationship had blossomed quite naturally. They just fit in ways that Layla didn't realize existed until they were pointed out to her. Her mother was adept at doing so. There was one memorable occasion when she had sprouted vines right in front of the young girl's feet, no older than four, leading her to trip into Will’s space. Will, ever the hero, reached out to catch her, and while they steadied themselves, a photo was taken. That photo would become a staple in both of the young children’s households, both mothers coo-ing at the adorable display while the fathers looked on with adoring eyes.
Her mother was Lotus, a former sidekick to Hydroman. She would sprout plants that would trap unsuspecting villains in Hydroman’s floods. It was always said that the only reason her mom didn’t make the hero track was because she couldn’t make her plants grow taller than a foot. The debilitating weakness streamlined her career to one as a sidekick, which she didn’t seem to mind. She was always chipper, with a large smile on her face.
Her secret identity carried on that attitude as well. Lotus, or Sharron Greene, met her future husband, Peter Williams. For months into their relationship, Lotus hid her true identity from him, for the safety of them both, but after a slip-up, Peter not only promised to keep her secret but also revealed his own. His grandmother was the hero Starlight, a strong woman who could harness solar energy at will. His brother was the hero Solar Flare. He was the odd duck, the one who did not get powers. This revelation only brought them closer, and a year later, they were married.
Layla always thought that the serendipity that brought her parents together was fate. Two people entrenched in the Hero community finding each other without knowing was something out of a fairy tale. It made her believe in her mother's words. There must be some force acting out its will, directing everyone’s lives. Her meeting with Will was a good example of this.
Her father had been running late that day, so Layla got to school late. Not one to be habitually so, Layla was unbothered. She quietly munched on her berries, careful to keep the juice from dribbling down her chin. It was something she detested, getting herself dirty. She was spotless when she got out of the car and ran into the building, waving goodbye to her father. Layla was already in first grade and was perfectly capable of getting herself to class.
Though it turned out to be a mistake, looking back as she waved, she didn't regret it. Not only would she have felt it rude to wave her father away without sparing him a glance, but it also led to her meeting her best friend. Normally, she was careful to watch her steps to avoid crushing any plants. As it was, her foot caught on something, and she was pitched forward into a figure that she hadn’t noticed. She slammed into it hard, the grass stretching out to catch her, cushioning her fall and leaving her only a little winded. However, the person, and yes, she had run into a person, had fallen forward and landed face-first on the ground. The boy, who had a Commander-themed backpack, slowly turned over, looking back and making eye contact with Layla.
“Are you okay?” They both said, youthful voices overlapping. This startled a laugh out of both of them before they helped each other up. They walked into the building together, talking and laughing as they went. Turns out, that was Will’s first day at the school, and he wasn’t in her class. They had the same science teacher, though, and lived in the same neighborhood. If they hadn’t both been running late, they would likely have seen each other in passing, but there was no telling if they would have been introduced, let alone become friends.
It was fate, her mother assured.
It was nice, Layla thought.
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Years passed, and everything was fine. Layla’s heart panged every time Will would correct anyone who assumed they were dating, but everything was fine. Eventually, she would make her move, and they would figure it out. They had all the time in the world.
But then, on the first day of Sky High, the next chapter in their increasingly complicated lives, they are introduced to the Student Body President, Gwen Grayson. She was simply standing there, explaining the basic safety rules of the school. She cheekily ended it with a comment about not falling off the edge of the school. Layla laughed, looking over to see Will’s reaction.
He was just...staring. Layla felt something sinking in her stomach, a pit opening that she tried to ignore. She nudged him softly to knock him out of his haze, and he seemed to regain his senses. He glanced around, shooting her a smile that quelled her queasy feeling. Layla's relief was short-lived as he began to ask about the very rules that Gwen had just explained. He hadn't been paying attention, that much was clear, but it was the why that had Layla frowning. Surely, he was just nervous for their first day? Surely the sight of another girl was not enough to distract him? Surely not.
Of course, that was only the beginning.
Life continued. They got drafted as sidekicks. They met new people and made new friends together. They studied together, ate lunch together, and walked through the halls together. And yet.
Every time that Gew Grayson would walk past, Will’s attention was stolen. The older girl had not spared him a glance since he had supposedly ‘washed out’ of Power Placement, but her friend could not pull his eyes away. It was only a month into the school year, but the longing stares were tugging at Layla’s heartstrings. Something had to be done. She was officially out of time. Layla resolved to tell Will that night, confronting her feelings for him in a comfortable setting. Idly, she wondered if this would be the right time to invite him into her tree.
But then, she is neither an arbiter of fate nor its author, so what happened next was completely out of her control.
Warren Peace, and hadn't his presence caused Will stress, started a fight with the Commander's son in the cafeteria. This somehow prompted a battle that became a foregone conclusion once Will, for the first time, powered up. The principal separated them, but the splattering of applause for Will made one thing certain. Everything was changing.
And everything did. When they were all sitting in homeroom the next day, Mr. Boy handed Will his new schedule. He was being moved to the hero course.
On one hand, she was proud of Will. There was no doubt that Will had some inferiority issues surrounding his placement. His father had expressed his disappointment, and it ate at Will, so this would undoubtedly improve that aspect of his life. On the other hand, it didn't seem...fair, she supposed was the right word despite how childish it may sound. Sky High was notorious for its two programs, namely the inability to switch between them. It was unheard of to do so, even for sidekicks who realized the extent of their powers later and heroes who had peaked early. It wasn't an uncommon phenomenon for this to happen, but nothing could be done, or so they had been told.
So Layla had been told. Now? Now, Layla was beside herself. The teachers had whispered about her, telling her that with her power, she could have easily made the hero course. Despite their encouragement, she had never been transferred, even after impressive displays of her abilities. It was just not how things were done. Coach Boomer did not change his mind under any circumstances, and his word was the law on placement. There was no changing this, no matter how hard anyone tried.
That is, until it came to a Stronghold. The school’s sidekicks were abuzz with scathing, jealous remarks.
“Of course, Will would get swapped.”
“They never let the sidekicks have anything!”
“Why him? It’s not like he’s the only one with a strong power-”
The comments came and came, like a never-ending flood. They only increased once it was discovered that Will had stopped talking to his once friends. It worsened when he started hanging out with Gwen one-on-one. It got to the point where even Layla was fed up with the lack of effort from Will to even act like her friend.
Sure, he didn’t let his former friends get stuffed in lockers, but he made no move to talk to them once the bullies went away. It was the only way that they could get his attention. It felt like civilians were trying to talk to a hero. Layla tried to keep up her positive attitude, but she was flagging. She and Will had been friends for over a decade, and so she gritted her teeth and tempered her indignation. There was no way she was giving up on him.
When Will competed against those same bullies in Save-the-Citizen, a glimmer of hope ignited in her chest. He was paired with Warren Peace, a disaster waiting to happen, frankly, but they were winning. That is, until the speedster created a vortex that sucked the oxygen from the air around Warren, choking him in the process. For a split second, Layla saw the Will she knew, foregoing winning to save someone in trouble.
Then she saw the new Will return as he tossed Warren towards the mannequin head-first to solidify their victory. Layla winced as Warren tucked the mannequin into his chest and skidded a few feet before coming to a stop. They had won, dethroning the long-standing villains. The crowd surged forward, surrounding Will and lifting him with cheers and exclamations. The commotion was thunderous, and their little group just couldn’t get Will’s attention over it. Layla stopped trying after seeing Gwen go over and hug his arm, hanging off of him possessively. She turned away from the sight, noticing Warren Peace walking away towards the showers. She thought it was a little unfair how he was Will’s partner, the one who had ultimately been used as a hail-mary option, and yet he was getting no recognition.
“Figure that Stronghold would save him, even if he is a no-good villain.” Some random guy said, speaking to his friend as he made his way past their group and out the gym doors. Warren Peace, a villain? Layla thought that was a stretch. There was no proof beyond childish speculation rooted in his penchant for black.
Of course, there were other reasons, but Layla ignored family history whenever she could. How could she do anything else when she had spent her life reassuring Will that he was more than his parents' son? Warren Peace's family has nothing to do with who he was. One of the things that did matter was that he was chosen for the Hero track. Wisdom dictates that this should automatically disqualify him from any villainous labels, but the system of Sky High was faulty. The school touted the ideals of temperament and suitability, but it boiled down to flashy displays in the end. If anything, by still questioning Warren's allegiances, the student body was proving this. Of course, the dichotomy of Hero and Sidekick divided the student body unnecessarily in the first place, as it was based on something as arbitrary as one person’s opinion of how powerful a person could be. All in all, it was not something that Layla supported in the slightest, despite her enrollment. It was the reason she decided not to display her power in Power Placement, after all.
And yet, there goes Warren Peace, walking out to go to his Hero-track classes, a pariah in his own right. He could have gone anywhere, but he went to his parents’ alma mater to become a hero. She didn’t think it was fair (and there was that word again) to call him a villain, especially when he tried so hard in Save-the-Citizen. It wasn’t right.
Layla looked back over to where Will stood, chatting amicably with the most popular crowd in the school, most of them upperclassmen. She noticed that a lot of things at this school weren’t right.
☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘
As is typical following her enrollment into the famed Sky High, she was forced to evaluate what was right and wrong. Not in her classes, of course, as that would be too simple. No, she has been forced to do so within the purview of her personal life. She was unprepared for the frequency with which this question came up. Given her chosen career, you would think she would expect it, but alas.
Will had cornered her at her locker, apologies spilling from his lips as he babbled about their friendship. It made something in her warm again, dusting off old feelings that had sunk to the bottom of the pit in her stomach, a pit that had begun icing over. She agreed to meet him at her favorite spot. She hadn’t been there since the summer before attending Sky High due to Will's aversion to Chinese food. It had been years since she had been able to convince Will to eat there, so the fact that Will had suggested it spoke volumes.
She dolled herself up, excited beyond belief. This was progress. This was something both familiar and new. It was everything she expected from a relationship with Will. She was taking strides to meet her, and she would do the same. She decided to forego her usual green and yellow and settled on a red shirt, a gift from her grandmother. She never wore it, as the neckline was not to her usual tastes. She thought it made her look more grown up, something that she was sure Will was interested in given how mature Gwen was.
She arrived at the Paper Lantern at 7:50 on the dot. The dinner rush was over, but it never hurt to arrive early. For all she knew, there could be an event or a large party, and she would lose all chance at this momentous encounter. Had she been the one to choose the location, she would have called ahead, but she knew Will too well to assume that he would do so. As she waited in line, she patted herself on the back. She had arrived just before a large family celebrating a basketball victory. She was seated relatively quickly, a two-person booth that suited her well. She sat there and waited, watching the other tables come and go.
By ten past eight, she had checked her phone for any sign from Will and found nothing. She tried not to worry about it, since it was only ten minutes. There was always the chance that he was running late, as he was known to be.
Time passed.
At half-past eight, she ordered her favorite so she could keep the table, not planning to touch the food until Will arrived, and they could eat there together. She looked at her phone again, seeing no text from Will.
More time passed.
It was now a quarter-past nine, and Layla was starving. Or she assumed she was. The pain in her stomach, one she associated with Will, made a valiant effort to override everything else. The pit that had begun to heal cracked, and ice began to grow again. The analogy may lead one to think the ice was a balm, but it was simply a new burn, grating and painful. Tears were threatening to fall, but she frantically calmed herself. It was fine. There was no reason to cry. He probably just forgot the time. There was no way he was standing her up-
“Still working on that?” A voice broke her out of her reverie, and she turned her head.
Standing there was the waiter whose apron and notepad denoted his position. That wasn't a surprise. However, she felt her body still as she recognized the boy standing in front of her. His hair was combed and in a neat bun, showing his face and piercings on one of his ears. His face was open, so different from the closed expression he usually wore at school.
It was Warren Peace.
“Hey.” She spoke, trying to keep her cool.
“Hey.” He replied, and she realized that he didn’t recognize her.
“We go to school together,” Layla explained, watching as something changed in his eyes. His mouth tightened a little, and he straightened his posture to something more resembling how he stood at school. Walls slamming up as he took in the person in front of him.
“You’re Stronghold’s friend.” He noted, voice lacking the welcoming quality that it held a moment ago. It still wasn’t like how he spoke at school, though. It was...softer.
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
Silence persisted, but Layla would hesitate to call it awkward. It was just...there.
“You want me to heat that up for you?” Warren asked, pointing at her food.
“You’re not supposed to use your powers outside of school,” Layla spoke quietly, trying not to draw attention.
“I was just gonna stick it in the microwave.” Warren similarly lowered his voice and sounded like he was fighting back his amusement. While she usually hated being laughed at, she could admit it was a nice change.
“Oh. Uh, no thanks.” She stumbled over her words, feeling like she owed him an explanation. “I was supposed to be meeting Will here, but um…” She trailed off, not knowing how to say it.
“You wanna sit down?” She decided to say instead, her brain not catching up until the last moment. She blue-screened, but she resolutely did not let this show on her face. Keeping a small smile on her face, she waited for him to say ‘no, thanks’ and leave her to wait for Will.
Warren looked around, seeing that the large party from earlier had left. Layla watched as another couple did the same, letting the cold air in as the door shut quietly. It didn't take a genius to notice that no one was coming in.
“I think I can spare a minute.” That surprised Layla, but as she watched him sit, she decided that this was better than sitting alone. The only issue would come when Will showed up. This was going to be awkward to explain.
He held out his finger, and a small flame flickered on the end of it. He used it to light the candle at the table, and Layla couldn’t hold back a fond smile at the gesture, despite her earlier statement about hiding his powers. Mundane uses of powers always made her smile, if only because she knew that they came as easily as breathing to some. What shocked Layla was when Warren smiled back.
“You did really well in Save-the-Citizen earlier today,” She complimented, going for what she hoped was a safe topic. If anything, though, it seemed to dim his smile. It became rueful.
“Yeah, sure. The matchup did not go well for me. I was basically Stronghold’s sidekick throughout,” He looked at her before continuing. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I know I am in Hero Support. I’m not hiding that fact, nor am I embarrassed by it.” Layla quickly reassured. Warren got a contemplative look on his face.
“What’s your power again?” Warren asked, clasping his hands in front of him and setting them down on the table.
“Chlorokinesis,” Layla stated, already preparing to spout her prepared spiel to explain her powers. “It’s basically-”
“The ability to summon and control plants and vegetation,” Warren spoke, cutting her off. “That's pretty powerful. What happened that you became a side-uh-Hero Support?”
“I don’t believe in using my powers unless the situation demands it. Power Placement does not qualify.” Layla explained.
“And why is that?”
“The test is a flawed system of sorting. The entire hero-sidekick dichotomy is.” She took a bite of her food to avoid going into further detail, but Warren didn’t talk over her like the Coach did, only waiting patiently for her to finish so she could continue explaining. She swallowed, warmth spreading over her cheeks.
“Um, well, to separate the incoming students like that, by power and not by skill, means that you automatically stifle any potential. Like, over the years, people with relatively unknown powers or people who have to use their powers creatively were placed as sidekicks, even though they ended up being more powerful than some of the heroes. The system essentially enables alternate strategies for growth that then support the creation of powerful villains…” She trailed off, realizing that she was lecturing Warren Peace, son of Barron Battle, about how Sky High creates villains. He would know that better than anyone.
“Yeah, you’ve got a point,” Warren said, grabbing one of her fortune cookies and tearing it open. “Then again, inheriting strong powers basically guarantees that you’ll be ‘hero material’ in Sky High’s eyes.” He held up his hands to put quotation marks. Layla nodded, feeling a dejected resignation come over her at the thought, knowing that her parents were among the masses who believed that to be the truth.
“Yeah, there’s no accounting for intelligence amongst the Hero community.” The comment slipped out without thought, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it as Warren barked out a laugh.
“No, there isn’t. You should see some of the boneheads in the Hero track. I swear, it makes me wonder how they got to high school.” The edge of Warren’s mouth ticked up as if thinking back to someone in particular.
“I’m sure that their powers had something to do with it. Superpowered kids? If I were a teacher, I would do anything to make sure they leave my school as soon as possible. For some peace of mind at the very least.” Layla added with a chuckle, taking another bite of her food as she saw Warren nod in contemplation.
“I agree. But still, I wonder how growing up controlling plants could’ve gone. I mean, I was a hellion that could set myself on fire. My mom went crazy trying to wrangle me, so I doubt it was easy trying to keep you in check.”
“Oh no, easy isn’t the word I would use,” Layla said, thinking back. “It didn’t help that I manifested my powers really early. I had them when I was in kindergarten. I would grow trees outside my windows to sneak out and garden. It would freak my parents out when they would come to check on me, and I was nowhere to be found. They begged me not to use my powers as often, but did I listen?" Layla shrugged in a what-can-you-do gesture, and Warren kept smiling at her. Layla thought that the candle was making her face warm.
"My powers gave me a lot of options in school, but my ma wasn't very fond of them. I mean, a kid who could burn his homework? Her only saving grace was that I did well in Gym. The Presidential Fitness test had nothing on me." His grin was proud, and it made Layla think of a tiny boy running circles around the other kids.
"Gym was not my strong suit," Layla admitted, thinking back to her youth. Immediately, images flashed in her mind, a certain boy prevalent in all her memories. "There was this time in first grade. You know how you grow lima beans in school?” Warren nodded, popping the cookie in his mouth, still looking at her.
“The teachers gave us all the same instructions, and I followed them. It wasn't until some of our classmates knocked over the entire set of pots that it became apparent that my plant had a little extra...let's say help." Layla smiled, tucking a hair behind her ear as she remembered the dumbstruck expressions on her teacher's faces. They were more welcome than the glares that her classmates gave her as their plants died.
"I bet that made you popular..." Warren snorted, mirth dancing in his eyes.
"Well, no one could figure out why mine grew so quickly and stayed alive. It was driving the whole class crazy, especially Will. I finally took mercy on him and told him about my powers. It was a relief, since we had been friends for a few years by then. The secret was getting to be a bit much.” She finished, taking another bite of her food.
“Hmm.” Warren nodded. “And falling for him, was that before or after the lima beans?” Layla almost choked.
“What? I don’t….” She trailed off at the look on his face. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.” He answered.
“Great.” She huffed, letting her fork lie on her plate.
“So why don’t you tell him?” The human torch asked, crinkling a wrapper in his hand.
“Well, I was gonna ask him to homecoming, but there are two problems. He likes someone else, and she’s perfect.” She met his eyes, and she saw something flash in them. Inwardly, she marveled at how someone’s eyes could be so expressive. Whatever thought he was stuck on, he shook his head and spoke.
“You know what I think?” Warren asked, continuing before she could get a word in. “To let true love remain unspoken is the quickest route to a heavy heart.” He intoned, voice soothing and melodic.
“Wow. That is really deep.” She was amazed that he could be so well-spoken. Does anyone talk like that in real life?
“Yeah.” Warren smiled again, looking down at a piece of paper in his hands. “And your lucky numbers are forty-four, five, seven, twenty-one, and thirty-two…”
A laugh left her, and her phone vibrated in her pocket. She carefully fished it out to see a text from her father, asking her where she was. She looked at the time and was surprised to see that it was a little past ten. She looked back at Warren and shot him an apologetic smile.
“I gotta go.” She spoke, trying to find a way to stay, but Warren just nodded, rising from his seat and grabbing his notepad.
“See you around, hippie.” With those words, he walked to the other Torah tables, picked up checks, and then walked into the back of the restaurant. Layla sat there, momentarily fazed by the nickname. It was not the first time someone had called her something like that, not by a long shot, but this time, there was no animosity behind it. It was almost…friendly.
She smiled. She dug out a twenty, careful to give Warren a large tip for his excellent service, and made her way out of the Paper Lantern. She was glad she decided to bring some money instead of relying on Will to pay.
She walked home, finally realizing that Will never showed up. She spent a surprisingly nice evening with Warren Peace after a disappointing hour of waiting for a friend who was supposed to be apologizing. It was humiliating if she thought about it too hard. She gripped the small bag in her hand, carrying an unopened cookie and the fortune that Warren had read her.
Despite the disappointment of the night, she hoped that she would have the courage to finally break her silence and ask Will to the homecoming dance. The next morning, everything would fall into place.
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Layla was waiting at the bus stop. She purposefully did not stop by Will’s house this morning, hoping that he would notice and realize that he messed up. Instead, she saw him walk up to her at the bus stop with a goofy look on his face.
“Layla!” He called out, spotting her. This was it, he would apologize now- “You will never guess what happened last night!” Layla didn’t respond, carefully pulling out a fortune cookie from her bag and holding it out for him.
“Oh, I love these!” Will said, biting the cookie open and sliding the paper out. “‘Your loyalties are clear when it comes to friends.’” He looked up, and Layla was wondering about the irony behind that fortune. Something in her expression must have rattled something loose in his head because his eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, god. I totally spaced. Uh… I’m sorry. I know you must want to kill me…” Layla kinda did want to kill him, but..
It was fate.
“Actually, just the opposite. I have something to tell you.” Layla pushed through the annoyance, bringing a smile to her face.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, but you first,” Layla said, trying to delay it for as long as possible.
“Oh, okay. It’s about homecoming.” Will said, making a genuine smile break out on her face.
“Really? Me too!” Layla could feel the star aligning, Will was asking her!
“I’m going with Gwen Grayson! Can you believe it? " It felt like her heart had stopped beating. "Me, a freshman, going with the most amazing girl at Sky High!” She could feel her blood pooling in her head, threatening to bring her down to her knees.
“That’s awesome,” Layla said, ignoring the tight pain in her chest.
“I know!” Will exclaimed, a large grin on his face. The bus pulled up just then, and they hopped on, making their way to their usual seats. As they walked down the narrow space between the seats, she tried to sort through her thoughts. Will had not only stood her up, but he didn’t even care that he did it. He was happy to do it even if it meant that he got to go to homecoming with Gwen. She should be supportive, right? Did she even have the right to be hurt? It's not like he knew how she felt.
She stayed silent for most of the ride, letting Will brag about his latest news to whoever would listen on the short ride.
“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. What’s your homecoming news?” Will asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
“I’m going too,” Layla said, not thinking quickly enough to stop her mouth from moving.
“Really. Who with?” Will asked, curiosity and something else coloring his tone. Maybe it was that unknown emotion that led her down the path she would take. Maybe it was her inability to think before she spoke.
“Who with?” Layla stalled.
“Yeah. Who asked you?” Will pushed, not letting it go.
“Oh, who asked me…” She tried to think of a name, any name…Her mind flashed to a pair of expressive eyes. “Warren Peace.”
As if on cue, the bus landed, and she quickly got up, running away from what she had just said. This was a mess. Why didn’t she just say she was going alone? There was no way that Warren was ever going to agree to go with her.
It did feel good to stop Will in his tracks, though. His reaction was priceless. Maybe she could convince Warren to go along with a scheme.
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Warren Peace was something of an enigma.
Layla watched him from afar for most of the morning, catching glimpses of his opposing figure between classes. He was dressed in his usual colors, black and red, donning leather like one would a shield. That, combined with the eternal scowl on his face, all pointedly reminded everyone to steer clear or face the consequences.
Layla was never very good at listening to things like that.
She gripped her lunch tray tightly, seeing that a leaf had grown from her apple stem. Her father always said that she was more likely to go sprouting leaves instead of twiddling her thumbs if she was nervous. Despite this, she stalked towards the table that they had been advised to steer clear of from day one. It sat in the middle of the lunch room, near the pillar, providing privacy while simultaneously giving a clear view of everyone around the cafeteria.
It was Warren’s table.
Layla set her tray down on the table across from Warren, seeing him startle as she sat down. He was reading a book, but he laid it face down before she could see it. Immediately, she could see that hard, guarded look that she would have assumed was his default had she not seen differently the night before.
“What,” Warren spoke, enunciating his words. “Are you doing?”
“Well,” Layla, for all her nervousness, knew one thing. She was not afraid of Warren Peace. “Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?”
“Remind me.” Warren practically growled out.
“I was going to ask Will to Homecoming, on your advice.” Warren raised an eyebrow at that, but Layla pushed on. “But Will, well, he was supposed to meet me there last night, but you know.” She let her chin drop a bit, feeling embarrassment creep up as tried to gather her thoughts again.
“And?” Layla looked up, and she swore she could see that same look that she saw the other night before he knew who she was, but it was gone quickly, replaced with impatience.
“Will asked someone else. And I may have told him that someone had already asked me. Uh, you?” Layla finally got out, feeling her breath leave her in a rush.
“Me?” Warren asked, and Layla realized that she would need to explain.
“I told him that you were the one who asked me to the dance. And that I said yes.” Layla refused to look away from Warren, intent on making sure that she was understood.
“I don’t remember that being part of the plan,” Warren said, obviously perturbed. Layla sent him a strained smile, glad that he hadn’t immediately shut her down.
“It wasn’t. But it could be.” Layla rushed to explain her idea, one that would make Will jealous and hopefully send him into her arms.
“Let me get this straight. You want to fake-date to make Stronghold jealous enough to get his head out of his ass?” He deadpanned. Layla nodded, a litany of justifications ready to spill from her lips, but in the next second, Warren’s face changed yet again. “I’m in.”
“You're-” Layla fumbled a bit, mouth agape only for a moment before she excitedly composed herself. “You’re in? Just like that?”
“I don’t need much of a reason to mess with Stronghold.” Warren’s smile was full of spite. Layla smiled back in turn, letting a bit of her own anger at Will seep into her eyes.
Warren’s eyes were truly beautiful. They were dark, and Layla could almost mistake them for black if not for the way that the light hit them. It showed a brown hue that reminded her of ebony, which itself was a marvel. She knew how rare that wood was nowadays, and it broke her heart. To see the color preserved in a person-
“Greetings.” Magenta’s voice sounded from behind her, and Layla turned her head in time to see the girl sit down next to her.
“Hello, how is your day going?” Layla's perfunctory question was answered with a hum as Magenta pulled out her homework before silently holding it out for Layla to take. Layla shot a look at Warren on reflex, before smiling and taking the paper from Magenta’s hands.
“You’re an angel,” Magenta said, pointing out problems that she was having trouble with. Layla cataloged them, trying to find the commonality between them so she could begin to help.
“What are you doing?” Warren’s tone was hard as he glared at Magenta.
“Sitting,” Magenta responded, pulling her backpack off the table and presumably out of range of Warren’s fire. Magenta was not one to show fear, but Layla doubted that she was acting. Like her, Magenta was simply too intelligent to write someone off the way the rest of the student body did. At least, so long as she didn't detect any bad vibes from them.
“No one sits here but me.” Warren rebuffed her. Magenta just hummed again, looking back at Layla. Layla opened her mouth to agree that they should move, but before she could, Magenta started speaking.
“What did you get for four? I wasn’t sure if Tigerman was A) bitten by a radioactive tiger or B) bitten by a regular tiger then exposed to radiation.” Layla again opened her mouth to suggest that they move, but Ethan and Zach came around to sit on either side of Warren.
“Hey. Are we eating at Warren’s table now?” Ethan nervously spoke, beginning to eat his lunch. “I feel extremely dangerous.”
“Is this guy bothering you, Magenta?” Zach asked, obviously posturing.
“Try the other way around.” Warren closed his book, glaring at the new additions to the table. When his eyes settled on Layla, she swore that she saw his glare flicker into something else, but it was too quick to decipher. He looked down, shoving his book in his bag before slamming a closed fist on the table in obvious frustration. “Does anyone else need a date for homecoming?”
He had asked the table, obviously reaching his limit on his patience. Layla reached across the table, ignoring Ethan's raised hand as she placed her hand over his closed fist and met his eyes.
“Thank you.” She tried to convey her sincerity, but Warren just stared at her for a beat or two. Magenta nudged her, and when Layla turned her head, she could see Will glaring their way. She turned her attention back to Warren. “I promise to make this as painless as possible.”
“So, you’re only-” Warren paused, clearing his throat. “You’re only doing this to get to Stronghold, right?” Layla nodded, squeezing his fist for emphasis. Warren just studied her for a moment, and Layla tried not to be self-conscious about it. She held his gaze. He eventually nodded before standing, and she took her hand away from his.
“I’m not renting a tux.” With those parting words, Warren Peace left the cafeteria. Layla ignored the conversations happening at the table, instead focusing on the wave of whispers that followed him out.
“Did you see that? Who is that girl-”
“No good villain corrupting innocent freshman-”
“Why is he even still allowed at this school-”
☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘
That is how it began.