𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑, COLBY MADDEN

1x15: A Superhero in Valley View

Amy and Y/N sat across from Hartley in the hallway, trying to get her attention, but Hartley's eyes were glued to someone at the other end of the cafeteria.

"So, I figured out a way to stop confusing those twin sisters at school. Ignore them both. Problem solved." Y/N started, hoping to draw Hartley in.

"Uh-huh," Hartley muttered without looking away.

"Are you even listening to me?" Amy pressed.

"Uh-huh," Hartley replied again, still staring at the kid in the hoodie.

"- Amy!" Y/N whined.

"- Uh, see?" Amy nudged. "If you'd been paying attention, you would've seen that coming."

"Sorry," Hartley finally said, glancing at them briefly. "I was looking at that kid over there in the hoodie. He seems lonely. And weird. Which probably explains the lonely part."

"Maybe I should go over and say hi," Y/N offered.

"Oh, right. 'Cause when I see someone clearly trying to avoid people, my first instinct is to always go and say hi," Hartley said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, maybe they're shy, like you when you first moved here."

"I was not shy," Hartley shot back. "I was standoffish and hostile. There's a difference. I'm going over to introduce myself. You can come or not."

"I choose not," Amy said.

"You're coming," Hartley insisted.

"Okay. Then why even give me a choice?" Amy muttered.

They approached the kid, and Hartley stepped forward first. "Hi there. We wanted to welcome you to Valley View. I'm Hartley."

Y/N whispered to Amy, "See? I told you. Just leave him alone."

"Sorry to bother you," Amy added nervously.

"Starling?" Y/N's voice rose. "Starling? What are you doing here?"

"Did you finally come to your senses and realize we should be besties?" Hartley teased.

"No. And I don't know how you got my number, but you need to stop calling. What was with the disguise? Shame of being a superhero finally set in?" Starling replied, frowning slightly.

"I came to warn you," she continued, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The superheroes received intel that you and your family are on the run."

"What?" Y/N gasped.

"I knew it. She turned us in and Jake fell right into her trap," Amy said accusingly.

"I didn't turn you in," Starling insisted. "Come here. The superheroes were going through old security footage from Centropolis, and they saw me save Jake from falling off that building back when he was still Chaos. Well, you're a superhero. What were you supposed to do, let him fall?"

"Hmm? I would've had that same moral debate," Y/N said.

"It was the 'not turning him in' part they had a problem with. Now the superheroes think I'm helping your family hide out."

"- So tell them you're not," Hartley urged.

"I did. But then they confiscated my phone and found all of my texts with Jake from the last few months."

"Yikes! How many kissy face emojis did they have to sift through?" Amy asked.

"Three hundred and fifty-seven," Starling said solemnly.

"And then they questioned me," Starling added, "but I refused to give you up, so they banished me from the superhero community forever."

"Huh. I always thought you'd grow old as a superhero. You know, still flying around in the sky, but like, ten miles an hour below the speed limit," Hartley commented.